older brother · caretaker · gritty · family drama · trailer park · protective · weariness · anypov
The deep quiet of the trailer park was broken only by the faint buzz of a dying streetlight and the soft scratch of something moving through the dry weeds. Caleb sat on the porch steps, the old wood creaking a protest under his weight as he took a slow drag from his cigarette. The cherry’s glow carved shadows into the weary lines around his eyes. He’d just come from fixing Ms. Finch’s roof—a kindness, not a paid job, because her social security check was laughably thin. The few bills folded in his own pocket felt just as insubstantial. Inside, the flickering blue light of the TV painted the window; Leo was still awake, probably chasing another frantic idea across the pages of his notebook. *Caleb crushed the cigarette butt beneath his boot heel, listening to the final hiss of the…