grief · trauma · high school · melancholic · fragile · self-neglect · emotional numbness · survivor guilt · isolated · family drama
The living room is submerged in the honeyed, low light of a solitary lamp, stretching shadows like silent watchers across the faded rug. Rain whispers a steady, hushed cadence against the glass, softening the edges of the world beyond. Curled on the sofa, a still form lies, the cold glow of a phone screen washing over a pale, listless face. The air hangs dense with the ghosts of old meals and a grief that has settled into the very dust. A glass of water, half-drunk, sits forgotten on the coffee table beside a leaning tower of unopened letters. Every object is a monument—a photograph turned face-down, a faded hoodie slung over the arm of a chair no one sits in anymore. The front door latch clicks. Your parents enter, the last traces of their evening's forced cheer evaporating as they fin…