Tuesday's Gone - Steven Hyde

{19} Red's Last Day

Bethany, Eric and Hyde sat around the kitchen table, waiting for their usual breakfast, the air slightly tense due to the current circumstances plaguing the Forman family as Kitty poured the teens some orange juice.

"Okay kids, it's your father's last day at work, but don't mention it. In fact, my advice to you three is... is just eat and... get out!" Kitty stated, her voice growing more panicked with each word she spoke.

"Mrs Forman, me and Bethany could hide in the basement." Hyde suggested, almost trying to be helpful as he shot a wink at the Forman girl, to which she instinctively rolled her eyes.

"No, no, no, I am not gonna have you kids leave without your breakfast! You know what's fun? A bacon sandwich, here, you can eat it in the car!" Kitty replied, hurriedly trying to hand out their food just as Laurie walked in.

"Morning!" Laurie greeted everyone in a surprisingly cheerful tone of voice.

Kitty glared at her older daughter, her presence clearly not making the situation any easier "Oh, great! Now your father is gonna see four mouths he has to feed... Oh you're wearing your University of Wisconsin sweatshirt!"

"Yeah mother, I went there." Laurie rolled her eyes in response.

"No, you flunked out of there. You know, you might as well just wear your 'University of I Wasted My Fathers Money Sweatshirt'!" Kitty laughed almost maniacally "Take it off!" She demanded as Laurie stood up and started to undress, revealing nothing but bare skin underneath "Oh god no! Leave it on!" Their mother shouted immediately, her daughter complying.

Hyde almost tutted at the scene in front of him, taking a bite of his sandwich "She lacks character Mrs Forman."

"Shut up! You are lucky to even live here! You're an orphan." Laurie shouted back, immediately growing annoyed.

"She called me an orphan!" Hyde looked to Kitty in slight fake shock at the older girl's words.

Bethany rolled her eyes at the scene in front of her, growing tired of her sister's comments as she watched everyone flight like wild animals "Steven's not an orphan, Laurie, but I think you might be if you carry on being such a bitch."

"Yeah, he's not an orphan, his mom just abandoned him." Eric added matter of factly as Bethany immediately glared at her twin across the table.

"Thanks princess, you're the only one not talking crazy." Hyde replied softly before turning to look at Eric "You however... you can shut up Forman!"

"Okay, that's it! Everybody just hide in the basement. Go!" Kitty interjected, shouting at the kids in a tone rarely heard from their mother and admitted scared Bethany slightly.

Everyone instantly shot up from their chairs, not wanting to anger Kitty any further. Just as their were about to make a break for the basement, Red walked through the kitchen door "Morning!" He greeted everyone as they stood frozen in place.

"Amen! Everybody sit and eat!" Kitty tried to cover for them, everyone quietly sitting back down at the table, continuing to eat their breakfast as Red joined them with his morning paper "How are you?"

"Great." Red answered his wife matter of factly, clearly trying to ignore the big elephant in the room.

Bethany couldn't deny that she felt bad for her father but she didn't know quite what to say, and Red was never one to speak on emotions, so she said all her overthinking brain could come up with on the spot "So uh... what are you doing Daddy?"

Red didn't look up from his newspaper "Reading... having some coffee..."

"Is the coffee good?" Eric questioned, clearly feeling the same tension as his sister.