The final bell rang and my stomach clenched.

The final bell meant I had to head home, and home was the last place I wanted to be today. and as I was walking down the hallway towards the front exit, Dina caught up with me.

"Hey Andy, want to come with me to the library?" She tried, I shook my head. I had to get home.

"Can I at least drive you home?" She asked. I shook my head.

"No, I'll walk home."

Dina grabbed my shoulder "Andy, please let me take you home." She said.

"No, because you'll drive me somewhere that isn't home, like the library, or the park." I pulled my shoulder out of her grip and continued walking towards the exit.

"I'm just trying to help you Andy!" She yelled down the hallway, I pretended that I didn't hear her.

I understand that Dina meant well, but running away wouldn't get me anywhere. Let's just hope today was a good day. I pushed open the door, and the crisp February air hit my face. Although it was cold, and probably about to snow, I wanted to walk home today. At least I didn't live far from the school, only like five blocks away.

After only five minutes I started to curse my decision, this cold burned like a bitch. After five more minutes of walking through the neighborhood and freezing to death, I arrived at my front porch. I pulled out my keys and started fumbling to open the door. I got inside and tried closing the door as quietly as possible.

"Andy is that you?" I heard my mother call. Crap, she heard me come in.

The person I called my mother stumbled down the staircase. If you saw us together in public you wouldn't think we were related, her long blonde hair and tan skin looked completely different from my messy black hair and pale skin. In her left hand, she held an empty beer bottle.

"Where were you?" Her words slurred together, I didn't even have to smell the alcohol in her breath to realize that was not her first beer.

"I was at school mom," I mumbled.

"Speak up, I can't hear you when you mumble." She raised her voice. I couldn't stop shaking, I hated the days she was off of work, I hated her bad days when she got wasted.

"I was at school mom," I repeated, louder the time, my voice shook. I could almost hear my heart beating in my chest.

"Don't use that tone with me young man!" She yelled "why are you always so disrespectful to me! I raised you when that piece of shit wouldn't!" She waved her arms around. The 'piece of shit' she mentioned was my father, he left us when I was in middle school. It's not like he completely abandoned us, he sends a decent sum of money monthly to pay the mortgage and help with the expenses.

"I didn't mean to, I'm sorry mom" I lowered my head so that I was looking at my feet.

"Goddammit Andy!" She grunted, "I can't take this right now, go get me some beer from the fridge." She turned around and went back up the stairs to her bedroom.

I didn't feel like making her angrier than she already was, so I walked through the living room and into the kitchen. I went to the fridge to get her another bottle. My heart dropped when I noticed there was only one left, if she noticed she'd accuse me of stealing it again. Maybe the guy at the store would sell me some if I pay enough. I grabbed the bottle and started heading upstairs to her room. I opened her door and saw that she was sitting on her bed looking at pictures of her younger days.

"Look how beautiful I was," she said with nostalgia, she sounded almost sad " I won a beauty pageant you know. I was crowned Miss Lake Agnes in my younger days." Her face morphed into anger "that's when I met your dad, how did I not realize how he would torment me, how he would leave me, how he would ruin me."

"Mom I-" I began.

"How he would leave me with you! It's all your fault he left! He loved me! He loved me until I had you!" She screamed. I swallowed hard and tried to stay as still as possible.

She turned around, "Andy sweetie come here," she tried sounding sweet, but venom laced her voice. I took slow cautious steps towards her, I held the cold beer bottle tighter. She patted a spot on her bed, signaling me to sit next to her. I sat down onto the green comforter, our shoulders touching. She started petting my hair.

"Andy... Have I ever told you how much you look like your father? I met him when I was your age you know," she started pulling on my hair "It's such a shame that you two look so similar... Maybe if you looked more like me you'd actually have more friends than that one Colombian girl."

I wanted to correct her, Dina wasn't Colombian, she was Mexican. As for the insult towards me, I've heard it more times than I'd like to admit.

"Hey, mom? I have homework can I pl-" she grabbed my hair and yanked my head closer to her.

"Don't interrupt me young man." She said, her voice full of threat.

"Mom please... you're hurting me" She let go and pushed me off the bed.

"You think that that was pain?" She lifted her empty beer bottle. "I'll show you pain you little ungrateful brat."

I swallowed hard and tried to block the blow.