Chapter 41

“What are you doing?” screamed my mother.

“Seeing how much of a man he is.”

I felt faint. Numb. I didn’t know what Dennis had in mind, but a whole slew of wickedness passed before my eyes on a conveyor belt of horror. My heart was racing and I felt as though I was going to throw up. Whatever he had in mind for me, I knew I was no match for him.

He slammed me up against the wall. “Come on, boy! Fight back! Show your mother what sort of man she’s raised!”

He stood at six foot and was an ex-football player. His muscles were like steel. He had alcohol and aggression on his side. How was any man, let alone me, going to defend himself against all that?

His fist connected with my jaw with such force that my face had hit the wall before I felt the pain of his blow. I glimpsed a line of crimson on the painted plaster and noticed the salty, metallic taste of blood invade my mouth.