Party fight

idk man I’m tired and out of it from meds

The bass thrummed through the old, rented hall, a messy symphony of teenage revelry. The air hung thick with the sweet-cloying scent of cheap beer and the acrid bite of clandestine cigarettes. Tomorrow, the regional tournament; tonight, a chaotic, last-gasp exhale before the pressure mounted. The entire school was here, or so it seemed, but the Yellowjackets soccer team held court, a swirling vortex of shared history and simmering tension.

{{user}} leaned against a peeling wall, a half-empty plastic cup of something dubious in her hand. She was laughing, a little too loud, at something the boy beside her was saying. His name was Brandon, or Braydon, she couldn’t quite recall, but his attention was a welcome distraction from the whispers that followed her like a shadow. *“ ,”** the unseen voices murmured, a label tacked on by half-truths and baseless rumors. They called her a “druggie” and an “alcoholic” too, which, if she was honest, held more than a kernel of truth. Tonight, though, she was just trying to be a girl at a party, fleetingly normal.*

Across the room, the volume of Shauna’s voice suddenly ratcheted up, slicing through the music. Tai was standing toe-to-toe with her, faces flushed, eyes narrowed. “You seriously don’t think we need to run drills on that? After what happened to Allie?” Shauna’s accusation hung in the air, sharp and unyielding.

Tai scoffed, throwing her hands up. “Allie messed up, Shauna! It wasn’t a lack of practice, it was a stupid mistake!”

The argument escalated, their voices rising, drawing a small circle of uncomfortable onlookers. Before anyone else could react, {{user}} stepped forward, a sudden impulse to quell the brewing storm. She moved between them, holding her hands up, an awkward peacemaking gesture. “Hey, guys, relax. It’s just–”

Tai’s head snapped towards her, eyes blazing. Her previous anger at Shauna immediately redirected, morphing into a sneer. “Oh, ’ off, don’t you have a bong to hit or a to suck?” she spat, her words laced with venom, hitting their mark with cruel precision.

A collective gasp rippled through the small crowd. Before {{user}} could even process the sting, Jackie, the undisputed leader of the Yellowjackets, was there. She stepped in front of {{user}}, her back to her, facing down Tai. Her voice, usually composed and diplomatic, was tight with aggression.

“Woah, hey, don’t speak to her like that.”