"Why didn't you do your homework, like you were told too?" Dad angrily asked me in my room. It was after school Monday afternoon. I didn't have a good reason for it. Mostly because I was embarrassed by what was happening at school today. I turned around in my rolling chair and sat at my desk. I was doodling an art of our math teacher, Mr. Grumpy, in my art sketchpad. I showed him eating my homework as if he didn't care about me making no good grades in his classroom.
I shrugged, I didn't want to know why. Getting angry, Dad walked over to me and spun me around. I got dizzy and stood up, stricken. "Let me explain!" I shouted, grabbing hold of my head to keep from spinning. "Mr. Grumpy doesn't like numbers. He makes us do hard math problems every day. They get so complicated, I don't know if I'm going to pass math class. So, I shoved my homework up his—" I didn't finish. Dad hit me, making it sting.
Mom entered the room holding her cell phone. She wore a shocked expression and dropped the phone. Hesitating, I started to climb out the bedroom window. Both of my parents tried calling after me. Mom and Dad poked out the window, seeing me hurrying away down the ladder to the bottom of our apartment.
I looked at my angry parent's looks, took a deep breath. Stuck out my pink tongue at them and ran off. Suddenly, I collided into a big guy wearing a brown, trench coat that seemed worn out. I stumbled to the ground. He had a white beard, but a caring expression about him that told me he shouldn't be trusted.
Shocking me, he kindly helped me to my feet. "Where are you off to, lad?" he asked politely. I tried to run away again. But the street peddler wanted to be in my protection. "You're in good hands, kid. Not going to harm you. What's the matter, tell me son?" He asked, holding me firmly in his grasp.
I shook my head, terrified. I turned to look at my bedroom apartment and pointed to it. Mom and Dad were gone. We turned and heard them screaming and running toward us as they came after us. "Let him go, monster!" Mom yelled.
The street peddler looked apologetic. "Oh, I'm sorry! This boy belongs to you folks, is that right? I was only looking after him. No harm, no fowl here. I'm Mr. Hollow, the neighbor in room 213 next door to y'all. He's not a troublemaker, is he?" Mr. Hollow asked. He put out his hands to shake his parents.
Smiling, Mom and Dad shook hands with Mr. Hollow. Dad roughly grabbed hold of me away from him. "You don't know where he's been!" He shouted, looking innocently at Mr. Hollow. He continued smiling at us, like there wasn't any problem.
"This is our neighborhood, Mom. Dad," I said, sluggishly. "Sorry for scaring you both. It was inappropriate behavior. Please forgive me," I continued, looking down at my sneakers. "I got a little carried away at school today," I said.
Smiling and showing their appreciation, my parents kindly thanked Mr. Hollow. We slowly walked away. I looked back over my shoulders at him. He continued smiling mischievously at me. Then, as I was about to turn around, he showed fangs! I gasped, as I tried to get Mom and Dad's attention. Suddenly, Mr. Hollow transformed into a vampire bat in a puff of smoke, and flew up to his apartment room in 213, as a vampire bat!
Mom and Dad didn't seem to notice, and I couldn't blame them. They continued arguing about me. As Mr. Hollow continued smiling and showing his fangs at me. Then, our neighbor opens the door to his apartment, next to ours. Then, I fainted.