Travis was sitting watching MTV2 with his cousin when his dad walked in. He was all dirty from the shop., “Hey dad,” Travis walked in to is room.

“What’s with him?” Jake shrugged his shoulders and fallowed Travis. John blew it off and went to his room. Monica was in the shower, “Hey honey?’’

“Yes,” Monica go tout of the shower and put her rode on.

“Do you want to go to dinner since Jake is here to keep Travis in line?” John asked.

“Sure. I’ll go tell him and you get cleaned up,” Monica gave him a kiss and left down the hall. She heard voices in the Travis’s bedroom.

“I know it was stupid Jake but it looks cool don’t it?”

“Yeah, but your dad’s gunna kill you if he sees it,”

“I know,” Travis sounded worried. They heard a knock on the door and Travis yanked his shirt back on and could only think “crap“. Monica walked in the room.

“Travis, you father and I are going to dinner ok?” she stood in the door way.

“Ok mom,” Travis tried pushing her out the door.

“Travis what’s wrong,” She said after he finally stopped trying to push her out.

“Nothing Mom,” Travis pulled on the caller of his shirt.

“honey, your dad and I are going to go to dinner we’ll be back around eleven. Okay?” she walked over to her fifteen year old son.

“Okay Mom,” Travis backed up slightly.

“Show me that tattoo,” Travis looked at her blankly, “Show me.” Travis took his shirt off and showed his mom the heat. “Why?”

“I wanted it and I wasn’t thinking,” Travis looked at his feet.

“We let you get your mohawk, piercing, why a tattoo?”

“It goes with it all?” Travis halfway asked and said sarcastically.

“If you father sees…” she couldn’t finish it so Jake did.

“Beat you Travis.”

“Thank you Jake.”

“What?” Jake said innocently.

“I know mom,” Travis gave her a hug.

“I love you”

“I love you to mom,” Monica left the room.

“What if she slips?” Jake got up and threw Travis’s shirt at him.

“I don’t know. Let’s hope she doesn’t.”

John and Monica left for the restaurant, the boys stayed inside until the car pulled off. They were in the kitchen getting a few sandwiches packed so they could go over to Danny’s and the go paint balling.

“COME ON JAKE!” Travis was in the living room waiting for Jake to get out of the bathroom.

“I’m hurrying. I shouldn’t have drank all the ice tea,” Jake came out. Then they left for their walk to Danny’s. They get there and Travis spots Mike and pulls Jake down, “What?”

“mike,”

“Yeah it’s just Mike, Travis,” Jake got his paint ball gun ready.

“Don’t fire Jake,” Travis pointed the nose down.

“Why not Danny’s clean over there I’m not that bad of aim,” Jake raised it again and shot, hitting mike in the ribs.

“JAKE I SAID DON’T FIRE!!” Travis hit his cousin in the head before he ran off.

“I’m going to get you JAKE!!!” Mike ran by not even noticing Travis.

“MIKE! GET BACK HERE!” Danny stopped when she saw Travis, “What are you doing here?”

“Well, my parents went to dinner, Jake and I were going to join you for dinner in your room then go home, but you know Jake,” Travis got up and dusted himself off.

“Your dad’s going to kill you, Travis.”

“Are you some kind of cop that enjoys interrogating me every time she sees me?”

“No, but I know what your dad does to you when he’s mad,” Travis stopped digging in his back pack and looked her in disbelief.

“What?”

“Your dad, he beats you.”

“So my best friend spy’s on me. Great now I can’t trust you.” Travis looked her square in the eye’s.

“Travis, I would never do that and you know it,” her voice was shaky. “Why didn’t you tell me or anyone else?”

“Because I couldn’t. I was scared and I didn’t want to worry you.” Travis dropped everything he had and walked closer to Danny.

“Travis, no one like you should be afraid of telling some one something like that,” Danny pulled him into a hug. She felt plastic wrap under his shirt, “What’s that?”

Travis took off his shirt to show Danny his tattoo, little did she know it wasn’t finished, no where near it.

“Travis,” Danny couldn’t hold the tears in anymore. Travis was a great guy and he was way to smart to do this. Though she never noticed him until the beginning of the week. He came to school with a fresh lip piercing and a smile on his face.. a black eye too. It was at lunch when Danny’s boyfriend saw she had been looking at Travis most of the day. So he went over to Travis’s table and pushed him off it, “Why is my girl looking at you a lot all of a sudden?”

Travis got up and looked at him, “My name is Travis what’s yours?” Travis smirked at him.

“Mark and what the hell did you do to my girl?”

“Nothing. I guess it’s my charm that you don’t’ have,” Mark swung at Travis. He dodged it and looked at Danny, “ I hope your happy, I’m taking a beating because I love you,” Travis hit Mark in the stomach. The rest of the day Danny couldn’t stop thinking about him.

She went to Travis’s trailer later that night and saw his dad through the window and ran home in tears. Her brother asked why she was crying and she told him everything. He said Travis deserved it for disgracing Mark in front the school.

“I know my dad’s gunna kill me if he finds out about my tat Danny, but I…,” Danny brushed his cheek.

“I know Travis,” She saw mike coming home. “Travis you have to go,”

“Mike?”

“Yeah,” She hugged him again.

“See ya later Danny,” Travis took off down and alley way. When he got back to his house Jake was on the roof hiding.

“Is he gone?”

“Yeah he at home,” Travis knocked the ladder down and went inside. He realized his parents were late and he had left his stuff at Danny’s.

“Hey turn the news on Trav,” Jake came in and sat down on the couch.

“You! Your by the remote.”

“Fine,” Jake reached over and turn the TV on.

Travis went in his room when Jake called him, “ What Jake?”

“You mom,” was all he said and Travis ran out.

** A thirty year old woman beat to death in Hometown Buffet tonight. She was identified as Monica Wright,” Travis couldn’t hear anymore and his vision blurred. That’s all he remembered before seeing the white walls in the room.

“Travis? Travis please wake up,” Danny and Jake were by him.

“Where am I?” he asked.

“You passed out and then I called and ambulance and you at the hospital,” Jake motioned for Danny to go get his mom.

“Did it really happen?” Travis sat up.

“Yes it did Travis,” his Aunt Nikki said as she walking the room.

“I’m not going back,” Travis had a look of fear in his eyes.

“Travis, if he gets bail he’s going to get you back,” Danny said.

“You all know what he did to mom. HE KILLED HER,” Travis yelled.

“I would take you Travis but we can’t,” Aunt Nikki said. “We’re moving after your mom funeral on Saturday.”

“YOU’RE JUST GOING TO LET ME GO BACK TO HIM!” Travis stood up and pulled the I.V. out of his hand. Then the phone rang.

“ Hello? Yes she’s up here. I’ll send her right away. What? Oh my god. Ok. Thank you.”

“Who was it?”

“It was the main office. Danny your mom’s down stairs and wants you home now. Travis, your dad made bail and he’s on his way up,” Aunt Nikki hugged him but he pushed away.

“I’m not going back,” Travis grabbed Danny and wouldn’t let go. Then there was a knock on the door.

“Travis We need to go home now buddy,” Travis’s face went as white as a ghost. Then he let got of Danny.

“Travis he wont do that in public,” Jake said.

“That’s what Mom thought too when she told him,” Travis snapped back.

“Told her what?” Aunt Nikki asked.

“I have a tattoo,” just then the door opened.

“ Travis? Hey buddy lets go home and go to bed,”

“NO!,” Travis fought his dad all the way to the truck then he knew he had it coming.

It was four in the morning before they got back to the trailer. Travis already had a black eye and was bleeding. He was drug back in the trailer. John hit him a few more times then sent him to his room.

Travis sat up crying until 6:30 then he got ready for school and left. John had fallen asleep on the couch so Travis went out his window. His headphones were blaring Papa Roach Broken Home all the way to Danny’s. She had been expecting him. He walked up to her, there was no reason for words. She stood up and held him close and let him cry awhile.

“I talked to my mom last night abut a social worker for you,” Danny let him go.

“What did she say?” Travis dried his eyes. He was embarrassed he had cried.

“Well she said she’ll try to find one for you,” Danny grabbed her bag and mike came out.

“What’s trailer boy doing here?”

“Mike Shut up,” Danny flipped him off and then Travis and her left for school.