Ryndon tried to think fast. Should he stand his ground? Should he show Cody that he wasn’t afraid? But he was afraid. Cody’s beatings were savage. He would knock him around like he was in a bar fight. Cody circled around the table and stood over Ryndon. Ryndon could smell the alcohol on his breath.

I swear I’m getting drunk just from the potency of his breath! Ryndon thought. He stood up slowly to face Cody; sarcasm wouldn’t get him out of this situation. I am NOT putting up with this anymore! He can’t just stomp over here like an ogre and bully me into submission! He stared Cody right in the eye.

“Tryin’ to be brave?” Cody said, of course slurring his words.

“Bravery requires a potential threat.” Ryndon narrowed his eyes. “What are you going to do? Breathe on me until I pass out?”

“Don’t dare talk to me that way!” Cody shouted.

Ryndon scoffed and started to walk away.

“Hey! I’m talkin’ at you!”

“And?”

“Get your a** back here.” Cody’s voice was quiet and hostile.

Ryndon glared at him defiantly for a moment then walked away. He was not interested in a fight. He heard Cody stumbling after him, falling against the wall for support. Ryndon really didn’t care. He went into his room and locked the door. Cody was too drunk to pick the lock and Christy was too passive to do anything about it. She probably wasn’t even there any more. She tended to vacate the premises when conflict arose.
“Ryndon!” Cody pounded on the door. “You open this door NOW!” He screamed.

Ryndon rolled his eyes and put his headphones on. He cranked the volume all the way up. The music was so loud that he couldn’t think about anything else, just the way he liked it. He sang along, having no idea how loud he was singing seeing that he wouldn’t have heard a cannon go off if it was right next to his head. He skipped to number seven on his CD, his favorite song, and lay down to bury his face in his pillow. Now he couldn’t see or hear his surroundings, it was divine. It was his only escape with Cody blocking the door. His windows had been barred to keep him from sneaking out.

He took a deep breath and attempted to practice a relaxation technique he recently read about. With every breath he imagined all of the negative energy in his body leaving when he exhaled. When he inhaled he imagined fresh untainted energy entering his system. He took a deep breath and held it in. When he exhaled, he opened his eyes. He smelled whiskey. He looked to the right to see Cody standing over him. How did he get in? Ryndon leapt up and headed for the door. Cody had knocked it out of the frame. Ryndon wouldn’t get away this time.

Cody grabbed his hair and wrapped it around his hand. Ryndon let out a pathetic yelp. Cody pulled him close and made him stare him in the face. In Cody’s eyes was a mixture of hatred and satisfaction. Ryndon didn’t care what his mother said, Cody enjoyed beating him. Ryndon’s scalp felt like it was about to rip away, that was probably because Cody was pulling harder. Every time Ryndon tried to get away, Cody tightened his grip.

Realizing he wasn’t going to get away, Ryndon decided to fight back. He kicked Cody in the stomach with all his strength. Cody grunted and released him. Ryndon took this opportunity to strike again. He chose to tackle him and go for the face. He struck Cody twice before he was thrown to the ground. He couldn’t let Cody pin him down, then he would be beaten to a pulp. He jumped up and kicked at Cody. He made contact with his hand, better than nothing.

Cody got up slowly, breathing heavily. “You’re going to die now!”
s**t! Ryndon’s head said, but his mouth said “Bring it on you flabby heifer!” He was too angry to control himself. He would probably regret this, but for now he didn’t care. He rushed Cody in an attempt to punch him in the nose. Cody grabbed his hair, again, and ran him into the wall. He let Ryndon fall to the ground. Ryndon tried to get back up but Cody had sobered up enough to be faster than him. He elbowed Ryndon’s back and threw him, literally, into the hallway. Ryndon slumped against the wall. Pain shot through his entire body. His head was throbbing and it felt heavy. He had to remind himself to breathe. Cody approached him and backhanded him. He hit the ground and stayed there. He had no strength left. The room was spinning, his ears were ringing. Cody kicked him in the ribs one more time before he stalked down the hallway to his own bedroom.

Ryndon stayed where he was until he was sure Cody was gone. He tried to crawl to his feet but he was too dizzy. He managed to prop himself up on his elbows. He felt something warm dripping onto his hand. It was blood, a lot of it. He tried to lift a hand to check his nose, he didn't have the strength, he collapsed face first onto the floor. The pain from the impact nearly made him cry. He knew this pain. Cody had broken his nose, again. He let out a groan and passed out in a pool of his own blood.