Chapter Four ★ Grounded

｡☆✼★━ Daniel ━★✼☆｡

Five right… four left… then twenty right and… dangit. Friggin locker. Okay, calm down Daniel. It’s your old sucky locker that doesn’t open on the first or second try, remember?

I blew out a breath and closed my eyes. My hand still rested on the locker dial. Breath in and out. Don’t let what my old man get to me. I clenched my teeth when last night’s conversation resurfaced.

***

“Daniel, can you tell me where you went?” He slurred his words.

I growled, “Out.”

He gestured to the paperbag in my hand with his beer bottle, “What’s that?”

“What’s it to you?” I replied.

He got up and strode over to where I stood then bent down to face me eye to eye. The stench of alcohol singed my nostrils. I pulled away and he snatched the bag from my hands.

“Don’t take that tone with me.” He said in a low voice and opened the bag to look in it.

***

Ugh. Stupid crowded hallways. People are always bumping into one another. I shook my hands out and grabbed the locker dial again. The bell for class to begin has to be close to ringing. Got to step up my game and get to class.

Five right… four left… and… twenty left… pull the metal latch… crud. No matter how times I try to open this stupid locker it refuses to budge. The metal latch between my fingers mocked me with its refusal to open.

I pounded on the locker with a fist and rattled the latch a few hundred times. I yelled at it, “C’mon you stupid thing! Open. Dang it!”

Frigging locker. I hit again and slumped down to the ground. The hallway was clearing up which meant the bell was close…

The first chime for class sounded. I saw the last bits of students scamper off to class. Here I was sitting on the floor like an idiot without his books and homework.

If I didn’t have my homework I’ll get detention. But if I didn’t show up to class on time then I’ll get detention. Dang it. I’ll have to chance it and get to class.

Hopefully Mrs. Lockehart will not ask for our homework to be turned in today. I can only hope.

With a heavy sigh I heaved myself back up and took a glance at the stubborn locker behind me. I wanted to punch it so hard my blood boiled at the idea. Whoa, where’d that come from?

Is it puberty? Its got to be since I’ve been flying off the handle a lot lately… especially at my old man.

***

Dad pulled out the remains of the camera lens. I could see in his eyes that he was not happy. He let the pieces fall back into the bag. I wasn’t prepared for his next move…

Suddenly, he had me pinned down on Pete’s bed. His big muscular arm across my throat. I could barely breath. I tried to pull his arm away but my fingers failed to gain purchase.

He breathed into my face with his teeth mere inches from my nose, “Who gave you permission to use that camera?”

I still tried to undo his hold on my neck and choked out, “No one.”

“Exactly.” He sneered. “No one. You had no right to take it.”

His arm pressed harder into my neck. The edges were turning black as blood pounded in my ears. Tiny breaths were all I could take in as he continued to press down.

“I’m sorry.” I said in a bare whisper.

“Dang right, you’d better be sorry.” He growled. When I looked into his eyes they were golden. What the heck?

‧͙⁺˚*·༓☾ – TO BE CONTINUED… –☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙