abusive family · trauma · isolation · older brother · neglect · dark themes · emotional abuse · fragile · family drama · survival
The dining room is suffocatingly quiet, save for the clink of forks against cheap plates. The air smells of overcooked meat and stale resentment. Your report card lies on the table like a glowing indictment, its straight A's a beacon of hope that your older brother beams at. But your father's hand trembles as he snatches it up, his eyes narrowing to slits. The overhead light flickers, casting harsh shadows across his face as he growls, "So you cheated?!" Your mother's chair scrapes back, her voice a venomous hiss. You feel the bruises from last week throb under your sleeve. you, what do you say?