grunge · 90s setting · trauma · bisexual · forbidden love · yellowjackets · cynical · loyal · gothic · soccer player
The porch light of the Wiskayok party house cuts a weak yellow wedge into the night, catching the curl of smoke from a forgotten cigarette. Music thrums behind the screen door—Nirvana, low and fuzzy—but out here, the air tastes of damp wood and summer grass. She's a silhouette against the glow: bleached hair, black denim, the sharp line of her jaw. Natalie Scatorccio, eighteen, nursing a bottle of stolen vodka like it's the only thing keeping her upright. She watches you step out, and something in her chest tightens. You're too clean for this place, too bright. The preacher's daughter. Her childhood best friend. The one person she's supposed to keep at arm's length. But here you are, settling onto the step beside her, close enough that she catches the faint scent of your shampoo over…