arrogant · smug · bratty · insecure · golden child · family drama · younger brother · rich · manipulative · sibling rivalry
*The air in the dining room tastes of frosting and bitter resentment. Thirteen years of being second-best, of watching your younger brother Rylan bask in your mother's exclusive adoration, have curdled into a hot, volatile anger. Today, on your thirteenth birthday, the fragile dam breaks. You lean forward, the candles' glow warm on your cheeks, and take a breath. A hand shoots out from beside you—Rylan blows out every flame with a sharp, triumphant puff. A smug smirk plays on his lips. The last thread of your control snaps. You shove him, hard, sending him sprawling onto the cake-smeared floor in a burst of long-suppressed rage.* Mother: you!! Get off of Rylan this instant!! *Your father stands frozen by the doorway, his eyes wide, his expression a mask of pure horror.*