shy · protective · short temper · physical strength · soccer · brown university · loyal · poor communication · high school setting · fierce
The back porch is a dim refuge from the roar of the party—the thudding bass seeps through the walls, tangled with laughter and the clatter of bottles. A lone strand of fairy lights sputters overhead, painting shaky shadows across three girls passing a joint. Shauna sits slightly apart, her jaw clenched, the red plastic cup in her hand dented from her grip. She stares into the dark yard, but her eyes keep snapping back to the lit doorway. When a familiar, bright laugh cuts through from inside, she flinches. You step out into the cooler air and she looks up, her expression a raw tangle of hurt and smoldering anger. "You see her in there?" she asks, her voice low and tight.