“To buy more booze, I bet.”
Her head snapped in his direction.
“You watch that mouth of yours, you little shit.”
A horn blared from somewhere behind them.
His mother made a right onto Maple Drive, then pressed down hard on the gas as she rushed toward the liquor store. She was in a rush because the store closed at eight, and it was already ten minutes until closing.
“Is Pops home?” Marcus asked, clicking his seat belt into place as he stared out the front windshield.
“How the fuck should I know? He’s probably off fuckin’ one of his whores or getting shit-faced down in the bar.”
Marcus shrugged. He really didn’t give two shits about either of his parents. They were both mega pieces of shit, and Marcus couldn’t wait until he was old enough to move out on his own.
He couldn’t stand the constant fighting and arguing or the broken beer bottles that lay smashed on the kitchen floor.
His mother took another hard right, this time almost hitting an elderly woman who was trying to cross the road.
“Mom, you need to slow down, you’re driving like a crazy person,” Marcus said, reaching for the stereo to turn up the music.
His mother turned and slapped him across the cheek.
“Don’t you talk to me like that!”
The car swerved as Marcus raised his arm to defend himself.
“Well, you’re drivin’ like a psycho bitch, you fuckin’ drunk!”
His mother screamed at him as she took her hands off the wheel and reached across the seat, slapping him with both hands.
“Mama! Don’t?—”
The world went black around him.
The next thing Marcus remembered was waking up to the sound of hundreds of machines beeping. Some people were crying. Others were shouting and arguing.
The throbbing pain in his head was the only thing that Marcus could focus on.
“I think he’s awake,” someone said.
“Son? Can you hear me?” a male voice spoke as a hand dropped down on his shoulder.
“Ye-yeah?” Marcus managed to get out.
His eyes slowly opened to the sight of two police officers standing next to his bed.
He was in the hospital.
“Wh-where’s my mom?”
The two police officers looked at each other as a nurse came rushing to his bed.
“Try not to move, sweety. You were in an accident and have a broken arm. Your dad is on his way,” the nurse with the bright red hair said as she checked out his monitors and wrote something down on a clipboard.
“Where’s my mom?” Marcus asked once again. She was probably off at the liquor store buying another bottle before they closed.
More silence.
