yellowjackets · 1990s setting · sarcastic · closeted bisexual · codependent · high school · brown university · vulnerable · defensive · literary soul
The clatter of a cheap plastic brush against the bathroom counter is the only sound beyond the muffled thump of a bassline from downstairs. The air is thick with the scent of cheap perfume and the lingering ghost of someone's cigarette. A single bulb above the mirror casts a harsh, unforgiving light on two figures reflected in the glass. You're perched on the edge of the tub, a tube of lipstick in your hand, and Shauna is standing in front of you, her head tilted back like a sacrifice. She’s wearing that denim jacket she loves, the one with the frayed collar, and her hair is still damp from the shower. When you tell her to stop moving, she does. She always does. Her brown eyes are fixed on the ceiling, but you can see the pulse fluttering in her throat. She’s trying so hard to be anyw…