I walked down the alley towards the back of my house. Hopefully my step dad was asleep if he wasn’t hopefully I could sneak in without him noticing me. I’m not late; my step father just doesn’t like me. No those aren’t the right words he hates me. I don’t know why though and part of me doesn’t really care why. I saw the TV light flickering, that didn’t exactly mean he was awake it just meant id have to be quitter than I thought. As soon as I walked through the back door I thought I was safe. Until Carter came up behind me and put me in a choke hold. Why did my mother have to marry a trainer? I got out of his grip and he punched me in the eye and I fell to the ground. “Good night Max.” he said walking up stairs to bed. Sometimes I think he tries to hide the fact he hates me by saying things like he didn’t really mean to hurt me but I’m not the stupid kid he thinks I am. I got up, put some ice in a bag and went upstairs to my room. I got into my pajamas which really was just a white shirt and my boxers. I laid in bed with the bag of ice on my eye.
I woke up to hear my mother yelling at my siblings to wake up and for Sparks, Carters dog to move out of her way, my alarm going off, and slightly cold water from the bag dripping all over my face. I jumped up got a shower, got dressed; the usual grabbed my bag and went downstairs. I walked into the kitchen and put my bag next to the back door. “What happened to your eye?” my mother asked me handing me a plate of eggs. She knew Carter did it, she just figured we were messing around and things got out of hand. So for her sake since he made her happy I went with it. I didn’t answer since she knew the answer. I sat down at the table in between my older brother and one of my younger sisters. My brother’s name was Ryan he was nineteen with brown hair and hazel eyes. He is a college student and still lives here, Carter makes him pay rent but my mother always give him half of it back. My younger sister is Zoey she is fourteen and just a freshman in high school. She has blackish brown hair that goes halfway down her back, and she has hazel eyes. Zoey and Carter never talked at least I never heard them talk. Then there is Noah and Chloe. Noah is seven years old with hazel eyes and light brown hair. He is usually in his own world and it makes him happy. Chloe is one and has my mother’s blue eyes and black hair. She is a happy baby and is almost always smiling. It’s no doubt that Chloe and Noah are Carters favorites. Especially since Chloe is his daughter. As for me my name is Max Daniels I am seventeen and a half and a senior in high school. I have blue eyes and black hair and I’m average height. I have two friends, and I skateboard and paint in my free time and Carter a hundred percent hates me.
He makes my mother happy though so I deal with him even if he does ‘play’ rough. I ate my breakfast and walked out the back door with my bag. I saw the bus at the corner and ran down the alley. I just caught the bus, Zoey never bothered to tell me when she left for the bus. The bus she never missed. I sat in the front of the bus; it was really the only time others looked at me other than my two friends. The teachers barely even looked at me even if they were talking to me they would avoid actually looking at me. My two friends were Ethan and Kayla. Ethan had red hair and green eyes he is eighteen, a soccer player, with a lot of friends. Kayla is seventeen and a half with light brown hair and bluish green eyes. She is in gymnastics and also has many friends. We have been best friends since preschool so maybe that’s why they haven’t left me behind yet or maybe it’s just pity. I sometimes think they just pity me since I don’t have any other friends. But then we hang out and act like total idiots and the thought goes away. Ethan was the only one of us three who was dating someone. Her name is Grace she is eighteen and also plays soccer. That’s all I know because that’s all I’ve been told.
At lunch that day the only thing those two talked about was prom. Neither Kayla nor I even had a date to prom and it was just three weeks away. My mother has been bugging me to ask someone for a week now. I’ve always gone to school dances just never actually with anyone as a date. Ethan and Grace talked about prom nonstop to be honest it made me feel a bit sad and lonely I didn’t have a date. Kayla got up from the lunch table and when she came back she had a huge smile on her face and shrieked “I have a prom date!” Well there goes asking Kayla the only girl I’m actually comfortable talking to. “Who?!” Ethan and Grace asked. “Tyler on the wrestling team.” She said as she ate her pudding. After about five minutes of talking they got silent and started staring at me. Slowly putting a smile on their faces. “What?” I asked looking up. “Who are you going to ask to prom?” Grace asked me. “I don’t know probably no one.” I replied shrugging my shoulders and eating the glop they called pudding. It didn’t even look like pudding; I couldn’t explain how it tasted either. I looked up to see everyone staring at me as if I killed someone. “You have to ask someone!” Kayla said throwing her fork at me. “Who am I possibly going to ask that actually might say yes?!” I said raising my voice. Ethan took that as a challenge and stood on his chair looking through the cafeteria. “Her!” he pointed at the girl who came to our school about four months ago. Not many friends, she was a senior, she had blonde hair with her two side bangs being dyed violet, and her eyes I had no clue since she wore different colored contacts every day. Her name is Violet.
I never saw her talking to anyone so I guess saying she had friends was more of a guess. I looked back at my friends trying to find an excuse. I couldn’t say she wasn’t my type because I don’t have one. The lunch bell rang, looks like I don’t have to think of an excuse. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about actually asking her though. Then I thought what do I have to lose? I walked up to her in the hall and I couldn’t stop I ended up walking right past her. I felt like an idiot especially because I had to turn around and go the other way to class. A class I had with her. I walked besides her and prepared myself to ask. “Do you want to hang out sometime?” I blurted out. I wanted to smack myself for asking the wrong thing. She looked me in the eyes; her eyes were dark purple today. “Sure.” She replied handing me a slip of paper with her number on it. I was stunned she actually gave me her number. When I got home I stared at my phone for an hour debating on whether or not to call her. I did and asked if she wanted to come over, she said yes and that she’d be on her way. I realized what I did, I hated myself too, she was coming over and Carter was coming home soon. I couldn’t call her and tell her not to come, I actually got a girl to come over and it wouldn’t end well.
When she arrived we sat in my room in awkward silence until she broke it. “How come you wanted to hang out with me?” she asked looking me in the eye. Problem was I couldn’t answer someone I barely knew in the eyes. So I looked behind her and said “I was trying to ask you to prom and that came out instead. But then I thought hanging out would be nice I could get to know you better-“she stopped me before I could finish but I’m grateful I started to nervously ramble. “You want to ask me to prom?” she asked. She was making me nervous; I wasn’t sure how to answer. “Yes” is all I could get out. We were silent after I answered. “I’m sorry I get nervous around pretty girls.” I stupidly added. I didn’t realize I said it though and when I did my eyes got wide. I clenched them shut waiting for her to hit me, but she didn’t. I opened my eyes to her slightly smiling. “You think I’m pretty?” she asked slightly tilting her head. “Beautiful.” I got out. Which she was, in my eyes she was gorgeous. This is why I swore she would say no, and also why I’m still stunned she gave me her number and that she is even here. She was silent with a smile on her face. “Yes.” She said looking at me. “Wait what?” I said choking on my words. “Yes ill go to prom with you, Max.” She said yes, she knows my name I didn’t think she did. I couldn’t help but to smile with my mouth hanging open like a total idiot. But I’ve acted like an idiot this whole time and now I have a prom date. Violet sat across from me on the floor waiting for me to speak. I didn’t speak I wasn’t sure what to say, I leaned over and I hugged her. “I’m sorry, I’m not good at this.” I said letting her go followed by a small nervous chuckle. “Don’t worry about it, it’s kind of cute.” She said laughing.
“So Max tell me about yourself. I don’t know much about you.” What in the world could I tell her about me that wouldn’t make me look more of a loser than she already saw? “What would you like to know?” I replied. She pondered in her head for a question. “When’s your birthday?” she asked. “October 30, 1994 how about you?” “November 2, 1994” she replied sitting up straight with a huge grin. “Nice day of the dead.” I said. “Favorite color?” she asked on the top of her head. “Blue and you?” She looked at me as if I was stupid and started playing with one of her violet strands of hair as she stared at me with wide eyes. “Oh! Violet! Yeah stupid question huh?” I said laughing at my own stupidity. “Yeah it kind of was. So what do you in your free time? She asked still laughing. “Skateboard and paint. And you?” She took a moment to answer me. “Draw and take pictures.” She said with a small smile. Before I could reply my mother walked in with a clothes basket in her arms. “Hey Max, who’s your friend?” she asked opening a drawer. “Mom, this is Violet I go to school with her. I have almost every class with her.” I didn’t mention she was my prom date because I knew there would be a million questions to follow. “Oh, Violet I’ve never heard you mention a Violet before. So Violet who are you going to prom with?” my mother asked as she placed a pile of shirts in my dresser. “I’m actually going with Max.” Violet answered. My mother turned around and shot us both a smile. “Oh really? Max never mentioned having a prom date?” She said looking at me. “I asked her today.” I said wanting to hide under my bed. “Oh, would you like to stay for dinner, Violet?” As soon as my mother asked I wanted to scream no. I didn’t want Violet to meet Carter, ever. But Violet said yes and I felt like I died inside. While my mother went down stairs to start dinner Violet and I stayed in my room and talked a little. “Are you okay?” Violet asked. “Yeah I’m fine just don’t want you meeting Carter, is all.” She looked confused after the words left my mouth. “Who’s Carter?” she asked with a confused tone to match her confused facial expression. “Carter is my step dad.” She still looked confused just not as confused. “I’m guessing you don’t like Carter?” she asked tilting her head. “I hate him, he hates me. Long story short he is a complete and total ass.” I answered. I looked at her to see she was staring at my eye. “Did Carter do that to your eye?” she asked gently touching it. I saw no point in lying to her. “Yeah, he did.” Those three little words took her smile away. She no longer wanted to talk about Carter or my black eye.
I thought I’d get her in a cheerful mood before we had dinner with us because afterwards she would never talk to me ever again and I knew it. At dinner Carter was a bigger ass than usual. I felt bad about leaving Violet in the same room as Carter alone as I helped my mother bring dinner and drinks in. As I sat down, Carter started talking. “So who is this Max your little girlfriend?” Carter said putting vegetables on his plate. “Carter this is Violet. Max’s prom date.” My mother said giving Chloe mashed potatoes. “How did he convince you to go to prom? Did he threaten you? Did he say he was going to do your homework? Don’t let him, you’ll fail.” Carter said plopping mashed potatoes on his plate. “No, no, and no. He asked I said yes, I find him very nice.” Violet answered shooting me a smile. Carter just laughed. “What’s so funny?” my mother asked by the look on Violets face she stole the words right out of her mouth. “A nice guy? Stupidity must be the new nice nowadays.” Carter said still laughing. I looked over to Violet to see her face turning beat red, she was getting mad very, very, mad. “Listen honey leave while you still can. Max isn’t good at anything. Not sports, not school not anything. He is a waste of time and a waste of yours. Do yourself a favor and walk out before it’s too late.” Carter said putting mashed potatoes in his mouth. The table got silent, Violet looked over at me as I stared at my plate moving my food around my plate. I wasn’t going to look her in the eyes not after what was said about me. Just like before Violet was going to end the silence because she has had enough. “Okay you know what Max isn’t stupid. He is nice and if you paid attention you would know he is actually very good in school. I don’t see him as a waste of time because he isn’t a waste of time. You only see him as a waste of time because you won’t actually take the time to spend any real time with him and no hitting him does not count! He is great person to spend time with or even date for that matter. I know I would! It’s a privilege to, not a waste so if you don’t have anything nice to say about him don’t say anything at all!” Violet yelled at Carter.
We were all silent and staring at both Violet and Carter waiting for something to happen. But nothing did. Carter didn’t say a word for the rest of the dinner and neither did anyone else. The rest of dinner I had a huge smile on my face even though I knew I would be paying for it later on. After dinner Violet had to go home I wasn’t allowed to leave so I just walked her to the door. All she said was good night and walked away. I was a bit scared that those might be the last words she ever said to me but I wouldn’t blame her. I turned to the kitchen and washed all the dishes still having a huge smile on my face from dinner. She stood up for me; instead of ignoring him she took a stand for me. For once someone stood up to Carter for me, I never even did I just stand there and take it. I couldn’t believe it. Carter came up behind me as I did the dishes and put me in a choke hold. “You think you can make me look like an idiot?!” he yelled throwing me on the ground. He talked to me as if he was talking to Violet but since he couldn’t touch her he would have to pretend I was her. He walked away and I got up and finished the dishes. I was shocked I was expecting him to do more than that.
I went upstairs and took a shower and got ready for bed. Carter came in and punched me twice or maybe it was three times in the face. I tasted blood, my lip was cut, my eye felt a little more swollen and my nose was bleeding. I didn’t feel like getting up so I slept on the floor. I woke up with alarm as usual going off and face covered in dry blood and fresh blood. My face was still apparently bleeding. I looked at the time and I was going to be late I got dressed and ready and ran down the stairs. Right before I walked out the door Carter punched me again in the face. When I finally got out the door and down the alley I missed the bus. I was running to school today. When I actually got to school just in time my face was covered in blood and I totally forgot all about it. So in my first period class everyone including the teacher was staring at me. “Um, Max are you okay?” My teacher asked. “Yeah why?” I answered. “Because your face is covered in blood.” She replied. “I’m going to go to the bathroom.” I replied running out of the room. When I washed it all off I realized my nose was still bleeding. When I finally got it to stop I realized I had been in here for about 15 minutes. My eye was blue and purple and pretty swollen, there was a gash on my nose and a huge cut on my bottom lip. And the sink looked like I had murdered someone in it. When I cleaned up the sink and finally got back to class no one asked why my face was covered in blood. They just decided to guess.
Violet ran up to me at my locker and slightly touched my busted lip, the gash on my nose and slightly ran her fingers over my swollen eye. “This happened all because of me?” she asked. “Yeah but don’t worry about it I’m fine.” I replied back. “Not it’s not he beat the s*** out of you.” She said feeling bad. “Last night was worth it Violet trust me and thank you by the way.” I said smiling. She looked upset and confused. “Why are you thanking me you got hurt?” I laughed at her response. “No, no I meant for standing up for me.” I said actually looking into her eyes. Today they were neon green. She put a small smile on her face and said “No problem.” As she hugged me. She was the perfect height for a hug, and I bet that sounds weird but it’s true. I was bummed when the hug ended I didn’t want to I liked it. And I liked her.
Two weeks went by and every guy had their tux and every girl had their dress and everyone had their tickets. For the past two weeks Violet and I have gotten closer and hung out more. The more I came home happy and smiling the more pissed off Carter was and the more he wanted to whip the smile off my face. But with everything he did, he failed. I was still the happiest person alive and it was because every day that passed I liked Violet more and more. Each day she made me happier than the last. No one could ruin it for me not even Carter. So after three weeks of trying to destroy my happiness Carter has failed, and completely ignored my mother and my siblings since he has been trying to destroy my happiness. My mother has been sadder then I have ever seen her she has given up on trying to get Carters attention by the looks of it. She even broke an old shot glass he has had since college but he didn’t care. I felt bad my mother had to suffer for my happiness. I was wondering what I could possibly do to make everything right again but still be happy. I figured I’d try tomorrow since I had to get ready for prom which was an hour away.
My mother was still upset but was happy I had a date. I offered to go to Violets and get her but she insisted on coming here. I was confused because when Violet knocked on the door my mom held Sparks, Carters dog by his collar. This just made him hyper. When I opened the door and Violet walked in my mom let go of Sparks and watched as he ran out the door. I didn’t care for the dog I’m more of a cat person, but I still wasn’t sure why my mother had done what she just did. I looked at Violet who had her hair straightened and half up it in a small pony tail wearing a violet strapless dress that hid her feet. She looked beautiful as always. But one thing caught my eye by far. No contacts, there was no slight line in her eye indicating contacts. She wasn’t wearing any. Her real eye color was a beautiful light blue. Why would she want to cover those up? I didn’t ask I was too busy looking at her light blue eyes.
As I looked into her eyes my mother called Carter. I leaned over to Violet and whispered “You look beautiful.” I was happy to see a smile come to her face. Carter came running in and stared out the door as he watched his dog run away. That man loved his dog. I just watched the man’s reaction. I watched the man who always seemed so strong and confident, I watched as he broke inside.  Running down the street the man held back a sob. He wasn’t prone to crying but today was an exception. This is how my mother planned on getting Carters attention back by helping him find his dog that she let out in the first place. She handed Ryan the camera and ran out the door. Ryan took a couple pictures; he wasn’t sure what my mother wanted as pictures so we just guessed. Afterwards we left. After a couple hours we sat down and I couldn’t help but to think about my mother and Carter. But this was my night I shouldn’t be thinking about it. Yet I couldn’t help it. There was one last dance left and my thoughts weren’t going to get in the way. The dance in my mind was perfect. At the end the words just blurted out “Will you go out with me Violet?” I didn’t regret the words but I did feel bad when she didn’t answer me. She was about to though when my phone went off. I answered Ryan’s call. He told me they never found Sparks. They gave up for the night and Carter is crushed.
I should feel somewhat happy that the man who has crushed me for years is the one now crushed, but I wasn’t. I actually felt bad for him. Maybe because I know it feels to lose someone so close. Now I feel bad for comparing my father to a dog. We left the dance it was cold so I gave Violet my jacket. Tonight was my last night to make everything right. I whistled and called for Sparks and Violet helped. I felt a bit bad I knew this isn’t what she planned on doing after prom. But she seemed fine that could be deceiving though. It took us an hour to find him. The real problem was trying to catch him though. It took us another forty five minutes to catch him. I had to carry Sparks seven blocks back to my house. When Carter saw Sparks his expression was priceless. I’ve never seen a grown man squeal before till just now. Carter was very grateful I had brought Sparks back to him. He didn’t call me names or hit m not even playfully. He was happy and so was my mother.
I started walking Violet home and she randomly said “yes.” I looked over and said “I didn’t say anything?” she laughed “At prom you asked me if I would go out with you, yes I will go out with you Max.” she said smiling at me. I returned the smile and wrapped my arm around her as I walked her to the door. She wrapped her arms around my neck and slightly kissed me. “Good night Max. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She said as she walked into her house. I walked home replaying the night over and over in my head. It was perfect. The next couple of days Carter didn’t hit me or yell at me once. He just stopped all together and started treating me like a normal person. My mother was happy with Carter, and I was happy with Violet. Ever since prom night everything has been great. And if it wasn’t for it nothing would have changed. I would have never started to date Violet, Carter would still be yelling and hitting me, maybe one day it would of went too far. So Prom night was indeed my one last night were I made everything right in my life.