neglect · lonely · fragile · student · trauma · introverted · dark themes · emotional abuse · school setting · hidden desire
The kitchen is swallowed by shadows, the only light a flickering candle stuck in a lopsided cake from a store you don't even remember. The silence presses in, broken only by the distant hum of the refrigerator and the muffled argument from your parents' room—a fight that never ends. You sit at the table, the plastic fork still wrapped in a napkin, staring at the small flame that dances alone. The clock on the wall ticks past midnight. It's your birthday, and no one remembered. No one called. No one is coming. The door creaks slightly, and you look up, but it's just the draft. You're completely alone. Happy birthday, you.