Made Read Online Free PDF Page A

no one bothered him. No one called for him. No one came to check on him at all.
    Evening approached when he heard heavy footsteps down the hallway. He lay still, holding his breath as they neared his room. They stopped right outside, long, torturous seconds passing before the knob jiggled. Corrado closed his eyes, imagining his mother’s anger that he blocked it with his desk.
    She had caught him off guard twice. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.
    Someone shoved against the door, trying to force it open, but it wouldn’t budge. “You in there, kid?"
    Corrado’s eyes opened at the sound of his father’s voice. Throwing the blankets off, he climbed out of the bed, hobbling as he made his way across the room. He shifted his desk back in place and cracked open the door, peeking his head out to meet his father's gaze.
    "Hey," Vito said. "Why'd you have the door blocked? What if there's a fire? How you gonna get out if..."
    Vito trailed off. His expression changed, his posture stiffening as the calmness drained from his eyes. With no warning, he slammed his hand against the partially opened door, forcing it open the rest of the way. Corrado winced as his father roughly grasped his chin. "What happened to your face?"
    "What?"
    "You got these red marks. You get in a fight at school?"
    Corrado shook his head.
    "Well?" Vito prompted. "What happened then?"
    His voice was quiet as he tried to respond, stammering.
    "Was it your mother?" Vito raised his eyebrows. "She beat you?"
    Corrado didn't respond, but Vito knew.
    Letting go, Vito studied Corrado, surveying his severely marked skin. He motioned for Corrado to spin around and let out a low whistle at the welts, the deep gashes and streaks of dried blood covering his bare back.
    "Where's your mother, anyway? Her car ain't here."
    Corrado shrugged. He hadn't even known she'd left.
    "She didn't tell you where she was going?"
    "No."
    "She must've taken Kat with her," he said. "Your gym shoes were the only ones downstairs."
    "Oh."
    Vito stared at him, clicking his tongue. Corrado's face heated like a furnace, tears prickling his eyes from shame.
    "Come on," Vito said, his voice a forced calmness that betrayed his fiery eyes. "I brought a pizza home. Let's go eat."
    Corrado followed his father downstairs to the kitchen, where a large pizza box lay on the counter. The greasy scent filled the air when Vito opened it. Sausage and mushrooms—Corrado's favorite kind.
    Vito grabbed a plate and handed it to him. "Dig in."
    Corrado took one slice, but his father grabbed two more and slapped them on his plate. He took a seat on one of the stools at the bar, eating as Vito opened the fridge. More covered the shelves now—things to drink. Corrado's brow furrowed, confused, considering the refrigerator still wasn't working.
    "Habit, you know," Vito explained as he pulled out a glass bottle of coke and popped the top off, as if he'd sensed Corrado's confusion. "Can't keep them cool, but that's where they go, so that's where they went."
    He laughed, but there was no humor to it as he slid the drink to Corrado. The soda was still sort of chilled, the outside of the bottle sweating from condensation.
    Vito grabbed a can of Budweiser from the fridge and opened it, taking a swig. He grimaced in disgust, shaking his head, but it didn't dissuade him from taking a second drink. He set it down then and grabbed a slice of pizza, leaning against the counter as he gnawed on it.
    "The Sox look good this year," Vito said casually. "They got that Tony Muser guy now. Good move, if you ask me..."
    Small talk filled the kitchen, setting Corrado at ease as his father ran down the White Sox roster, talking up the team. "They're gonna pull ahead this season. We're going to the World Series, kid. I can feel it."
    Corrado smiled at that.
    He finished his fifth slice of pizza when the front door opened, and Katrina ran inside. She hesitated in the foyer, dropping a shopping bag on the floor. "Daddy?"
    "In here,"