I got lost, punching over and over. My fist solidly connected every
time.
"Bob, hey, c'mon," Randy tugged on my arm and I blinked, it was like coming back to myself. The light seemed to have changed, more gold than it was. David let go of the kid and he collapsed to the ground. There was blood on my fist, on the rings. I shook my head to clear it. The kid didn't move and I looked at him a moment just to be sure he was breathing. His face was covered in blood.
There was blood on his tee shirt, blood on the ground, I wasn't as angry anymore. Randy spoke my thought, "Is he breathing?" The kid's eyes were closed but he was breathing, I could see it.
"O.K., let's go," I said, and headed back to the car. I felt unnerved, not so much that I beat that kid, he had it coming, damn greaser. It was because I lost myself. A drink would help that.
I drove back to the west side, the streets getting wider, the houses nicer. I took a long, slow swallow of the whiskey and it burned my stomach, that flash of warmth that made everything O.K.
It was hard to keep the car in a straight line, and I careened toward Cherry's house. The others left at some point, I didn't really see them go. It didn't matter.
Cherry must have seen me coming because she opened the heavy front door before I had a chance to knock.
"Bob! What happened?" The world spun a little, with Cherry in the center. In the fading light her hair was an even darker red.
"What? What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? You're covered in blood!" I looked at my hands again, and the rings with the blood drying on them. There was blood on my arms and on my shirt, too.
"Oh, uh, I was in a fight," She looked skeptical, crossed her arms.
"Have you been drinking, too?" This made her angry, always.
"No, I"
"Liar," she turned from me and headed back into her house, "come back when you're sober," she said coldly. She slammed the door right in my face. Little bitch.
I got back in my car and headed home. The last of the light had seeped from the sky. My house was dark. They both weren't home.
In the large white bathroom off my room I peeled off my clothes, frowning at the blood stains. I looked in the mirror before I got in the shower. There was blood in my hair.
Showered and dressed in fresh clothes, I sipped a scotch at the bar and waited for my parents to return. When their headlights flashed up the driveway I dumped the drink down the sink and rinsed the glass, swigged the little bottle of listerine I kept in my pocket.
They breezed in, my father helping my mother out of her coat. They smiled at me.
"Hi, how was the thing?"
"The charity auction at your father's office? Fine, fine," My mother leaned over and kissed my cheek.
"How was school, son? " My father said, hanging up the coats.
"Good,"
"Staying out of trouble?" He said, beginning to fix drinks for himself and my mother.
"Always," I said.
"Bob, hey, c'mon," Randy tugged on my arm and I blinked, it was like coming back to myself. The light seemed to have changed, more gold than it was. David let go of the kid and he collapsed to the ground. There was blood on my fist, on the rings. I shook my head to clear it. The kid didn't move and I looked at him a moment just to be sure he was breathing. His face was covered in blood.
There was blood on his tee shirt, blood on the ground, I wasn't as angry anymore. Randy spoke my thought, "Is he breathing?" The kid's eyes were closed but he was breathing, I could see it.
"O.K., let's go," I said, and headed back to the car. I felt unnerved, not so much that I beat that kid, he had it coming, damn greaser. It was because I lost myself. A drink would help that.
I drove back to the west side, the streets getting wider, the houses nicer. I took a long, slow swallow of the whiskey and it burned my stomach, that flash of warmth that made everything O.K.
It was hard to keep the car in a straight line, and I careened toward Cherry's house. The others left at some point, I didn't really see them go. It didn't matter.
Cherry must have seen me coming because she opened the heavy front door before I had a chance to knock.
"Bob! What happened?" The world spun a little, with Cherry in the center. In the fading light her hair was an even darker red.
"What? What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? You're covered in blood!" I looked at my hands again, and the rings with the blood drying on them. There was blood on my arms and on my shirt, too.
"Oh, uh, I was in a fight," She looked skeptical, crossed her arms.
"Have you been drinking, too?" This made her angry, always.
"No, I"
"Liar," she turned from me and headed back into her house, "come back when you're sober," she said coldly. She slammed the door right in my face. Little bitch.
I got back in my car and headed home. The last of the light had seeped from the sky. My house was dark. They both weren't home.
In the large white bathroom off my room I peeled off my clothes, frowning at the blood stains. I looked in the mirror before I got in the shower. There was blood in my hair.
Showered and dressed in fresh clothes, I sipped a scotch at the bar and waited for my parents to return. When their headlights flashed up the driveway I dumped the drink down the sink and rinsed the glass, swigged the little bottle of listerine I kept in my pocket.
They breezed in, my father helping my mother out of her coat. They smiled at me.
"Hi, how was the thing?"
"The charity auction at your father's office? Fine, fine," My mother leaned over and kissed my cheek.
"How was school, son? " My father said, hanging up the coats.
"Good,"
"Staying out of trouble?" He said, beginning to fix drinks for himself and my mother.
"Always," I said.