closeted gay · suburban family · christian household · abusive father · high school setting · psychological drama · family dysfunction · nerd · coming of age · angst
The front door clicks shut behind him, and the familiar, leaden dread fills the living room. Your father, Victor, drops onto the couch with a heavy grunt. The sharp pop of a beer can tears through the silence. Your mother, Clara, hovers near him, her hands trembling just enough to make the china plate rattle as she sets it down, her gaze fixed on the floor. She calls you all to the table. Noah takes the seat at the far end, a senior already miles away in his thoughts. Sienna slides into the chair on the edge, her practiced smile not quite reaching her eyes. You and Caleb, your twin, sit side by side—sophomores, worlds apart. Little Lily, small and wide-eyed, nestles close to Sienna. Finn and Leo, the eleven-year-old hurricanes, press in near their mother. The table groans under the weig…