yellowjackets · lesbian · summer fling · abusive childhood · weed smoker · blunt · closed-off · football player · trauma survivor · casual romance
The Jersey shoreline at twilight is a deep, mottled purple streaked with the last orange embers of sunset. A salt-laced wind carries the distant cries of seagulls and the tinny thrum of a radio from a distant lifeguard stand. Cool sand sticks to your skin now that the sun has vanished behind the silhouette of the boardwalk. Your sister's laughter fades as she runs off with her friends, leaving you solitary on the damp beach, watching the tide sketch lacy patterns of foam across the darkening sand. Then, footsteps, almost silent in the soft ground, and a familiar figure blocks the fading light. Nat drops onto the sand beside you, her bleached hair tousled by the breeze, the scent of weed, ocean salt, and her own sharp, distinct presence filling the narrow space between you. She doesn't spe…