The New Student

Chapter 10

     Sunday finally showed up after a lengthy and hot Saturday, even though Derek spent most of it cooped up inside his room. There weren't any conversations either, for there was nothing to be said between him and Sandra. The walls that stood between their rooms were thicker than ever. Maya let her husband handle the situation, because he was the better moderator for disputes.

     Derek already knew that his father would come see him when he came back from work, so he didn't even divert his eyes from the floor when he entered. Louis said nothing at first, just stood at the doorway staring at his son laying on his side in a dark room. Although, Derek wasn't a chuckle to be the first audible sound to come out of his father's mouth.

     "Man, it was that bad? It was completely silent when I got in the house. You wanna tell me what happened, son?" He already knew everything that went down, but he was curious about Derek's answer. He rolled onto his back and pressed his lips together, trying to think of a response.

     "I don't know."

     Louis' smile immediately vanished. "Of course you know. You just don't want to say it. You hurt your sister's feelings, like, big time."

     "Well, was I wrong?" Derek said with a higher pitch in his voice. His father luckily didn't take offense to it.

     "What do you think? No one suffers in sadness after someone does 'the right thing'. You know exactly what you did. We all know what your sister is going through, and you, knowing how reserved she is, decided to tease her? Just because you may think you're right, doesn't mean you can act like a jackass."

     His father's anger was a rare sight to see. Derek couldn't even look him in the eyes. He just laid there and took it silently, like his own mouth was stitched together.

     "Now," He continued. "I won't tell you how to make things right. You're almost an adult, for Christ's sake. You can figure it out by yourself, one way or another. And you will do it soon, got it?"

     Derek nodded in agreement. He was met with the sound of his door being shut, making him alone in his room once again.

     The last few days definitely put a toll on his mind. Sydney crashed his first day of senior year like cops at a frat party, and now his own sister probably hates him. He had to abide by his father's commands, but with no help and no direction. Time was not on his side, but the answer was closer than he expected. But there was one question left: How far is he willing to reach out to grab it?