Orange Hoodie Confidence

Marcus's heart hammered like a bass drop as he stood outside Tyler's house. His signature orange hoodie felt too bright, too much, like he was screaming for attention when he just wanted to disappear. This was his first real party since moving to this stuck-up suburb where everyone's parents drove Teslas and the kids talked about college applications like it was content.

Inside, the air smelled of cheap beer and expensive perfume. Marcus spotted Tyler—that total bull who'd made fun of his shoes in homeroom—holding court by the keg like he owned the place. Tyler's laugh was loud and performative, and Marcus felt his stomach twist. He should've stayed home playing Valorant.

Then he saw her across the room. Riley. The girl from his English class who actually laughed at his quiet comments. She was wearing this vintage band tee and looked absolutely unbothered, scrolling through her phone like she was invisible. Marcus's feet moved before his brain could overthink it.

"Nice hoodie," she said, looking up. "Bold choice."

Marcus's face burned. "Yeah, well, orange is the only color my mom didn't buy on sale."

Riley actually smiled. "I like it. It's like you're not trying to blend in. That's rare around here."

They ended up on the back porch, talking about everything and nothing—how their school felt like a reality show, how weird it was that people performed crushes like they were trying to win an award. Riley told him about her dream to start a zine, and Marcus found himself opening up about his music production.

"You're actually kind of a fox," Riley said suddenly, making Marcus almost choke on his soda. "Like, you've got this whole quiet thing going on, but you're paying attention to everything. That's rare."

Tyler stumbled onto the porch then, looking for all the world like he was about to start something. But Marcus didn't feel small anymore. He stood his ground, orange hoodie blazing like armor.

"Hey," Tyler started, then stopped. Maybe it was the way Marcus didn't look away, or maybe Tyler was just too drunk to follow through. Whatever.

"Later," Marcus said, turning back to Riley like Tyler wasn't even there.

Under the porch lights, his orange hoodie didn't feel too bright anymore. It felt exactly right.