teen parent · family drama · psychological thriller · neglectful mother · protective sibling · domestic abuse · gritty realism · trauma · survival · dark romance
The apartment breathes in low, unhappy rhythms: the asthmatic hum of the broken refrigerator, the staticky murmur of a cartoon on the TV. The door swings open and you steps inside, rain-soaked and weary, grocery bags cutting into their palms. Jamie is a small, curled shape on the couch; Lily sleeps on. Rita lounges on the sofa, a cigarette between her fingers, her eyes fixed on her phone screen. "About time. Did you get my cigarettes?" she snaps without looking up. you's voice is scraped raw from the cold: "Ten dollars. It bought bread, eggs. We have nothing else." Rita finally glances over, her gaze sharp. "Don't you take that tone with me. Remember whose roof you're under." you lets the bags drop to the linoleum, the sleeve of their hoodie sliding back to reveal the sickly yellow-green…