Hey, Guys! Here's the new chapter!
It was morning and the Watterson family were all gathered around the dinner table eating breakfast, getting ready to start a brand new day. However, a family member was missing and it did not take long for all of them to notice.
"Where's Darwin?" Nicole asked impatiently, her breakfast still left untouched. She was too angry to eat. She was still upset over what had happened between Darwin and her the day before. He running late to go to school was not helping her temper.
"He's upstairs still getting ready" Anais answered casually as she continued eating.
Gumball placed his spoon down on the table. "Speaking of Darwin" He began. He saw the opportunity to speak about Darwin and took it. "Has anyone noticed that Darwin seems to be a little...?" Gumball paused as he struggled to find the right word. "Off?" The thoughts of what happened the day before were still fresh in his mind. After Gumball made the mistake of doubting Darwin that he could defend himself, Darwin has not spoken one word to Gumball since. He only ever gave him dirty looks and glances. Even when Gumball tried to congratulate him for standing up for himself at the cafeteria the day before, it was received with a negative response. While Darwin has had problems with his anger in the past, he was never the type to hold a grudge, that's what confused him. Gumball felt like maybe he was overreacting, or maybe not. He wanted to make sure that he wasn't the only person feeling this way, which was why he was asking his family.
"What do you mean?" Anais asked. She seemed intrigued by what Gumball had said. She was always the observant type, always the first person to notice something that was wrong. Usually, Gumball got annoyed with that but today he felt relieved. He knew that if something was really off, she would be the first person to notice.
"Well I was just talking to him yesterday and he just sort of snapped at me," Gumball explained, reminiscing about the day before. Before Anais could speak, they saw Darwin coming down the stairs. The moment Anais and Gumball saw him, they put their heads down and continued eating, pretending like they were not just talking about him moments before. Darwin entered the dining room and took a seat in the empty chair at the table.
"Morning," Darwin said, yawning. He rubbed his tired eyes and quickly took notice of everyone staring at him. "What?" He asked, curiously.
"Where have you been?" Nicole asked. Darwin simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Upstairs, where else would I be? The moon." Darwin said, sarcastically. Gumball, Anais, and Richard had to stifle a giggle. They knew that it wasn't right for Darwin to be rude to Nicole that way, but they couldn't help but think Darwin's answer and the tone he used were hilarious. Nicole ignored the rest of her family's smirks and focused her attention on Darwin.
"I thought I told you to never talk to me like that" Nicole got up from her seat and walked over to where Darwin was seated. Standing in front of him, she stated. "Now I want you to apologize to me right now!" The room was silent as everyone stared over to Darwin, waiting to see what he was going to say next. Darwin looked around and saw all their eyes on him. He could feel his cheeks begin to burn. He darted his eyes to the other direction, away from everyone else. He hated it when people stared at him.
Darwin rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'm Sorry,"
"For?"
Darwin looked down at his shoes, avoiding all eye contact. "For answering you in an inappropriate tone."
Despite not looking at her when apologizing, Nicole seemed pleased with his response. "Good," Nicole said as she walked back to her seat. After Nicole sat down on her seat, everyone continued what they were doing before Darwin arrived. Richard began speaking to Nicole about events that had happened to him the day before while Gumball and Anais spoke about how they were doing in school. It was as if nothing had happened. Darwin stayed in the same position, staring down on the ground. No one saying one word to him. It was as if he didn't exist. Was that all he was to them? Someone who they can pick on whenever they wanted? Nicole cornered him into apologizing, and for what? Standing up for himself? The worst part for Darwin was that no one stood up for him.
The words that his voice had told him the day before echoed in his head. "If your own family loved you, they wouldn't treat you this way,"
The voice was right. If my family did care about me, they wouldn't be against me like this. Darwin thought. Rage began bubbling up inside him. Out of nowhere, Darwin smacked his fist on the table, sending out a loud noise that sent all the dishware to vibrate for a couple of seconds. Everyone in the table sat still, processing what had just happened. With all eyes on him, Darwin got up from where he was sitting and walked out of the house, not saying one word.
"Did you see that?" Gumball asked. Anais nodded her head, shocked about what she had just seen. Gumball didn't know why Darwin is acting this way, but he knows that something's wrong with him, and he's going to get to the bottom of it.
Darwin continued walking by himself when he heard his conscience begin to speak. "Why did you apologize to your mom? You didn't do anything wrong!
"I know right!" Darwin said as he continued walking. "I didn't do anything wrong but yet she embarrassed me in front of everyone in the house!"
"It's like they're trying to run and control your whole entire life, it's yours, not theirs." The voice continued.
"You're right! It's my life" Darwin shouted. Rage was still running through his body. He didn't know where all this anger was coming from and at this point, he didn't care.
"For my whole life, they have been trying to control my life and I've had enough!" Darwin said. "I'm going to make them back off."
It was lunch time and Darwin had just gotten out of line with his tray of food. He took a seat at an empty table. He didn't really feel like sitting with anyone today and he was happy to finally get some alone time. Soon, Gumball walked into the cafeteria and began scanning the room for Darwin, he finally found him sitting by himself at a table in the corner of the cafeteria. For some reason, the sight of Darwin eating by himself made Gumball sad. Although, he did look like he was in a good mood, or at least, in a better mood than this morning. He wondered how long that would last. He took a deep breath and began walking over to his table with his tray of food.
"Hey!" Gumball said cheerfully as he sat down next to Darwin.
Darwin slumped in his seat, he was hoping that he could finally have some alone time, but he decided to be polite and not tell Gumball to go away, even though he really wanted too. "Hey,"
Relief came through Gumball's body. Maybe he was finally back to normal. Gumball thought. Their conversation soon turned into silence as Darwin continued eating. Gumball looked down onto his tray of food. His stomach turned as he saw what today meal is. He had always hated the food the school served. His appetite vanished and he pushed the tray away from. He turned to Darwin, who continued eating and looking straight ahead as if he was thinking about something. Gumball began tapping the table with his fingers, waiting for this awkward silence to end. He finally realized that the only way to begin a conversation was if he was going to speak up first.
"Sooo, what have you been up to?" Gumball asked. Internally he was face palming himself. What kind of question is that? He thought to himself.
Darwin shrugged. "Nothing much? And you?
"Same," Gumball said, chuckling. "Pretty boring huh?" Darwin showed no emotion to Gumball's response as he continued eating. Gumball sighed. This conversation was going nowhere but he decided to try again.
"Sooo, have you been feeling okay?" Gumball asked.
Darwin tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Gumball began. "I don't know, you just seem kind of off..."
Darwin threw his head back and groaned. So that's why Gumball was speaking to him, he wanted to make sure that everything was "okay."
"I'm fine" Darwin snapped. He couldn't understand why Gumball was so worried. He was fine.
Gumball could feel a lump in his throat begin to form, it took all his strength to choke out his next sentence. "Well, you don't need to get angry, I just wanted to make sure that you're okay."
"Why?" Darwin asked.
"Because I'm worried about you," Gumball whimpered, tears forming in his eyes. He quickly rubbed them, he didn't want Darwin to notice.
Darwin crossed his arms in amusement. "Oh wow, now you care?"
"What do you mean?" Gumball asked. Darwin grabbed Gumball by his T-shirt and pulled him so close to his face until it was only a few inches apart.
"I mean that you always take advantage of me and news flash, I'm not your slave anymore" Darwin hissed. Gumball released himself from Darwin's clutch and backed way, fear sweeping over him. Darwin never dared to grab him like that. Heck, he had never grabbed anyone like that. All Gumball wanted to do was grab Darwin and hug him and tell him that everything was going to be okay, he hated seeing him this way.
"Darwin, please calm down," Gumball whispered.
"I am calm!" Darwin yelled. Everyone around the cafeteria turned and looked in his direction. Most were staring at him in confusion. Gumball tried to catch his breath. Darwin yelling like that startled him and all the air in his lungs just disappeared. With all eyes on him, Darwin grabbed his stuff and left the cafeteria, leaving a stunned Gumball by himself. Darwin exited the cafeteria and began walking in the hallways. All the hallways were vacant since everyone was in the cafeteria. Darwin liked the silence of the hallways compared to the cafeteria but he knew he would get in trouble if he stayed here since no one was allowed in the hallways during lunch. Since he didn't want to back in the cafeteria, he decided to blow off steam and head into the library. He walked into the library and looked around. He saw some people on the computers, doing homework while others were walking around the bookshelves, checking out the stash of books available to read. Darwin didn't feel like using the computer or read so he decided to sit to some of the tables in the middle of the library. He walked over to where the tables were located and to his surprise, he sees Chrissy, sitting by herself. It looked like she was doing homework. He wondered why she would be by herself here and not in the cafeteria like everyone else. He took a deep breath and walked over to her.
"Hey," Darwin said.
Chrissy looked up from her homework, the moment she saw Darwin a warm smile spread across her face, "Hey,"
"Why are you in here?" Darwin asked curiously. "Why aren't you eating lunch in the cafeteria like everyone else?"
Chrissy's smile faded. "Oh, I have nowhere to sit in the cafeteria, I don't really know anyone here..." She looked down at the papers in front of her as if embarrassed about what she had just said and Darwin noticed. He felt sad, he didn't know that she didn't have any friends. I mean, of course, he knew that she was new to the school, but he thought that she had already made at least a couple of friends by now. She seemed like she was that type of person who would be friends with anyone, super outgoing and confident. That was one of the reasons why he began falling for her in the first place.
After a few moments, Darwin spoke. "I'm sorry about that,"
Chrissy shrugged and let out a small chuckle, still looking down at her papers. "Don't worry about it,"
Darwin paused for a moment as if thinking about what to say next. He then sat down in the seat next to her. "Well, I'll hang out with you,"
Chrissy's smile returned as she looked over to Darwin. "Really?"
Seeing Chrissy look over to him and smile sent a warm feeling through his body. Darwin nodded. "Yeah of course,"
"Thanks," Chrissy said.
"No Problem"
Both Darwin and Chrissy stared into each other's eyes for a moment, at a loss for words. It was as if something clicked inside them. After a couple of moments, Chrissy begins to shake her head, as if embarrassed for taking a long pause, Darwin did the same thing.
"So," Chrissy began, trying to fill in the awkward silence, "how have you been?"
Darwin shrugged. "I've been okay I guess"
Chrissy noticed the way Darwin's demeanor changed when she asked the question. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, It's just my family," Darwin said as he waved his fin through the air, acting like it was an everyday thing.
"Oh family, I know how that feels," Chrissy said as she playfully rolled her eyes. "What's the problem?"
"I guess," Darwin began hesitantly. "I always feel like I'm being taken advantage of, as if, I don't know" Darwin sighed. "I always feel like the last place in my family, especially compared to my brother and sister."
"Don't worry about it, families are like that" Chrissy said. "I'm sure they love you."
Darwin smiled, he didn't know why but her talking to him was actually working. Something about her voice was soothing. He then grew curious. "Do you have any siblings?"
Chrissy sat back on her seat. "No, I'm an only child,"
Darwin put his head down on his desk. "Lucky," He said.
Chrissy chuckled. "I don't know, I think you should consider yourself lucky, I have to deal with my parents all the time and sometimes I wished I had a sibling to back me up"
Darwin and Chrissy both laughed.
Meanwhile, Gumball began roaming the hallways, searching for Darwin. He was worried about him after he disappeared. He decided to go inside the library since that would be the only other place he could be. He looked around for a couple of moments before deciding that he wasn't there. He was about to leave when he thought he heard a familiar voice and turned the corner to see Darwin talking to someone but he couldn't make out who it was. He hid behind a bookshelf and began looking closely. His eyes locked on the girl who Darwin was laughing with. Is that the new girl? Gumball thought. He then remembered who she was, she was the girl who Darwin had a crush on. He was finally talking to her. Part of him felt happy that Darwin finally had gotten the courage to speak to her but... at the same time, he wasn't happy. Something about her felt...weird. A deep anxiety began forming in the pit of his stomach. A crazy thought popped into his head, Was she the reason behind Darwin's strange behavior? It was a stupid thought but at the same time, it made sense. Before she came into this school, Darwin was fine, but now? She had to be the reason behind Darwin's strange behavior, Gumball thought. Gumball looked at them one last time before leaving the library.
Later that day, Darwin was walking home from school while speaking to his conscience. Despite the situation that he had with his family earlier, he was pretty content with his day.
"I guess, it just feels nice to have control again," Darwin said. "I don't want anyone controlling my life anymore." For the past couple of days, Darwin has not been following orders from anyone, including his family. Sure, he got in trouble for them but to him, it was worth it.
"And you shouldn't let anyone gain control over you," The voice said. "Don't let anyone take that away from you."
"You're right, I'm in control," Darwin stated to himself. He felt great and...different, but a good different. He was in control, and he wasn't planning on anyone taking that away from him. Not anymore. He opened the front door of his home and walked inside.
"I'm home" Darwin called out. He heard no response, assuring him that no one was home. He breathed a sigh of relief and began walking upstairs. He entered his room and to his surprise, he saw Gumball, sitting on his bed, seemingly looking out the window. Darwin was caught off guard, he was sure that he was home alone.
"Oh hey," Darwin said, putting his stuff on the ground next to the door, "I thought I was home alone." Gumball didn't respond, he just kept staring out the window with his arms crossed across his chest.
Darwin became concerned. He inched a little closer to Gumball. "Are you okay?"
"When were you going to tell me?" Gumball asked, finally breaking the silence. He didn't take his eyes off the window.
"What do you mean?" He asked. Gumball fixed his gaze on Darwin.
"I mean that girl you were talking to in the library," Gumball stated.
Darwin clenched his fists. Rage began bubbling inside him again. "You were spying on me?"
"No," Gumball said getting up from the bed. "I was looking for you after you left the cafeteria so angry." He explained.
Darwin threw his hands in the air. "Why do you care about who I hang out with?"
Gumball sighed. He quickly began to regret this. He didn't mean to confront Darwin like this, but it was too late. He tried retracing his steps. "Look," Gumball sighed. "I'm just worried, you haven't been acting like yourself and I thought that maybe she has something to do with it," Gumball explained calmly. "I care about you and I just want to know that everything is okay."
"I'm fine!" Darwin snapped.
"See!" Gumball pointed out. "You get so angry over everything and it's really starting to freak me out," He choked on the last couple of words. He cleared his throat.
Darwin rolled his eyes. Mostly at Gumball's "concern." "Oh, I'm sorry if I'm just trying to stand up for myself."
Gumball shook his head. "This is not standing up for yourself, you're not acting like yourself and you're getting angry with everyone around you," Gumball said before taking a deep breath. "If it has something to do with her then maybe you shouldn't hang out with her anymore."
"Do you hear that?!" The voice yelled. "He's trying to take Chrissy away from you! Do something" The words "do something" begin echoing in Darwin's head. He couldn't let Gumball ruin this for him. Everything was going the way he wanted. He didn't want this being taken away from him, he couldn't let that happen. He looked around the room. His eyes settled on a framed picture of him and Gumball. It was both of them looking at the camera, smiling. Without giving it a second thought, he grabbed the frame and, with all his might, threw it at Gumball. Gumball ducked just in time and the frame hit the wall. The glass from the frame shattered and thousands of pieces of glass scattered all across the room. Gumball turned and looked at the mess in horror. If he was only a few seconds late...no he couldn't imagine that. He slowly looked over at Darwin, who was heavy breathing. He had the angriest look on his face, so much detest. He had never seen like that before. Without saying one word, he made sure that no broken glass was in his way. He then walked over to the door and left. He closed the door behind him and sat down. Millions of things were running through his mind but one thing was sticking out, the fear that he was losing the one thing that mattered most to him, his brother.
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PEACE ON THE STREEETS SAAAN!