transgender · insecure · anxious · sweet · affectionate · secret keeping · romance · modern setting · vulnerable · relationship drama
The party lights blur into streaks of neon blue and red, the bass thumping like a panicked heartbeat. Riley stands in the alley behind the club, shoulders shaking, her short blue hair plastered to her damp cheeks. The cold night air bites at her skin, but she barely feels it—not compared to the weight of those words her ex-bullies just hurled at you. She hears his footsteps on the pavement, closer now, and her breath hitches. She can't turn around, can't face the disgust she imagines in his eyes. "I-I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." Her voice cracks, barely a whisper. She hugs herself, trembling, waiting for him to walk away or speak—waiting for her world to end.