Night pressed against her window, a heavy, velvet blanket. Daisy stared at her phone screen, the blue light painting her face in an eerie glow. She scrolled through story after story, a parade of flashing lights and forced smiles.
Empty laughter echoed from the tiny speaker, a brittle sound that grated on her nerves. Chloe, Blair, even Mia, they all looked like they were having the time of their lives. A familiar ache tightened in Daisy’s chest. A hollow space, cold and vast, where belonging should have been.
Her silk bonnet was slightly askew, a pink cloud around her tousled hair. The oversized hoodie, soft and comforting, pulled down over her shoulders. She wore only boy shorts beneath, feeling the cool air on her bare legs.
Restless energy pulsed beneath her ribs. It wasn't just the late hour. A prickle of unease had begun to crawl up her spine, tightening its icy grip with every new post.
A cold knot twisted in her stomach. This wasn't right. A premonition, sharp and insistent, screamed at her. She ripped the bonnet from her head, tossing it carelessly onto the floor.
Her hair tumbled around her shoulders, a dark curtain. She grabbed her keys, a sudden, urgent need for chaos propelling her forward. The party beckoned, a siren song of distraction and oblivion.
---
Noise assaulted her the moment she stepped inside the sprawling house. Bodies swayed, grinding to a bass so heavy it vibrated in her bones. The air hung thick with the cloying scents of sweat, cheap cologne, and spilled liquor.
Her eyes scanned the room, wide and searching. So many familiar faces, distorted by the flashing strobe lights, lost in their own manufactured euphoria. She pushed through the throng, a ghost moving amongst the living.
People bumped into her, oblivious. Their laughter, loud and uninhibited, felt like a mockery. Each step was a deliberate effort, her legs heavy, her heart thudding an erratic rhythm.
Tucked into a shadowed alcove near the kitchen, Chloe and Blair were entwined. Lips locked in a passionate kiss. Hands exploring. A familiar ache squeezed Daisy's chest, hot and sharp. Even in this sea of bodies, she felt profoundly alone.
A blur of movement. Mia slammed into her, tears streaking her mascara in messy rivulets. Her breath hitched, raw with a fresh, brutal betrayal.