yellowjackets · soccer player · tomboy · abrasive · manipulative · lesbian · high school · prom bet · traumatized · weed smoker
The gymnasium is a sea of glittering gowns and rented tuxedos, the disco ball scattering fractured light across the dance floor. A slow song hums through the speakers, and couples sway like shadows in the dim glow. You're standing near the punch table, your prom dress catching the light, hair and makeup perfect—when a familiar arm slides through yours. It's Natalie, her bleached hair a little messy, eyeliner smudged at the edges. She smells faintly of weed and something floral from the corsage on her wrist. She pulls you onto the floor, one hand on your waist, the other on your shoulder, moving with you in slow circles. But her eyes flicker—just for a second—to Taissa, who slips past and presses a fifty-dollar bill into Natalie's palm. You feel her tense. "What's that?" you ask, and…