Not Good Enough

Nine

I am jolted awake to the slamming of a car door outside the house.

What?! This can't be happening. Not yet. Not now. I thought as I jumped off my bed and got changed as quickly as I could. I looked at the clock. Eight at night. How did I sleep that long?

I opened my bedroom door to see Adam walking down the hall to the stairwell. We locked eyes for a moment before I go to close the door. He stops me, grabbing my arm so I can't move. He looked at me with a serious but worried look in his eyes.

"You know it will be worse for you if you try to hide in here. We have to face this head on. Don't worry. I got you," he said as he pulls me out into the hallway with him. After a reassuring hug, we head downstairs together and sit on the couch. I watch the door closely as it opens, as I held in my breath. It creaked open as Mom steps through the door first.

"Hi, Mom. Welcome home. Did you have a good time?" Adam asked in a polite way.

"Hi, Mom," was all I could manage to get out.

"Hi, kids," was all she said as she walked by us and upstairs with all her bags, not making eye contact with either of us. Then the door opened a little more as Dad finally walked in. He came in small, slow steps, making sure to keep close watch on us so we couldn't run for cover. He then stood there and made a small smile, but his eyes were cold and made me mildly uncomfortable and nervous. Adam took a small breath before speaking. 

"Hi, Dad. Did you have a nice time?" He had a small squeak in his voice in the end, but Dad didn't notice.

"Hi, son. I did have a nice time. It was very relaxing. Why don't you go upstairs so I can have some time alone to talk to my daughter," he lightly demands.

"Dad, if it's okay, I would like to stay here and listen," Adam contradicts him. What are you doing!?

"Son, I just gave you an order and you need to obey that or you will be punished! Now get before I change my mind about letting you off this time," he threatens as he walks a few steps towards him. Adam looked at me once before he got up slowly and walked towards the stairs, climbing them up two at a time. Dad turns back and looks at me again.

"Hello, darling. How was your week? Did you enjoy your freedom without us?" He asks in a non threatening way, but his eyes say otherwise.

"Yes, I did," I answered almost too quickly. He seemed unfazed by it.

"Yes, I see. And I believe that you had too much freedom, now didn't we?" There it is.

"I-I," I hesitated, not knowing how to respond. He leans closer.

"Didn't we?" He bellows. "Answer the question, goddamnit!"

"Yes," I fatefully agree. He raises his hand and strikes me on the side of the head. The blow caused my body to hit my head on the wooden arm of the couch. I get back up and slowly rise.

"I can explain," I begin. "I got really sick that day and I could barely walk so I didn't go to school to try and recover so I could do an even better job in school the next day, which I did." He looks at me, not affected by my explanation in any way.

"Young lady, there is absolutely no excuse as to why you don't go to school. I don't care if you can't walk or your even dying you just pick up your legs until you get there and then you go to classes like normal. You do not have the right to skip school! Absolutely none. Your mother and I did not raise you to be this way. You are such a worthless human being and I wish you never were my daughter. You certainly have brought so much disappointment to us. This is the third time you have skipped. Third! This will not go unnoticed and most certainly not go unpunished." He hits me in the head again harder and it knocks me down onto the floor. He then kicks me a few times in the neck before grabbing my hair and pulling me back up so I was at eye level. The hot tears from the pain were streaming down my face.

"I should kill you for this. Make sure you will never mess anything else up in this family. In the outside we need to look like the perfect family, and with obedient children who are at the top of their class. And they need to not do anything wrong. You ruined that. You ruined this family. Look at your brother. He is so much better than you. Never missed one class. But you did. And this punishment should be permanent. Shouldn't it?"

"No. Please no. I-I'll do better. I-I promise. Just please don't kill me," I pleaded. He looks at me for a solid minute though his hand never moves a muscle as he hold me up by my hair still. He then throws me across the room as I fall right beside the couch.

"You are lucky I am in a relaxed mood and I'm tired from the driving. We will deal with this if there is a next time." He goes for a final blow, using every last ounce of strength and every muscle, and kicks me right in the stomach. Sliding me four feet away from where I was. Everything started to fade and my ears started ringing from the pain. I must've made a loud noise because I could hear loud running down the stairs.

"What the hell are you doing? You're making too much noise the neighbors are starting to look at the house. Make her be quieter." The voice sounded like my mother.

"I'm trying to punish her. I was going to kill her but the blood and screaming might cause an alarm to them," he reasons.

"Just leave her alone for tonight and do it later, she's already as enough she should be quiet for the rest of the night if you leave her there." I try to listen to the rest of the conversation, but everything faded away into nothing.