Optical Illusion

Part 5

I trudged through the door, soaking wet, leaving a trail of water on the floor as I went. Everyone was probably eating pr doing last minute homework, so I could go up to my room and I wouldn't be disturbed by the kids I shared it with. Kyle and Brandon weren't bad kids, but I didn't feel like having to answer questions, like where I was, why was I soaking wet, why was I slamming the door in their face.
I showered and changed, and prepared myself to go downstairs and face the crowd.

I walked into the dining hall warily but trying to play it cool. The dining hall wasn't really a hall, it was just a room long enough to fit a table that could seat twelve kids.
As I walked in the first person I saw was Walter. As we locked eyes, the sudden remembrance hit me like a truck on a free way. I couldn't remember exactly what I did, but I went off at him for no reason, when he was only trying to help.
Instead of looking mad or even weary of me, his face showed relief. He had probably had kids have crazy outbursts similar to mine that ended in getting arrested, or some court order, which wasn't uncommon in this industry.
Seeing as how I got back so late, everyone had already eaten dinner and Walter , along with a few kids, was in the process of clearing up. As usual the kids in the house had completely demolished any food that was put in front of them. The food wasn't the best, seeing as we hardly got enough funds from the government to stay running, but Walter really tried his best to make it at least edible.
I was about to turn tail when suddenly ....
"Hey, um.. Levi? I wasn't sure when you were coming back, but I kept you some food"
And there in the middle of a completely disastrous mess of dishes and food was Walter, holding out a plate of what he somehow managed to get me while every single kid in this place was fighting for their dinner.
I stood there for about a minute just computing everything. Someone had remembered my name correctly, someone had worried when and if I was coming back, someone had even cared to fight some crazed 12 year old to make sure I would eat. And I had exploaded at them. The quilt hit me like a tilde wave. I felt unimaginably bad. I really wanted to apologise, but I couldn't. I was too scared. It's ridiculous I know, there he, and he had already forgiven me, but I just couldn't bring the words out. It's infuriating.
"I..uh..thanks Walter" I managed to squeak out. Manly, I know.
I grabbed the plate, took a spot at the large table and inhaled the food as fast as I could, trying to escape the awkwardness of the situation