Chris had returned after a few minutes and waited in front of Tom's place, gazing through the window and listening to the fight going on inside.
"He always was my best friend! You really don't expect me to betray him like that?"
"Show me your arm, Tom!"
First, Robert had tried to stay calm. Chris could definitely hear that. But he could see Tom flinch every time his adoptive father's voice rose even the tiniest bit. Finally, after the threat of getting beaten in the case of disobedience, Tom had held out his arm. Robert had studied it intensely, then looked at Tom incredibly angry and shocked. "A burn mark?", he had half stated half asked, and a shiver went through Chris as Tom shot a quick glance towards the window, before facing Robert again. "This is not of you concern", he had said and Robert had stared at him angrily.
"But it is my concern that you get Lenny involved with this group of outlaws. This Chris obviously has a bad influence on you, doesn't he? I don't want my son to get involved with... disgusting things like that!"
Tom's breath had hitched a bit. "W-what do you mean?"
"This Chris is not good for you, boy. He poisons your mind with thousand devils!"
"What?", Tom had yelled and thrown his arms up. "Did you listen to yourself, Robert? Did you? That doesn't sound like you anymore! It simply doesn't!"
This gave Robert a jolt and he looked down.
"No it doesn't, does it?"
Tom shook his head in silence, and Chris was surprised by this sudden turn of events.
"Boy, you know I care about you, don't you? And you know that... I would never want you to suffer."
"Why do you beat me then?", Tom asked.
"Because I can't help myself. You need to learn that there are consequences for the things that you do."
"What do I do? Just tell me what I did?"
Shit, Chris thought when Tom's provoking tone returned. He knew it just too well and it was impossible for him not to worry about what was going to happen.
"You don't expect me as an authority. That's what you do."
"Well, because, here I get beaten, there I get death threads and burn marks!", Tom yelled. "I don't want authorities anymore who harm me!"
Chris felt a stench in his heart when Tom said this. He wanted to run inside and hug him, but he couldn't. Not now.
"If I would not do it, your mother would have thrown you out!"
Tom's eyes started watering and he shook his head in horror.
"She wouldn't. That's a lie."
"The only reason you still live under this roof is, because I promised her to be harsh with you, so you wouldn't become like your father."
"She loved him! He was a great man! His heritage is not his fault!"
Tom almost started sobbing now. You could hear his voice trembling. Even through the glass of the window.
"That doesn't apply to her pride and you know that! She would have thrown you out, weren't it for me."
"Stop saying that! She is my mother!"
For one moment it looked like Robert wanted to hug his stepson, then Tom's voice became stern and he brought out a "liar".

The slap echoed on the walls and Tom's head was so fuzzy that it was quite difficult for him to scramble back onto his feet. His entire face burned and he started crying instantly. He hated to cry in front of Robert. And in front of Chris, who he knew stood on the window.
He heard Robert yelling for him to get up and get the birch.
He did so, his sight blurred by tears of fear and pain.