>Be Evan.

>Be eleven or twelve.

>Be over at Marty's house, playing Need for Speed.

>They're playing as cops, running speeding perps off the road and arresting them.

>Marty's telling him he looked up the cheat for the Porsche cop car but that the Caprice works fine.

>Lily comes downstairs and sits on the couch and watches them play. She's quiet, her arms crossed over her chest.

>Their stepdad, Larry, comes down a few moments later. The look on his face makes Evan uneasy.

>Lily, what did I tell you?

>Lily ignores him.

>Lily, he growls.

>Evan can tell he's super pissed about something.

>Lily doesn't reply.

>The air has changed, everyone senses it.

>It makes Evan very uncomfortable.

>Young lady...

>Lily's eyes stay fixed on the TV, her skinny arms folded over her chest.

>You will respect me, young lady, he says.

>Fuck off, says Lily.

>Larry darts over, and the unexpected viciousness of the motion causes Evan to jump. He drops his controller and his cop car slows on the TV screen.

>Larry snatches Lily from the couch, yanking both her arms up.

>She struggles, cries out.

>Marty's glassy-eyed, focusing on the game, he's tuning it all out.

>Evan watches, unable to look away.

>He's never seen a parent let loose on a kid like this, even his own parents have never thrown Evan or Jason around like that, even at their most furious. Maddie's never even been spanked.

>Lily cries out in pain as Larry smacks her on the tush once, twice, three times, then drags her upstairs.

>She starts crying as he yanks her along.

>They hear a door slam, Larry's muffled yelling can be heard.

>Larry hasn't said anything to Evan or Marty, hasn't even acknowledged them.

>Marty says, "Yeah, Caprice works fine."

>Evan is numb the rest of the time they hang out, he excuses himself after the next game. Something really feels wrong. He'll never feel the same going over there, and never feel completely safe around Larry again.

>His father is working in the garage when he gets home. Evan tells him what he saw.

>Maybe we should call the cops, he tells his dad, his voice shaking.

>His dad shakes his head.

>That sounds like something that Lily and Larry need to work out, he says.

>And that's the end of it.