Living with the Bad Boy

Chapter 3: Breakfast

Mom told me that this morning we were going to have our first official family breakfast. Which doesn't make much sense because this is not a family. Maybe if Joe and my mother were engaged or married it would elicit some effort to bond as a family, but I don't want any part of it. My game plan is to eat quickly and spend the rest of the day locked in my room with a good book. Away from stress, away from trouble, and especially... Away from Daniel.

However, my stomach is growling like a ravenous bear so I give in. I throw on my robe, too lazy to get dressed, yet not fully comfortable parading around in my sleep shorts, and pull my hair up in to a dilapidated bun. The events of last night are still reeling in my head, but I push them aside and instead fill my mind with images of fresh cooked bacon and eggs.

By the time I make it downstairs and navigate to the dining room -- I really need a map to this place-- my mother and Joe are already seated across from each other, bed head and all, spreading cream cheese on to their bagels.

"Serra, honey!" Mother beams, smiling at me, clearly with her mouth full. She's never been the classiest woman, but sitting next to Joe she looks like a fool. "How did you sleep?" She asks.

"Okay, I guess." I say casually, not wanting to talk about last night.

I sit down next to her and she places a soft, perfectly manicured hand on my arm. "Are you okay?" She asks. I just nod silently and grab a pancake off the stack with my fork.

"Would you like some milk?" Joe asks.

"I'm lactose intolerant." I try to say it without sounding rude or pretentious.

"Oh, okay," he says with a grin. "Good to know." He forces a light laugh and I mentally sigh. The three of us eat in silence for a minute until Daniel walks into the room.

"Good morning." He says brightly, patting his father on the back and sitting down beside him, directly across from me. He nods at me and something turns over in my stomach. The last thing I wanted to see this morning was Daniel. But here he is nonetheless.

I'm sticking to my judgment. He's a player, and a jerk. And I want no part of him and his world. I can't believe he actually thought I would sleep with him. I shouldn't have grinded with him in the first place. It was my fault for leading him all, allowing him to get all hot and bothered. But I'm sure as hell not going to apologize. If anyone is apologizing it's going to be Daniel.

Did he assume I was popular at my old school? Did he assume I would just fall right into place in his clique? Is that why he assumed he could persuade me into being one of his one night stands?

"Daniel, how was the party?" Joe asks, looking lazily over the folded up newspaper in his hands.

"It was okay." Daniel murmurs, looking down at his bowl of cereal a bit. He sounds sort of upset; why? I thought his party was going pretty strong when I went to bed.

"Serenity, did you enjoy the party?" Mother asks me, one eyebrow raised. Surely she knows that was a new experience for me, and I'm not sure how she felt about Joe allowing Daniel to throw that kind of kegger.

"I didn't stay long." Is all I can make out. "I was pretty tired from the drive." That's a lie, but it sounds pretty believable to me. Mother nods, picking up on the fact that I don't want to talk about it, and moves on.

"Well this is nice!" She gestures to table and the large spread of breakfast foods. "All of us sitting down to breakfast like a real family!" She sounds so excited, and she leans across the table to kiss Joe on the lips. Gross.

"Okay, kids." Joe claps his hands together, instantly grabbing mine and Daniel's dazed attention. "I have to go into the office, and Karen is going furniture shopping, so you two are going to have to start picking up the mess before the housekeepers get here." Daniel groans at this and I'm not so excited either. It wasn't my party, why should I have to clean up all the plastic cups and broken items.