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Sent: 12:03AM: what no reply?

Sent: 12:05AM: You stupid hoor

Sent: 12:06AM: I haet u

Sent: 12:07AM: and stupid brad

And those were just the first few They got worse until the legibility and word order reses of a dyslexic monkey Some were just numbers and random characters Katie didn’t reply until around ten in theif so me to leave her alone with no less than five F-bombs

My face went numb What in the world had I done? I opened Facebook I had only one status update around 1:00AM: Katie Johnson is Brad’s dirty tramp There were about thirty come to seek immediate help from a professional People had posted rando so far as to threaten physical violence if I didn’t stop bugging her Out of my one-hundred or so friends, not a one carassio which didn’t help at all, since people voted him most likely to beco but condemnation I deleted my status update and set security so nobody could see my Facebook wall I scrolled down my list of friends Despair tore at er there

Manic laughter edged with sobs erupted froo back to school and face these people I wanted to dig a hole, pull the dirt on top ofery and a false identity seeood options

Captain Tibbs sat atop my computer desk and watched reen eyes see was no solution It just led to more problems

I went into the den It was already late in the afternoon and Dad was just waking up He looked as bad as I did: unshaven, bloodshot eyes, and breath that could kill a dog and bring it back to life as a zo, son?" he asked

"I ily "I kno that feels" He went into the garage and grabbed so at the bottle He sighed and lifted the bottle to his lips After his first swig, he looked at ed into the den Only a loud fart or an ass scratch on his part could have perfectly capped off that father-son conversation

I wasn’t letting him off so easy I followed hih away to avoid his breath "Where’s Mo with the Conroys"

"Who?"

His red-rimmed eyes widened for a moment "Funeral stuff for Aunt Petunia"

"Is she the reason you and Mo?"

He rubbed the sleep froave the wall a blank stare "Yes"

"And now you plan to drink yourself into oblivion?"

After a long pause he spoke in a voice thick with ereat affliction known as life so gulp of beer followed the statee to slap the bottle out of his hand jerked me from my chair I wanted to knock it from his hand and watch it smash to pieces I wanted hih h it would burst into flames A sudden realization threw cold water on the fla I did would stop him It would only postpone the next drink by e his attitude I stor useless and unwanted Slammed the door to my room shut behind me

I used homework as a non-alcoholic crutch to keep my mind off the catastrophic condition of my social life while Captain Tibbs sat atop lanced at the clock and saas just past eleven Keys jangled

"David?" Moh a stunned silence