Chapter Two: Another Weekend in Hell

I sat with my face buried in my arms on the lunch on Friday, as I did almost every day. I finally raised my head when I heard someone sit down across from me. I thought it was Jamie, my best friend since before Mother’s abuse had started. To my surprise, it was Lynn.

“Hi, Thomas. Is it all right if I sit here?” I nodded as she gave me a smile and slid onto the bench.

“Are you sure you want to? Don’t you have other friends you’d rather sit with?”

“I’m sure. My other friends can deal with losing me for just a day.”

“Just a day.” So she wasn’t planning on making this a habit. I should have figured. Jamie and his girlfriend Missy were the only ones who hung around me for long. Lynn’s quiet voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Don’t you have anything to eat?”

I shook my head. “I only eat when Mother allows it.”

Lynn furrowed her brow in confusion. I’d expected her to be disgusted, like everyone else. “Are you hungry?” Her words surprised me. I blinked, puzzled, and looked her in the eyes. They were hazel; like mine, only prettier. Was she serious? “Well..?

“Uh, yeah. But don’t worry about me.”

Lynn smiled once more. “I’ll be right back. Watch my lunch for me, please?”

“Sure.” My eyes drifted to the open lunchbox and the plastic-wrapped sandwich that Lynn had left on the table as she stood and strode away. I wondered what kind of sandwich it was. It looked kind of like chicken salad, something I had not had in years. It looked so good. My stomach rumbled with my hunger. I had not eaten any real food in so long.

While I was lost in the fantasy of having something to eat, Jamie slid onto the bench beside me. Missy sat across from him. “Hey Tommy, how’re you doin’ today?”

“Huh?” It took me a moment to register what Jamie had said. “Oh, uh, same as u–“ Before I could finish my reply, a Styrofoam tray of warm food was set down in front of me. I stared at it for a long moment, speechless. When I finally looked back up, Lynn giggled.

“Well,” she sat down beside Missy, “Eat it before it gets cold, silly!”

“But… why… I… you didn’t have to do this, Lynn.”

“It isn’t a problem. My friend, Laurel, has an aunt that helps with the cafeteria work.”

“Huh, cool,” Jamie said.

“Thanks,” I whispered, looking at the food again. Mother did not have to know. I started to eat the pepperoni pizza that sat on the tray.

“So, who are you?” Missy asked curiously.

Lynn smiled shyly. “I’m Lynn. I’m a sophomore here.”

Missy nodded. “Nice to meet you. I’m Missy and he’s Jamie.” The raven haired girl pointed to my best friend. “We’re close friends of Thomas.” Jamie hooked his arm around my neck and tugged me nearer to him. I almost spilled my milk down my shirt because of him. That would have been very bad for me.

“Hey!”

Jamie ignored my protest. “Not close friends, best friends.” Missy rolled her eyes. Lynn giggled again. I wriggled out of Jamie’s grasp and downed that chocolate milk.

“Jeez,” Lynn said softly, “You act like you haven’t eaten a real meal in at least a month!”

Jamie’s and Missy’s smiles faded. I knew Lynn only meant it as a joke, but she could not have been closer to the truth. Jamie grabbed my arm and leaned in to whisper in my ear. “She doesn’t know about Heather?”

I shook my head, and then leaned toward him to whisper my response. “What if she’s like everybody else once she finds out? Besides, I only just met her a couple of days ago.”

Lynn tilted her head of brunette curls slightly, “What’re you gu–“

Missy, to my good fortune, interrupted Lynn and trapped her in a distracting conversation. She was awfully good at that.

“You should just tell her,” Jamie said in an almost bitter whisper.

“But I…” I clenched my teeth tightly and lowered my voice even more. “I like her.”

“Then she deserves to know even more.”

I dared cast a sideways glance at Lynn. She was so beautiful and kind. I couldn’t tell her… But Jamie had a good point. If I ever wanted our relationship to go any further, she would have to be told. Right now, we were only new friends. I did not want it to stay that way forever. “Okay… I’ll tell her. I’ll do it on my own time.”

“Good.” The first ball rang suddenly, and Lynn jumped up. She didn’t seem very laid back.

“I gotta go,” she said as she gathered up her half-eaten lunch and refilled her lunch box. “Biology.” She stopped for just a moment and looked around at the table. She walked to my side of the table speaking as she moved, “It was nice meeting you two. I’ll see you later, Thomas.” She leaned down to give me a quick hug before dashing off to her class. Jamie and Missy started to laugh.

“What?” I asked, getting up. I could feel the heat in my cheeks.

“You’re blushing.” Missy pointed out teasingly. Jamie snickered. I shook my head.

“Whatever,” I said. Jamie got up and kissed Missy’s cheek, still laughing at me a little.

“See you after school, baby.” Missy smiled at Jamie’s words. My best friend then joined me on the way to our art class.

*****

I ended up home on time, but Mother was in a foul mood. Even worse, this was a weekend. I hated weekends. Mother could do whatever she wanted and not a soul would give a damn as long as I was in school the following Monday.

I walked into the house and set my backpack near the door, as I always did. Before I could stand up straight again, my face was against the carpet. I closed my eyes as Mother started to screech profane verbal attacks at me. It disgusted me that she was already so drunk, this early in the day.

When I opened my eyes once more, they were dull, empty pools of hazel. She was shouting at me, right in my face. Her hand was on the back of my neck, where it had been since she’d pushed me down. I could not register a thing she said. Finally, she let go. I didn’t dare move.

“DID I STUTTER, YA LI’L, NO GOOD SHIT?!” I started to shake my head and push myself off the floor. Her foot suddenly connected with my ribs. I heard a sickening crack, and a scream erupted from my lips. Pain radiated through my side. I gasped for breath, but it only hurt more. I let my body collapse on the floor as tears streamed down my face. Unfortunately, Mother was not finished with me yet.

The woman dragged me by my arms to the floor beside the couch and the coffee table. I winced when I heard Resa’s voice. Couldn’t Mother let her daughter maintain her innocence? “Mommy… Why is Tommy cryin’?”

Mother sneered tauntingly as she waved her cigarette in my face. “Because, Princess, the boy is a bad li’l shit. He don’t listen to Mommy and he gets inta trouble. Lots ‘n’ lotsa trouble.”

I closed my eyes, hoping she would just leave me there to lie in agony. Instead, the woman yanked my shirt up to expose my bare abdomen. I was sure that a past scar was slightly visible, but I did not dare open my eyes to see. I didn’t want to know what she was doing. Each shallow breath I took sent a shot of pain through my side and chest.

All of a sudden, the tinkling sound of glass shattering and falling hit my ears. I felt a few shards fall onto my jeans, but they did not do any damage. I closed my eyes tighter as a sharp, burning pain went through my abdomen, just above my belly button. A whimper of agony forced its way from my mouth. After several moments, I finally opened my tear-filled eyes. All I could see was Mother’s bony fingers curled around a sharp piece of the tinted glass of a beer bottle and blood. There was a lot of blood.

“Mommy…” Resa whispered. It sounded like she was crying. “Brother’s bleeding…”

“HE IS NOT YOUR BROTHER, TERESA ROSEMARY! HE IS A WORTHLESS, GOOD-FOR-NOTHIN’, WASTE OF SPACE!” Her words slurred together terribly, but Resa flinched all the same. Mother finished her little carving in my stomach. My head was swimming from the intensity of the pain and from the loss of blood.

I coughed, almost crying out in pain again. Mother picked Resa up. “Now c’mon Princess. Let’s leave the boy ‘lone ta think ‘bout what he’s done.” She carried my sobbing baby sister up the stairs. What had I done?

I forced myself to move, despite the pain shooting through my upper body. I had to get out of the house if I wanted to get help. I struggled to get to the door. My eyes stung with tears. My breathing was rapid and shallow because of the pain. I could hear Mother moving around upstairs. I forced myself to take a deep breath and push as much of the pain as I could to the back of my mind.

I turned the doorknob carefully, and the door clicked as it opened. As more creaking of Mother’s footsteps above drifted into my ears, adrenaline started to pump through my veins. This was it. I stepped onto the porch. I could get away. Just as I was closing the door, I saw her feet at the top of the stairs. I could feel the blood pounding in my ears. I bolted off the front porch and sprinted down the street, fueled only by a rush of adrenaline that made the pain melt away.

I continued to run for God knows how long. It had to have been awhile though, because I ended up near Firestone Park. I walked around until I found North Firestone Boulevard, and then walked along that street for some time. When I came to a Baptist church, I stopped. I looked up at the building in awe. It was a beautiful structure. I had not been to a church in a long time. Mother stopped allowing me to join her and her family long ago. I crossed the neat lawn and leaned against a tree near the main entrance. There were some children riding their bicycles around the church, but they had a tendency to stay in the back, on the blacktop.

I watched those kids for at least an hour and a half as the sun fell below the horizon. The pain came flooding back as the adrenaline wore off. My head started spinning again. I could smell the blood that was soaking through my shirt. I was tired and weak, so I sat down with my back against the trunk of the tree. I took a few painful breaths before falling into unconsciousness.