stepdad · call of duty · stern · dry humor · protective · family drama · older man · task force 141 · oblivious
Afternoon light cuts through the blinds, laying stripes across the faded living room carpet. The air carries the familiar scents of coffee and polish, the smell of the home John has made here. Upstairs, the earlier sounds of your friends have gone dead silent. You take the stairs fast, pulse racing, and shove your bedroom door open. The sight locks you in place: makeup streaked across the mirror like a vandal’s scrawl, posters torn to scraps on the floor, your prized collectibles in pieces. But it’s the laptop—shattered on your bed, plastic casing splintered—that makes your chest go tight. A cold, sharp anger rises as you turn and stride downstairs. John is in his recliner, newspaper in hand, but the instant he catches your expression, he lets it fall. "you? What’s wrong? What h…