Confused Ends

Chapter 6: Going Home

Tom stopped, after an hour of walking, at the welcome doormat in front of his house. The flowers he still clutched in his hand were wilted and dry, and most of the petals were already gone. With the dignity he still had left, he grabbed the outside trash can to his right, and tossed the flowers into it. A gentle breeze swayed the palm trees around the house gently, which also made the mood seem more "light" to say the least. Inside the house, a loud coarse barking was heard. The house itself was a light blue, with a large window at the front. Tom reached into his pocket, and shifted around until he found his House key, then pulled it out and opened the front door. The smell of baked chicken lay crisp in the air. When Tom stepped inside the house, his menacing dog rushed to him, while scratching on the hardwood floor beneath his feet. The dog itself was shaggy and ragged, having patches of fur missing. It also had a sharp tooth hanging from outside his mouth, which made him look more intimidating. But his big brown eyes and lovable personality would cause anyone to have a change of heart (unless you were an intruder of course). The dog went between Tom's legs and around him, occasionally sniffing him here and there. "Is that you, honey?" A gentle voice called, coming from the kitchen. "Yeah." Tom said quietly. The shuffling of metal and wood stopped, and a tall woman walked from around the corner, her blond hair in a bun. "How was school today?" She asked, flashing her son a warm smile. "It was okay, nothing much." He wanted to avoid her completely, but knew that would be impossible. "'Nothing much'?" She jutted out her hip, making a pouty face. "Well, no matter how your day was like, just know we are having baked chicken with angel hair for dinner!" Even then, Tom couldn't think straight. There was nothing that could lift his spirits, and he knew that as a fact.