This chapter is about Eli's home life. I know I said Claire would be in this chapter too, but I decided at the last minute to just make this chapter all about Eli and his family. Thanks for all of the reviews. I hope you like this chapter.

It seemed like Eli's life was perfect, he had an amazing girlfriend, got decent grades, and he made a new friend (Adam). It looked like everything was going as planned for him; however looks could be very deceiving. It may have looked like everything was fine on the outside, but on the inside Eli was crying for help. School was the only place he felt safe, his home life was hell. Every day he would laugh and flirt with Claire at school, and then he would come home to his abusive father. His mother left two years ago, she just couldn't take the verbal and physical abuse anymore. Ever since that day she left Eli's father was like a ticking time bomb. He never knew when he would go off. Sometimes he would just get angry at Eli for no reason. The yelling didn't bother Eli, but when his father would hit him he felt helpless. He felt like there was nothing he could do to stop him.

Flashback: One day last year Eli got the courage to stand up to his father. His father had just gotten home from work. His boss had been ticking him off all day, threatening to fire him because he was late to work again. His father couldn't afford to lose his job, so he put up with his boss's attitude, but when he got home he took it out on Eli. After he got home from work that day, he searched through the house for Eli. When he found him he gave him a look that could kill, then he punched him in his face. Eli was fed up with his father's random beatings so he swung at him and hit him in his nose. Blood started pouring down his father's nose. His father wiped the blood of his face and then began to charge at Eli. He then picked Eli up and threw him against the wall. He wasn't finished with him yet, so he repeatedly kicked him in his stomach. But, even that wasn't enough. Eli's father picked him up from the floor and punched him in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. Eli was unconscious for an hour. That was the first time that he had ever blacked out. That was also the first and last time that he would ever take a swing at his father.

Back to Reality: Eli had just gotten home from his date with Claire. Tonight had been one of the best nights of his life. Everything was going fine until he got home. His father had been waiting up for him.

Eli: "Hey, dad." he said feeling scared because he had missed his curfew. He would have gotten home in time if he hadn't been stuck in traffic. He took Claire to a concert that was two hours away. An accident had held up traffic. He apologized to her parents for bring her home late and they accepted, but his father was different. His father didn't care for excuses whether they were true or not.

Elliot (Eli's father): "You're late, where were you?" he said with anger.

Eli: "I told you I was going to a concert with my girlfriend, Claire." he said hoping his father would drop it and let him go to bed.

Elliot (Eli's father): "Don't get smart with me boy." he said as he moved closer to Eli.

Eli: "I didn't mean to get smart with you dad, I'm just...I'm just tired." he said as he backed away from his father. His father was very unpredictable. Eli never saw it coming when his father would hit him.

Elliot (Eli's father): "I'm tired of looking at you, so just go to bed." he said as he began to walk back into the living room.

Eli: "Wow, I'm glad I dodged that bullet." he whispered to himself, but not low enough because his father heard him. (his father heard everything that he said whether he whispered or not)

Elliot (Eli's father): "What the fuck did you just say?" he said as he got up from the couch.

Eli: "Nothing, I didn't say anything." he said as he continued to walk back up the stairs.

Eli's dad wasn't convinced so he pulled Eli by his collar and pushed him down the stairs. Eli could barely get up. His leg was really sore; he thought it might be broken so he asked his dad to take him to the hospital. His dad didn't want to, but he didn't have time for his son to develop any problems with it so he took him to the emergency room.

They had to wait for forty minutes before someone called them into the examination room. The doctor asked Eli how this happened and he simply responded with "I fell down the stairs. I'm really clumsy." The doctor looked at him with disbelief, but he shook it off gave Eli an x-ray and then left the room. "You better not tell him what really happened or they'll be hell to pay." His father threatened. A few minutes later the doctor returned with Eli's x-rays. He told Eli and his father that Eli had indeed broken his leg and he would need a cast. Of course Eli wasn't happy about having to walk around in a cast and crutches, but he had to. The doctor asked Eli's dad if he could speak to Eli alone. Eli's dad gave his son a quick glare before exiting the room.

Doctor Hudson: "Tell me what happened to your leg one more time, I just want to make sure that I heard you correctly." he said hoping that Eli would forget whatever lie he told him.

Eli: "I fell down the stairs." he said quickly, maybe too quickly because the doctor was now starring at him with an odd look on his face.

Doctor Hudson: "Okay, are you sure there isn't anything else you want to tell me about what happened? It'll just be between me and you." he said knowing that whatever Eli told him would have to be reported to Child Protective Services.

Eli: "I don't have anything else to say. I told you the truth. I fell down the stairs." he said even though he desperately wanted to tell the doctor the truth so his dad would stop hurting him.

Doctor Hudson: "Alright then. Let me just get your cast on you and then you'll be set." he said as he began to wrap Eli's leg up.

They heard a knock on the door, it was Eli's dad.

Elliot (Eli's father): "Is everything alright?" he exclaimed.

Doctor Hudson: "Yup, everything is fine. He'll need to wear this cast for two months." he said as he handed Eli a pair of crutches.

Eli looked at the crutches with hate. It was enough that most kids at school thought he was the weird obsessed with death goth kid, but now look at him he's a crippled, at least that what people would call him. Luckily Eli didn't care what people thought of him, so that thought ran in and out of his mind very quickly.

Eli and his father were outside of the hospital heading towards the car when his father grabbed his arm causing him to almost fall into the street.

Elliot (Eli's father): "What did you tell that doctor? You better not have told him anything about me pushing you down the stairs because if you did, I'm going to break your other leg." he said to Eli as he opened the car door.

Eli: "I promise I didn't tell him anything except that I fell down the stairs." he exclaimed. Eli was more scared than ever now. He didn't know how his own father could treat him like he did.

Elliot (Eli's father): "Get your ass in the car." he said as Eli struggled to get in.

When they got home, Eli's father didn't even offer to help him upstairs; instead he struggled the whole way up the stairs. He almost fell back two times, but did his father care, no.

Hope you all liked the chapter. The next chapter will be about Claire reaction to Eli's new look (cast and crutches) and maybe even her finding out Eli's secret. Maybe. Keep reading.