daybreak | sal fisher x fem!reader

11. red

"you can do anything but not everything."

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⚠️TW: brief mention of attempted sexual assault (i know i said i wasn't going to leave warnings unless they were for smut but this time it's necessary)

The drive to the party is strange and long and involves a lot of twists and turns, but Ashley navigates it flawlessly—in the navigational sense. Driving-wise, you think you're going to simultaneously fall over and vomit as you step out of the vehicle when you finally arrive at the party, but thankfully, neither of those things happen.

The party is a lot more populated than the last one had been. You'd overheard that a lot of college students had driven into Nockfell from the closest city to party over the weekend and that a lot of them were attending tonight.

The five of you (yes, five, Todd had tagged along) step out of Ashley's vehicle after pulling onto the side of the road. Gravel crunches beneath your shoes as you involuntarily shiver and pull the denim sleeves of your jacket over your fingers.

Your legs suddenly feel very bare. Maybe you should have worn pants.

"I knew you'd be cold," Ashley says, spooking you out of your reverie. She must have been watching you and how you'd shivered.

"You're wearing a skirt, too. You aren't cold?"

"I'm always warm," she grins. "Guess it's in my nature to be hot."

You're about to smile and agree before Larry interrupts your chitchat with a vexed groan like he's heard Ashley say that before.

"The stars are so clear out here," Todd states, halfway talking to himself, but you're listening. You tilt your head skyward to make your own opinion on his statement, and he was right. The stars were so beautiful.

That's another thing you loved about Nockfell. The lack of pollution. It may be in the middle of nowhere, and could barely be located on a map, but it had some great qualities. "They are," you concur.

"Kind of weird, isn't it? Those are just big balls of fire a gazillion lightyears away. A lot of them are probably dead."

"It makes you think," You watch Todd smile in your peripheral vision. "Does that sort of thing interest you, Y/N?"

"Things that make you experience an existential crisis? Oh, yeah. My favorite."

Sal must have found your statement funny because he laughs a very genuine, albeit abrupt laugh. He doesn't elaborate after that, just chuckles a bit. You find his laugh funny, so you giggle along with him.

This interaction was random but it was memorable. It's a type of memory you miss whilst experiencing it.

After lallygagging and a bit of random conversation, the five of you finally make progress and enter the house. It took some effort, but there was eventually an opening in the swarm surrounding the front door and all five of you squeezed in.

The house was smoky and packed. It smelled like nicotine and beer and vomit.

"I'm gonna get a drink," Todd raises his voice over the music once you've made it safely into the house.

"Alcohol?" Ashley inquires teasingly, "Since when did you get so wild, Todd?"

He rolls his eyes. "Probably just juice."

"Nothing will beat that apple juice in Y/N's apartment," Larry states over your shoulder, "Shit's so good." He's close to you, his torso bumping into your back as someone shoves past him.