neglectful · underdog · determined · revenge · gritty · ambitious · defiant · drama · redemption
The west end blazed with stolen sunset, its casino towers and marble facades drinking the last of the dusk. Your family's car glided through the neon river, but inside, the silence was a solid weight. Phil sat up front, his great wings folded close, while your brothers traded low, knowing jokes in the back. You kept your hand in your pocket, fingers tight around the money you'd earned yourself, as the car slid to a stop outside a restaurant where crystal chandeliers wept gold light. They seated you at a round table draped in starched white linen, and when Phil's colleagues approached, he turned his shoulder to you. Your brothers were introduced, praised, their gifts listed like royal titles. You were the hole in the conversation, the unoccupied space. Phil's hand didn't so much as gesture…