Chemistry

Chapter 11: Old Endings

Daniel entered his house through the garage and irritably tossed his keys on the table. He was heading up to his bedroom when his mother suddenly stopped him.

"Hey!" she called. Daniel stopped and turned around. He hadn't even noticed her. She was sitting at the end of the table sipping out of a small mug, and looking over some paper work. "Where've you been?"

Daniel sighed and walked back into the kitchen. "The lake."

"You spent two hours at the lake? With who?"

"A friend," Daniel answered.

"A friend named...?" Karen inquired.

"Tiara," Daniel stated. He was already annoyed as it was and his mom wasn't helping. He just wanted to go upstairs and escape the world through music for awhile. He hadn't talked to his mother about his crush yet, and tonight was not going to be the night. 

Karen rose her eyebrows. "Who's Tiara?" 

"Not now, mom," Daniel replied turning around to head upstairs.

"When were you going to tell me you'd gotten involved with peer tutoring?" Mrs. Lehman asked, making Daniel freeze in his tracks. "I hope you're the tutor."

Daniel took a disappointed breath out of his nose. "I'm not, actually." 

"Daniel you know you're smarter than that! You need as many credits as possible! You don't need to be wasting time with some tutoring class you don't even need!" He was frankly tired of his parents constantly telling him what he needed. Like he couldn't analyze his own problems and make decisions for himself. He knew that he needed to be tutored, his parents didn't. But they'll find out once they see that progress report. 

Daniel was too distraught and tired to argue, so instead he said, "Can I just go to bed." Mrs. Lehman just shook her head in a way that Daniel knew like the back of his hand. It was her way of saying, "Let's hope your father doesn't find out about this."

He turned and strutted up to his bedroom. He had just dropped Tiara off at Chick-Fil-A, and he hated watching her leave. Even though what she had told him broke his heart, the feelings he had for her remained as strong as they when they were first developed. And surprisingly enough, knowing that another guy out there wanted Tiara made him want her even more. It made him jealous to extremes. "Whatever," he spoke dismissing his thoughts as he plugged his earphones into his ears. He leaned back onto his bed and began to listen to his music.

9:00 had rolled around when Daniel was in the middle of finishing his Geometry homework. Since he had gotten home, Daniel had constantly been looking at his phone to see if Tiara had texted him. Sadly oblivious to the fact that she was at work. She should be off and Daniel searched for an excuse to text her. 

"Do you want a ride home?" Daniel texted, not even sure if she deserved one.

She replied a minute later with, "No. I'll just take the bus." 

He could tell that she was feeling guilty. "It's really no problem, Tiara."

"I don't want you to feel like you have to..." Tiara replied.

"I don't. I just want to do you this favor. It's kinda late. I'm worried about you."

"I'll be fine(:," Tiara concluded.

Daniel frowned at his phone. If she really liked him as much as she claimed she did, why isn't she willing to spend every waking minute with him? It seemed kind of suspicious to Daniel. It sucked because he's never felt this way about any other girl. Ever. And he hated it. He hated that just one girl could have such an impact upon his emotions. That was something that he had to get used to. What was happening to that heartthrob stud of a man?