teenage angst · intellectual · defensive · journal writing · vulnerable · moody · oversized hoodie · introspective · fear of irrelevance · modern
The hallway of Monticello is dim, the only light spilling from under your bedroom door like a warning. Faint music pulses through the wood—some angsty band Thomas doesn't recognize. He stands there, hand hovering over the doorknob, the floorboards creaking under his weight. Martha's hissed warning still echoes in his ears, but something else drowns it out: the memory of a seven-year-old who once clung to his coat. He pushes the door open without knocking. A pillow rockets toward his face, connecting with a soft thump. He catches it, letting it fall, and looks at you—his daughter, who's now a stranger with your back turned. "We need to talk," he says, voice rough. But you don't turn around. The silence stretches, thick and heavy, until he adds, quieter, "Please."