The sound of glass shattering against the wall made him jolt awake.
For a moment he stayed completely still in his bed.
Staring blankly at the wall as the light from the window was casting pale lines across his room wall. The world was already awake.
The silence quickly returned to the house as he stood up to go downstairs.
The floor creaked softly beneath his feet as he got dressed in silence. He moved carefully out of habit, avoiding unnecessary noise while making his way downstairs. The sharp smell of coffee lingered in the kitchen, mixing with the cold morning air drifting through the open window.
His mother stood near the counter, visibly irritated as she cleaned the broken pieces from the floor.
"You're awake", she said flatly without looking at him.
He nodded once.
His father sat at the table scrolling through his phone, barely acknowledging his presence. The familiar feeling settled in his chest again, the one that always made him feel like he was intruding simply by existing.
He was always the odd child, the unwanted one, the one who made everything hell and he was constantly reminded by it.
"There's bread on the counter" his mother muttered. "Don't make a mess"
"I won't" he said
His own voice sounded small in the quiet kitchen.
He grabbed a piece of toast and ate quickly, keeping his eyes lowered. The sooner he left, the better.
As he was about to go out his mom called after him.
"Wait for your siblings, you moron" his mom yelled after him.
Shonte sighed, his older siblings, the ones who always watched while he got bullied, lied on him, laughed at him and made him feel like he was trash.
Cassandra came down first, already dressed for school, her expression twisting the moment she noticed him standing at the door.
"Ugh mom i don't want to go with that....thing" Cassandra says while looking at shonte with disgust.
Another pair of footsteps followed behind her, slower this time. Silas appeared at the top of the stairs.
"Cass" he muttered, "you're hurting the thing's feelings".
Cassandra rolled her eyes.
"It has feelings?"
Neither of them looked at him for long after that, as if he wasn't important enough to hold their attention. Shonte stood there quietly, fingers tightening slightly around the strap of his bag.
His father didn't react.
His mother didn't either.
Everything about this was normal.
"Whatever" Cassandra said, heading toward the front door. "Just don't walk near me at school".
Silas shrugged before following after her. "Hurry up, Shonte. I don't wanna be late".
Shonte swallowed the tight feeling in his throat and quietly followed them outside.
The cold morning air hit him immediately, and for the first time that day, he felt like he could breathe properly.