Soccer Meet Cheer

No Place Like Home

"You were supposed to be home 30 minutes ago." He slurred as he looked at me halfway up the stairs. "Come back down here." he ordered.

I attempted to swallow the lump in my throat as I slowly made my descent, but the lump persisted.

"Where were you?" he questioned. His curiosity brought a small sense of comfort. If he were truly far gone, he wouldn't have cared to ask.

"Just getting some groceries... like you told me to..." I spoke carefully.

He took a lazy glance toward the kitchen, "I don't see any."

"I put them aw—" I was cut off by a slap to my cheek, loud enough for the clap to resonate throughout the house.

"You fucking liar. You were out partying again." He slurred angrily. "I can smell the alcohol off of you."

I licked my lip as I regained my balance. The faint taste of blood in my mouth was enough to turn my fear into rage. "I'm pretty sure you just got a whiff of yourself." I mumbled.

"What was that, dyke?" he yelled before pushing me to the ground.

"I said you smell like shi—" I began to say before I felt a forceful kick to my side, taking the wind out of me.

"It was a rhetorical question, bitch!" he slurred before kicking me again. "You're lucky to have a fucking roof over your head." he spat.

I could easily defend myself against this oaf, but he was right. He's the only reason why we're under a roof, why we get fed, and why we have an education. I'd rather take 1,000 beatings than to have Aiden live alone with this fucker for one second.

There was a moment of silence before I heard the sound of the fridge opening. The light filled the entire kitchen, making me squint as I watched his silhouette stare inside. He grumbled something to himself before grabbing a can of beer, and slamming it shut, making all of the condiments on the door rattle.

He realized I was telling the truth, but he didn't care to apologize. Instead, he opened the can, emitting a loud crack and fizz before dragging his feet back to his den.

As soon as I heard the door of his room slam, I made my way to the freezer, navigating around the bits of beer he had spilled opening the can. My hands shook violently from the adrenaline as I hastily opened the door and grabbed an ice pack. Each breath was met with a sharp pain, forcing me to breath short frequent breaths as I made my way toward the stairs. This beating was shorter than the others, and for that I was grateful because those two kicks were brutal enough. I grunted as I pushed my bedroom door open and face planted on my rock hard bed. Once the adrenaline began to leave and my breathing had calmed, I heard the pitter-patter of little feet walking into my room.

"I heard Daddy yelling at you, Sissy. Are you okay?" Aiden asked in a concerned tone as he crawled onto my bed. I sat up as casually as I could before looking into his teary eyes which was almost enough to bring tears to my own.

"Everything's fine, Little Man. Now go to bed before the big fat bear sees you." I said as I rubbed his back.

"But I wanna sleep in your bed." he pouted as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Why?" I questioned, wrapping an arm around him.

"I wanna protect you." He mumbled.

I sniffled as I hugged him back. Just the thought of Aiden falling into that asshole's grasp was enough to give me nightmares. The worst that's ever happened to him has been a slap, and ever since I've made sure he'd never get touched again. For every plate broken or carpet stained, I'd make sure Aiden would see none of the consequences.