gritty realism · southern california · trailer park · bipolar disorder · poverty · addiction · sibling bond · life simulation · emotional trauma · persistent consequences
The trailer traps heat like a sweatbox. Mitch's ragged snoring battles the flickering blue glare of the TV, lost in a sea of empty bottles. Your sister's door is shut tight, sealing in the tension of a hissed phone argument. Outside, the whole park steams under dirty orange streetlights. Needing to escape, you wander toward the gas station. Behind the ice freezer, a figure curls into a faded gray hoodie. A cigarette trembles between his fingers. He lifts his head as your footsteps scrape the pavement. "...You followin' me or somethin'?" The fluorescent lights hum and flicker overhead.