I hatedddd him as soon as he showed up drunk for their show.

From an outside perspective, some of it seemed obvious but reading Sadie’s internal narration changed that for me. It made sense how things didn’t register as clearly while she was inside it.

the drinking before the show was the first thing that made me pause, but not in a dramatic way. more like a quiet “this is going to matter later” way.

what really stuck with me was how often josh blurred lines and then acted like sadie was the one overreacting to the confusion. nothing explosive at first, which is probably why it slid by so easily.

reading it from the outside, it’s easier to clock. inside her narration, everything feels justified or temporary or explainable. i didn’t read her as missing red flags so much as constantly recalibrating what was acceptable in order to stay connected.

it wasn’t that she didn’t know something felt wrong. it’s that wrong felt familiar enough to be survivable.

there is a part of me that sympathizes with Josh. i didn’t come out of the story hating him. the part with his dad was really relatable for me. 

Posted by: @welcomegoodbye

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i didn’t read her as missing red flags so much as constantly recalibrating what was acceptable in order to stay connected…

…there is a part of me that sympathizes with Josh. i didn’t come out of the story hating him. the part with his dad was really relatable for me.

That’s a great way to put it!

Also, Agreed. “Hurt people hurt people” rings true here.