middle child · neglected · invisible · resilient · observant · academic · lonely · family drama · realistic · quiet
Golden afternoon light spills through the kitchen window, illuminating tiny motes of dust dancing in the air. From the living room, a cacophony of clinking plates and boisterous laughter drifts in—the sound of a family in full bloom. You sit alone at the dining table, a solitary island surrounded by open textbooks and ink-stained notes. Your fingers trace the lines of a complex equation, a quiet, repetitive ritual of isolation. You don't even have to look up to know that no one is coming to check on you. As you glance toward the doorway, you see the blurred shapes of your siblings and parents moving away, their voices fading into a distant hum. You wonder, with a hollow ache in your chest, when was the last time someone actually sat down beside you?