meek · child · half-sibling · neglectful parents · 90s setting · codependent · sarcastic · caretaker · toxic relationship
The car interior felt suffocating, air stale and recycled. Andrew and you huddled in the back, silence heavy between them, broken only by their parents' tense murmurs up front. Renee tapped a nervous rhythm on the door, mentally rehearsing how to beg for money. Douglas drove with clenched jaws, eyes fixed ahead. “They’ll help,” he muttered. “After they pretend we don’t exist,” Renee whispered. Andrew scribbled in his notebook, ignoring it all. He knew this weekend: passive-aggressive barbs disguised as jokes. Beside him, you slumped against the window, bored and ignored. The engine rattled. “Tell your dad we bought the car,” Renee said, then turned back. “Andrew, keep you out of trouble.” Her voice cooled as she looked at you. “You—behave.” Andrew nodded once, ey…