Here's the next chapter.
I eased open my front door and placed a hand softly on the glass within it to close it as quietly as possible. If my father was asleep, there was no way I wanted to wake him. A nasty smell of cigarette smoke drifted in from the living room, making me want to gag. The old man could've at least opened a damn window. You know, air the place out a bit? Must've been too much like hard work, after all, he'd had a busy day of doing nothing.
"Yer late," Father slurred as I entered the room. He shifted from the coach, moving the vodka bottle to the floor after tilting it to empty the contents. I could barely drink that stuff with coke, having it straight would've ripped a normal persons throat to pieces.
"I was let out late," I lied, opening a window to release the thick smoke. The wispy clouds flew toward the open air. Freedom. Even that didn't want to be in the house.
He hadn't changed his clothes again today -- he stunk. Cuts covered his face, where he'd obviously attempted to shave, and his fat stomach flopped over his trousers. "You had a deten'chin?" His voice grew louder.
"No, Father." I passed him to enter the kitchen without a glance in his direction. Even if I did have a detention, I wouldn't have filled him in about it. The last time I'd done that, I couldn't wear short-sleeved shirts for a week. People might've started talking if I entered the school with a hand mark on my lower arm where he'd grabbed me.
He obviously hadn't eaten the dinner Mum made the night before. And how did I know that? Because more food stained the kitchen surfaces. Fingers trailed over my face as I rubbed at the skin, and I put my school bag to scrub the sides and wash up the plates in the sink.
Father's large body leaned against the doorframe, and he watched as I walked backwards and forwards, putting plates and cups away. The 'tch' of a lighter went off behind me, and more smoke blew into the room.
I covered my nose. "Do you have to smoke in here?"
He swayed on the doorframe and took another drag. "It s'my house," he grumbled. "If you don' like it, you get out." Escape more like. Just like Kankuro and Temari. They'd escaped. They'd left me behind to pick up the pieces. They'd abandoned me.
I opened the back door to release the clouds of second-hand smoke -- I was going to die of lung cancer at this rate -- and pulled opened the oven door. I blinked twice to make sure my eyes were working properly -- the dinner my mum made was gone.
"Where's dinner?" I asked.
"That shit'in the oven? I threw it away."
"Why?" I checked the bin.
"Hmm, it wa s'cold."
My left eye twitched, and I bit my tongue so hard metal formed in my mouth. "You had to heat it up." I was living with a child. I wanted to shout at him for being so stupid, but I knew that would just make things worse. It always made things worse, and I didn't dig the idea of sporting a new black eye -- the bags were bad enough.
"I'm going to my room," I said, picking my bag back up and slinging it over my shoulder before running upstairs and slumping onto my bed. My hands curled around my pillow to slam it over my face and shout incoherently into it.
A strip of orange light from the streetlamps outside spread across my dark room -- I'd fallen asleep. I rubbed the sleep crust from my eyes and yawned. Twisting my body, I turned the lamp beside my bed on and reached over the floor to grab my bag. A loud smash from downstairs caught my attention as I sat doing my homework, and I shuffled off the duvet to open the door a fraction so I was able to hear what was going on this time.
"Stop twisting my words," Mum said.
"I ain't twisting nuthin!" Dad shouted.
"Stop it! Just put it down."
I flinched as another smash echoed upstairs and wondered what the useless man had broken this time. It better not have been anything of mine. Trembling fingers squeezed onto the door handle, and I leaned my head against the edge of the doorframe.
"Get off me!"
"It s'your own fault, woman."
My heart pumped furiously against my chest -- he was doing it again. I forced my eyes shut and pushed my hands against my ears, trying to drown out my mum's screams. It was better when he hit me and left her alone -- always better when I felt the force of his fists, but I couldn't move. I was so pathetic. I couldn't even protect my own mother, not like Kankuro could. He was big, he had muscles. He used to step between the old man and our mother -- protect her. What sort of son was I? Hiding upstairs. My eyes burned as tears welled up, and I fell to my knees. I so weak -- so useless. I wasn't big enough to physically stop him from hurting her. Another bang echoed through the house, and everything fell quiet. I moved my hands and slowly opened my eyes -- was it over… for now?
"No! Stop it!" Mum screamed.
That was it. I didn't care if I wasn't big enough to do anything; I had to at least try. I couldn't just hide upstairs -- like I always did. I had to help. I could be like Kankuro. I could… I jumped to my feet and sprinted downstairs, before pushing through the living room door…
"Mum," I whispered. Her fragile body curled into a ball on the floor as Father towered over her. Her dark hair covered her face, and a whimper escaped her lips as she shook. Both their heads raised to look at me.
"The hell are you doin' ere?"
My fists clenched and teeth gritted -- how could he do that do her? His own wife, my mother… I twisted my face toward the ground.
"Sweetheart." I watched through wide eyes as my mum lifted herself from the floor. "Go up to your room, I'm okay… really." She was hiding it well, but I could still hear the pain in her voice.
I shook my head. "Leave her alone."
"What wa s'that?" Dad stumbled towards me, lifting his fist.
I swallowed and stepped back. "I said, leave her alone!"
"You little brat." He stumbled forwards again, grabbing hold of the lamp that was perched on the side of our living room table.
"No!" Mum screamed.
But it was too late -- he'd already thrown it. My thin arms covered my face and I squeezed my eyes. My legs tried to run, but it all happened so fast. The lamp smashed against the wall beside me. I lowered my arms and gazed down at the hundreds of shards on the floor… if it had hit me… My heart pounded in my ears, and I felt sick. My eyes started to burn again, but I wasn't going to cry, not in front of him. I bit the inside of my cheeks to stop myself from choking up tears.
"I'm going out." I grabbed my jacket from a coat peg in the hall. I knew I was being a coward by walking away, but there was nothing I could do, anyway. There was never anything I could do. I wasn't Kankuro.
My mum walked over to the doorframe and put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't go out, it's late."
I shook my head and smiled. "I'm sorry, I'll be back soon." I opened the front door. I couldn't stay inside the house. I'd just end up making things worse -- I always did. "I promise."
She sighed, letting her dark hair pool around her face as she tilted her head. "Don't stay out too long."
My dad staggered behind her. "Just let em go; maybe we'll be lucky and he won't come back."
I pursed my lips.
My mum shook her head at me and smiled. "I'll see you soon."
I nodded and opened the door, before slamming it closed behind me.
My mum's screams echoed through my head as I aimlessly walked the dark, deserted streets. I stuffed my hands inside my pockets and sighed. White mist escaped my lips and disappeared into the dark of the night, and I pulled my phone out my pocket and flipped it open. I thought about calling Matsuri -- Maybe just hearing a friendly voice would've made me feel better. I scrolled down my contacts until I read her name, and then hovered my thumb over the call button. But I couldn't do it, I didn't want her thinking anything was wrong. I dropped my head and sighed again while slamming the phone closed and stuffing it back inside my pocket.
What was I so afraid of? Why couldn't I at least talk to Matsuri about what was going on? She would've wanted to help -- but maybe that was the problem. It was my situation, not hers, and I didn't need her help. Maybe I didn't want people thinking I was weak. After all, I could handle everything by myself. I had done so far, however poorly, so why stop now?
Shadows stretched along the sidewalk as I trudged around the town. Alarms went off in the background, and I held my jacket close to my body to preserve some heat as steam flew from sides of buildings. When I came across a bench and sat down, my hands scratched at my forehead to relieve some tension. Cold fingers ran through the messy strands and I tightened my grip, tugging at my hair and gritting my teeth. I wanted to scream. I wanted to thrash about, break things and cry, but most of all, I wanted to disappear. I just wanted everything to stop… to end.
I tossed my head back and looked up at the few stars twinkling in the black ocean of a sky. A light breeze blew past me, and everything fell silent except the whisper of the wind, and for a second I felt peaceful.
But that feeling didn't last long. I was jogged out my few moments of peace when I heard a group of boys shouting and laughing. They'd just turned the corner and were walking in my direction. I felt vulnerable sitting alone so late, so I stood up and began walking away with my hands stuffed in my pockets.
"Hey, look at him," one of the boys said in a rough voice. I sped up. "Hey, you." I glanced over my shoulder. There were five shabby looking blokes. I turned my head back and walked faster. "I think he's trying to get away from us." My heart worked overtime. I dropped my head and turned at the nearest corner -- I didn't have a clue where it led, but I was just hoping they weren't going to follow me.
The sound of my footsteps echoed through the street and the hairs at the back of my neck jumped on end. I gazed over my shoulder and gave a sigh of relief when the gang disappeared. It was then that I realized I didn't know where I was. I was in unfamiliar territory before I'd seen the gang of boys, but now I was completely lost. I decided the smartest thing to do would be to retrace my steps, so I turned and started to walk the way I'd came.
"There he is." I froze, not knowing whether they were winding me up or if I should run. "Let's get him!"
That answered my question. I turned on my heel and headed back the way I came. My arms swung violently at my sides as I sprinted down the road. I could hear them calling after me. I didn't dare look back; I was too scared to see how close they were. My chest was inflating rapidly, and the cold air whipped at my face.
"Oi," one of them shouted. "Get back here." Yeah, right, I thought. Did they think I was stupid? Their heavy footsteps were getting closer by the second, and I struggled to keep up the fast pace. "Hey, stop. Yeah." This time the person yelling sounded closer. I risked a quick glance over my shoulder, but as I did a hand clamped over my mouth.
"Mnnhhnn." I swung out at the person, but the boy caught one of my arms and twisted it behind my back. "Mnnhhnn!" The bone would snap if he kept that up.
"Got him. Yeah." the boy said as the other four caught up. His blond hair stretched back in a high ponytail and the front tresses hung loosely over his eye. All five of them towered over me when the rest caught up. They looked a few years older than I was. One of the boys had dyed orange hair and studs through his nose and ears. His fingers embedded into my chin, and he forced my head up to look at him.
"Couldn't get away from us then, huh?" I guessed he was their leader.
"Mnnhhnn," I mumbled into the hand over my face. I was so in for it.
"What was that?" The boy with the piercings mocked.
A familiar odour drifted on his breath as he leaned closer -- alcohol. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the irony. I left my house to get away from one drunken person and ended up bumping into five more. I struggled against the grip on my arm, but he twisted it farther behind my back. I yelped out again in pain.
"Bring 'im down 'ere," the boy with the orange hair ordered.
My feet scuffed loudly against the pavement as they dragged me through an alleyway between two flats. The wet ground was covered in dirt and cigarette butts and long shadows spread across the walls on either side. There was nowhere to escape. The back of the alleyway was blocked with dumpsters and large boxes. The boy holding my arm and mouth dumped me onto the cold ground covered in glass, and the five boys circled me.
I'd taken a few self-defence classes while I was younger, but I'd never be able to take on five people. Maybe if I could just get one down, the others might leave me be, I thought. But scanning their large bodies, I realized not one of them looked weak enough for me to take on. Why hadn't I listen to my mum when she'd asked me not to go out? The boy with the piercings folded his arms. I couldn't rip my eyes away from him and lifted my arms, getting ready to fight if needed.
"Well, well, well. Yeah." The blond boy with the long hair covering his eye laughed and draped his arm over the shoulder of a redhead. "Ain't you eager?" he scratched his long pointed nose. "Fine, we'll put you out of your misery."
The orange-haired boy nodded his head in my direction. "Get him down."
Two of the rougher looking lads advanced on me, and I mindlessly stepped back. The stink of vodka got closer. My eyes darted between the two boys, and my legs shook. I swung out at one of the closer boys, but I missed, and he whacked me in the stomach, knocking the air out my lungs. I doubled over and the other boy hit me round the back of the head, knocking me to the ground.
I collided heavily with the gravel. "Fuck off." I tried to shout, but my lungs were still sore. "Look, I don't have anything." Nothing worth stealing, anyway. Even my trainers were only worth a fiver.
One of the boys chuckled behind me. "Le'me have a go with him." I glared up into the face of a shark. Not a shark. He was wearing a mask. What was I, some sort of toy to them? Shark boy bent to look me in the face. Someone grabbed my arms and held me still. "Let go of his arms."
I tried to stand, but he kicked me in the chest. I collided with the ground once again, and he was on me within seconds, straddling my waist. I swung out at him, but he grabbed my arm with his hand and punched me in the face with the other. Stars danced, and when I regained complete consciousness, I noticed he'd ripped the jacket from my arms and was fiddling with the buttons on my jeans.
"What the hell are you doing?!" I shouted as I kicked out at him. My foot connected with his stomach and he yelped in pain. He stood up, clutching his torso and booted me in the ribs. I heard the other four boys jeering between each kick. An immense pain shot through my body with each collision, and I could feel myself slipping closer into unconsciousness.
"Hey… Leave… alone."
The kicks stopped, and I managed to look up in the direction the voice came from. My vision was blurred, but I saw a dark silhouette walking towards us, clutching something in his hands. The dark, blurry silhouette swung his arm out, and a loud crack echoed through the alleyway. The boy with the piercings fell to the ground, and the others staggered backwards.
"Crap!" one of them yelled.
"Let's get out of here. Yeah!" another shouted.
They pulled their leader to his feet and fled from the alleyway. I tried to stand but slumped back to the ground, clutching my chest in agony.
"Hey, careful." The boy bent down next to me, and some light caught his face, showing off the sharp edges of his chin and the light colour of his hair.
"Naruto?" I coughed.
He nodded and dropped the block of wood he'd used to hit the boy. He grabbed my hand, pulling me to my feet, but I lost my footing and fell into him.
"Woah, careful," he chuckled as he caught me.
"What are you doing here?" I coughed again.
"I live in a flat around here. I was coming home late because of the cakes I dropped earlier, so I… wait a minute," he said, studying my face. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that question?"
I rubbed my sore cheek. "I just wanted to get some fresh air, I didn't mean to wander out this far."
"I see." He smiled. "And do you think you've had enough fresh air for one night?"
"More than enough," I mumbled.
"Good. Come on then," he said as he grabbed my arm and threw it over his shoulder.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"Back to my place. I'm pretty sure your parents won't be very happy if you go home looking like that. I'll patch you up, don't worry."
"Thanks," I said, moving my arm away from his shoulder. "But I can walk myself."
He motioned forwards with his hand. "Go on then." I took one step and almost fell from pain. Naruto caught my arm, preventing me from meeting the cold ground again. He bent down and picked my jacket up. "Come on, before we freeze out here," he said as he put my arm back over his shoulder.
This time I let him help.
Well, there's the second chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. ^^