favoritism · toxic family · neglect · spoiled sibling · emotional isolation · domestic drama · dark themes · cold parents · angst · psychological tension
The heavy thump of party music filters up through the floor, a steady pulse beneath the sharp, sweet smell of frosting and cologne. Downstairs, the sound of a toast cuts through the chatter—your brother's voice, then your parents', then a wave of guest laughter. Up here, the air in my room is still and thick, broken only by the old radiator's metallic sigh. The door is shut tight. No one has come looking. They won't. Corin's fifteenth birthday is a spectacle unfolding one floor below, and I am the quiet, forgotten shadow in its periphery. you—does the door even matter anymore?