That’s pretty much how my life went until I turned 18. Forced to live in hell. It wasn’t my brother, I don’t blame him. It was all my adopted father. I don’t know what went on in that sinister mind of his… maybe he hated me, or maybe I was just that much of a piece of crap.
It was like a signature of mine to come to school limping, with lashes on my back, and a black eye. Takes me about 5 minutes just to make it to the school door. Sometimes the bell rings as soon as I come tumbling to my locker… so ironically, my little brother ends up being on time to class, while I don’t. I end up barging in, panting frantically, blood gushing from my lips (from the good punch my brother gave me for taking his spot in the bus, but his spot always changes to the new spot I’ve chosen the next day), the teacher stares at me surprised to see her A student later for class, Mrs. Brown is very loving towards me, so she lets it pass. I guess you could say I was a teacher’s pet, all teachers here love me, even the P.E. teacher… maybe they just feel bad for me.
There was a time I was home early, but my brother was late… so obviously I get in trouble for not keeping track of him, and get a beating. A real one. My “dad” always takes me to the backyard and forces me onto my hands and knees. I’m running out of shirts. When he takes off his belt, it’s not for what you think, he whips my back. Usually leaving me blacked out on the large rock behind the house. The amount of ripped, damaged, and bloody shirts I’ve thrown away is off the charts. Countless times of bleeding myself unconscious, and leaving more and more red stains on the large rock. I thought maybe I would die on that rock, and they’d make it my tomb stone.







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In middle school, my brother ganged up with the school bullies. It wasn’t a very fun experience. Instead of only getting beat up at home, or humiliated on the bus… I get beat 24-7.

I’ve been treated like a normal kid before. And by that I mean just getting an ordinary beating… a really hard one. I sometimes can’t sit for months. Of course, there were the times as a little kid I was treated fairly, but being a little kid doesn’t last long.
There are so many unfair situations when t comes to my “parents”. I came home with a 98% on a test, and they scolded me for not getting 100%, when they were praising my brother for getting 85%. Of course, it was pretty impressive for someone who seems so dumb. I’m pretty sure he studied and actually cared for his grades secretly; I guess the reason that he picked on me for my grades was because he wished to get anything higher than a B.
It was actually pretty amazing how he was taught to be a bad, good-for-nothing, selfish, failing jerk… yet he still managed to get one grade lower than mine as an average. I got straight A’s, and he almost got straight B’s, just he’s gotten C’s and there was one time he got an F… that wasn’t the best day, his F was obviously my fault.
Mark, as I told you, wasn’t always like this. His first day of school was definitely my favorite day. He was a cute, innocent little kindergartener, with his same huge blue eyes, and his now thick black hair curtaining over his forehead.
I had to drag him in while he clung to my left foot crying. I had him get up and walk once we were inside, but as soon as he got up he dashed behind me. His two small sneakers squeaked against the tiled floor, “Aw, look it’s a puppy! Let’s put it on a leash and walk it around!” Dunkan, it had to be, the low booming rough voice, the shadow that clad me and my brother… definitely Dunkan. Him and his stupid little “gang” were looking down and laughing at my brother and I. “Back off Dunkan,” I told him as automatically and simply, as to shoo away a fly. “What’d you say?!” I kept my head down but my eyes darted in his direction, “I said back off! I’m not playing any games with you today Dunkan!” Dunkan’s face reddened as his shoulders pumped up and down and gusts of air flew out of his nostrils, “You don’t talk to me that way loser! You and me… after school, and you don’t want to keep me waiting.” I let out a huff of distain. I was scared, but at the same time, relief flooded over me. I had saved my brother from any harm, and that was more important than anything.
I open the kindergarten classroom door, and I see this small blonde girl walk up to us, “hi! Wanna play with me?” Mark looked up at me for approval, although it wasn’t up to me, I nodded.
He ran in and joined all the other kids. They were building “the-world’s-tallest-wooden-block-tower”. This happens every year in kindergarten. The occasional 3 ½ foot tall tower collapses when some overweight, sweaty-handed kid trips while mounting a block on the very top with his heals pointed upward and his toes folded backward. And then there’s the tiny girly screams, and running over to the kid who ruined everything to give him a good whack.
As soon as I closed the kindergarten door, I could hear footsteps approaching me, “John! I know you hear me coming, turn around like you wanna talk to me!” I smirked at the sound of a familiar voice, and did as I was told. “What’s funny?” She asked when she reached me, “Nothing Jade, just you haven’t changed a bit since last year.” “Why would I change? Although things are going to change this year…” “How so?” I asked looking her up and down. She was wearing fur boots with pom-poms hanging from two tan knitted ropes attached to the top of the boots, a brown translucent shirt with glitter scattered all over the front and a white shirt underneath, and of course her cute little brown skirt. I took a deep breath and the smell of roses came pouring into my nostrils. The smell came from her beautiful golden curls that had brown ribbons falling down next to the small purple and brown wooden necklace I made for her. “I think we should change.” Suddenly I snapped out of it and my eyes swept from her hair to her sparkling eyes. “W-what do you mean?” I asked her filled with shock. “I mean… you better be at Brook wood Park at 7 O’clock sharp.” Uh oh… seven!? Was this a date? I froze, I didn’t know what to say or do. I felt my cheeks heat up from the blood rushing up. I started to panic, my eyes searched frantically around the hallway, I couldn’t force myself to look at Jade. We had been just friends for three years; I didn’t want to risk our friendship! I didn’t want to say no… isn’t second grade too young!? I was so confused, so shocked, what was I going to tell her- “John?” My eyes finally landed on Jade from the sound of my name. Her face seemed worried like she knew I’d say no. I had to say something; I didn’t want to upset her, “Um, uh… I- um, well…” I saw her face turn red, she squinted at me to keep from crying, and then she held her breath for about 5 seconds and then, “JOHN LONNEN IF YOU SAY NO!!” “No-no… I uh, it’s just, what if-” I sighed, I needed a few seconds to think of what I was going to say. “I just don’t know what my parents are going to think, and don’t look at me like that! It’s true! Besides…” “Isn’t your curfew at nine?” I hesitated; it’s as if she knew what I was going to say. “Well that’s true but,” I looked at her face, “you know what? I’ll go even if my parents say no.” I said smiling at her. Her face lit up, “Yay!” She swung her arms around me, “See you there!” Then we turned and made our way to class.
After school I couldn’t help but get squeamish. Not because of the date, but because I remembered the fun I was going to be having with Dunkan today. What if I didn’t go? No… I had to. I would just have to think of a way to get around this easily.
I walked to the back of the school and searched carefully, suddenly a fist came flying towards me. I leaned back and the fist missed me by an inch. “Stay still you little twerp!” I ran through his tall legs and pushed him from behind. “I only came so I wouldn’t leave you here crying.” He looked up at me as he sat on the ground rubbing his scrapped knee. That’s when I kicked some dust and dirt from the ground so it would scatter into his face. I ran off, ignoring Dunkan’s cry, “Loonnnneeeennn!!!”
On the way home my brother couldn’t stop talking about his day at school, “I take it your first day wasn’t as bad as you thought it’d be.” “Yep! And I found out, that girls don’t have cooties! They’re actually really nice! I like girls!” I stared down at him, “well as friends.” I told him. “Yeah, what else!?” That response echoed in my head, I thought about what happened in the hallway this morning with Jade. All this time that’s what I’ve been telling myself. Jade and I were friends… what else? The whole time I had been blinding myself; here I was sitting in the bus waiting for 4 hours to pass. When I would be nervously edging myself into Brook wood.