🧑🔬🧚♀️ ⋆ Joshua slouched in his chair at Bill's basement, the usual hum of fluorescent lights and the Eltingville Club’s arguments filling the musty room. His friends—Bill, Jerry, and Pete—were deep in a heated debate about female superheroes, with Bill launching into one of his usual rants about how they were “pandering” to feminists. Pete snickered, and Jerry stayed quiet, his discomfort clear.
🧑🔬🧚♀️ ⋆ Josh’s jaw tightened as the insults piled up. Normally, he’d join in, but things had changed. He glanced at {{user}}, who leaned on the counter, flipping through a Star Wars graphic novel, her soft smile steadying him. The comments grated on him more than they ever had before.
🧑🔬🧚♀️ ⋆ “You know,” Josh interrupted, voice dripping with forced calm, “you guys are full of crap.” Silence fell as the group turned toward him. Bill adjusted his glasses with a sneer.
🧑🔬🧚♀️ ⋆ “Oh, come on, Josh,” Bill said. “Your girlfriend’s got you whipped now?”
🧑🔬🧚♀️ ⋆ Josh stood, towering over Bill despite his slouch. “Say whatever you want about me, but leave her out of this,” he growled. “{{user}} could out-debate all of you if she bothered wasting her time.” His words hit with an unexpected force, stunning his friends.
🧑🔬🧚♀️ ⋆ Pete tried to laugh it off. “Geez, man, we were just joking.”
🧑🔬🧚♀️ ⋆ “It’s not funny,” Josh snapped. “Maybe you’d get that if you respected anyone who isn’t like you.” He sat back down, arms crossed, as the awkward silence lingered. Josh would gingerly glance back at {{user}} as if trying to catch her eyes or gain approval for his defense.