The Ferocious Five

CHAPTER FOUR

Tyler Simmons

Los Angeles, California

Summer break! Yeah! My mom always takes me to the beach to play volleyball and check out the hot girls. However, this year was different. My mom was at work, so my stepdad had to watch me for some reason. I guess a nine-year-old little man can’t have any privacy.

John was a big, mean word that I can’t say ’cause I’m not old enough yet. He makes fun of my eyes, likes to pull my pants down, and calls me names. One day, I worked up the courage to talk to my mom about it when she came home one night. “Mom, I don’t like John. I think he hates me; he pulls down my pants, calls me names, and makes fun of my eyes.”

“Oh, Tyler. He’s not that bad,” she said, “John may not be the nicest. Just get used to it.”

I couldn’t get used to it. Sleepless nights–I hated every single moment of it. John would come home drunk almost every night and call me names. Mom would just shrug it off as if nothing had happened. It got to a point where I wanted to run away. However, I kept my composure and tried to brush it off.

The second week of summer break has been a nightmare for me, and despite Mom being off from work, it didn’t make it any better. I did find some comfort being around friends, sneaking out to hang out at the beach. As far as I know, I’ve never been caught. My friend’s dad was driving us home. When he dropped me off, I reached for the front door; the door opened by itself. John stared daggers at me. “Look who decided to come home at this time of night!” He chuckles, “Wait ’till I tell your Mom.” He strips me of my sunglasses and pulls me by my arm. John slams me against the couch, instructing me to wait.

For two hours, I was subjected to watching TV and shouting from John. My mom came home in a bad mood already, and the fact that John caught me sneaking out made it worse. “Tyler Simmons!” Mom shouted, “Did you think that you were just going to sneak out without our permission? Well guess what? You’re grounded! Give me your Xbox, your iPod, and your video games!” I surrendered all of my comfort items to her–immediately after I was sent to my room. I can’t believe that John would out me like that! I wish I never had him in my life! I wish Mom never married him!