Hit Like a Girl

Amy was strangely quiet and Kyle wondered what she was thinking about. When they arrived at the foot of his driveway, Kyle turned to Amy to say goodbye and was surprised to see her walk right past him towards the house. He felt panic rise within him as he took off after her. The last thing he wanted was for Amy to walk in on his father when he was in a bad mood.

“Amy wait!” he called and reached her just as she was pulling open the door.

“You never come over anymore Kyle. So I am going to come over to your house. We just had our first exam for God’s sake! We should be celebrating!” Amy said, exasperated, and pulled open the door. Knowing there was no way he could stop her now, Kyle followed her into the house and quickly looked around for his father. He was relieved when he didn’t see him. Unfortunately, Amy didn’t just stay in the entrance. She started walking towards the stairs before Kyle could stop her. On the way, she happened to glance in the kitchen and stopped dead. Kyle hurried to her side and reluctantly followed her gaze. The kitchen was a mess. Some of the cupboard doors hung open, while dirty dishes cluttered the counter tops. Seated at the table, were his father and another man who probably weighed several hundred pounds and Kyle was sure most of that weight was muscle. His head was shaved bald and his bare arms were covered with tattoos. Kyle’s dad looked as scrawny as his son compared to the giant sitting beside him. His hair was too long and hung in a greasy mess. His clothes were tattered and Kyle could see several holes in his pants and shirt.

The giant noticed them first. He grunted and nodded towards them and Kyle’s dad turned towards the doorway. Kyle’s dad still had the syringe in his arm from the drugs he had been injecting and the tourniquet around his upper arm held back his rolled-up sleeve. Amy gasped and the giant narrowed his eyes, looking mean and intimidating. Before Kyle could even come up with a plan for damage control, his father had tossed the empty syringe aside and was striding towards them. He grabbed Amy by the arm and used his other hand to pin Kyle to the wall by his neck. He was squeezing so tightly that Kyle could barely breathe. He could see Amy struggling out of the corner of his eye and wished he were as adept as his sensei at karate. Kyle knew that even if he could tackle his father that the giant would surely finish him off. Kyle’s dad released him when Amy managed to escape his hold on her. She ran two steps before plowing head-first into the giant. She opened her mouth to scream but he clamped a hand down that covered most of her face. He twisted her arms behind her and shoved her up against the wall.