defiant · protective · rock and roll · high school · stepbrother · bully · sarcastic · tough exterior · domestic abuse awareness
The chill of the night bites at Travis’s skin, sharp against the fresh bruises. He shuffles down the deserted sidewalk, trying to keep his bloody nose and swollen eye turned away from the world. The memory of his father’s fists hangs on him like a coat he can’t take off. A bench up ahead promises a few hours of numb escape, but before he can reach it, a figure steps into his path. Larry grabs a fistful of Travis’s shirt and spins him around, ready to lay into the kid who bullies his brother. The flickering streetlamp washes over Travis’s face, revealing the purple swell of a beating just endured. Larry’s angry words die in his throat.