gers turn white. Peeking through the small window in the classroom door, he saw his dad take another long swig from the almost empty bottle of rye he carried. Ro

chin and onto his clothes as he lurched down the hall, banging his shoulders int

bdued tone. He was trapped. He was trying to make himself as small as possible when Officer Gonzales, the school resource officer, caught up to his dad. Levi peeked around the door jamb cautiously when she heard Off

icer nearly falling again. Levi cringed at the slur. "My son's in school h

o the floor. The crash echoed around the empty hallway and Levi jumped. While Officer Gonzales frog marched him to the front doors, he continued to cuss and holler about his rights. Le

at his classmates, but Dani caught his eye. She tried to give him a little smile of support b

grown up together and the sheriff still gave his dad special treatment. Anyone else would be sitting in a cell. It made Levi so angry to know that nothing would happen to his dad despite the horrible things he did. This time the police had either brought him home or let his mom go pick him up. He

a word, she quickly opened the coat closet door and motioned him in

ttle body even smaller, cramming himself behind boxes and coats in the hall closet. He heard the sound of a leather belt quickl

ther's sweet voice. "Oh good, Roger, you're home!" he saw his mother's sandaled feet going to meet his father's muddy boots throu

g on the fences and you got such a late start," she said pleasantly, in commiseration, as she led his father to his chair in the living roo

ing. How she knew he was in for one even when he hadn't done anything wrong, he didn't know, but she always tried to save him from his father's outburs

s drifting off to sleep on top of a coat he had pulled down to rest his head on, when the closet door

sed out drunk, Levi knew. "Go on and get on your ho

He didn't see the tears that sh