Connor opened his eyes, blinked and realized he was awake. Sighing discontentedly, he slowly sat up, yawning and stretching his arms. He could vaguely hear the sound of pots and pans clanking downstairs - Mum must be up, he thought. Shit. He didn't have the energy to deal with a confrontation about why he didn't come home until 1 this morning, or why he was 3 pieces of coursework behind in English. There were enough thoughts swirling around his head already.
After getting dressed into his usual black jeans and slightly-too-big school jumper, he made his way down the creaking stairs as quietly as possible, hoping for a quick getaway to school. Just as he reached the bottom step and turned to head out of the front door, he heard a slightly slurred voice behind him.
"Connor? You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye, were you darling?" Oh, fuck, he realized.
"Mum, have - have you been drinking again?" he asked hesitantly, already knowing the answer but not wanting to hear it out loud.
"Oh no, sweetheart, no! Well, maybe a little bit, but just to put me in this wonderful mood!" She swung her arms round and span in a circle, beaming at him. "Oh, you look sad! Is something wrong?" she said, reaching out her arms towards him. Connor pushed her away, inwardly devastated that she had broken her clean streak.
"I'm fine, Mum. Just fine. What do you think?! You haven't touched alcohol in over six months and you expect me to just get on with my life with you in this state? For God's sake!"
Christine's face darkened, her expression changing dramatically.
"How DARE you speak to me like that! I am your mother and I will NOT tolerate it!"
"But Mum, what the hell am I supposed to do? I mean, you're a mess!" He was cut off from saying anything else by a sharp slap stinging his cheek.
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" his mother yelled at him, visibly shaking now. Connor turned and walked away so she wouldn't see the tears in his eyes, but before he left the house he reached into his school bag to check if he had his 2 most important items - a small pocket knife, and a lighter.
Just in case.