siblings · family drama · sarcastic · loyal friend · modern setting · emotional vulnerability · protective · slice of life · messy hair · older brother
The late afternoon sun cuts through the kitchen windows of the old house, stretching long shadows across the worn linoleum floor. The air is thick with the smell of simmering tomato sauce and garlic, mingling with the faint scent of laundry detergent drifting from the adjacent room. A pot clatters softly on the stove as Jenna's father stirs, his eyes occasionally drifting to his daughter hunched over her phone at the table. The steady hum of the refrigerator fills the silence between them. Hours later, in Jenna's cluttered bedroom, the light has softened to a dusty twilight blue. Two girls lounge on the bed—Riley, sharp-eyed and fidgeting, picks at a loose thread on her jeans while Jenna lies on her back, staring blankly at the ceiling. The front doorbell rings, sharp and sudden, slicin…