The sound of the fork scrapping the plate caught the woman's attention. She stood by the sink, glancing over her shoulders at the brown-haired kid who was too occupied with his comic book.

The kid flipped through pages with a mouth filled with eggs as he sat back with his eyes trained on the animated book.

"Hey, come on. Finish up your breakfast." The woman voiced before pushing some of her brown hair behind her ear. "You only have five minutes left. Use it wisely."

"Oh, come on, mom." The young boy pushed out with a grimace on his face. "Just one more page."

"No, Carl. Put it away." Her brows raised in sternness. "You had all weekend. It's Monday, and you know how I feel about being late."

"Okay." Carl pushed out before hesitantly putting away his comic book. He unzipped his bag and shoved his book inside while wearing a pout.

Amid this, a stoic man walked in carrying the newspaper. He was dressed in his sheriff uniform. His cerulean eyes examined the kitchen as he quickly noticed the other two members in the house.

"Mornin'." He rasped in a country elocution. He dropped the newspaper on the table before heading to the fridge to grab the pitcher filled with orange juice.

The woman looked over and realized it was her husband. She didn't put a bright smile on her face. Instead, she kept her expression and nodded stiffly before saying, "Good morning."

He didn't address her dry response but figured she was still keeping her distance from him. Pushing her negative aura away, he placed his hand on top of his son's hair and rubbed it.

"Are you okay? You barely touched your plate."

"He's fine." She answered before her son could say anything. She was sure he wouldn't since he sat at the table pouting instead of eating breakfast. "He's just a little upset. I told him to put his comic book away."

"Why?"

She rolled her eyes toward the man before saying anything. She couldn't believe he was questioning her authority.

"Because I said so." She hurled back. "He doesn't have long to eat."

"Come on, Lori—"

"Seriously, Rick?" Lori threw back with her eyes narrowed. She scoffed, saying, "There shouldn't be a debate about this."

Instead of launching an argument, he sighed and nodded in agreement.

"Alright. I don't have time to eat. I guess I'll be going." He drawled.

"You have to pick up Carl after school today," Lori announced before he could leave the kitchen. "He has a student council meeting."

Rick grabbed his hat and responded by saying, "I won't have time. I'm practically swamped at the station with paperwork."

"Oh." She scoffed with her eyes fluttering. "So, I'll have to do that?"

"You don't have much to do around here. You can put your time aside to pick him up." Rick retorted with a slight head tilt.

Lori eyed him with annoyance but didn't bother to speak. The sound of tires screeching caught her attention. She sighed before rubbing her face as she neared her son and his barely eaten breakfast.

"Carl, your bus." She alerted her son. "Let's get going."

Reluctantly, Carl stood up from the table and grabbed his backpack. He left the kitchen but was patted on the shoulder by his father before leaving. Rick proceeded to leave but was caught by Lori's voice. She neared him and spoke in a whispered tone laced with anger.

"Sometimes you can be inconsiderate of me, and I don't appreciate it," Lori whispered harshly.

"Inconsiderate?" Rick reiterated before glancing over his shoulder. He looked at her with his eyes narrowed. "I told you last night that I would come home late this week. This isn't something new, Lori. There is nothing inconsiderate about me when I always put you and Carl first." He continued to rasp. "Let's not forget that your mother is living here under our roof—I think I've been very considerate."

Instead of waiting for her to speak, he walked off. Lori held a stone face as she followed behind him. Instead of bothering Rick, she watched as her son loaded on the bus with the other kids in the neighborhood.

There was an enormous truck sitting in the middle of the cul-de-sac. Stan's Moving & Storage was written on the vehicle in bold, orange lettering. Slowly, Rick walked toward his truck, keeping his eyes trained on it. There was a Cadillac Escalade pulling up beside the truck. The black truck had tinted windows and was shining brightly.

A woman stepped outside the driver's side of the truck. She wore tall heels with a pantsuit. Her locs were styled in an updo as she adjusted her shades. She moved toward the driver of the truck, who was asking questions and pointing toward the house.

A new neighbor. Rick said to himself as he walked hopped inside his truck. He adjusted his mirror and realized he was still able to see the woman. He glanced at his house and realized Lori was still standing by the door with a scowl, her eyes trained on him.

TO BE CONTINUED