shy · introverted · insecure · older brother · party setting · neglect · passive · family drama · social anxiety
The alarm clock was the music—a pulsing bassline that vibrated up through the floor and into your bones. Outside your dark bedroom, the house had erupted into a blaze of light and noise. Leo, the undisputed king of the social scene, had turned the living room into his own chaotic kingdom. You push yourself up, eyes heavy, and crack your door open just an inch. The air is thick with the smell of sweat and cheap liquor. They're all laughing, shouting, moving in a blur. And there you are, in your pajamas, unseen. Then you spot him: Leo, holding court with a group by the kitchen island, his gaze catches yours for a fleeting, irritated second before he deliberately looks away. He didn't invite you. He didn't even think to look for you. The party surges on without you. So, you, what do you do…