I walk through the door, not bothering to knock. My mom's lying on the sectional couch in the living room smoking and I think my dad is in his room.
My mom doesn't look up from the tv when I walked in. She still has a black eye from three days ago. I go past the couch and into my room. Our apartment only has three bedrooms. I had to share with my older sister, Amanda, before she left. When I was really little, sometimes we would stay up really late and play hide and seek in the dark.
She used to say, "When I find you I'm going to eat you up" and that would make me scream and laugh and she would find me.
When we heard our parents fighting, she would tell me she loved me and cover my ears.
I sign the syllabi, and write.
I come out of my room to get something to eat. I step over the empty beer bottles in the kitchen doorway and open the fridge. Nothing. Only beer, old lettuce and some cheese.
"Looking for something to eat?" My dad throws a beer bottle he just finished on the floor adding to the mountain. He's drunk.
"No sir." I say.
"Better not be, we don't have money. I can barely feed myself let alone you." He's slurring his words as he speaks. "And Nobody needs you."
"I know sir."
"Did you just talk back to me?"
"No sir"
"And you lie just to top it off" he laughs, "You were talking back to me" He yells in my face, I can smell the alcohol on his breath. He grabs me by my shirt and pulls me into his room. It's dark and the floor is littered with beer bottles, whiskey, and cigarette butts. The smell is horrendous but in some way it reminds me of when I was little. He throws me on his bed and hits me across the face 3 or 4 times I don't remember. When "justice is served" and he's satisfied, he throws me out and I hit my face on the wall and pass out. When I wake up my face is sore and bruised.
I get an ice pack and go to my room. I hate feeling weak. I just want to have a normal life with normal parents. I hate this, I hate myself, I hate my life. Nobody likes me, nobody cares about me.
It's dark outside when I fell asleep. I don't dream. When I wake up I look at the clock; 6:47. I get ready for school in silence. My parents are probably sleeping. I walk to school. Nobody would notice me gone.
