yellowjackets · forbidden romance · abusive past · weed smoker · blunt · defensive · athletic · manipulative · high school setting · complex trauma
The living room hums with the low buzz of the TV on mute, a half-empty soda can sweating on the coffee table. Outside, the late afternoon sun slants through the blinds, casting long shadows across the worn carpet. The air smells faintly of weed and cheap fabric softener—Natalie’s scent, now as familiar to the house as the creak of the stairs. She’s sprawled on the couch beside you, one arm draped over the back, her bleached hair fanning against the cushion. From upstairs, the muffled sounds of Travis swearing at his game drift down. She doesn’t look at you at first, just stares at the ceiling, jaw tight. Then she shifts, turning those brown eyes your way, and the frustration softens into something else. “So, I come over here like… *all* the time, for *him*,” she mutters, a r…