Steve Randle was beginning to settle in one night. He had work the next morning and decided to get some sleep. That plan was short lived when he heard the front door open...and after some time passed, eventually shut. He sighed. The way the door was open and how long it took to shut told Steve all he needed to know about his dad for the night. As much as he didn't want to, Steve decided to go downstairs to check on him. Terrence Randle had been off work for hours now, so it was only obvious where he had been and what he was up to. How he reacts to Steve going down will depend on what kind of drunk he is tonight. Lately it's been mostly angry, but sometimes Steve will get a quiet drunk.

Downstairs in the living room, Steve saw his dad fiddling with the remote to get the TV on. "Where were you at?" Steve asked.

"Excuse me?" Terrence snapped. Okay, tonight was angry drunk.

"It's just late," Steve replied, trying not to make the angry worst, "I was just wondering. Got a little worried." That wasn't really true. Steve always knew where his dad was, basically wherever alcohol was, which meant the bar or someone's house. Sometimes he got home that same night and sometimes not until the next day.

"I'm your dad, you're not my dad, so don't worry about it," Terrence slurred.

"Did you drive?" That was really the one detail Steve was worried about. Sure, Steve had his share of drinking even though he was underage, but he refused to drive when he drank. He didn't need other people's lives in his hands like that.

"Oh good Lord, Steve..."

Steve threw his arms in the air, "Well do you see how you are right now? You are in no condition to drive and you could've hurt somebody or yourself. You can't keep doing this shit!" Terrence wasn't always the greatest father. When his wife, Steve's mom, passed away he developed a drinking habit that just slowly got worst. In the beginning, he was somewhat responsible about it, as in he didn't drive. He would just drink at home. As a few years passed that all changed. He'd drink outside of the house and make bad choices. The past month had become just straight awful though. Finishing bottles at home, neglecting house chores, spending a lot of time at bars and then driving afterwards, and Steve didn't even want to know if he was neglecting work. That would be a new low for him. Terrence just didn't seem to be able to mourn correctly and start living life without her. And apparently Steve wasn't a good enough reason to get healthy for.

Steve knew why his drinking was becoming excessive lately though. Coming up in a few weeks was going to be 10 years since the passing of Eliza Randle. Sure, the thought and memories flowing behind it make Steve want to drink and even smoke a little extra too, but he's done it in a more private setting where he could just pass out in bed. Plus he has the support of his friends, especially his best friend Sodapop, to keep him leveled. He was trying to be considerate of all of that for his dad, but the behavior and newly-adopted habits were becoming way out of hand and something serious was going to happen soon.

"Look," Steve continued, "I know what's coming up soon. Believe me, I'm not looking forward to it either, but this isn't the way to handle it. Just please..."

Terrence shot up from the couch, unsteadily. It was so erupt though, it made Steve kind of jump. He wasn't expecting anything out of his dad in response, besides the usual comments. Once he got close to Steve, he reached up and grasped Steve's shirt. Steve could smell the liquor on his breath. He felt fear rise in him. What was going on? What was he going to do? Terrence has never grabbed at him before. Usually the scolding resulted in Terrence yelling back and eventually ignoring Steve until he left the room. Terrence's eyes widened once he realized what he was doing. He quickly released Steve, but still had an angry tone to his voice. "Get out."

"What?" Steve asked in shock as he tried comprehending the situation.

"Get out before I do something I'm going to regret, boy!"

Steve just shook his head, "Oh come on, you won't do anything..." Steve was surprised at how shaky his voice sounded.

"I said go!" Terrence yelled so loud, it immediately made Steve run out. He ran down to the street and just looked back at his house. What had just happened? Steve could feel himself shaking a little. Was it the slight chill in the air, or the slight chill from the house? He took some deep breaths and calmed himself for a minute. He was half-expecting his dad to walk out and tell him to come back inside. That didn't happen. After a few minutes of settling his nerves, he settled on walking. He wasn't sure if anyone would be awake, but he was going to go to Soda's house.