Burning It Down, All the Way to Bat Country

It was 10 AM and I was cleaning up the party my “family” decided to have yesterday. Over a hundred people eating, drinking, and making a mess. Three stories, eight bathrooms, 10 bedrooms, the living room, and the kitchen to clean. By myself. Why do you ask? Because my parents see no point in hiring a cleaning crew when they have me for free. I was halfway through the bathrooms when my mother came downstairs screeching my name.

“Yes mother” I called back,
“When your done we need you to go grocery shopping, pick up the dry cleaning, and take your brother to hockey practice!”
“Ok you crazy bitch” I mumbled, apparently not quietly enough, because she came in and smacked me across the face as I was standing up.
”DO NOT DISRESPECT ME!!” she screamed as I fell to the ground holding my face, she grabbed my hair and started dragging me down to my room in the basement, where threw me in, turned off the light, and closed and locked the door. I wonder how long I’ll be in here this time.

THREE DAYS!!! Three flipping days that crazy bitch kept me locked in my room in the dark. I only know it was three days because they made me take Tyler (my evil little brother) to hockey practice. After practice I had to take him to get food, drop him off at home then go do the things that I was supposed to do three days ago. I was walking into the grocery store with my head down when I bumped into what felt like a rock wall, falling to the ground. “Shit are you ok?” I heard before a hand appeared in front of my face. I grabbed it and was pulled to my feet with ease. “Yes, I’m fine” I responded to the earlier question, keeping my head down and hurrying into the store, I really just need to get this done before the dry cleaners closes so I can pick up the clothes, get home and make dinner. I practically ran through the store getting everything I needed to make tonight’s dinner, Chicken Alfredo.

I was getting antsy in the check out line, why do I always have to choose the lines with the trainee cashiers? I finally paid and went to my car, where I broke almost every driving law in the books trying to get to the cleaners before they closed. I managed to get there with two minutes to spare, probably my only spot of luck for the rest of my life, and got home. Only an hour before Father comes home from work, and if dinner isn’t hot and on the table when he walks in the door, I’m in for a beating that I really don’t feel like getting tonight.

As I walked around the kitchen getting everything ready, I started humming Afterlife by Avenged Sevenfold. The one band in the world that makes my life better, that tiny little escape from the hellhole that I live in. I was just putting everything on the table when my Father walked in, sitting down waiting for me to serve him. I gave him his food and walked back into the kitchen, where, in the five minutes I had been gone, Tyler had managed to dump all the leftovers on the floor. I sighed, and got the oh so familiar cleaning supplies out of the cupboard. After I finished cleaning, I decided to take out the garbage so I wouldn’t get yelled at for not doing it. Walking out into the warm Huntington evening, I quickly put the trash in the bin I heard “hey you!” being called out. I turned towards the sound and saw a man standing in his yard waving at me.
“Yes sir?” I asked walking over to him.
“Oh whatever, call me Matt.” He said smiling at me, flashing some of the cutest dimples I had ever seen.
“Ok Matt, did you need something?” I asked.
“Yeah, I just wanted to say sorry for knocking you over earlier” He replied. Before I could say anything, I heard my dad shouting my name, telling me to get in the house now. I looked at Matt, mumbled a quick “sorry” and hurried inside to see what punishment the monster would dole out tonight.