Joseph's Trials

Chapter 2

I wake to the sounds of police sirens and gunfire. Jerome and Ricky Conan, local drug dealers, finally got caught with all the narcotics they have been selling out of there house. I roll off my "bed" and fall flat to the ground. I had my head down and kept my body low. Eventually, the gunfire stopped. I came out of my house and saw Jerome and Ricky's lifeless body on the sidewalk. I take one long look, shake my head in shame, and head towards school with out looking back. I make it to school on time and start my day off right. I breeze through Algebra II and Science, got an 'A' on my English II test, and made the best cake in Home Arts. Then, Social Studies just throws me completely off. I keep getting pointed out to answer questions. Miss Perkinz did this for fun. I couldn't take it. Half of me says I should just get up and leave class. The other half told me how I needed education to change my circumstances and that I have to stay. I took the obvious choice.

The bell finally rings and on my way out the door Richard pushes me over and says, "Watch it, pipsqueak." I get up and dust myself off as Richard walks away. I was going to meet up with Randy, Omari, Reggie, and Greg but I had to go and get my lucky bowling glove. I get home and the door is unlocked, as usual, so I walk right in. I see a peculiar man sitting on the couch drinking. I look to my left and saw my mom bawling in the corner with her hand over her right eye. My eyes lit up with anger and confusion. "What happened?!", I yelled as I ran towards her. She says, "Me and James had a little...argument. It's Ok now." I sprint across the room screaming, "You monster!", at the top of my lungs. I lunge toward him as he stands up and I knock him over the couch and land on his chest. I start slamming my fists into his face continuosly, blow after blow. I was blinded by rage and was unable to control myself. I hear the faint screams of someone saying, "No" and "Stop", but I only pay attention to this mans screams of pain. I had never felt such hateful emotions before. I finally decide to knock him out. A drag his unconscious body to the trash can across the street. I open the trash container and find a few beer cans and drop them all around him. I dust myself off and head back to the house.

As I enter I see that mom is on the phone. " I ask her who she's calling and she nervously says, " The police". I say, " Yeah, make sure you tell them about what he did to you." Then she says, " I'm not calling them to get him. I'm calling for them to get you." I was hit with even more confusion and rage then before. I ask her, "Why?" Then the words that left her mouth next almost made me fall to my knees. She says, " Because that was your father and you almost killed him." So many questions begin to flow through my mind. (What did he want? Why was he here? Why did mom betray me after trying to protect her?) "I didn't know but that doesn't give him the excuse to hit you!" "Get out", she screams. "He was trying to make a fresh start. He changed." I say, "But he hit you. That's not a fresh start. Then she tells me he was taking his last drink and it got out of hand. She says he apologized but I don't care. That doesn't un-blacken her eye. My mom gets angry and starts to lash out at me. I run out of the house with tears in my eyes. I don't know where to go but I can't stay there.

I went past Don's Donuts and stop in the alleyway. I take a moment to release my sorrow in tears. I can't believe my mother kicked me out. How could she favor a man who left us over her own child? I get up and begin throwing old boxes, ripping through newspapers, and punching trash containers. Anything to release some pain and anger. All I ever wanted to do was to make her proud to protect her. She betrayed me. She turned her back on me. If she could just learn to put down the bottle and stop drinking. I'm sure if she had a clear head none of this would have happened. I have no one now. No family of my own. I scream and find myself collapsing into the trash bags. I realize how sleepy I actually am and I find myself dozing off. Right before my eyes closed, I see feet walking towards me. Then everything goes blank.