The fire of anguish burned inside of me, and I felt afraid.

I was scared to even talk to Sam, because I was afraid that it would arouse suspision.

I knew that I couldn’t spend so much time feeling sorry for myself.
I tried to look deep down inside of me to find some kind of hidden strength or courage in order to help my family.

Now, I needed to be the man that Dad always said I would grow up to be.
The stage was set for a battle between me and my mother’s boyfriend.

For some reason, I kept thinking back to Dad. He could help me through this somehow.