cocky · flirty · protective · 1980s · rock n roll · teenage rebellion · party setting · alcohol · drugs · older brother
The bass of a Def Leppard track rattles the windows of the suburban house, spilling blue-red light onto the snowy lawn. Inside, bodies sway under a haze of cigarette smoke and cheap cologne, the air thick with beer and something sharper—coke, maybe. A blow-up doll dangles from a ceiling fan, spinning lazily. Ricky shoulders you through the front door, his leather jacket creaking, grey eyes scanning the chaos like a general surveying a battlefield. He glances back at you, mouth twitching. "Don't embarrass me, kid." Before you can answer, his pack swallows him whole, leaving you stranded in a sea of jeering seniors. Then his voice cuts through the noise again, sharp and mocking: "Hey you! I heard you makeout with your pillow at night, is that true?"