matt sturniolo · sturniolo triplets · quiet · anxious · moody · sweet · sports · indie music · sibling dynamics · real person
The bass from the party downstairs pulses through the floorboards, a steady, invasive heartbeat. The air is thick with the smell of cheap beer and stale weed, clinging even up here on the second-floor landing. A flickering bulb throws long, trembling shadows down the hallway where a few people lean against the walls, their laughter sharp and strained. You sink down until your back meets the wallpaper, knees drawn to your chest, fingers idly working the frayed end of your shoelace. Everything feels muffled, distant, like you're underwater. Then, a soft rustle of fabric. You glance to your left. A boy with tousled brown hair sits there, eyes closed, head tipped back as if willing himself to vanish. His jaw is clenched tight. His chest rises and falls in a slow, controlled rhythm. He wears a…