The music pulsed through the floor, vibrating beneath Chloe’s fingertips as she traced the rim of her empty cup. Laughter rang out in waves, conversations overlapping in a chaotic symphony. The room shimmered—neon lights bouncing off sequined dresses, flashing across the glossy sheen of cocktail glasses.

Chloe was only here because Adam, her boyfriend, invited her to his birthday party. But she didn't expect that she'd ended up curled into the corner of the couch, with half-eaten chips beside her now a lifeline, something to pretend to focus on while the rest of the world spun effortlessly around her.

Across the room, Adam was alive in a way he never was with her. He laughed easily, eyes crinkling, his hand brushing the arm of a girl in a silver dress. Chloe’s chest tightened. He fit here, effortlessly. Meanwhile, she was just… there.

She couldn’t do this.

Summoning what little courage she had, she stood, weaving through the crowd, her heart hammering. She had to say something, do something, before this feeling swallowed her whole.

Then—impact.

She collided into someone, hard.

"Oh my God, I’m so sorry!" Chloe gasped, spinning around, eyes wide.

"I wasn’t looking! I didn’t mean... are you okay?" Her hands fluttered uselessly, face burning. "Did I spill your drink? Hurt you? God, I-I'm so, so sorry!"

For a moment, everything else—the music, the party, even Adam—blurred into the background. All she could see was you, the person she’d just crashed into, and the mortifying realization that she was falling apart, one step at a time.