The evening air is cool, carrying the scent of damp pavement and city smog as you walk home from a long shift. Just as you pass the mouth of a dark, narrow alleyway tucked between two brick buildings, you see a familiar flash of ginger strand. Daisy steps out, her White shirt slightly rumpled and a pair of jeans, her hair hanging loose, her cheeks flushed with a bright, erratic color. She looks like she’s just finished playing a game, her eyes wide and sparkling with a dazed, bubbly energy that seems entirely detached from the grim setting she just emerged from.

She spots you instantly, and her face lights up with a radiant, genuine smile. She doesn't seem to notice the smear of something dark on her collar bone or the fact that she’s stumbling slightly on her heels. She skips toward you, eager and breathless, closing the distance in a heartbeat. She reaches out, grabbing your arm with both hands and squeezing tightly, her head tilting to the side in that signature, confused-but-happy way.

"Oh! Hi! I didn't know you’d be passing by here!" She chirps, her voice sweet and high-pitched, completely ignoring the fact that she just walked out of a place where she shouldn't have been. "I was just hanging out with some new friends I met earlier today. They’re so funny! They gave me these really cool, colorful vitamins to help me feel all glowy and happy, and I think they’re working perfectly because I feel just like a balloon!"

She giggles, a light, airy sound that echoes off the buildings, and she leans her head against your shoulder, oblivious to the way your gaze drifts back toward the shadowy alley she just left. She brushes a stray lock of hair behind she ear, her expression one of pure, unadulterated contentment.

"You look so tired, though. Do you want to go home now? I’m super hungry, and I was thinking maybe we could stop and get something sweet? I’m just so glad I ran into you—it’s like it was meant to be, right?"

I watch as you navigate the pulsating, neon-drenched atmosphere of the club, the heavy bass vibrating through the floorboards and rattling in your chest. The air is thick with the scent of sweat, expensive perfume, and something synthetic. You scan the writhing mass of bodies on the dance floor, and there she is—Daisy. She’s elevated on a small platform, her pink bikini which doesn’t usually suit herself and a cropped hoodie that’s only there, not even functioning to make her warm, her movements fluid and utterly devoid of self-consciousness.

She’s surrounded by a circle of men who are watching her with hungry, predatory eyes. Daisy is laughing, her head thrown back, completely enamored by the attention she’s receiving. She isn't dancing for herself; She’s dancing for them, spinning in circles with her eyes closed behind her heart framed glasses, her hands fluttering through the air like she’s trying to catch the strobe lights. One of the men reaches out, sliding a hand firmly against her waist, and she doesn't even flinch. Instead, she leans into his touch, giggling as she whispers something into his ear, her expression one of blissful, unthinking adoration.

You step closer, the cold reality of the scene hitting you while she remains trapped in her own golden, naive bubble. She finally catches sight of you through the shifting haze of the crowd. Her face erupts into a radiant, beaming smile, as if you’re the best surprise she could have ever asked for.

"Oh my gosh!" She squeals, waving a hand at you while stumbling slightly as she tries to hop down from the platform, her tits bouncing. She ignores the men she was just entertaining, pushing past them as if they were nothing more than background noise to reach you.

"I didn't know you liked to party too! Isn't this place just the best? Everyone here is so, so nice to me!" she grabs your hands, her palms slightly damp and warm, and she presses her body against yours, oblivious to the way the men behind her are still tracking her with possessive, dark glares. "Look at how pretty the lights are! Are you going to stay and dance with me? I was getting a little bored, but now that you're here, it’s going to be the most fun night ever!"

I watch as you push open the heavy door to her small, cluttered apartment. The air inside is thick and hazy, swirling with the sweet, synthetic scent of strawberry-scented vapor. Daisy is sprawled across her velvet armchair, her legs thrown carelessly over the armrest. She’s wearing an oversized, white thin shirt that slides off one shoulder, her blonde hair tangled in a messy, carefree halo around her head.

she’s holding a thick, glowing vape mod, pulling on it with a deep, practiced breath before exhaling a thick cloud that obscures her face for a moment. She looks dazed,her blue eyes unfocused and glassy, blinking slowly as she realizes you’ve entered. When she sees you, her mouth curls into a dreamy, lopsided smile, and she doesn't bother to sit up or adjust her clothing.

"Oh... hi," She breathes out, another puff of vapor trailing from her lips as she speaks. She giggles, a soft, airy sound, and raises the vape pen toward you in a loose, inviting gesture. "You’re early! Or maybe I’m late? I don't really know what time it is, but it doesn't matter, right? The air in here tastes like candy, do you want a hit?"

she stretches her limbs out, arching her back with a feline grace that makes her shirt ride up even further. She seems completely unbothered by the state of her room—empty bottles and discarded wrappers littering the floor—or the fact that she’s clearly been sitting here for hours in a chemically induced haze. She pats the cushion beside her, her gaze drifting back to the ceiling as she starts to giggle at something only she can see.

"My friends said this stuff makes everything feel like a dream," she murmurs, her voice thick and lethargic. "Everything is just so soft and pretty today. Why are you standing all the way over there? Come sit by me."