Long Thursdays

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

The sound of the clock's second hand moving only added to the dull melody of the teacher's voice, causing his eyes to drift shut ever so slowly. Just before they closed, he would blink, shaking his head slightly to clear the fog from his brain.

He really wasn't that dumb, not the way he pretended to be, anyway. He had all A's, well, except in Physics, he'd always had trouble with science. He had a B minus in that class. He tried to maintain a 'dumb jock' image; he knew that was the only way to maintain his popularity. And if he had nothing else, he had that.

He glanced over at the clock, his eyes drawn to the source of the steady ticks and tocks. Great, he thought, only a few more minutes until he left this torture, and moved onto the next round of hell. He was hoping his dad would take his bottle of scotch into his room tonight, and hopefully fall asleep before he could get himself pissed enough to start the beatings. He knew avoiding his father would be tough, as his team was given the day off from practice due to their amazing win the day before, so he would have no reason stick around school.

The bell finally rang, signaling the end of a long Thursday. He was fortunate enough to be invited to a pick-up basketball game with his friends, so he called home and left a message, saying he would be late because he was working on a project. When he returned home, his father was snoring in the master bedroom. He crept up the stairs into his room, did his homework, studied a little, and took a shower. He threw on some boxers, and then climbed into bed. He was exhausted, and he fell asleep shortly after his head hit the pillow.