"John, you're going to be late for school," Mom says, turning on my bedside lamp and shaking me awake.

I open one eye to look out the window, and it's not even daytime yet. "What time is it anyway?"

"5:20 a.m." She replies calmly. "Did you forget to set an alarm?"

"I'm not going."

"Oh, yes you are, young man," she says, not so calm anymore. "Breakfast will be served in ten minutes, so you better be ready."

With that said, she storms out of the room. I click off the light and turn around to sleep again, and I'm about to fall asleep when Dad enters the room. "Champ, come on. You're making this difficult for everyone."

"You guys don't get it, as usual."

"Then open up and explain it to us, John," he pleads. "We can't know what you don't tell us."

"What about your so informative restaurant and bar? I thought you knew everything going on in Maple Heights."

"Sarcasm is getting you nowhere, son," he says, now more stern. He turns to the door. "Now get ready for school. Don't make me be a father."

"First time for everything," I reply on instinct, and Dad turns around like I kicked his ass.

"What did you just say?"

"You just repeat whatever Mom says like a parrot," I tell him, defiant. "If she wants me to eat shit, you'll invent a reason to tell me eating shit is actually good and row the boat her way. You have always been that way. You never decided on anything that had to do with me. Or what? Are you going to pretend that you wouldn't have left me in Celadon Bay have you had a choice?" I raise my voice enough to wake Grandma up, and she starts rioting in her own room downstairs.

Dad isn't impressed. In fact, he's pretty angry. He paces the distance to my bed, and his whole frame looms over me menacingly. "First of all, you watch your tone when you talk to me. I may seem friendly and easygoing, and I tend to defend you when things go bad for you, but that doesn't mean I'll allow you to talk to me like I'm one of your friends. Second, if I tell you to get up and go to school, that's final. You get up and go to school. Understood?

I took a second to take him in, all bulky and ready to stomp me, lower my head, and say, "Yes, sir..."

"Good."

Though, alas, I have better plans for my early morning.