Null- Harringrove

1

Since his mother had died, he had an empty feeling that Billy had grown accustomed to, but recently the empty feeling had evolved into a deep, dark hole, devouring him. He slammed the front door closed. He was completely drained. The facade he felt forced to keep up was crumbling around him. Fortunately, nobody seemed to notice as he slipped into this deep depression. Nobody in his family had enough heart to care, and his friends were oblivious to almost everything.

He trudged down the hall towards his room. He was grateful that Neil was gone and Max wanted to go to the arcade after school, for he just wanted to be alone. Most of Billy's time was now spent sleeping, as he found almost everything pointless. Billy flopped down on his bed, his boots hanging over the edge. His eyelids drooped before he dozed off.

He'd slept for hours by the time the front door opened again. He was still asleep by the time his dad opened his door, only woken up when Neil threw him to the floor. "Get your lazy ass up," Neil yelled.

Billy quickly jumped up, terrified. "Where's Max, you useless piece of shit!" Neil shouted into his face, grabbing Billy by the front of his shirt.

"Sh-She said she could skate after she was done at the arcade," Billy stammered. He saw Susan standing outside the doorway. She had a worried look on her face, though she never intervened.

Neil shoved Billy back into the wall. "I ask you to fucking watch her and you can't even do that," Neil shouted. He pulled his fist back, before launching it forward, knocking Billy's head back. Neil hit him over and over, not pausing. He was continuously shouting derogatory terms that Billy had learned to become numb to.

It didn't stop until Billy collapsed in a heap on the floor. Neil kicked him once more square in his gut. "You're a waste of fucking life, you fag," Neil said, before walking out and slamming the door closed. The edges of Billy's vision were going red and his breathing was ragged. He remained on the floor until the morning because it was too painful to move. Eventually, he fell asleep again.

When sunlight did begin to peak through Billy's window, he struggled to stand. He limped over to the bathroom, attempting to walk as quietly as he could, avoiding spots on the floor that creaked.

He stared at himself in the mirror. His lip was split down the middle, blood dried to his chin. His eye was already swollen, developing into a black eye. His nose had bled as he slept, leaving dried streams of blood going across his left cheek. Billy looked down into the sink, unable to stare at his injuries any longer. Tears dripped down his nose. He grabbed a ratty towel from the linen closet and turned on the shower. He stripped and walked into the shower, not bothering to let it heat up.

He tried not to look down at his body where bruises were surely forming. He quickly washed himself before gently drying himself, trying not to irritate the bruises. He walked back to his room, where he put on his clothes. After trying to do his hair as quickly as possible, he walked back out into the hall. He bumped into Max as she came out of the bathroom. He didn't pause, continuing to head off to the kitchen. Max furrowed her brows in confusion, after no insult came from Billy.

He grabbed his bag before heading out to the Camaro and starting the engine. Max ran out from the house and hopped in the car mumbling, "Sorry I was late," but Billy didn't protest. He remained completely emotionless as he pulled out of the driveway.

When the arrived at school, Max quickly headed off to class on her skateboard, dodging people. Billy stepped out and grabbed his bag, lighting a cigarette. He saw girls looking over to him and giggling while whispering to one another, but he didn't feel like pretending to care. What did catch his eye was a boy glancing his way. The boy was standing next to a short, skinny girl. She continued talking, not noticing that the boy wasn't paying attention.

Billy turned away and walked up to the school. Before entering the building, he stomped out his cigarette with the toe of his boot, then he headed to his first class.

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AN: This chapter was pretty sad
also pretty short.