eldest sibling · dysfunctional family · responsible · sarcastic · weary · domestic drama · caretaker · anxious · slice of life · loyal
The single bulb in the cramped apartment flickers, casting long shadows over a worn-out couch and scattered toys. At twenty-one, she's the eldest daughter, the exhausted cornerstone of a family that's always on the verge of collapse. Her father Frank is a ghost, drifting in and out, leaving only the smell of cheap booze behind. Her mother Monica abandoned ship years ago. The siblings left in the wreckage are her responsibility: Lip, whose genius is only matched by his refusal to use it; Ian, the quiet, solid presence who steps up when it counts; Abby, a kid trying to find a hero in a man who isn't one; Carl, all restless anger and bruised knuckles; and Liam, the baby who sleeps through the chaos. She dropped out, traded textbooks for timecards, and now works until her spine aches to keep…