The boy

"I just don't know what you were thinking Tom," his stepmother said.
The boy tried to sink further into the hallway seat. She had directed him to sit the moment he had walked through the door. Five minutes late from his after school appointment, and it didn't matter that it was with his councilor.
"Yes mom, I'm sorry," the boy whispered while staring angrily at his dirty brown shoes.
"How many times have I said that you need to be punctual? People just don't respect you if you aren't punctual. Do you think the president comes late to his meetings?"
"No Sal..."
"Of course he doesn't. Now I want you to go put your things in your room and wash your hands before dinner. Your father should have it ready in a minute."
The boy waited for her to go down the hall before getting up from his seat. He made a face at her back as she turned the corner into the kitchen where his father could be heard making various clanking and rattling noises at the stove.
It wasn't that dad was such a bad guy. If only he would stand up for himself on occasion. Mother had always said that he was a big pushover. His stepmother only proved it.
Hal did a quick walk to his bedroom where he dropped his backpack into a chair.
He tossed himself backwards onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, angry at his fate. Why did his mom have to leave him with his dad? He knew that she was going to come back and get him like she promised. But it had better be soon, he couldn't take this woman for much longer.
"Hal, where the heck are you?" his father called from the kitchen.
"Coming dad," Hal hopped out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash up.
On his way to the kitchen table he walked through the living room to see if they had noticed that the gun had been moved.
His father was somewhat of an amateur gun collector and had many of the old things placed in almost random spots throughout the house. Hal's plan involved getting one of the working guns out of a showcase, but before he removed it he wanted to see how much attention his parents paid them. He had started by making minute changes to the positioning of the pistol. When that didn't draw comment, he went so far as to move it one peg down on the display.
It was still there. Nobody had noticed it for six days.