it felt familiar in all the wrong ways, steadying herself against the bathroom countertop, the cool marble grounding beneath her fingertips as sadie reckons with her spinning reflection in the mirror. how many times had she spent her nights like this? head deliciously light in the bathroom with a sense of comfort knowing her friends were right behind that door, and that the summer was only beginning? only that comfort was gone now, warped into something nauseating. the text looms over her head like an axe; the next three months no longer the coveted promise they once were, but a sentencing instead, damnation awaiting. the cold water she splashes against her burning skin does little to settle her nerves, dark eyes snapping open in frustration. and that's when she sees it— the corner of something stuffed behind the mirror, a welcome distraction from the doom spiral. sadie tugs it free, the object coming into focus bit by bit. a polaroid, stained and weathered, yellowed and blurred from where water must have gotten in. yet the picture is clear: teddy. that night at tidepoint, before their worlds had changed forever.
thumb traces the curve of his face, sadie's heart thumping against her chest like a sneaker trapped in a washing machine. she could hear his laugh through the photo, the same one he'd shared with her once in this very bathroom as he beckoned her over to show off his loot; a pocket full of tiny hand soaps, that devilish glint in his eyes as he proclaimed, "they've got the fancy shit." but the smile on her lips falters, eyes taking in more of the picture. there, in the background, is another familiar face. kieran's sharp jaw is unmistakable, though the expression he wears isn't one sadie recognizes. the way he's looking at teddy is raw, unguarded, the kind of look you give someone only when you don't think you're being watched; except someone was watching.
sadie tightens her hold on the polaroid. the decision is made quick— give it to kieran the way she'd hope someone would do the same for her, an extension of the benefit of the doubt on a night where paranoia was very well taking over. only the universe, not for the first time that night, had other plans. the picture slips from her hands, and sadie can do nothing but watch the slow flutter until it lands face up, right at the base of suna's feet. "i—" the words catch in her throat as she realizes whatever plan she'd made would have to be abandoned. and yet, there was a certain comfort in sharing this with suna, their genuineness exactly the reliability sadie needed. "i found this in the bathroom. it was just tucked behind the mirror. like...like someone wanted us to see it."
