FOUR YEARS AFTER THE DIVORCE:

richie's birthday was never a day he was fond of for the past four years. this was mostly because he shared it with mike, his twin brother, who had been taken away from him four years ago. he couldn't explain how much he missed him. it would be real great to still have him around, someone to talk to when Wentworth was in one of his... moods. i mean, yeah, he has the losesrs, but the only one who really knew was eddie. the others suspected his home life wasn't the greatest, but he absolutely refused to talk about it. 

when richie woke up to see the dreaded date his heart sank. i wonder if he misses me as much as i miss him, he wondered silently to himself. he hoped the losers wouldn't try anything today. he was definitely not set on celebrating his fourteenth birthday. but maybe he should have been hoping for a birthday gift: for his father to be in a good mood. 

"hey kid," said his father, "grab me a drink." 

"but da-" Richie stopped himself, seeing the drunken and furious look n his father's face. he gulped and finished, "s-sir"

"now." richie nodded and scrambled into the kitchen. the only thing that his dad and his girlfriend ever seemed to be able to keep in the house was their alcohol; richie often was practically starving. he grabbed a bottle out of the fridge and ran back to the chair went was sitting in. 

"pour." he said in a slur. richie couldn't describe ho wmuch he hated doing this. he tipped the bottle into the glass, but his hand slipped as he shifted his foot and it was met by broken glass on the ground, probably from the vase his dad threw the other day. he stared in horror as he poured the yellowish liquid into went's lap. he gave richie a deathly glare and grabbed the neck of his shirt. he used it to pull himself off of the chair, and Richie looked into his eyes in fear, quickly looking away. 

" wow is all i can say. you better not even htink that there is a way to save your sorry a**"

richie didn't dare look him in the eye. his father let go of his shirt and pushed him to the ground. richie landed on his hand and there was a sickening 'crack' and a jolt of pain wasa sent through his hand. it was probably broken. he struggled to push himself away from Went, despite the searing pain in his middle finger. by then, the bottle had been crushed and tiny peices of glass littered the floor, cutting at his back and arms. 

he tried to get up to run to his room, but when he got up and started runnung, wentworth grabbed his hand and pulled him toward him. he felt the pain in his left middle finger escsalate as went grabbed it. he let out a yelp at the touch and looked at his feet. 

"you're not getting off that easy. look at me, in the eye." 

richie reluctantly lifted his gaze and looked into his father's eyes. all he saw in the man's eyes was cruelty. he'd taken him away from his brother. he abused him. he neglected him. 

though he didn't want to give him the satisfaction, he broke down on the spot. 

at first it was one tear that rolled down his cheek, but soon it was choking sobs that shook his shoulders. 

went looked at him, clearly annoyed. he drew back hit arm and hit him in the face. 

"waste of space.. not a single soul that loves him.... should've left him to his mother.." he was clearly talking to himself, but he wasn't worrying about making sure he didn't hear. 

richie sniffed and went scoffed, and pushed him back onto the ground. 1he kicked his side sharply and sat back down in his chair. 

"go. now."

richie stood on wobbly knees and limped to the front door. he needed Eddie.