Page 54 of House of Pain
It was familiar.
“You’re a total disappointment,” his father spat. “Losing the first game of the season and showing up here to empty my bar?”
Blaze slid his hands into his pockets.“What can I say? I’m thirsty tonight.”
Galliermo crossed the room in a flash. His fist gripped Blaze’s black shirt at the front, dragging him closer to his fuming face.
“Don’t you talk back to me, you piece of shit,” he hissed.
Blaze let him have at it, not moving nor trying to get away from his grip.
There was no use anyway.
“When are you going to learn your lesson?” Galliermo continued, anger so strong in him that a vein in his forehead popped. “It might seem you have forgotten yourself. Maybe it’s been too long since I last showed you what happens when you disappoint me.”
Blaze flashed him a crooked smile.
A fist connected with his side, and Blaze grunted at the pain. His father’s grip loosened, but before Blaze could step away, another punch came at him, right in his kidneys.
Blaze fell forwards on his knees.
Galliermo circled him.“If you lose one more game this season, you’re going to find yourself in a very unfortunate situation. Do you hear me?”
Blaze didn’t answer.
Another punch to his ribs came, sending Blaze to the ground as he swallowed the pain.
“I have scouts from professional teams coming to watch you play,” Galliermo said. “There is big money involved, and if you don’t perform, then I’m going to be embarrassed in front of all of my business partners. I won’t have that.”
Blaze managed to scramble back to his knees, his body trembling as he tried not to vomit out his dinner and all the alcohol.
But before he could rise to his feet, the black tip of the shoe glittered in the dim light before connecting with Blaze’s ribs once more, sending him sprawling on his back again.
This time Blaze wheezed, biting hard on his lip as he tried to ride out the wave of pain.
“Remember this when you decide to fuck up next time,” Galliermo warned, panting heavily.
Blaze lay on the floor for a long moment, looking at the dark wood panels on the ceiling, forming a herringbone pattern.
He was lucky he drank enough tonight because soon the pain drifted away, leaving him in floating space, as if he were not in his own body anymore.
Galliermo was smart. He never hit him where others would spot the marks.
But he always made sure the wounds were serious enough that Blaze would remember it for a long time.
And Galliermo had made sure Blaze would never fight back.
Not unless Blaze wanted to share the fate of his older brother.
After a while, he finally mustered enough strength to climb back onto his feet. He caught his reflection in the mirror hanging above the fireplace.
With his hair ruffled, bruises still healing from the incident with Gabe and his lackey, Blaze looked like Hel.
He slowly strode to the door, his ribs aching with each step he took.
If it weren’t forher, he wouldn’t have lost the game.
If it weren’t forher, he wouldn’t have been made a fool in front of the whole school.
