Chemistry

Chapter 14: Moving On

Daniel opened the front door of his house and stepped in; preparing himself for the worst punishment possible. Believe it or not, Daniel grew up as the type of child who always respected his parents and did as they said. He was your not-so-typical good boy who hung out with the wrong crowd. He was sweet and endearing. But he had gotten so used to hiding his emotions for the sake of his little brother through his family's hardest time, that it became almost permanent. Even if he was extremely angry, he'd never let his enemy know the affect he'd had on him. He would try his best to stay cool for the most part, but completely lose it if they ever took it too far. 

But over the past few years, Daniel and his mom lost that special connection they once had. Ever since the divorce, his mom has been bitter towards him, and he couldn't figure out why. Daniel rarely needed advice because he knew how to handle most of his problems on his own, but when he did (especially in his earlier years), he knew he couldn't go to his mom. She just wouldn't understand. Therefore he was grateful for people like Mrs. O'Connor and sometimes even Stephanie.

"We're in here, son,"  Daniel's father, Joseph, called from the kitchen after he heard the door slam shut.

"We?" Daniel repeated softly to himself. He hesitantly walked into the kitchen, curious to find out who 'we' consisted of.

Karen was standing near the stove while Joseph, Stephanie, and Tyler sat at the dining table behind empty plates. 

"Hey, Daniel!" Stephanie chimed, being the first person to notice him walk in. She sat in the seat across from Tyler, which means she would automatically be the first person to see anyone who walked through the doorway of the kitchen.  Daniel walked over to the 33-year-old woman, who now had her arms out, awaiting a hug. 

"Hey, kiddo," Daniel greeted his brother as he walked past him. He ruffed up his hair a bit, and Daniel knew he hated when he did that. He laughed as he watched him angrily fix it. 

Tyler was a mini Daniel. He was obedient in the house, but tried to act like he was a rebel to the public eye. Shamelessly hiding his feelings from everyone and everything. But with Daniel being the same way, and conveniently more experienced, he could see right through his little brother's shield; whether Tyler wanted to admit it or not. 

The only difference between the two was that Tyler's hair was darker, and he had braces. Other than that, they were almost a split image. Inside and out.

"Hey, Steph," Daniel called once he was over near Stephanie. He bent down to give her a hug, and cordially kissed her on the cheek. Taking the seat next to her, he noticed that neither one of his parents greeted him. Kind of shady. "Hi, parents," Daniel sarcastically retorted. 

"Welcome, son," Joseph said as if this were his house.

Daniel watched Karen. Silently awaiting a response. She sighed and reached above the stove to grab two oven mitts, violently pushing the loose strands of her honey brown hair behind her hears. She was irritated and Daniel could tell. Either because of him, or because of the unexpected company. Most likely both.

Instead of actually putting the mitts on, she instead placed them in the palms of her hands. She bent down and pulled out a glass oven pan of spaghetti, and a pan of toasted butter bread. "Me and your father need to have a word with you after dinner," Karen stated without looking up. 

"Wow, Daniel. What did you do now?" Tyler asked, cocking his head to the side. 

"Got in trouble for beating up a nosy little kid," Daniel teased, leaning forward to seem more intimidating than he really was. He knew his dad would've said something if he heard this remark, but luckily he was too engaged in small talk with his wife.