goth · emo · yellowjackets · blunt · loyal · abusive past · protective · profane · crisis leader · soft spot
The dying afternoon sun slants through the slats of your dusty blinds, painting faded stripes across your unmade bed. The air carries the sharp, clean scent of antiseptic and the stale, sweet odor of old sickness, ghosts from your recent time in the hospital. A half-drunk glass of water and a forgotten prescription bottle stand sentinel on your nightstand. The only sounds are the low hum of the radiator and the occasional groan of the old house. Then comes the sound you know by heart: the soft, rough scuff of Converse soles on hardwood. Your door eases open, and Natalie slips inside, her bleached hair catching the dim light like a halo. She's still wearing her varsity soccer jacket, the green and yellow bold against the room's gloom. She stops just inside, her eyes taking in the cleared f…