Small town, Big city✔️

Big city

"Come on, you little shit!" I yelled at Alejandro. 

"Where are we going? We need to get to school." he wasn't the most fun, in the morning. 

"Just come on." I said running up some stairs and bursting through a door. 

"You brought me to see the city skyline?' he said unenthusiastically. 

"Al, you really need to loosen up." I said putting my arm over his shoulder in a non-violent way. 

"Let's just get to school." he said heading back down the stairs. 

"10:30? Looks like you can make lunch." I laughed. I hated school. It was so disinteresting.

Baltimore, a beautiful place, with wild parties and extreme excitement around every corner. We made it to school a little after 10:35, more like 10:40. I decided to stay at school today, well there wasn't anything else to do. I entered into my class simply without disruption. 

"So, coming through the window was a better idea than coming through the door, Mr. Stryker." Ms. Sandburg, my English teacher asked me. 

"Doors are too mainstream. Besides when was the last time someone came through your window, Catherine?" I winked at her. She scowled at me, and pointed to the door. 

"Principal's office!" she said, and returned to teaching the class. 

"Well, I guess that's what I get for trying to help out a single mom and her kid this morning." I said leaving the room. 

"Hey Stryker, you've got something on your shirt." someone yelled out. I pulled off my shirt to check. 

"I don't see anything. Oh well." I threw my shirt over my shoulder, and turned back to Ms. Sandburg, "Principal's office right?" I asked her. All she could do was bite her lower lip and slowly nod her head. I made my way to the Principal's office, where I was greeted by two people, one I hated more than anyone else, my dad!

"Scott, put your shirt on." my mother demanded. I plopped down into a chair instead.

"So, Principle Warner, what's the damage this time?" I asked playing with his name plate. 

"Due to your behavior and tardiness, you'll be escorted from home to each of your classes, for the remainder of your senior year." 

All I could do was laugh, "Principle Warner, what's it going to take for this not to happen?" my father asked. 

"Scott's only option would be transferring schools at this point." Principal Warner said. 

"Please, I'd rather go back to juvie until Graduation." I yelled. 

"So, new school it is." my mother said. 

"I'd rather die than leave Baltimore." I yelled storming out of the office and out of school destroying everything in my path.

"I heard about what happened." Al said to me. We were at the pier. 

"And?" I said throwing rocks at birds. 

"You could start fresh?" he said with more optimism than usual. "What I really want to know is, will you make my party? My cousin and her friend are coming from Virginia." he asked nearly killing a bird with a rock. 

"I wouldn't miss it." I said laughing at him.

Scott Stryker, an animal, past run-ins with the law, a term at county that no one knows about and a record the size of a phone book, and as thick as the encyclopedia. Who would want to leave the city, there crazy if they think I'm leaving. They definitely have another thing coming.

*****

I rode home angry and hungry. Two things that should never happen. "Whoa, midnight." I grinned to myself. I parked my bike in the garage, and hopped over the fence. 

"Scott Daniel Stryker!" my mother yelled at me when I came in the house. This is that mom I know, not the one who was in the principal's office this afternoon. 

"Broken curfew, I know two weeks." I said heading to the fridge. Box of pizza from a week ago sounds good. 

"You need to straighten up your act, or you're gone." she said sitting down at the table. 

"So, just you and me again?" I asked sitting across from her. 

"You know he gets so angry." she started to sob. 

"He hit you again didn't he?" I asked her, she covered her face. "Mom! You have to tell me." I begged her. 

"So angry." she sobbed harder. I hated seeing my mom cry. I knew something was going on because it's been me and my mom for as long as I can remember. My old man, floats in and out of our lives, but doesn't leave without leaving us with something. He's a horrible dad, and a worse husband.

"Mom, why don't you go to bed." I said handing her some tissue. 

"I can't lose you, too. Just try to do better." she sniffled and wiped her tears away. As she headed up stairs, I put the pizza back into the fridge I wasn't hungry anymore. Right then my phone started ringing. I locked at it was a blocked number. 

"What do you want?" I yelled into the phone. 

"Listen here boy, you will treat me with respect." my father yelled back. 

"Then act like a proper father and husband for once." I said. 

"Why are you calling me anyway?" "I need some help. I ran into a little trouble down at the bar." he said. "So, you need me to bail you out?" I was pretty pissed. 

"Would you mind kiddo?" he wasn't very good at the whole 'good' dad role. 

"I'll see." I said and hung up the phone, before he could start to cuss me out. Why is the police station a blocked number?

I went to my room and stared at the ceiling. "What is happening to this place." I said to myself.