Love Bite

Chapter two

I rushed to my room as soon as I got home. Flo heard my steps and she asked: ''How was it in school?''

''Bad.'' It was my standard answer.

Flo and Frank were my step parents. My biological parents were drug addicts. They abused me and neglected me until finally, social service took me away from them when I was ten. A year later I got adopted by Flo and Frank and I've been living with them ever since. I don't hate them, but I don't really like them, either. Yes, they've given me a place under their roof, so what? I didn't force them to do that. It seemed to me that Flo lived in some imaginary pink-purple world full of fucking butterflies where everyone was friends with everyone. She couldn't possibly realize why I liked to be alone and how I had no friends. She hated my black clothes and my long black hair, but she has already given up buying me new clothes that I would never wear and trying to persuade me to get a haircut. And Frank? He agreed with Flo about everything. I thought I had kind of disappointed him. He hoped to have a son who would play soccer with him and talk about baseball and shit, but after people, sport was the second thing I hated.

A couple of years ago, Flo had me to visit a psychologist because of my self-harming. I didn't like going there and having to answer questions and talk about my feelings. What the fuck did anyone cared about how I felt?! One day, I cut my arm a little deeper than before and then I decided it would be time to stop. Though, I often had urge to start again, but I tried to resist it.

I sighed and took my notebook out of my backpack. I opened it on the poem I had to finish.

  The world's scary place,

 Full of bulldogs and cutthroats.

  They say evil people go to hell,

  But is there a worse place than this world?

I sat at my table about 45 minutes, staring at the poem, waiting for a wave of inspiration to struck me. When my stomach made a loud noise, demanding food, I finally admitted defeat.

I found Flo in the kitchen. She wore her brown hair in a bun, like usually and she had a pink apron around her waist.

''Are you hungry?'

''Yeah.''

''The dinner is almost ready.''

I had to admit, she was a great cook. Just when she put dinner on the table, Frank came home. He worked as a construction builder. He was a bald broad-shouldered man with tick black mustache.

''How was your work?'' Flo asked him.

''Good'', he replied, washing his hands. ''How was your day?''

''Pretty fun'', she said, smiling.

''And how was your day, Andy?'' Frank turned to me when he took a seat.

''Bad, duh'', I replied, not raising my eyes from my plate.

''Is there any day in school that isn't bad?'' he wondered.

''Nope.''

Frank shook his head. ''I can understand this kid. When I was his age, I loved going to school. I would talk to my friends, make jokes, check out the girls'', he winked and gave me a gentle hit in the shoulder.

''I'm not a kid, Frank, I'm 17'', I said, chewing my food.

''You're right, you're not'', he agreed.

''Besides'', I added, ''girls at school suck as much as the guys. I hate them all.''

''Oh, come on!'' Flo said for God knows what time. ''I'm sure there's someone who you like hanging out with...''

''No!''

''Oh, well'', she sighed and began eating. We ate in silence for a while, until Frank spoke to me again:

''Listen, Andy, my friends has a daughter who's about your age. Maybe I could tell him to get you her phone number or invite them over...''

''No!'', I said, frustrated. ''just leave me alone. I'm done.'' I got up and headed to my room.

''Flo, I'm getting worried he's maybe gay'', I heard frank's worried voice speaking. While I was on the top of the stairs, I shouted: ''I'm fucking straight!''

''Watch your tongue, young man!'' Flo warned me.

I slammed the door shut and swore now that she couldn't hear me. I was mad at them. Especially at Frank. I've never had as girlfriend, yes, and I've never kissed one. Like I gave a damn about it.

I was too tired to work on my poem again and I doubted that I could finish it now since I was so angry. So instead, I decided to work a little on my math homework, to occupy my mind with something other than them.

I lied in my bed thinking how another miserable day was awaiting me tomorrow.