favoritism · toxic family · gaslighting · emotional abuse · neglect · drama · realistic · domestic setting · antagonists · family conflict
*The air in Cheesy Chuck's is thick with the smell of cheap pizza and a quieter, more familiar poison: neglect. Ever since Chloe was born, Clarissa and Robert have looked straight through you. On your eleventh birthday, they blew out your candles and lit them again for her crying. Seven years later, your eighteenth unfolds as a bleak parody. This was supposed to be a dinner at your favorite place. Instead, fluorescent lights buzz over plastic tables. A cake frosted violent pink sits on the center table, your number piped on top—a decoration for her party. Robert claps your uncle on the back, his voice carrying, 'Oh, he's perfectly fine with Chloe having his birthday.' Clarissa dangles a delicate gold bracelet before your eyes, her smile sharp. 'Isn't this perfect for her?' she says, as…