Don entered the house, the soft **thud** of his shoes hitting the floor in the entryway. As he started to work at his laces, he could hear Samantha's voice down the hallway.
"I don't think that's true Sumr, maybe it's nothing."
Don's sock-clad feet padded across the hardwood as he made his way toward the dining area. Once there, he leaned against the doorfra, crossing his arms casually.
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"What's nothing?"
His question hung in the air as four pairs of eyes turned to him almost simultaneously.
Instead of the usual warm welco, he was t with a set of strange expressions. Samantha sat at the head of the table, her fingers fidgeting with her napkin, worry lines creasing her forehead.
Beside her, Sylvia's purple eyes narrowed as she studied Don with uncharacteristic skepticism. Sumr on the other hand was slouched in her chair, her usual smirk replaced by an unimpressed frown.
Only Amanda, seated opposite Sumr, maintained her characteristic cheer. She bead at Don, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.
"Welco back Donnie, you've had a busy day, huh, huh?"
Don's eyebrow crept upward as he surveyed the scene. 'Did I do sothing wrong?' The thought crossed his mind as he took in their expressions.
'I'm too tired to do this.' He thought before stretching dramatically, covering his mouth with one hand as he answered Amanda. "Yeah, I'm pretty beat. I managed to get registered with Donald at the VR center then I hung out with an online friend I finally got to et. After that it was just more and more paperwork with Ms. Claire."
Don turned to Sylvia, his shoulders relaxing slightly. "By the way, she's waiting for you outside."
The change in Sylvia was imdiate. She practically bounced up from her chair, energy radiating from her previously suspicious deanor.
"Ou, better hurry then!" She smoothed her skirt and gave a quick bow toward Samantha. "Thanks for the al Mrs. Bright!" Spinning on her heel, she waved at Amanda and Sumr. "Later!"
The **click-clack** of her footsteps faded down the hallway, followed by the soft **thump** of the front door.
In the silence that followed, Samantha's fingers drumd nervously on the table. "Hey, sweetie," she began, her voice hesitant. "Do you happen to be seeing any girls?" She paused, holding up her hands placatingly. "I'm not against it or anything, just-"
"Just worried so gold digger will leave you dry or worse paying child support because you're a horny idiot," Sumr cut in, crossing her arms over her chest with a quick motion.
"Sumr!" Samantha's voice imdiately beca louder, but not enough to cause Sumr to take a step back.
Sumr's response was instead a defiant "hmph" as she turned her head away. "What? It's true."
A cold sweat ford on Don's forehead as he considered a terrifying possibility.
'Don't tell the old Don had a baby mama?' The thought alone made his stomach light.
Samantha, clasped her hands together and said to Sumr, "It's clearly not that serious, Sumr. It was only maybe a date, nothing intimate." Despite her reassuring tone, her eyes showed so uncertainty as she turned to Don. "Right, honey?"
Don's eyebrows furrowed as he crossed his arms. "What's this about? I'm confused."
**Tch** Sumr rolled her eyes dramatically, lifting her phone from her the table. "This," she thrust the screen toward Don's direction. "Don't pretend. You're literally one of the trending topics of the day."
The screen displayed a post showing Don and Tori at the campus McBurger. The pieces finally clicked into place in his mind. He'd anticipated sothing like this might happen, but hadn't expected his family to react so strongly.
'This is ridiculous,' he thought, watching Sumr's accusatory glare.
Drawing from his past experiences, Don knew better than to try explaining himself - it would only feed their suspicions.
Instead, he let his features darken with annoyance, his jaw tightening as he spoke. "Seriously? I just had a al with my friend, or is it wrong now to have female friends?"
He took a step forward, his voice gaining an edge. "You literally had two guy friends over the first ti I saw you since coming back. But no, I can't have friends of the opposite gender right? since I'm just a horny idiot?"
The shift in the room was imdiate. Sumr's defensive posture crumbled, her shoulders dropping as guilt flashed across her face. As for Samantha, her hand moved to her chest, her expression stricken with remorse.
Sumr, however, wasn't ready to back down completely. She shifted her weight, clutching her phone tighter. "If it's just a friend, why do you look all lovey-dovey in this post?"
Don's response was imdiate, his eyes narrowing as he stared her down. "Since when is McBurger a place to be lovey-dovey?" He threw his hands up in exasperation. "You know what? Fine. Trust so post over . I'm not even going to argue over sothing this silly. Good night."
**Thud** **Thud** Wasting no ti, Don turned toward the stairs, his shoulders rigid with false anger.
"Donnie, please-" Samantha's voice wavered as she tried to reach out, but Don was already ascending the stairs, taking them two at a ti.
Sumr sat frozen, her phone now hanging limply at her side as she watched her brother disappear upstairs. The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the soft **tick** **tick** of the clock in the corner.
After Don's figure fully disappeared upstairs, Samantha let out a helpless sigh, wringing her hands together nervously before turning to look at Sumr.
Her daughter sat frozen in place, looking incredibly lost, clearly not expecting such a reaction from Don.
Amanda shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her earlier silence now weighing on her conscience.
She had held back, worried about making things worse, but now regretted not stepping in. Her fingers drumd against the edge of the table as she contemplated how such a minor issue had escalated so quickly.
"I should have said sothing," Amanda finally spoke, her voice soft. "Don's right - this isn't sothing worth arguing over."
Upstairs, Don closed his bedroom door and looked it.
A mild sigh escaped his lips as he paced to the center of the room. The whole display downstairs had been more theatrical than genuine - an irritation rather than the upset image he'd portrayed.
Standing before his bed, Don glanced at his watch. "Maybe I could get so reading done before checking in with Elle," he thought. But, just then, a vibration from his pocket interrupted his thoughts. **bzzt** **bzzt**
Pulling out his phone, he found a ssage from Gary:
"Evening sir, if ti will allow, please do call as I have so information for you. Should you not be able to, I am compiling an entry for upload to Gary Assist now and will upload it in the next hour or so."
Don's eyebrows rose with interest. He moved toward the open window, where the curtains moved in the cool night breeze. Moonlight streaked across the floor in silver ribbons as he initiated the call.
The connection established almost instantly. "Good evening sir, I hope I didn't interrupt anything," Gary's sophisticated tone sounded through the speaker.
Don peered through a gap in the curtains, his eyes scanning the backyard below. "Not at all. Is this about the new base?"
"No," Gary replied. "Though the young madam has been incredibly eager to sell the base now. All should be done by the end of the week."
"I see." Don stepped back from the window, running a hand through his hair as Gary continued.
"The information I was referring to involves the Hell Riders gang."
Don's eyebrow arched as he moved away from the window entirely, his interest clearly piqued. He crossed his arms, moonlight casting half his face in shadow.
"Go on."
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