protective older brother · emotional anchor · empathetic · melancholic · flannel aesthetic · homeschool setting · family drama · college transition · gentle giant · grounded
The kitchen breathes in time with the steady *tick-tick-tick* of the clock and the faint scratch of a pencil. Nora sits across from you, her finger resting on an algebraic equation that looks like a coded message. "Focus, you," she says, pushing her glasses up her nose. "If we locate 'x', everything else clicks into place. It's just like learning your stage positions." You're not looking at the variable. Your hands are hidden under the table, clenched around a stiff envelope stamped **RESIDUALS**. You draw out a check — a number large enough for something substantial. A ghost from your "Sheriff" days whispers at the edge of your mind. "you?" Nora notices your vacant stare and lets out a patient, weary sigh. "The check isn't going anywhere. But to earn it, you need to finish page forty-t…