I'm a ***ing Riot!
Brotherly Hate
“Oi, you!” a voice thundered through the dingy hallway of a Methyr Tydfil joint middle and high school. A boy of about twelve froze at his locker, his face going paler than it already was. ’Maybe they won’t see me, maybe they won’t see me, maybe they won’t see me,’ he repeated over and over in his head. He knew they would, of course, but praying wouldn’t hurt. Each second they didn’t continue their attack felt like an hour. His hand was shaking as he continued putting a book from his locker into his bag.
“OI! YOU!” the same voice repeated. “TURN AROUND, YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!” he continued.
“Hey, hey, hey, wait!” one of the bullies stopped the first. The leader of them. “She’s my mum too.”
“Sorry, mate,” the original speaker apologized.
“But seriously, you little shit!” the leader of them continued, this time to the petrified young boy. “Turn the fuck around before I shove your ass into that locker!”
Trembling, the group’s favourite target turned to face the lot of them. More specifically, he turned to face the “king” of the younger students of the school, his fifteen-year-old brother, Sean Smith.
-----
“MUM, WE’RE HOME!” Sean called as he stepped through the doorway of his house after a short bus ride home. He kicked off his muddy shoes, and tossed his backpack into the corner. Homework could wait, he had video games to attend to.
Behind him trailed a small, miserable twelve-year-old, clutching a tissue to his still-bleeding nose, and with his left eye swollen shut.
“Sean, take your backpack with you, you need to do your-“ Mrs. Smith began, walking into the front hall to greet her sons, but she gasped in surprise when she saw the state of Jay’s face. “Oh, baby!” she rushed over to hug him. “Oh, Jay, let’s take you to the kitchen to get cleaned up!” She took her younger son’s hand, and sat him down on a chair in the kitchen. “Here, give me that kleenex,” she took the tissue from her son, and a slow trickle of blood almost immediately started flowing down to his upper lip. “Awh, hun, they did even worse than they usually do!” In one swift movement she grabbed a damp cloth from the sink and an icepack from the freezer, putting the ice in Jay’s hand, and wiping the blood and dirt from his face with the cloth. “I don’t get why you won’t just tell me who they are!”
Jay shrugged, avoiding eye contact. In doing so, he saw his brother standing out in the hall, watching the scene, waiting to see what would happen. “I told you mum,” Jay choked. “It changes…”
Mrs. Smith sighed. “If you say so…” she murmured. “Oh, Sean, there you are!” She saw the older of the two from the corner of her eye. “Have you done your homework?”
Sean shook his head “Haven’t got any, mum,” he replied.
“Why don’t I believe you…” she said, half-sarcastically. “Anyway, can you come here and hold this cloth here while I grab him a tissue?”
“But mum, I was gonna go over to Dafydd’s hooouuuuuuse!” Sean whined.
“Sean!” she shouted harshly. “Get over here and hold this cloth on your brother’s face while I get him a tissue!”
Sean rolled his eyes and stormed over, holding the cloth roughly against Jay’s face. The little boy was already terrified, and was trying not to shake. “I’m sorry,” he whispered the second their mom left to get some toilet paper from the bathroom. “I didn’t mean to, please don’t be mad.” The boy was practically near tears. Sean just pushed the cloth a bit harder against his brother’s face, otherwise ignoring the pleas.
“Oh honey, don’t cry!” The boys’ mother exclaimed when she came back into the room with a roll of toilet paper. She took the cloth from Sean’s hand and replaced it with a bit of paper. Sean backed away as she hugged the younger boy, stroking his hair.
“So, mum, can I go to Dafydd’s?” Sean asked again.
“No, dear, not tonight, I’m worried about your brother,” She responded.
“But MUM!” Sean complained. “Whether I’m here or not won’t make Jay any better!”
She turned to face him “Actually, I want him playing video games with you this evening, to help him feel better.” Sean groaned, and Jay looked frightened.
“But MUM!” he repeated. “He can’t play video games with just one working eye!”
“SEAN!” she roared, and he looked shocked. His mother never exploded like that.
“Fine. Whatever. C’mon, kid. Apparently we’ve got to play video games,” Sean muttered, running up the stairs to his room.
Jay hesitated, unsure which was more frightening, his mom shouting or the idea of how Sean would react to suddenly being forced to take care of his younger brother. Finally, knowing it was inevitable, he begrudgingly made his way up the stairs.
“OI! YOU!” the same voice repeated. “TURN AROUND, YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!” he continued.
“Hey, hey, hey, wait!” one of the bullies stopped the first. The leader of them. “She’s my mum too.”
“Sorry, mate,” the original speaker apologized.
“But seriously, you little shit!” the leader of them continued, this time to the petrified young boy. “Turn the fuck around before I shove your ass into that locker!”
Trembling, the group’s favourite target turned to face the lot of them. More specifically, he turned to face the “king” of the younger students of the school, his fifteen-year-old brother, Sean Smith.
-----
“MUM, WE’RE HOME!” Sean called as he stepped through the doorway of his house after a short bus ride home. He kicked off his muddy shoes, and tossed his backpack into the corner. Homework could wait, he had video games to attend to.
Behind him trailed a small, miserable twelve-year-old, clutching a tissue to his still-bleeding nose, and with his left eye swollen shut.
“Sean, take your backpack with you, you need to do your-“ Mrs. Smith began, walking into the front hall to greet her sons, but she gasped in surprise when she saw the state of Jay’s face. “Oh, baby!” she rushed over to hug him. “Oh, Jay, let’s take you to the kitchen to get cleaned up!” She took her younger son’s hand, and sat him down on a chair in the kitchen. “Here, give me that kleenex,” she took the tissue from her son, and a slow trickle of blood almost immediately started flowing down to his upper lip. “Awh, hun, they did even worse than they usually do!” In one swift movement she grabbed a damp cloth from the sink and an icepack from the freezer, putting the ice in Jay’s hand, and wiping the blood and dirt from his face with the cloth. “I don’t get why you won’t just tell me who they are!”
Jay shrugged, avoiding eye contact. In doing so, he saw his brother standing out in the hall, watching the scene, waiting to see what would happen. “I told you mum,” Jay choked. “It changes…”
Mrs. Smith sighed. “If you say so…” she murmured. “Oh, Sean, there you are!” She saw the older of the two from the corner of her eye. “Have you done your homework?”
Sean shook his head “Haven’t got any, mum,” he replied.
“Why don’t I believe you…” she said, half-sarcastically. “Anyway, can you come here and hold this cloth here while I grab him a tissue?”
“But mum, I was gonna go over to Dafydd’s hooouuuuuuse!” Sean whined.
“Sean!” she shouted harshly. “Get over here and hold this cloth on your brother’s face while I get him a tissue!”
Sean rolled his eyes and stormed over, holding the cloth roughly against Jay’s face. The little boy was already terrified, and was trying not to shake. “I’m sorry,” he whispered the second their mom left to get some toilet paper from the bathroom. “I didn’t mean to, please don’t be mad.” The boy was practically near tears. Sean just pushed the cloth a bit harder against his brother’s face, otherwise ignoring the pleas.
“Oh honey, don’t cry!” The boys’ mother exclaimed when she came back into the room with a roll of toilet paper. She took the cloth from Sean’s hand and replaced it with a bit of paper. Sean backed away as she hugged the younger boy, stroking his hair.
“So, mum, can I go to Dafydd’s?” Sean asked again.
“No, dear, not tonight, I’m worried about your brother,” She responded.
“But MUM!” Sean complained. “Whether I’m here or not won’t make Jay any better!”
She turned to face him “Actually, I want him playing video games with you this evening, to help him feel better.” Sean groaned, and Jay looked frightened.
“But MUM!” he repeated. “He can’t play video games with just one working eye!”
“SEAN!” she roared, and he looked shocked. His mother never exploded like that.
“Fine. Whatever. C’mon, kid. Apparently we’ve got to play video games,” Sean muttered, running up the stairs to his room.
Jay hesitated, unsure which was more frightening, his mom shouting or the idea of how Sean would react to suddenly being forced to take care of his younger brother. Finally, knowing it was inevitable, he begrudgingly made his way up the stairs.