Social Menace [boyxboy]

Social Menace {9}

"There, no need to commit murder," he called back, leading me into the kitchen.

A man was moving around, trying to chop up vegetables and stop something in the oven from burning at the same time. He noticed us and did a double take.

"A new friend?" he asked.

"A new classmate," Tyson corrected. "Where's mom? She didn't even have the decency to threaten murder to my face."

"She's doing some work in the living room. She's been muttering about killing you since she got home. I'm assuming you left laundry all over your floor again," he said, nearly cutting his finger. "Ah, shit. Go calm her down while I finish dinner. Is your friend staying?"

"My classmate is staying," Tyson said. "Make sure there's extra."

"Make sure you have manners," the man said.

"Please make sure there's extra," Tyson said.

"Now, was that so hard? I know it kills you to be polite," the man said. "Go on, now."

Tyson led me into the living room, where a woman surrounded by papers was typing away at a laptop. She didn't even look up as she crumpled a paper and threw it at Tyson.

"I hope that wasn't an important paper," Tyson said as it hit his chest and bounced to the floor.

"I don't care if it was. I do your laundry out of the motherly kindness of my heart and you just throw it on your filthy bedroom floor. You're on laundry duty the rest of the week, and I expect your room vacuumed and spotless by tomorrow night," she said.

"Got it. This is Nolan. He's staying the night so I can help him with an assignment," Tyson said.

His mom finally looked up. "Oh, hello. I'm Mrs. Strazio. Don't get too used to my son, because I'm going to kill him the next time he throws clean laundry on his dirty floor."

"I was in a hurry," Tyson said.

"You could've put it on your bed!" She shook her head, looking exasperated. "Honestly, you kill me sometimes, Ty."

"You keep threatening to murder me," Tyson said, raising an eyebrow.

"You know I wouldn't. But I would put you on laundry and cleaning duty for the next three years if it meant you learned some responsibility. How come you can take care of the whole community but not your bedroom?" she said.

"The mysteries of life," Tyson said. "Dad is making extra so Nolan can eat with us. We're going to go do our homework. We have a test tomorrow, so please keep it down tonight so we can sleep."

"Oh, I heard a please in there," Mrs. Strazio said, looking impressed. "Just for that, I won't make a single sound tonight."

"Until I do something that has you threatening to murder me again," Tyson said, pulling me out of the room. "Focus on your work, mom."

We went upstairs and down the hallway, into a bedroom. It was a little messy, and probably could use a vacuuming and some pick up.

"Don't go calling CPS on my mom, by the way. She'd never lay a finger on me. She just likes to threaten to kill me because I drive her crazy." Tyson kicked his door shut and shoved some clothes off of his bed onto the floor.