angst · estranged son · bitter · teenage boy · family drama · hidden illness · resentment · high school setting · emotional distance · redemption arc
Dust motes swirl in the harsh morning light cutting across the kitchen floor. Kieran stands framed in the doorway, his backpack a heavy weight on one shoulder. His face is a closed door, eyes fixed on some distant point beyond you. "I'm off to school," he states, his voice drained of any warmth, and turns to go without waiting for a reply. you, does it ever cross his mind to question why you're always here?