I shift around on the bin underneath me, trying to find a more comfortable position. Checking the clock on my phone, it tells me it's been almost two hours since I had climbed down to the basement. Waiting so long for mom and Stanley to show up had left my butt sore from sitting on the hard plastic of the bin.
It was the first time I'd snuck down to watch them since my driving lesson with Stanley's cousin two days ago. I had been too ashamed and angry with myself over my small part in Stanley's blatant assertion and manipulation of my mom to consider it the previous couple of nights.
In bed, I had tossed and turned replaying the conversation I had with Stanley earlier in his truck, apprehension gripping my chest. He'd already managed to coerce me into making mom think he'd successfully taught me how to drive, so I could only imagine how many other ways he'd exert his growing influence in our home.
I spent most of the next day in my room, playing video games to distract myself from the anxiety that had made my sleep restless. But eventually, hunger got the best of me, and I was forced to venture downstairs for something to eat. I knew Stanley was probably over, so I decided to get in and out of the kitchen as fast as possible.
He and my mom were sitting at the kitchen table as I quietly padded into the room, trying not to disturb their conversation and draw attention to myself.
"Hello, sweetheart, where've you been all day?" Mom turned toward me as I approached the refrigerator.
"Oh, just up in my room," I replied, fishing material for a sandwich out of the fridge.
"Working hard studying for the written portion of the driving test I hope?"
I moved toward the counter, arms full, unsure of how to respond. She definitely wouldn't be happy to hear I've done nothing but play video games all day.
"Your mother asked you a question," Stanley addressed me, making my heart leap.
I slowly turned to face him as I set everything down on the counter in a heap.
"You been studying for the written portion of the test?" We made eye contact as he repeated mom's unanswered question.
"I, uhhh...," I break away from his intense gaze, looking down at the counter before continuing, "I haven't quite gotten to it yet."
"So what have you been doing the whole morning then?"
"Playing video games," I say quietly, still not looking up.
"Are you sure that's the best use of your time?"
I shake my head, briefly forgetting to answer verbally before uttering a quickly, "No."
"Then maybe that's not what you should be doing. Why not get it done now?"
I looked up again, meeting his leveled gaze, the look in eyes a reminder of our discussion.
"Better to get it out of the way, isn't it," he prompted again.
"You're right," I finally told him and a self-satisfied smirk appeared on his face. "I'll go start on it now."
Mom had quietly watched the interaction between us unfold, taking notice of how firmly Stanley handled the situation. This was the first test of what he'd said to me in the car yesterday and both of us had evidently passed; me by complying with Stanley's "suggestion" and him by effectively getting me to comply, earning a look of admiration and approval from mom.
"Well," he said, a bit more friendly now, "you don't have to get started right away. I think there's some time for you to eat your lunch. Need that brain food to study, right?"
He gave a stupid smirk and mom smiled at his banal joke.
"You'll have the rest of the afternoon to study," he continued. "Then you can tell us all about what you covered during dinner tonight."
I stared back at him, his expectations of me crystal clear. For a brief second, anger surged through me and I wanted to tell him to fuck off. But Stanley must've seen the glint of aggravation behind my glare, because his eyes narrowed slightly and his gaze hardened, almost daring me to confront him and find out the consequences of doing so.
Just as quickly as my fury rose, it faltered, and my whole body deflated from his intimidating stare. No matter how much I wanted or tried to stand up to him, part of me knew I'd never be able to, years of his bullying cowing me into being docile. Stanley evidently knew this as well, his lips pulling back in a triumphant, knowing smile before looking toward my mom.
"Speaking of dinner, what's on the menu for tonight, gorgeous?"
I turned back to the counter, quickly assembling my lunch.
"Roast chicken and garlic mashed potatoes," mom told him.
"Excellent. Now about tomorrow night, how about I bring some lamb chops from the shop and you cook it up for us? Sound good?"
"Absolutely, I can do that!"
"Perfect."
I brought my lunch up to my room, wanting to be in Stanley's presence as little as possible. Sure enough, at dinner, he made sure to inquire about how my studying had gone and I answered hoping to have read enough to satisfy him.
He seemed appeased, which relieved me until he said, "We'll see how far you've gotten by dinner tomorrow," making it clear that he not only expected regular updates on my progress but that he'd be around to ask for it.
I ate in silence, thinking that I could quietly escape back to my room once I was done, but Stanley made another show of his authority as I thanked mom for dinner and prepared to leave the table.
"How often do you do the dishes, Kyle?"
I paused, looking from my phone up to him. He raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner as he stared at me.
"Um, sometimes," I answered, looking away.
"Really? Because I don't think I've seen you clean up the table more than once in all the time I've had dinner over here."