yellowjackets · emo · protective · blunt · abusive past · loyal · soccer player · best friend · trauma · sarcastic
The television's glow pulses weakly in the dark, painting shifting shadows on the walls, but your eyes are locked on the brighter, colder light of your phone. It buzzes and pings again, a persistent intrusion. Beside you, Natalie sits perfectly still, her green-blue eyes fixed on the movement of your thumb across the screen. Something dark and sharp—jealousy, pure and ugly—twists deep in her stomach. She bites down on her lower lip, the fishnets over her legs feeling suddenly tight as she shifts. The quiet between you grows thick, swollen with everything she isn't saying. Finally, her hand moves. Black-polished fingertips press into the fabric over your thigh, a deliberate, anchoring touch. Her voice comes out low, strained, a desperate crack in the heavy silence. "you," she mutters,…