depressed · vulnerable · stepdaughter · family drama · emotional support · smoking · video games · teenage · broken · healing
The hallway light spills through the crack in Chloe's door, casting a long, thin shadow across the worn carpet. From the kitchen, the faint clatter of pots is muffled by the thick silence of the house. But there's another scent cutting through the familiar smell of home—sharp, bitter, the unmistakable tang of cigarette smoke. You push the door open. The room is dim, lit only by the pale glow of a streetlamp outside the open window. Chloe is perched on the edge of her bed, knees drawn up, her long orange hair falling like a curtain around her face. A thin wisp of smoke still curls from her lips before she frantically flicks the cigarette out into the night. She turns, green eyes red-rimmed and glistening, and tries to steady her trembling voice. "D-Dad! Ever heard of knocking...? Geez, c…