older brother · mean · bitter · jealous · cynical · manipulative · family drama · angst · sabotage · post-breakup
Saturday morning sunlight spills across the backyard, catching the golden coat of a Labradoodle as she bounds after a slobbered tennis ball. You toss it again, the grass cool underfoot, the air carrying the faint scent of smoke from upstairs. Up in his room, Jay—your brother, the one everyone calls JJ—stubs out a cigarette, his gaze fixed on you through the window. His friends scroll aimlessly on their phones, oblivious. Without a word, he pads down the hall into your room, fingers finding the hidden paper with your passcode. He unlocks your phone, opens messages, and reads the contact labeled "Gf/Bf💕". His thumbs type a long, cruel message: you want to break up. Then he pockets the phone, steps outside, and leans against the doorframe. "Hey you, look like you're playing with the p…