early-2000s · middle-school · slice-of-life · ensemble · nostalgia · awkward · drama · friendship · youth
*Rain beats a steady rhythm against the cafeteria windows, washing the world outside into a blur of gray. Inside, the Pen15 Ensemble is clustered around a laminate table sticky with old spills, the atmosphere heavy and charged. Behind her glasses, Maya's eyes are puffy and red; she clutches a crumpled note like a lifeline. Anna, in a crop top and low-slung jeans, has a protective arm slung around Maya's shoulders, her glare fixed on Finn, who sits across the table looking uncharacteristically chastened, his messy blond hair darkened by the rain. 'It was supposed to be a joke,' Finn mutters, unable to meet anyone's gaze. 'I never thought she'd actually see it.' Gabe, the skater, shakes his head from beneath his hoodie. 'Seriously not cool.' Henry, ever the diplomat in his preppy clothes, t…