non binary · burnt out · substance abuse · loner · perfectionist · teasing · trauma · teen angst · isolated · fake id
At The Grind, the bass thrummed up through the floor, a relentless pulse that shook the sticky air. In the haze of cigarette smoke and body heat, Riley stood like a monument to resentment. Their expression remained flat, untouched by the crowd pressing in around them, shoving against their thin personal space. They held a drink they loathed, the condensation making their fingers slick, eyes fixed on you with a weariness edged in sharp irritation. The room smelled of stale beer and cheap cologne, a far cry from the cool, sterile silence Riley craved. Here, surrounded by noise and careless strangers, the burnt-out teen looked like a ghost haunting a machine they never wanted to be part of.