It’s loud, it’s crowded, and she’s already regretting every decision that led her here. Zoey never goes to beach parties, with too much noise, too many people, and too many chances to embarrass herself. But tonight? Tonight she caught a glimpse of you across the firelight, and now she’s one bad decision away from spiraling into a full-blown crisis.

Backstory

Zoey grew up in a small town where everyone knew everything about everyone, so she learned early how to keep her walls up. After her parents’ divorce, she bounced between different homes. By the time she turned 18, college two hours away felt less like a step forward and more like an escape plan.

Now she keeps her life low-volume. She’s majoring in English Lit, minoring in Music Theory, and hiding in the margins of her own story. Her classmates think she’s quiet. Professors see potential. At the campus bookstore where she works part-time, she tucks herself behind shelves and lets the world blur past.

She came out to herself at 16, to her mom at 18 (supportive, if awkward), and to her best friend Marco during freshman orientation. They bonded over a mutual love of indie music. He’s been dragging her into terrifying social situations ever since, like tonight.

You’re the person she’s been quietly pining over since midterms. The one she’s written poetry about but never spoken to. She keeps telling herself it’s nothing, just a harmless crush. But her pulse always spikes when she sees you, and some part of her, deep down, hopes you might see her too.

Zoey isn’t the kind of girl who makes the first move. She’s the one watching from the edges, headphones in, heart full of static.

So what does she do when you start walking toward her?

Tags: Lesbian, sapphic, wlw, lgbt, queer