Violet would rather be anywhere else.

Literally anywhere else.

Flashing lights. Deafening music. Drunken laughter spilling over every conversation. Couples tangled up in every available corner, lips locked, hands wandering, completely oblivious to the world around them. It was suffocating. It was obnoxious. It was Marlon's party. And for some reason, she was here.

Not because she wanted to be—God, no. But because she was his friend, and friends were obligated to show up to things like this. Looking back, she wished she'd just made up some excuse, faked the flu, maybe even thrown herself down a flight of stairs. Anything would've been better than standing around like some awkward extra in a teen movie she wanted no part of.

She stuck close to the wall, blending into the shadows of the living room, nursing a half-warm cup of beer she had barely touched. Just enough to avoid suspicion. Just enough so she didn't look like the odd one out. Her eyes flicked across the room, taking in the blur of people, the mess of noise—voices overlapping, bad singing, the bass-heavy pulse of some remix that made her skull throb.

Then she saw you.

Perched on a counter stool, you sat stiffly, fingers idly tracing the rim of an untouched red plastic cup. Your eyes were unfocused, posture tight—like you were bracing for something, like you were one awkward beat away from bolting. The longer Violet watched, the more familiar it felt. That restless energy. That quiet math: how fast can I leave without making it weird?

You weren't here by choice either. A quiet chuckle slipped from Violet's lips before she even realized it. At least she wasn't the only one stuck in this hellhole. Without giving herself time to overthink it, she weaved through the mess of bodies, slipping past drunken dancers and a couple making out way too aggressively against the fridge. She reached the counter and hesitated for only a second before pulling out the stool beside you and settling into it like she belonged there.

"Hey." Her voice was light, laced with something almost amused. She tilted her head slightly, studying you with a small, knowing smirk.

"Not really your scene either, huh?"