As I jogged home, I decided to stop by the store and buy Bryce some beer as a way to try and lessen my punishment. The clerk looked at me suspiciously but he didn't question my age. I hurriedly handed him the money, in exact change, and then rushed out the door. The closer I got to my house, the more I desperately prayed that Bryce wasn't back yet. As I turned the corner onto my street, I felt my heart nearly stop when I saw Bryce's red mustang parked in our driveway.
   "This is not good, this is really not good," I muttered to myself as I got closer to the house. My sense of urgency had disappeared as I now slowly walked up our driveway trying to stall the beating that was about to take place. When I reached the front door, I swung it open;  we lived far enough in Soc territory that there was minimal risk of a greaser trying to rob us so we always left our front door open.
   "Where have you been," Bryce didn't yell when he addressed me, and that scared me more than anything. Him not yelling meant that he was sober enough to see past any lies I might have attempted to tell him. Despite being somewhat sober thoughts, our house still reeked of alcohol. "I asked where the hell were you? You better not make me ask you again." I gulped, shut the door, and turned so I was facing him.
   "I went to buy you beer," I said cautiously as I held you the 12-pack so he could see it.
   "I told you before I left that I was going to buy beer with my friends." Bryce pointed out. Though he hit me harder when he was more drunk, half-sober and half-drunk Bryce was even worse; he hit hard and was smart. "I also told you before I left that I expected this house to be completely clean by the time I got back, did I not." Just as I caught myself nodding, I remembered how he yelled at me earlier.
   "You did," I said softly.
   "That's what I thought," he said sarcastically. "Which means that you not only didn't listen to me but you also disobeyed me. My, my, my, what am I to do with you?" I wasn't sure if this was a rhetoric question or not so I stayed quiet. Bryce titled his head as he looked down at me.
   "Where else did you go?" He questioned me. My heart beat sped up but I did everything I could to play it cool.
   "Just to the store," I lied. He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.
   "The store is only a 10 minute walk from here," Bryce reminded me. "Considering I've been back for nearly 20 minutes, there is no way you only went to the store. So I'll ask you again, and think wisely before you answer, where else did you go?" I gulped. He took a step towards me, I took a step back.
   "Nowhere," I answered. I knew he would be able to tell that I was lying, but I also knew that my punishment would be slightly less intense for lying then it would if he knew where I had actually gone and who I had been with. A look of fury appeared on his face as he took one large step so he was right in front of me. What followed was the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. He kicked, shoved, and punched me. Without knowing how I got there, I found myself lying on the ground. As I tried to use my hands to protect my face, I felt a liquid substance on my hand. Has I known how to, I would have fought back. The pain was excruciating; I would have bet money that there wasn't a single part of my body that wasn't bruised. Everywhere hurt. Just when I thought that I was about to pass out, he stopped. Bryce roughly grabbed my arm and yanked me into a standing position.
   "Now clean the house and then go straight to your room," he commanded me. "I don't want to hear a word out of you." With that, he picked up the box of beer that had fallen to the ground, and stalked away. Not wasting anytime, all while ignoring the throbbing pain that my body was experiencing, I rushed to the bathroom where the cleaning supplies were. To scared to even take the time to check my wounds, I grabbed everything that I needed. I rushed around the house and cleaned everything: ranging from the dishes to the bathrooms, by the time I was done, everything was spotless. After I put away the cleaning chemicals, I made my way back to my room where I collapsed onto my bed. It didn't take long for my exhaustion and the pain to overtake me and I slowly drifted off into darkness.