“Where in the hell have u been?” He was sitting with ease with a beer in his hand.

“I went to the store…. Here’s…here’s your wallet.” As she handed it over he grabbed it from her.

“How much did u spend with MY MONEY? U little snitch!”

Alice flinches as she looks away, “Just…. Just 23.96$...... I swear!” Tears fall down her face as she shakes with fear as he goes through his wallet counting every dollar an every piece of change.
“Go to your room and you better be at school tomorrow I don’t need some nosy stupid teachers coming in snooping around my house!” As she runs down the stairs he grabs her and pulls her close as he breathes down her neck. “You best not fight with me girl! You could have it all you and me… Why do you still fight me?” Alice squirms in his arms, this was her dad she didn’t want this… she didn’t want any of this! “Come on girl… You know you want to…” She squirms in his arm she hates when he gets like this. You can practically smell the alcohol on his breath and he grabs her and pulls her close. His hands wrap around her body as she squirms some more he leans in and gives her a kiss on the cheek. As he lets her go she runs down stairs to her mattress on the floor to cry and weep herself to sleep. He comes in in the middle of the night as he stumbles in and passes out on the couch.
Alice woke up, late for school, jumped in the shower and changed into a set of dirty clothes for she only had 5 sets of clothes. She walked to school with the lunch bag and her bag over her shoulder. She was walking in to school when the snobby Carly Johnson bumps into to her spilling her bag on the floor. “Opps, my bad I didn’t see the freak there. Oh, well it’s just little miss Alice the nobody.” She turned and laughed with her friends of all the other snobby rich girls who thought they rule the school. Alice had learned to ignore their taunts, teasing, and dirty looks a long time ago. She picked up her belongings as the bell rang, she would be late for class it was just another Tuesday at school.
As she walked into the class with her bag over her shoulder the teacher barely even gave her a glance for she was always heading to class late. She went to her seat in the back of the room as quietly as she could and slipped into her seat. Mrs. Loticus seemed to take forever explain the algebra to the class. As she taught Alice would draw and doodle on the paper. For Alice didn’t care about school anymore she gave up on it long ago in third grade. She really was a bright girl who could get B’s if she tried but what was school going to do for her? She didn’t need to be school smart she needed to be street smart to dodge her father’s ruthless beatings and his frightening outrages on her. She loved to doodle, when she drew she escaped her pain and sadness in this world she was happy living as an artist somewhere in Venice not here wearing an old dirty shirt in math class. Something caught her eye that made her snap out of her daydreaming. A note written on a piece of yellow paper that said detention on it was lying on her desk.

As she sat detention she drew and daydreamed during the rest of the hour and lunch. So, it really wasn’t detention for her it was more like her life… Alice’s life. She was let go after lunch to continue her classes and she went by unnoticed for the rest of the day. As she walked between classes she kept her head down and moved silently when she would walk. It was the last period, study hall, and while everyone else worked on homework she just drew and escaped to her own world. It was just before the bell was to ring and everyone was ready to bursts out of the classroom and school to go home, hang with friends, and live a little. Well, everyone except Alice she always dreaded the bell she hated going home. She hated being afraid of everything in her life that should be wonderful but was really only a living nightmare for her. She hated going home cleaning, cooking, him coming home and giving her a beating. Well, the moment came and the bell rang and everyone bust out of there seat while Alice forced herself to get up and start walking
“Alice? I would like you to stay for a few moments there’s someone here who needs to speak with you.” This was Mrs. Rose she was so nice to everyone with her kind face and sweet tone. She led Alice out into the hallway and there was a police officer standing there. His name badge said Officer Rinken, he stood very tall yet he was a rounded man with a full black mustache above his mouth while he was bald on the top of his head. He looked almost sad in his eyes.
“Alice, I need to ask you some questions and I want you to answer them honestly. Can you do that for me?” She shook her head yes. “Ok then, has your father ever came home drunk?” Alice’s eye got a little misty she didn’t know what to say but she knew she couldn’t say anything bad about her father because he had told that if she had said anything got the cops or teachers he would whip her so hard she wouldn’t be able to breathe right. Officer Rinken disturbed her from her thoughts, “Alice know tell me the truth has he ever came home drunk?”
“No officer my father hasn’t…”
He sighed a bit, “Remember you told me you would tell the truth…”
She knew she said that but sometimes… well sometimes it’s better to lie. I mean it was for her own good… “Yes officer, and that the truth he hasn’t come home drunk before.”
His eyes seem to darken and he looked up at Mrs. Rose as if saying something with his eyes. “Well then…. Has he ever put his hand on you?”
“Of course officer he hugs me and….. Picks me up and…”
“I meant violently, Has He ever hit you or anything?” Now he seemed almost annoyed with something.
“Of course not officer!”
“Now you see?” He said to Mrs. Rose not Alice, “See you have no proof and it was only a false alarm… Happy now?” Mrs. Rose seemed taken aback by his manner.
“Alice you are free to go….. And you …You unlawful man! I want to talk to your chief for this obviously wasn’t very important for you... And you seem to have no care for anyone!! You disgraced little piec-.” Alice knew when to leave and this was one of those times. Besides, she was already late and she had chores and dinner to make.

“Dad? You home?” As she walked into the house she flung her bag downstairs and walked into the kitchen. She throws some macaroni and cheese together and started to cook as the water was heating up she started on the dishes.
“You are late, why did you take time coming home from school? When that bell rings out come straight home you hear me? U HEAR ME?”
She looked away frightened, “Yes father.”
As he walked to the fridge he grabbed a cold one and he said “Good. Now why did you take so long?”
“A police officer came by and asked some questions…”
He grabbed her fast and yanked her arm causing a dish to shatter on the ground. “What did he ask? What did you say? You better have not said anything!” His grip tightened on her arm.
“I swear I didn’t say anything ba-”
“You talked to him? I better!” He yanked her close and she shook with fear.
“He asked if you came home drunk and I said no…. Then he asked if you hit me and I told him no…. Please dad… Please I swear...” She starts sobbing uncontrollably.
He grunts and lets her go. “You better have not said anything and clean up this mess now! This is why we can’t have nice things… I’m off to the bar you better have this whole house cleaned by the time I come home. He gets up and storms out the door. She starts to clean up the dish that’s shattered all over the ground, finishes up the dishes, and cooks mac and cheese. He stumbles in late at night as she’s already sleeping downstairs on her mattress in the corner dreaming sweet innocent dreams.
A knocking at the door wakes her up as she rubs her eyes and walks up the stairs; she goes and opens the door. She opens it to find a policemen standing at the door. “Can I come?”
“Dad! There’s a policemen at the door!” He comes walking through the hallway to the door.
“What the hell do you want? This is my house my property unless you have a warrant you need to get off now.”
“Sir… There have reports of yelling coming from your house and some re-“
“We have TV my kid turns it up, There’s your yelling and reports.”
“Sir I have been sent to lo-“
“I’ve told you to get off my property now go!” Alice’s dad shoves the police officer and closes the door on his face.

“Dad! That’s a police officer! You can’t d-.” He knocks her to the ground then yanks her up and pulls her to the kitchen and into the bedroom. He reeks with alcohol on his breath. He pushes her on the bed as she screams and jumps off trying to get away from him. A noise breaks the tension in the room. The noise is the police men breaking down the door. Alice’s dad slaps to and starts kicking her. He yells she’s good for nothing worthless pile of nothing. Then he yanks her up only to knock her down again. He goes to the closet and pulls out something. She can’t see what it is but she here noises when she looks up she fears for her life. It was the old shotgun he used to threaten John with, and now he was loading it.
He turns to her and says, “If only you would have kept your mouth shut.” Then he opens the door aims and soon there’s a shot. She screams and she jumps up and sees the policeman on the ground. She tries to run over to him but her dad stops her he yells “that’s your fault, ALL YOUR FAULT!” Alice drops to the ground and starts crying.
“Come out with your hands up! NOW!” Alice’s dad looks out the window there are several cop cars with everyone man armed and pointing at the house. He mumbles and grabs Alice. He goes to the bleeding cop and grabs his gun. He then, with Alice in his grip goes outside. The police look at him and say “Lower your weapon and let the girl go.” Alice can’t see her dad but she feels the cold gun pressed up against her head.
“You shoot me; I’ll shoot her…… It’s you choice.” He starts walking towards the car, walking backwards like they do in the movies. Then there’s a loud shot and she feels her dad fall down. The police rush to them they grab the gun and call for an ambulance for her dad’s bleeding from his side. The police her dad shot is standing at the door with the shotgun and the glass from the door shattered at his feet. Men come and rush her away to the station where they call a social worker to come get her.
It’s been three months since then and a lot has happened including her dad going to jail for 57 years. Alice was put in foster care…. well not for long. The teacher Mrs. Rose she’s the one who insisted someone go to the house and check out all those reports. When it all came up she knew she could be a great mother so within weeks of the shooting Alice was living with Mrs. and Mr. Rose. They are one big and happy family. The past is the past and Alice is slowing forgetting her past as she embraces her new future and family. She now loves her life….. Alice’s life.