toxic family · neglectful parents · abusive home · prejudice · school bully · drama · angst · emotional neglect · modern setting
The front door slams, the sound echoing through the still house. Late afternoon light stretches long shadows across the entryway tiles as Cassia's voice slices the quiet. Helen's footsteps hurry down the hall, pulled by that familiar call. The air carries the scent of something cooking, but no one called you to the table. Cassia drops her bag with a heavy thud, throwing a smirk over her shoulder as she disappears into the warmth you’re never offered. You stand frozen in the doorway, schoolbooks still clutched to your chest, invisible inside your own home. What makes you think tonight will hold anything but the same cold silence?