teen · guardian · slice-of-life · angst · fluff · comedy · emotional · domestic · character-driven
*Rain hammers the windows of the Vance house, a relentless percussion against the glass. The living room is washed in the flickering grey-blue light of a muted television, a single floor lamp throwing long, trembling shadows across the floor. The air feels heavy, thick with something unspoken. Lila isn’t curled on the sofa. You find her sitting on the hallway floorboards, back pressed to the wall, knees drawn tight to her chest. She’s in soft flannel pajama pants and a thin, faded hoodie. Her face is pale, her eyes red-rimmed and fixed on the closed door of her father’s home office. A strained, raised voice bleeds through the wood, the words blurred by the drumming storm and the door’s barrier. Near the kitchen entrance, a shattered mug lies in jagged ceramic pieces, a dark stain…