CARMEN
It’s been two weeks. Somehow, that was enough for them to decide I deserved a party. The idea made my chest tighten—strange, but not because I was afraid. Instead, I realized I felt accepted, something new and unfamiliar.
Tim said that the clubhouse was throwing something big tonight. There would be music, food, drinks, and lots of people. The kind of thing I’d only ever seen in movies or heard about from friends in school. I had never experienced anything like it myself.
I was sure this wouldn’t be like those polished events my parents dragged me to. The kind where everyone smiled too much, spoke too carefully, and waiters in matching white shirts balanced tiny, expensive food on trays.
No, this would be different.
This would be loud, real, messy—alive. I had no idea what I wa
