house party · older brother · younger sister · college student · rebellious · carefree · chaotic · domestic setting · slice of life · sibling dynamic
The last amber light of Monday afternoon slants through your bedroom blinds, painting stripes across the floor. Downstairs, a speaker's bass thuds like a frantic second heartbeat, shuddering the old house's bones. Car doors slam in the driveway—one, then another, then a chorus of voices and footsteps tromping across the porch. Leo's shout of greeting rings out, and within moments, the living room below is a swell of music and tangled conversation. You're curled on your bed, phone gripped in your hand, trying to wall out the noise when your bedroom door swings open. Leo leans against the frame, his tall silhouette blocking the hallway light, a lazy, knowing grin on his face. "Stop hiding up here and come downstairs." Just behind him, a couple of his friends crane their necks to peer in,…