Busted

He knew before I even reached his door that I was there. I have no idea how, but he opened it just as I lifted my fist to knock. It was the weekend after he found me unconscious.
“Hey buddy,” he gave me a cheery smile. “Come on in. My parents are gone for the weekend so we’ll have the place to ourselves!” It came at me like I just got a really bad paper cut.
“Woah, wait….they’re…gone for the weekend?” it was hard to form a complete sentence. If Father knew, he’d surely throw one of his fits.
Dane, however, stayed happy despite my tone of worry. “Yup, pretty much. Are you ok with that?”
I snapped out of my stupor, the hell with Father. “Huh, oh yeah, it just took me by surprise that your parents trust you this much.” a grin slipped itself on my lips playfully.
“So what are the plans?”
“Um…anything you want to do.”
“You’re the host! You’re supposed to have stuff thought up already, mate.” something in that sentence had set a faint blush on his face. Looking back, I think it’s ‘cause I said ‘mate’.
He acted as if it hadn’t happened though. “Am I now? Hmm…wanna play some video games?!”
My head nodded in agreement and he bounded off into his room. When he didn’t return after a few minutes I took that as my cue to follow. Sheepishly and feeling somewhat stupid, I walked down the hallway into his room. I gazed at it in awe. I could tell from the size of it, that he had the master bedroom. There’s no way his parents’ could top this.
A king-sized bed with an emerald comforter rested in the center of the room, while off to the far right was his dresser. In the far left corner stood two bookshelves, one covered with many colorful and different sized books, while the other held DVD’s and CD’s. At the foot of his bed there was a nicely polished pine chest, that had a TV residing on top. Sitting atop the TV was a DVD player along with his Xbox. I didn’t have that.
Father said I couldn’t have one because I was supposed to focus on my grades. My overnight bag slide off of my shoulder and fell onto the floor while I looked at the different posters lining his walls. Many were of guys; actors and male artists.
“So…” he trailed off and blushed when he saw my reaction. “this is my room.”
“It’s huge!” I was acting like I had never seen a room this big, when actually my parents’ was roughly the same size.
“Stop it…” he said modestly. “What do you wanna play?”
The question somehow brought my focus on him. His dark brown eyes stared right back. What’s that emotion they’re displaying? I had asked myself at the time. Again he asked the question and I snapped back to reality.
“Um…whatever is the goriest.” I had no idea what I was going to say to him when we started playing.
His smile grew from ear to ear and it had been breathtaking to me, to see him like that. Why? I wondered, completely oblivious to my feelings. I can’t believe how naïve I had been, ugh, it makes me feel so stupid. Quickly, he turned the TV and game system on, then tossed me a controller.
The thing looked complicated like no other, and I think he could tell from the expression on my face. He promised to show me how to use all the controls and movements before we really started to play. I smiled and thanked him before plopping down on his bed. Dane sat down cross-legged, right next to me.

The sound of her voice brings me back quickly, too quickly. Her voice sounds wrong…like she isn’t on the phone with a parent. My parent. I raise my head slowly and find that more tissues have been placed by my side. While I listen in disbelief to the conversation she is having, I wipe the tears from my swollen eyes and blow my nose.
“…How is he? Right, uh-huh. Well, when he’s better tell him to get right to my office Nurse Franklin. Yes, thank you.” She hung up and sighed.
“Marc, get back to class. Here,” she scribbled on a tardy slip some information then handed it to me. “I’m not going to write you up this time, but one more incident like this on school property…” her eyes meet mine as I stare in disbelief. “…I will be forced to take action.”
I nod my head slowly and gulp. She leads me out of her office and tells me to go straight to class. On my way I see Adam coming my way. Out of routine, I’m about to flinch far to the side. But, then I see his condition. Two teachers have him propped up against them as he silently limps pass me without so much as a glare or smart remark. Unbelievable…is he finally going to leave me alone? The question wouldn’t stop bothering me all of math. Mostly because I’m not sure, and partly because I know things will get so much worse if he doesn’t.
Finally, I make my way to the boys locker room. This is the last period of the day, I’ll be happy to get out of here quickly. Normally I don’t have to do much, it’s as if the teacher knows about me. Kinda freaky. As my mind keeps itself wrapped around the Adam subject, I strip down and put on my gym clothes. A pair of black knee-high shorts along with a grey tee.
As if on cue, Mr. Shinoda walks by me while I’m pulling my shirt over my head. Our eyes meet and I’m snapped out of my gaze as he curiously looks at me, then continues to walk away. My heart rate quickens and I start to panic on the inside. Oh my God, did he see all the markings? What if he calls me into his office to talk, what will I say? ‘My dad beats me, don’t worry about it, that’s what every parent does to their child who deserves it, right?’. Ha, as if! God…please don’t let this ruin my day.
“Alright boys, everyone up to the gym!” Mr. Shinoda’s voice shouts as he makes his way up there himself.
Maybe he didn’t notice a thing…
“Marc!” Crap…he did.
The words come out in a frantic stutter. “Ye-ye-yes sir?”
“C’mon, everyone’s already out of here, what’s with you today?”
Inwardly I sigh in relief. “No-nothing, I just spaced for a minute, sorry.”
“You kids…I swear, if you’re not ditching you’re not paying attention either.” he shakes his head and we walk out.
Gym goes on like it normally does. Today we’re starting soccer though. Another sport, although, this one I dislike the most. Mr. Shinoda spends the majority of the period getting us stretched out and then explaining the rules of the game. He uses the last ten minutes to pick teams before unleashing us back to the locker rooms to change in a frenzy.
Everyone’s shouting and chatting away as if it were the last thing they were ever going to be able to do. I, however, stay quiet and dress quickly so no one can even glance at my abused body. Besides, it’s not like I’ve got a reason to stay down here and try to talk to somebody. The stroll to my locker is fast and without any interruptions.
Normally, the hallways are crowded and it’s every man for himself after school. But, I decided to get out early and have a quick start on my way home. After dumping my unnecessary things into my locker and grabbing my Ipod, I shut it and walk outside. Outside it’s cloudy and the sky is a very refined shade of grey from what you can see behind the clouds.
The walk from the school to home is relatively short; no more than fifteen minutes or so. The music blares intense rock from the tiny speakers in my ears. It’s amusing to watch life go by while a song is playing instead of actual noises. Like you weren’t in the place you were, more like a movie. That’s exactly what I feel like these days. As if I’m in a movie.
Except there’s no happy ending yet. I’m still stuck in the beginning and at a very painful rate am I reaching the climax of it. Cars rush past me in the street. Good thing I remembered my coat today, otherwise I’d be freezing until I got home. Kids cruise pass me on bikes and in cars, letting me know that school finally let out. I wonder how the rest of Adam’s day has gone. Aside from the fight, it’s been…decent. Father will never know I got in trouble and hopefully Adam has enough of a brain to leave me the hell alone.
A slight stinging sensation creeps through my system and I reach my hand up to my forehead where I hit my nightstand. There’s a bump, but not severe. In the distance I can hear some noise, despite the volume being all the way up. Suddenly I hear my name being called, or at least I thought I heard it. I turn around and see Adam’s ‘gang’ approaching me.
All color drains from my face and I stop dead in my tracks. Shit, shit, shit! Adam and that other guy must’ve told the rest what I did! I can’t take on all these guys at once!! Damnit Marc, way to go. If you would’ve just let him pound on you like normal then you wouldn’t be in this po-no. That arrogant jerk got what he deserved and then some! What am I going to do about his friends though? Ah, of course. With a smirk on my face and my music full of hardcore lyrics to fuel my adrenalin, I do what all teens do best. Taunt.
I swirl myself back around and start sprinting to the corner and started to slam my palm into the signal, waiting for the little green person on the other side to show up. They start to run forward in an attempt to get to me. The signal changes from the hand to the green guy and I dart off at a speed they could only dream of. True, they are bigger then me, built more, and older. But they also weigh more and get tired easier. Football practice or no football practice, I still outmatched them when it came to running. I guess I have Dane and Track to thank for this.
As soon as I thought his name I instantly regretted it. My heart feels like it’s going to stop beating at any second and a lot of memories shoot threw me out of nowhere. I almost stop running to sort myself out. Almost. Why stop and think about him if it’s gonna get me killed? While I’m running, I do realize something that makes my heart skip a few beats and places an actual smile on my face. The principle never called Father which means…he doesn’t know about the fight…and…. I CAN GO SEE DANE NEXT WEEK!!!!
I almost get cocky and turn around to try and take on all four guys. That would be a very grave mistake though, and I keep my heavy distance from them.  Two more streets ahead and I’m at my house and out of their line of site. I just have to take a right up ahead and I’m set. Just like I’d already won, I pump my fists in the air and jump. At the same time a car comes out of nowhere and nearly hits me. My eyes open in horror and my body flies back, the car missing me by mere centimeters.
I hit the ground roughly and an ‘oof’ pops out of my mouth. Wow…that’s twice in one day that I’ve almost gotten killed. I think and brush myself off. The sound of footsteps quickly coming closer gets me on my feet again. The car that barely missed me screeches to a stop and spins around to face me. In the windshield, Adam glares back at me with onyx eyes.
I gulp and look behind me. The four were less then twenty yards away. Adam on my left, them behind me, I quickly throw myself to the right and run as hard as I can. My headphones lost, trailing behind me somewhere, I hear Adam rev his engine then release the brakes. The sound of his car squealing towards me sends shivers down my spine. The four chasing me are laughing as they pathetically try and match my speed. Although, I know it’s no match for Adam’s Honda 2000.
In mere seconds he’s next to me, smirking triumphantly at me through his passenger window. He presses a button and it rolls down.
“Hey, punk,” his voice is slightly higher and his breaths are loud. “you broke my nose in two different places and dislocated my shoulder. Stop running so I can congratulate you!” the sarcasm in his voice is beyond evident.
“Thanks…but why do….don’t we take a rain…check.” the words are said in between pants for air.
Adam doesn’t seem to like this idea and swerves towards the curb.
“I’m not joking around, stop before I run your sorry ass over! We have a score to settle!”
“Forget you, Adam! I did settle it back at school. Remember, I kicked your ass!” it’s more of a statement then a question.
Again, his car tries to bounce up on the curb and knock me down. No dice.
“ADAM, FOR ONCE IN YOUR MISERABLE LIFE, WILL YOU PLEASE JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!?!!” I shout out, now overly frustrated and close to my boiling point. This life and death crap he’s pulling is going to end soon.
“And let everyone in school think you out-did me? Not a chance, now stop so I can get out and whoop on you!”
Ignoring his less then idle threats, I push my body on. Completely unaware that I just passed my house at first. Dang it! Suddenly I stomp on my heels, almost making me fall. Adam’s car still goes ahead another couple yards before he swings it around. The four behind me run across the street in an attempt to block me, but I just run along the side of a house and through the backyard.
I hop the fence, then another, and then I start to make my way back. By now every muscle in my arms and legs are aching from the constant pressure I’ve been exerting on them. My ears listen intensely for the sound of a car- his car as I glide along my street. Quickly, I lunge up my front three steps and in one swift motion I have my keys out and have my house key inserted into the lock. In the distance I hear all of them getting closer. They’re just down the street. In a few seconds they’d be able to see me and my house.
My shoulder nudges the door open and I slam it shut. Weakly, I smile while sliding against the door to the hardwood floor. With my left hand I brush my bangs out of my face and inhale mass amounts of air. The adrenalin coursing through my veins hasn’t slowed down. Just now I remembered that my headphones had fallen out earlier. Shoot, I’ll have to get new ones. Small noises that could pass as snickers leak out of my mouth. Twice in one day I’ve beaten Adam at his games.
How amazing. He won’t have control over me, or anyone at school for that matter, for very long. Shakily, I rise to my feet and wobble. Father should be home from work soon, and I can’t let him see me like this. As I make my way up the staircase, I pass the phone stand. My eyes drift over to the answering machine just to make sure there aren’t any messages. There are 3; my heart drops.
I sit down on the second to bottom step and reach my arm through the banister to hit the ‘play’ button.
“Carl, hi! It’s Judith. I don’t know if you remember me, but we met at a bar a-” I hit the delete button and it goes away. The second message plays next.
“Duuude, Steve I ju-” wrong number, my dad would have a fit.
Deciding that I’m too tired to stay here and not fall asleep and that the third message isn’t from the school, I slump upstairs into my room. As soon as I hit the bed my eyes flutter shut. I’ve finally calmed down enough to where I’m not shaking as badly, but I’m still kind of hyped. Though, this doesn’t last long and I’m soon asleep. Backpack and shoes on still.

I’m awaken to a sudden crashing sound downstairs. As soon as the sound registered in my ears, I bolted upright, sweat starting to form at the top of my head. Father’s home…and he’s not happy about something. Indistinct swearing is heard and it is just now that I realize how bad the situation really is. Debating with myself on whether or not I should go down to face him, he beats me to it.
“MARCUS RAYMOND HALLS, GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!!!!” His voice bellowed clearly.
Hesitantly, I rise to my feet. This has to be bad. He only yells like that when something serious has happened. Did the she actually call and break her promise? Did Adam find out my number and call while I was asleep and leave a message? What the heck is going on!? I slowly open my door and carefully look down the staircase. Father isn’t there, but I can see his discarded shoes are. At least he’s not going to kick me this time.
He’d complain as soon as it’d happen then blame me for it and hit me again. If there is to be any physical punishment it will be with his fists, walls, and whatever he can grab to throw at me. As I unsteadily walk down the stairs I say a final prayer for the umpteenth time. Dear heavenly Father, please don’t let me die. For once, hear my please and make him have a stroke, heart attack, or something. Just don’t let him touch me….please. I can’t stand this anymore. Take me if you must, but don’t let it be too painful or drawn out. Though that might be too much to ask since it is my father we are talking about. Let Dane be safe and find someone he can cherish….watch over him and make sure he doesn’t get hurt. He’s a good boy and doesn’t deserve to get hurt like I have. Thank you for listening, I love you. Amen.
The final step is under my hovering right foot. I can hear his uneven breathing in the next room. The kitchen, that means there are sharp objects. I’m definitely done for if he grabs one. I force my foot down and then the next one. An anxiousness is running through me. Is it because I might die? No, this situation has happened before, why is this any different?
I turn around the corner just in time to see Father chug a full sixteen ounce Budweiser. My gulp must have signaled him that I finally came down here. He turns away from the crushed can lying on the counter to face me. A glint in his glazed-over eyes, and a playful smile spreading across his face. Another gulp manages to get past the lump in my dry throat.
“Guess who called me?”
I try to be sly and act innocent. “Someone from the bar?”
“Guess again.”
“Some loser who got the wrong number?”
“C’mon, you can do better, Marc.” his low, husky voice scares me.
“Um…the school?” crap…that did it.
“Gu-wait. Why would the school call?”
I have to be quick or I’m done for. “To…let you…know that I’m…ahead in all my classes!”
“Ha, you!? I never even see you study. All you do is waste your damn time on that computer I boug-”
“Mom.”
“What was that?”
“Mom. Mom bought it for me, remember? Last Christmas…sh-she got it f-fo-for me.” Pull yourself together, Marc! He’s going to see that you’re weak!
“Oh…yeah…she didn’t mention that I pitched in a few hundred bucks for it, did she?” his words are slurring together and he takes another can from the fridge. “Your mom gave you everything. But me? No…I never did jack for you, did I, Sport?” he drinks half the can and burps while I back against the wall.
“N-n-no, I just was talking about the computer…sir.” Nice save, he’ll like the respectful term.
I haven’t called him dad since, well, before I can remember. It’s a sad fact. I wish things could be different between the two of us.
“Right…well, be thankful I let you keep that stupid thing! You’re lucky I haven’t taken that and your precious Ipod away.”
“Yes sir…I’m sorry.” Apologizing, he says I don’t do it often enough. Just stick to the rules and I’ll be fine…hopefully.
“Better be…you kids these days don’t respect us, your elders.” So shut up and die already then! “All you ever do is drugs, underage drinking, grand theft auto, and the like. Why, I don’t see why they don’t throw the lot of ya into JDH!” he scoffs and shakes his head before finishing his second beer- here at home anyways.
“Now then, what were we-oh! Guess who called me you little traitor!”
Speechless, I already guessed the three main ones. Who else could’ve called him? Deciding to give up this game and let him have his fun, I sigh.
“I dunno…who?”
“What’s this? No guess…no-no witty come back for dear ol’ dad! Amazing!” That’s right…rub it in. Just like I’ll rub that pillow into your smug face while you sleep!
I glare up at him, waiting for him to finally come out and say who the bloody hell called him. Silence goes on as he seethes in his victory of the day before he continues.
“Ya wanna know who called me today? It was one of your bloody teachers! Can you believe that!” He’s pacing in front of me now, shaking his fists. “He said he wants to hold a meeting for something he discovered today.”
Sweat’s pouring down my face now. Had Mr. Shinoda seen my body after all? Nonetheless I try to play it cool.
“That doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. They could just want me to skip a grade and get your appro-”
“And let you get a head start on life!?! I think not! You can’t even handle trying to be social. They’d eat you alive!” his mocking words float through me like ghosts.
“Well, we don’t know now, do we?” a light glare surfaces.
I try to take it back, but he caught it and backhands me hard enough to where it sends me to the floor. He’s hovering over me, his beady little eyes glaring at me even harder now for my defiance. My right hand caresses my cheek, trying to sooth the pain. As I try to stand back up, his foot stomps down on my back. The pain going through me is so severe that I feel like passing out, but I fight the urge.
He snorts in disgust finally and turns away from me.
“They want to meet tomorrow morning, before school. Get outta my face and do your homework or something.” With. Pleasure.
At first, I can’t stand and have to crawl- as demeaning as it is- out of the kitchen. Going up the stairs hurt my whole body, but halfway up I’m able to walk if I hunch my back. Finally, I reach my room. I close the door and lock it, then lay stomach down on my bed.
Outside and inside I’m hurt. But, I’m also celebrating. For the most part, I won today. Against my dad somewhat, and definitely against Adam. I hope tomorrow’s significantly better, but I doubt it. I reach towards my nightstand and open the drawer to pull out my knife.