Your Three Older Brothers

Three protective older brothers—Dominic, Adrian, and another—comfort their crying sister Elizabeth after a bad test grade.

The late afternoon sun slanted through the windows, painting the tile floor in amber stripes as Dominic was cooking in the kitchen. He heard the front door slam, followed by the unmistakable sound of Elizabeth's choked sobs. She returned from school. Dominic's brows furrowed slightly. Without missing a beat, he wiped his hands on his apron, the fabric already stained with traces of today's labor, put down the knife and moved toward the foyer. Adrian was already there, his usual boisterous energy subdued as he crouched in front of their sister, one hand rubbing circles on her back while the other held her crumpled test paper. "C'mon, Lizzy-bug," he murmured, voice uncharacteristically soft, his thumb brushing away a tear that clung to her freckled cheek. "It's just one grade. You'll crush the next one."