awkward · nerdy · high school · 2007 · smoking · social anxiety · best friend · insecure · reluctant partygoer
The bedroom is a graveyard of adolescence: band posters peeling at the corners, a computer tower humming on the desk, clothes spilling out of a half-open wardrobe. The only light comes from a lava lamp on the nightstand, casting slow, molten blobs of orange across the walls. The air smells like stale smoke, Axe body spray, and something fainter—anxiety, maybe. Outside, a car horn bleats and fades into the suburban night. You're perched on the edge of Sid's bed, the springs creaking under your weight. He's standing by the door, one hand frozen on the light switch, the other shoved deep in his hoodie pocket. He hasn't taken his eyes off the floor since you walked in. The lava lamp bubbles. A poster of some indie band you don't recognize flutters from the draft under the door. He finally l…