The First Rule

Chapter 22: Trouble in Hell

September 2022

Seemingly after work, a middle-aged man and woman sat in a white marbled pantry. Laughter filled the house, mingling with the aroma of coffee and tea dancing through the air. However, their peace was abruptly disturbed when a teenager barged in hastily.

The parents, startled by their son's sudden entrance, set down their cups of coffee and tea—their laughter fading into an uneasy silence. Exchanging concerned glances, they observed their son's distressed expression. Sensing the gravity of the situation, they instinctively leaned forward—eyes filled with worry.

Gripping the edges of the marble, he caught his breath before piercing his eyes into his bewildered parents—but then he rested his gaze solely to..

"Dad—can we.. talk? You know—" he uttered in urgency. Reluctantly, he glanced at his mom guiltily, then faced his dad again to whisper, "Man to man?" His dad knitted his eyebrows in concern. However, his mom's expression seemed more amused than concerned as she rolled her eyes and muttered,

"Teenagers."

Slightly offended, his black hair bounced as he tilted his head and scrunched his face, complaining, "Mom, man to man."

With a mischievous wink, his mother left the scene, leaving the father and son alone. His dad gestured for their son to continue, silently urging him to share whatever was troubling him.

"Dad don't tell mom.. but I kinda.. have a fight with Emily—"

"HUH WHY?!"

Mr. Cavill shouted in surprise, causing Cavill junior to cringe as he seethed air through his teeth, hushing a "Dad!"

"Oh right—why?" Mr. Cavill quickly adjusted his tone to a hushed one—but it was too late since they could hear Violet's hasty footsteps getting near.

When she finally appeared, she poked her head from the pillar just to ask, "Something wrong?!"

"No—no mom, we're fine," Tyler faked a smile, trying to reassure his mom that everything's 'fine'. He hid his face behind his hands—silently cursing under his breath as he finally took a seat.

Scrunching her face in suspicion—despite of her dying curiosity, Mrs. Cavill pouted and huffed before leaving, again. Tyler gave his dad a pleading look, while his dad apologized to him with a sheepish grin.

Until finally.. he began, "So.. basically—ok you know I have a girlfriend—that's why I borrowed your car, right—you with me?" Greg nodded in apprehension before Tyler nodded and continued, "Ok before you ask, I also had a fight with Em for not doing what she called 'SMASH and WEBBS', you know, that habit of ours—"

"Can imagine how sad she is.." Greg pouted with a dramatic pause, adopting those puppy eyes that made Tyler—

"Don't—my bro! Don't make me feel guilty! Your job here is to not make me feel bad—!"

"Sheesh, the amount of disrespect! Where did you learn to talk like that, brat?! John?!"

Staring at his dad with utter helplessness, he just shakes his head impatiently and continue, "Ok—long story short we made up—"

"Who? With your girlfriend or Emily?"

As his stare transformed into a glare, his dad just stared at him in innocent wonder. "Are you even listening—" trying to be patient, he exhaled deeply before responding, "Emily. Ok—we made up, and I assured her to let me drive her as per usual—"