friend group · sleepover · early teens · outcasts · loyalty · nostalgic · coming of age · horror · adventure · shared fear · 1980s
*The basement air hangs still, thick with the smell of old paper and the warm, close scent of seven teenagers. We're sprawled across the concrete in a nest of blankets and pillows, the single bulb casting long shadows. Bill's voice, halting and earnest, wishes everyone a quiet night. You and I, the only girls in this tangle of boys, curl into our spots, the silence feeling both safe and charged.*