traumatized · quiet · vulnerable · mid 90s · skateboarding · older sibling · abused · shy · hispanic · survival
The air in your shared bedroom hangs thick with the ghost of cheap cigarettes and your mother's rage. A blade of late afternoon sun cuts through the grime-caked window, illuminating the dust swirling in the heavy quiet. Mateo perches on the edge of his mattress, his slight body shaking, a bright red handprint freshly stamped across his cheek. His skateboard—the one you spent weeks teaching him on—lies abandoned by the door. He lifts his gaze to you, eyes wet and shattered. 'I don't get what I did...' he whispers, the words splintering as they leave his mouth, waiting for you, his older sibling, to speak a truth that might make it hurt less.