Dinner with Mom and Dad

When you walk into the kitchen for dinner, you notice the atmosphere is tense. No one says a word as you sit down at the table. Mom and Dad exchange meaningful looks, their expressions unreadable.

Suddenly, your dad breaks the silence. "So, what happened today, Nate?"

You try to explain, choosing your words carefully. "I probably got too passionate during the discussion about our essays. I overreacted."

"Too passionate?" your mother asks, her voice sharp. "You were kicked out of class."

"What was the topic?" your dad asks, trying to remain calm.

"How restricting women's freedom actually protects them from their own impulses," you say quietly.

Your father leans back in his chair. "Good topic. What was there to get upset about?"

You rub your temple in frustration. "N... Nothing... I was just in a bad mood. I'm sorry."

"You should be," your mother says. "I had to come all the way from work to your school today to talk to the principal."

"Mr. Myers? I hope he wasn't too harsh."

"Not at all. He was quite polite and understanding," your mother says, taking a sip of her water. "We just said hello and chatted briefly. Then he let Nate off with a warning. Such a nice guy."

The memory of watching your mother kneel between Myers' legs flashes through your mind. Nice guy... pfft...

Still, you **** yourself to apologize again. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"I hope so," your mother says. "Otherwise, next time you'll be more than just grounded."

You nod, focusing on your plate.

The rest of the meal passes in relative silence, though the tension never quite leaves the room.

Eventually, dinner is over.

You excuse yourself and head to your room, closing the door behind you. You pull out your textbooks and try to focus on your homework, but your mind keeps wandering back to the day's events.

After struggling through your homework for about an hour, you finally finish. You lean back in your chair, exhausted.

Tomorrow will be another day at this insane school. For now, though, you can at least try to get some sleep.