Have You Ever Felt Worthless?

Chapter Four

I updated quicker! Yay!

Percy's POV

      I whimpered under the glare Gabe was giving me. "I said," he growled, taking a step towards me. "Where the hell were you?"

     I don't know why he didn't ask why I wasn't at the Monday meets thing. "I-I w-was-"

     "No. Stuttering." he growled at me, taking another step towards me. I took an involuntary step back, which he didn't like.

      Despite his size, he could move fast. He charged me and grabbed me by the back of my neck, squeezing hard with his pudgy fingers. "Listen here, boy." he spat right next to my ear. "I don't like it when you stutter."

       He turned me, using the back of my neck, so I was facing him, then kneed me in the gut. I doubled over with a groan of pain and he took that opportunity to shove me to the ground. I tried to get up, but he put a foot on my already bruised ribs and pressed down. Hard. I whimpered, trying to get away, but each time he just pressed harder and harder. "I'm going to teach you how to not stutter, you understand me?" he growled. I nodded weakly.

       "I said, do you understand me?!" He yelled, spit flying from his mouth. I grimaced.

       "Y-Yes s-s-sir..." I stuttered.

       "Three stutters." Gabe growled, sending a painful kick to my stomach. I heard a sickening crack. Then he knelt down and punched my jaw. Twice. I heard a crack on the second blow and black lights danced across my vision. "Now try that again. Without the stutters." he growled in my ear.

       "Y-Yes s-sir..." I muttered, trying to blink the dizziness out of my eyes.

       "Bad Percy." he growled. He kicked me twice, then grabbed the collar of my shirt and lifted me up. I found stability on my feet, but as soon as I did so he slammed me against the wall so that my face was pressed against it.

        I could hear a soft metallic 'shink' and froze. Gabe's pocket knife. I could feel him grab the back of my shirt and began to slowly drag the knife down it, ruining one of my only shirts. I winced when he grabbed one side and ripped it off of me, throwing it to the ground. Then I heard more metal moving, but it was more of a clanging sound. I knew this one as well. I tensed up my back as the leather belt ripped across my flesh. "From now on, each stutter means one of those. Get to twenty stutters and you're going to regret being alive. Got it?" He growled.

       I offered a simple, "Yes."

       "Where's my sir?" Gabe growled. I could see him raising his belt warningly from the corner of my eye.

       "Y-Yes s-s-sir." I stammered. Damn it, three.

       I closed my eyes tightly, tears threatening to spill as three hard cracks filled the air. "Repeat it. Repeat it until you don't stutter once." Gabe growled.

       "Y-Yes s-sir" Two whip marks.

        "Y-yes sir." One whip mark.

        "Yes sir." No whip marks.

       "You're at six total stutters kid. Better watch out." Gabe let out an evil cackle that sounded like a vultures, hovering over its dying prey. That's exactly what I was.

       Dying.

       I didn't say anything. I didn't want to get to twenty, whatever it is I'm sure it's not good. "Are you going to reply like a good boy?" Gabe growled.