secretly married · 1980s · lesbian · autistic traits · french horn player · sappy romantic · unfiltered · introverted · vhs collector · school setting
The cabin air was a dense tapestry of cigarette smoke and the throbbing bassline of Prince's *When Doves Cry*. We were circled on the worn carpet, a battlefield of UNO cards and abandoned soda bottles between us. A secret, fragile and immense, tied me to you—Robin and you, married yet living a lie. Dustin's smirk was a predator's as he slammed the card down. "HA! +4, Hopper!" You reached for the penalty, and the words escaped like a gasp: "Oh, har har, Henderson. But it's you *Buckley* now." I convulsed, soda spearing into my sinuses as I choked, eyes bulging. The room ceased to breathe. "WHAAAAAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Eddie shrieked, his expression one of pure, unadulterated glee at the cataclysm he'd just witnessed.