Just Like The Rest

Chapter 1

It started with a smack here and there...he didn't know how much worse it would escalate though!

Jess had been impossible all day. It was hot and Luke was in no mood to fight with the teen. After yelling at him, Luke told him to get out of the diner and out of his way before he did something he would regret.

Jess didn't fight what his uncle had told him, being banished from the diner for the day was a blessing. He didn't have to work all day so that meant he could spend his time with Rory.

After dropping Rory off at her house just past nine at night, Jess wondered to the bridge and sat down, reading his book he had in his back pocket.

"Not bad" Jess said as he read the last few words of the book. He had managed to read the entire story that night, it was only then that he realised what the time was. "Shit" Jess mumbled as he noticed it had gone three in the morning.

He walked back to Luke's; it was quiet this early in the morning. He opened up the door as quiet as he could trying not to jingle the bell to much so that it wouldn't wake his uncle.

He slowly climbed the stairs and let himself into the apartment. He walked over to the sink to pour himself a glass of water; it was then that he noticed the class that had the left over contents of whiskey. Luke had been drinking the stuff alot lately, that's usually when he yelled at Jess the most.

Just as Jess turned he saw his uncle sitting in the arm chair staring at him across the room. It made him jump a little as it reminded him of times back in New York. Times he would rather forget.

"Where the hell have you been?" Luke asked him, his words slurring slightly. Jess didn't like it when his uncle was drunk, that's when he would pick fights and smack him just a little too hard. He knew it was best not to fight with his uncle in these types of situations.

"I was reading on the bridge and I lost track of time" the teen told him truthfully.

"You expect me to believe that. I bet you were off doing something illegal weren't ya?" Luke said more then asked.

Jess shook his head. His uncle was impossible to communicate with when he was intoxicated.

"No Luke, I wasn't getting into trouble. I told you. I walked Rory home and I went to the bridge to read for a bit and I got lost in my book and I didn't realise how late it had got" he explained to his uncle again.

Luke stood up and began to stagger over to his nephew. Jess tensed slightly, he didn't like drunken people approaching him like this as it never usually ended well.

He stood up tall and straight and locked eyes with his uncle. "I told you your curfew was ten. You never listen do ya? You got a problem with doing as your told kid. I'm gonna be the one to teach you to listen" Luke said looking dangerously at his nephew.

"Luke i..." Jess was cut off by Luke smacking him across the face. Jess was shocked by his uncle's sudden rage and truth be told it terrified him. The one place, the one person in the world he felt safe around had just become like the other men that had been in and out of his life since he were a child.

He refused to let the tears fall that stung his eyes. Instead he looked up at his uncle and said and did nothing. It was better if you didn't fight back in these situations.

"Your gonna start doing as your told" Luke told him. "Go to bed" he added.

Jess hesitated for a second then did as Luke had said. He didn't even bother to get undressed he simply got into bed and covered himself with his blanket, refusing to show Luke how hurt and upset he was.

Jess heard Luke stumble over to his bed and lay down on it. Jess waited until he heard his uncle's snores to let out his emotion. Tears ran down his face. He wiped at them wincing as he wiped his swollen cheek bone.

What had he done to make Luke so mad at him? He noticed his uncle's weird behaviour lately but had no idea what had triggered it. The drinking is was a major part of Luke's anger. He never used to drink this much, so what changed?

To be continued...

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