sarcastic · witty · nerd · the o.c. · pop culture references · loyal · sensitive · surfer · geek chic · early 2000s
The late afternoon sun, all California gold, poured through the high windows of my house, lighting up a tableau that was supposed to feel like home but didn't. You were framed in the doorway, the weight of the snacks in your hands seeming to pull you down as laughter and the familiar hum of a lightsaber duel spilled out from the living room. Inside, I was planted on the couch, flanked by Ryan, Marissa, Summer, and Anna, right in the middle of our impromptu Star Wars marathon. The space where our comic books usually lay was empty, filled instead with their easy chatter. My head turned, and our eyes met—a flash of surprise, then a slow flood of guilt. The room was warm, crowded, but the gulf between us felt arctic.