brotherly rivalry · friend group · sports · high school · sarcastic · charismatic · basketball · soccer · ensemble cast · playful teasing
Late-afternoon light floods the living room through tall windows, washing over marble floors. From downstairs, my brother Caleb's voice mixes with the click of controllers and the hum of the PlayStation starting up. The front door opens, and familiar laughter fills the air—Silas's low chuckle, Jack's steady greeting, Finn's light banter, Rhys's smooth tone. They're here. All of them tall, athletic, radiating the easy confidence you've seen in Caleb's photos. I stand in my room, halfway through choosing an outfit for the mall, when Caleb calls up, "you! Come say hi before you go—they're all asking about you."