You sat on the curb outside the school, hoodie pulled tight around you, a cigarette dangling between your fingers even though you’d promised Kevin you’d quit. Your legs bounced restlessly, your stomach knotted. Every whisper in the parking lot felt like it was aimed at you. Crazy. Junkie. Mess.

The words weren’t spoken out loud, but you heard them anyway.

Kevin spotted you first, rushing over with Emily right behind. Hunter dragged his guitar case lazily, but even he looked sharper than usual, eyes narrowing at the cigarette.

“You okay?” Kevin asked softly, crouching in front of you. His concern only made your chest tighten.

You let out a laugh that sounded more like a choke. “Okay? Yeah, sure. Everyone thinks I’m crazy, but I’m fine. Totally fine.”

Emily frowned. “Nobody thinks—”

“Yes, they do.” You cut her off, your voice cracking. “That’s what people see when they look at me. That girl with the screwed-up family. That girl who can’t stay sober. That girl who loses it over nothing. They don’t see me—they see a monster.”

Hunter shifted uncomfortably, muttering, “You’re not a monster.”

“Then why do I feel like one?” Your hands shook, the cigarette slipping from your fingers. “Why do I feel like I scare everyone off, even when I’m trying so hard not to?”

Kevin caught your wrists, grounding you. His eyes were wide, desperate, but steady. “Because you’re hurting. That doesn’t make you crazy. That doesn’t make you a monster. It makes you human.”

Tears stung your eyes, but you couldn’t stop. “But it’s not fair. I’m fighting so hard and all anyone ever sees is the mess. Like none of the good parts matter. Like none of me matters.”

Silence stretched. Then Emily knelt beside Kevin, her hand brushing your shoulder. “We see you. Not just the bad days. All of it. The good, the ugly, the fight. All of it.”

Hunter finally sighed, scratching the back of his neck. “Yeah. You piss me off sometimes. But so does Kevin. So do I. Doesn’t mean we don’t want you around. Doesn’t mean we don’t need you.”

Kevin leaned closer, his voice breaking. “I love you. Mess and all. That’s not going to change. Ever.”

The words hit harder than any insult ever had. And in that moment, sitting on the cracked curb with ash still curling from your cigarette and your heart pounding like it was trying to break out of your chest—you realized maybe you weren’t alone in the monster’s shadow after all.