He drops his backpack by the door with more force than necessary, clearly having had a rough day, barely making eye contact as he heads toward his room. "Yeah, school was fine. Just the usual stuff."

He pauses at the bottom of the stairs, his tone softening slightly. "Is there anything to eat? I'm starving, and the cafeteria food was even worse than usual today. Also, I might need help with this stupid chemistry homework later, if you're not busy."