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Hey you, thank you for checking out this story and I hope you'll stick to the end of this book. This book contains mature themes like, mention of suicide, abuse, drug use, homophobic slurs, depression, anxiety, and curse words.
Have fun reading.
THE LONELY ONES 1
" You worthless piece of shit." Anthony Reed cursed, as he kicked his son, Norman, on the stomach.
Norman hissed and coughed out blood as he clutched his stomach. It was times like this he wished he was dead. He wished he could just take his own life and end his misery. But no matter how far he had gotten himself to just end it, to put an end to all of his pain, and misery, he just couldn't.
He was a coward. He had thought countless times.
" Dad, stop." Norman managed to speak, but that didn't stop his abusive father from hitting him.
In fact, the more he pleaded for his father to stop, the more his father kicked him, beat him, and slapped him. He was used to all the pain his father constantly inflicted on him. He wished he was stronger, bigger, like his older brother, and then, maybe then, he wouldn't have to go through this all the time.
As he sat there crying, wheezing, and coughing at every of his father's punches and kicks, he wondered what he did to deserve this pain. He wanted it all to just end. He wanted to end everything.
But he couldn't. He just laid there and let his father hurt him. He knew better than to resist, talk, or fight back. His father would just hurt him more. He was weak and powerless and he hated himself.
" You're a fucking disgrace. Just like your stupid brother and he's going to rot in jail." Anthony growled, kicking his son one last time.
He took a deep breath as he brushed his hair out of his face. He stared at his son on the floor with disgust, staggering backwards as he left the house.
To get more drunk with his fellow alcoholics. Obviously.
It was Monday morning and Norman was almost late to his first class. Norman, like every other morning, stayed in his bedroom for safety as he got ready for class. He'd skipped breakfast, afraid he was gonna run into his father in the kitchen. Anthony was barely sober. Norman could count the times he was ever sober. So that morning, he got dressed in one of his few pieces of clothing, ready to leave for school happy, he didn't have to see his father that morning. But luck wasn't on his side.
Anthony Reed had gone out the previous night to get wasted and there were times he wasn't home until 10:am the following day. But, luck wasn't on Norman's side that morning. Anthony had barged through his son's bedroom door, drunk out of his ass that morning and started yelling at his son. Blaming Norman for every bad thing that's happened to him, including his job loss and the death of his wife. Norman had tried to back away, only to get punched in the gut by his father.
Norman watched, as he listened at the front door being shut loudly. His father was gone. He was safe. For now. He slowly sat up, clutching at his stomach and wheezing in forced, deep breaths. He was hurting as he pressed his back against his bed. He'd sprained his ankle when he was trying to get away from his father, but his father had dragged him back with his ankle, before stepping on it with force.
Norman stood up, hissing at the pain in his ankle as he limped towards his small bedroom mirror. His face was bruised, and there was a handprint left by his father around his neck. He had a split lip from the impact of his father's punch. His eyes were red, with bags underneath his eyelids.
Norman could barely sleep at night, afraid his father was gonna come into his room at midnight to hurt him. Also, he had mild insomnia. It has gotten worse lately.
Norman stared at his reflection, exhaling a breath of relief that his father didn't hit him in the eye today. His eye bruises always took time to heal and it was difficult for him to cover it up with makeup. And nobody seemed to notice, because nobody knew Norman Reed. Except for his childhood friend, Melissa.
He wasn't the most popular kid at school. In fact, he was the invisible one at school. He was nobody, just another lonely loser, and he was okay with that. He didn't have to dress to impress anyone. Hell, he barely even had any clothing. Norman was okay with that. He was okay with the fact that nobody cared about him. The only people in his life who really gave a shit about him were his mother, and his delinquent older brother who was in jail.
No matter how much Norman tried to forget how his mother left his life permanently, he just couldn't. He could still remember the day like it was yesterday. He could still picture it clearly. How he had just got back from his therapy session that Friday afternoon, accompanied by his brother. His mother just laid on their couch, cold, and out of life. With different bottles of hard drugs on the small coffee table. She'd killed herself. Took her own life with the help of heroin. He was only 15.
Norman could never forget the scene. He hated the couch and never sat on it without it reminding him his mother died on that couch.
His older brother, Nixon, was always in and out of trouble. Norman knew if his big brother was around, his father wouldn't dare hit him like his own personal punching bag. About two weeks ago, his father walked in that afternoon and told Norman his older brother was in jail in New Jersey. He was convicted for hitting a cop and they've refused bail, seemingly to keep Nixon there till he learned his lessons.
Norman was alone and he was at the brink of just ending it all. His family was fucked and he knew that. His older brother was in jail in New Jersey, a city far away from the small town they live in. His father was an abusive alcoholic, and he himself was suffering from social anxiety. He was diagnosed with the disorder at a very young age and he knew there would be a time when he would overcome his cowardice and just end it all. The pain, the suffering, the loneliness especially, he couldn't take more of it anymore.
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