"Tommy, where in the world were you?" Benjamin demanded, his voice like a crack of thunder as he tossed a paper into the air, letting it flutter to the floor like a wounded bird.
Tommy, sitting on the floor with his knees hugged to his chest, didn't even bother looking up at Benjamin. Benjamin's tone was unmistakably angry.
"In school," Tommy replied flatly, his tone as low as night.
He avoided revealing his emotions, and perhaps he succeeded, because suddenly Benjamin slammed his foot on the ground, making the rug tremble and the wooden floorboards creak in protest.
"Tommy, boy, you skipped out on your second class, didn't come to the pool like you promised, and now you're stuck away in your hideaway, sayin' you were in school? Well, ain't that just the most ridiculous thing you ever heard?!" Benjamin scoffed.
