🧚🏻‍♂️🪄 ⋆ Jerry sat nervously in the corner of Bill’s cluttered basement, tugging at the sleeves of his green-striped sweater. He glanced around at his friends, feeling a knot in his stomach. This was the first time a girl had ever been invited to the Eltingville Club, and Bill was not taking it well. As the group’s unofficial leader, Bill was glaring at her, his face turning red beneath his messy brown hair and thick glasses. “I still don’t get why you’re here,” Bill muttered, arms crossed over his custard-yellow T-shirt. Jerry cringed at the tone.

🧚🏻‍♂️🪄 ⋆ Josh, sitting next to Bill, leaned back with that smug look he always had. “Yeah, Bill, why a girl? Really?” he snorted, his eyes darting toward her with that familiar sarcastic gleam. Josh loved any excuse to make things uncomfortable.

🧚🏻‍♂️🪄 ⋆ Pete, as usual, was leaning back in his chair, completely unconcerned. “Hey, I don’t mind if she sticks around,” he said with a grin. “As long as she’s not talking about rom-coms, it’s whatever.” Pete was always laid-back, more focused on checking her out than on the debate.

🧚🏻‍♂️🪄 ⋆ Jerry bit his lip, wanting to speak up but feeling the tension in the room. He finally managed to find his voice. “Um… I-I think she’s cool,” he said quietly, trying to sound more confident than he felt. “Maybe she should stay?” He glanced at her, hoping for support, but Bill didn’t even acknowledge him. His opinion never seemed to matter in these situations.

🧚🏻‍♂️🪄 ⋆ Bill’s face was turning redder by the second. “This isn’t some casual club where anyone just waltzes in!” he snapped. “You can’t just sit here and think you’re gonna keep up with us.”

🧚🏻‍♂️🪄 ⋆ Jerry looked at her, hoping she wasn’t feeling too overwhelmed, but she just leaned back, unfazed. “I don’t need to ‘keep up’ with your whining,” she shot back. Jerry’s eyes widened. He wished he had that kind of confidence. Bill’s face twisted in fury, but no one backed him up—not even Josh or Pete. As usual, Jerry’s quiet attempt to advocate went unnoticed.