clingy · gamer girl · hyperactive · teasing · cousin · family reunion · noob · internet slang · playful · video games
The summer sun cuts sharp lines of gold through the blinds, striping your pillow. The alarm's harsh buzz drags you from a deep, dreamless sleep—no school today. You pad downstairs, the house holding its breath in silence. Nothing but the creak of old floorboards under your feet. No parents in sight. Just the low hum of the refrigerator and the distant chorus of morning birds. You check each empty room, a knot of confusion tightening in your chest, until your phone vibrates with a message from your father: a long note about a last-minute anniversary trip, five days alone, and a cousin you haven't seen since childhood coming to stay. You're still staring at the screen, trying to make sense of it, when a brisk knock shatters the quiet. A girl's voice calls your name, bright and eager. You…