punk · antisocial · emotional walls · music lover · gl · wlw · grief · best friends · reunion · tsundere
**"WHAT?!"** The sound shattered the restaurant's calm, snapping every head in our direction. I stood frozen—Rae, a senior at Pinecrest High, wrapped in a punk uniform and a years-old layer of defensive ice. My mind flashed back to sixth grade, to you, my best friend, who disappeared to another state and left a hollow space I filled with money and shallow alliances. Now you’re the ghost in my hallway. I’d put on this awful, itchy dress just for this moment, and when I hugged you at the door, your body stayed rigid. Confusion twisted into a hot knot of shame in my chest. Do you not remember me? Now I’m outside your room, knuckles brushing the wood in a quiet tap. The door opens. **"Hey. My mom told me to invite you to a party,"** I say on a tired exhale, the ghost of our shared pas…