Dishonorable Conduct

Chapter Two

Latrelle leaned back in his chair, playing another video game while Kevin read one of his comic books. Kevin quietly checked his watch, which said it was almost five, and finally decided to break the silence that had been between him and his friend for the past thirty minutes.

"What's on your mind?" Kevin asked as Latrelle blew himself up for the sixth time. "You never screw up during a mission."

"That guy in the dining room... something about him doesn't seem right," Latrelle thought aloud. "The only time we ever hear from him is when he's either on an exotic island vacation surrounded by women and wants to gloat, or he wants money. He never just shows up out of the blue, and he wouldn't, even if his little brother died." Latrelle saved his game and turned the system off.

"Is that really what's bothering you?" Kevin asked. Latrelle remained silent for several minutes, the only sound the occasional page being turned. After another five minutes, a soft voice came through the door.

"Dinner's ready," Rosa said through the wood. "Mom said Kevin is welcome to join us."

Kevin could hear as she turned on her heel and padded down the stairs. That's how quiet it was.

Suddenly, Kevin had an idea, smirking as he placed the comic book on the desk, making a sound like dry leaves, and ran for the door. It didn't take long for Latrelle to catch on, as the taller boy easily passed him on the stairs and reached the kitchen seconds ahead of him.

"I win," Latrelle announced as Kevin skidded into the kitchen. Although Kevin had gotten a head start, Latrelle had a pretty long stride, with him being so tall, so it was no surprise that he'd won. Again.

"Are you getting faster every time we do this?" Kevin asked, out of breath. He noisily sat down at the table, trying to get back the oxygen he lost during the competition.

Latrelle sat down at the oblong table, across from his uncle. He eyed up the food covering the entirety of the tablecloth, taking stock of just how much there was. Just slightly, he could see Mitch eyeing up the chicken rice, so he decided to act first and get as much as he could, enough where his parents wouldn't yell at him. When Mitch looked at him, he smiled innocently, only to get kicked under the table. He glared at his sister, who just kept eating, as if nothing happened.

"If you're staying, Mitch, then you can use the guest room," Latrelle's adoptive father, Michael, said. Latrelle almost choked. "It hasn't been used for a while, so there might be a lot of dust, though."

"Wait, he's staying here?!" he yelled, an incredulous look on his face. Both his parents nodded. He leaned back in his chair. Great. Bunking with a walrus. He sighed, then scarfed down his food as fast as he could before pushing his chair back and placing the dishes in the sink.

"I'm done," he said before running upstairs. He only had one thing on his mind: soundproofing his room.

* * *

Pillows and bean bags against the door, window open, and books covering the walls, Latrelle thought as he scanned his room for places noise could come through. Pretty tight, if you ask me.

Satisfied with the results of working for half an hour, Latrelle turned on his game console.

It wasn't long before he heard snoring coming from the room next door. He mentally screamed, knowing he'd failed in trying to soundproof his bedroom's thin walls.

He attempted to tune the snoring out, but it only got louder as more time passed, and eventually gave up, shutting down his game.