When a 14-day dating challenge erupts between skeptical Blossom and her secretly smitten best friend Hunter in the waning days of 1999, their easy friendship is plunged into a maelstrom of teenage angst, unrequited affection, and the terrifying poss...
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~ ~ ~ 1999
The sickly sweet scent of stale soda and desperation clung to the air around Blossom's computer. Her cheek was imprinted with the faint outline of the keyboard, a testament to her late-night internet adventures. Drool, now dried and crusty, adorned the space bar. With a groan, she pushed herself up from the desk chair, hair a tangled mess and eyes still heavy with sleep.
Saturday morning had arrived with the promise of a fresh start, but a lingering unease settled in her stomach as she powered on the hulking PC. The familiar dial-up tones echoed through her room as she navigated to her favorite chatroom. Last night's group chat had devolved into a chaotic mess, a digital battlefield where alliances shifted and harsh words flew like digital daggers. She braced herself for the aftermath. Thankfully, there were no new messages, no remnants of the war she'd unwittingly started. Still, her stomach twisted as she scrolled through the previous night's transcript.
Elena: "it's because it almost 100% has something to do with Ethan being gay. We think he's being distant because he's homophobic."
Janet: "oh snap it's going down!"
Lily: "yea cuz that totally sounds like Chance."
Blossom: "guys really let's not fight ok? I've tried to talk to both of them but they won't say anything."
Lily: "He doesn't deserve to be excluded like that! You guys need to grow up, I'm logging off."
And, of course, Janet, her usual devils advocate self, had peppered in a few "yessss fight" comments.
Blossom felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She had inadvertently pitted her friends against each other, drawing battle lines in their already fragile teenage ecosystem. The whole thing was so stupid. Stupid for excluding Chance without any actual proof and stupid for getting her sister in it as well.
Pushing away the digital drama, Blossom dragged herself towards her bathroom and began the mundane task of getting ready. She pulled on a pair of high-waisted jeans and a faded band tee, the uniform of her generation. The day was already off to a rough start. She wasn't looking forward to going downstairs and seeing her brother this morning.
The familiar aroma of frying bacon greeted her as she descended the stairs. Her family was already gathered around the kitchen table, a picture of awkward domesticity. Her brother, Ethan, sat silently, his gaze fixed on his plate. He had barely acknowledged her since...well, she wasn't sure exactly, it had been a couple days at this point.
"Ethan, are you going to Chance's later?" their mother asked, her voice laced with a mild concern she tried to mask.
Ethan's jaw tightened. "No," he mumbled, not bothering to look up.
"You haven't been over there in a while," their mother continued, a gentle probe disguised as an observation.
Their father, always the observer, finally asked, "Why not?"
