Page 16 of Unexpected Hero

When I get to the bed, I have to strain really hard to pick up the corner. I’m such a big boy. A strong boy like Daddy told me to be. I’m able to lift it enough to make room to hide my stuffie. Don’t worry. He doesn’t need air since he’s only a toy.

There. I protected this dog from Daddy. Now that he’s safe, I can look for something to make me warmer.

When I get back to my bedroom door, I lean against it again. It’s still quiet.

So I walk like a mouse into the hallway. I look around but don’t see him. That’s good.

I’ll still be quiet though. Just in case.

My stomach squeezes again, so I decide to get a waffle first.

I push a chair from the kitchen table over to the refrigerator. I push and tug to make it move. It scrapes across the floor. I’m glad Daddy isn’t here. That’s too loud.

Once the chair is close enough, I climb up and open the freezer. The yellow box is there. I’m extra cold now that the freezer is open, so I grab the box real fast and jump down.

I sit down on the floor with the box of waffles on my lap. I open the box. My stomach makes a bubbling sound as I look inside it.

Oh no. No. No. No.

There are no waffles left. What will make my belly stop bubbling with no waffles? It’s hard to sleep when my belly hurts like this.

My eyes burn, and it gets hard to see. My face gets wet.

But I don’t make a sound. I can’t cry.

Brave boys don’t cry.

My nose burns, and my face gets wetter.

But I stay quiet.Holding it in.

The door slams, but this time I flinch. It’s louder than before. It’s close. Too close to where I am sitting.

It’s him.

He’s going to be very mad at me for not being in my room. He looks angry already.

“What the hell are you doing out of your room, you little shit?” he yells at me.

He stomps over, but I don’t cry.

I don’t make a sound. I’m very brave.

His eyes are scary. I can’t see the green that’s usually in his eyes. Only black with white around the outside.

When he gets closer to me, he grabs my arm and yanks me up. It hurts. I don’t yell like I want to.

Because I’m a good boy. A brave boy.

He drags me out of the kitchen. My feet dangle over the floor. My arms hurts so bad.It makes my face get wetter.

“You think I wanna see your dumb face when I get home, boy?”

I know he doesn’t.

When we get to my bedroom door, he shoves me too hard into my room. I fall down, and my knees bang on the cold floor. A sound slips out of my mouth. I tried to hold it in. But it hurts too bad.

Now I’m crying, and I can’t stop.

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