Authors Note: I just felt like writing so I did. This story is the result of it. The song in this story is "Fly Away From Here" by Aerosmith.
Tommy sighed as he pulled his black Honda passport into his driveway and saw the black BMW sitting there, signaling that his dad was home early from his business trip. He had just dropped Kim off at her house after their movie date and was feeling good. Now, he was not so sure. With caution in his step he quickly walked up the front walk and slowly, carefully opened the front door, entered and, as quiet as a mouse, shut it again. His house was in a secluded part of Angel Grove Lake and there was not another house around it for at least two miles. The house was completely isolated, secluded and alone, with nothing but the trees to ever hear him scream.
Gotta find a way
Yeah I can't wait another day
Ain't nothin' gonna change if we stay 'round here
Gotta do what it takes
'Cuz it's all in our hands
We all make mistakes
Yeah... but it's never too late to start again
Take another breath and say another prayer
Tommy slowly made his way to the staircase that led up to his room, praying that his dad would not hear him. "Thomas."
Tommy froze in his tracks and his heart skipped at beat, as he heard the deep, stern voice come from behind him. He slowly turned on the middle step to see his dad, Luke Oliver, staring intensely at him with a barely drunk out of liquor bottle held tightly in his grip. 'He's mad.' Tommy thought numbly as he heard himself squeak out "Yes dad."
Tommy gulped as his dad looked him over, inspecting him like a piece of meat before he said, "I've been gone for a couple of weeks on business and I come home to find the house a total mess and no one home. It looked like a tornado had come through here and you were not here cleaning it up. Why is this, Thomas?"
Tommy closed his eyes. His dad was very involved with his work, and often away on business. He never grew very close to anyone because his father's job meant that they had to move around a lot. Also, his mother had left them both when Tommy had been very young. "I...I'm sorry. dad. I didn't get here until just now and I...I haven't had time to clean up. I wasn't expecting you here so...so early."
Tommy stood on the stair with shaky legs as his dad asked the question he didn't want a answer, "Where have you been, Thomas?"
Tommy gulped, "I...I went out with Kim." He managed to get out and then stood there on jelly knees and waited for the worse. He knew that his dad did not approve of him seeing Kim. His dad had lectured him on the responsibilities he had and a girlfriend was not one of them.
"So let me get this straight Thomas...you went out with Kim and had a good time and neglected your chores.... am I correct?" Tommy's dad said in a deadly tone.
Tommy felt his heartbeat speed up as he began to shake a little, "I...I was going to clean up...honest I was. I wasn't expecting you back."
Tommy's dad began to climb the stairs, heading straight for him as he said, "It doesn't matter when I get back, Thomas. Your job is to keep this house clean while I am away. What if one of my business partners had decided to come over this week? What if we had unexpected visitors? Did you think about all of this when you were out with Kimberly tonight?"
Tommy began to shake hard, as he whispered, "No."
His dad was almost to him now, "You know I do not approve of you seeing Kimberly Hart don't you, Thomas?"
"Yesss sir." Tommy slurred.
"Yet you still went out with her tonight right?" Tommy's dad said while ascending the last step that separated him from Tommy.
"Yes." Tommy said in a barely audible tone as his dad reached his step and backed him into the wall.
And fly away from here
Anywhere yeah I don't care
We just fly away from here
Our hopes and dreams are out there somewhere
Won't let time pass us by
We'll just fly... yeah
Tommy gulped yet again as his dad looked down on him "Please dad...I...I said I was sorry.... I won't...let it happen again...I swear." Tommy squeaked out, trying to reason with his enraged father.
"You bet it won't happen again Thomas, and I am going to make sure it doesn't." His dad hissed at him.
"What...what are you going to do?" Tommy asked timidly not daring to meet his dad's eyes.
His dad snickered at him before he threw the liquor bottle he had been holding tightly over the safety rail of the stairs. It made a loud CRASH as it shattered on the wooden floor below.
Tommy's eyes widened as the bottle crashed, and he dashed past his father and down the stairs in a futile attempt for escape.
"Where do you think you are going?" His dad demanded sounding almost amused as he effortlessly caught his son by the arm, swinging him around to face him.
If this life gets any harder now
It ain't no never mind
Ya got me by your side
And anytime you want
Yeah we can catch a train and find a better place
Yeah... cuz' we won't let nothin' or no one keep gettin' us down
Maybe you and I can pack our bags and hit the sky
Tommy started to struggle trying to get out of his dad's death grip but he knew it was futile. Even though Tommy was an athlete, his father was a former Marine who still kept his body in peak physical condition. Tommy was no match for him. "Let me go please." Tommy cried as his struggles increased.
His dad began to laugh angrily as he threw Tommy into the stairs. Tommy landed stomach first on them with a thud. "God you really are pitiful aren't you Thomas?" His dad chuckled out as he grabbed him up off the stairs by the collar of his green tee shirt and began to drag him up the stairs.
"Let me go!" Tommy screamed as his dad got up the stairs and acting as though he didn't even hear Tommy's plea began to drag him down the long dark hall way.
Then fly away from here
Anywhere yeah I don't care
We'll just fly away from here
Our hopes and dreams are out there somewhere
Won't let time pass us by
We just fly
Tommy began to scream louder as they reached his dad's bedroom. Not thinking clearly, he slid out of his shirt and began to bolt down the hallway with all his strength. He had barely made it halfway when, in his panic, he tripped over his own shoelaces and landed on his stomach, stunned. Before he could even think of getting up his dad was on him pinning him to the floor with his hands behind his back. "No!" Tommy screamed as his dad balled up his fist and threw it down on Tommy's back knocking the air out of him and defiantly leaving a bruise.
"Shut up! God, you are good for nothing Thomas! I don't even know why I put up with you at all! I am sure there were better children at the orphanage, but no, I had to get the loser of the bunch! Your mother left because of you! You can't even keep the house clean! You spend all your time with that little tramp Kimberly and god knows what you two do when you get together! But then again why should that surprise me!? You are trash so you hang around with trash!" Luke screamed in Tommy's ear.
Tears streamed down Tommy's face at his dad's harsh words, "I.... I'm sorry." Tommy managed to whisper.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! You're always sorry! You know what Thomas? Sorry doesn't cut it! It never has and it never will! You do something wrong or you go against me and you pay the price!" Luke hissed in his ear as Tommy began to sob.
"Stop crying you big baby! It won't help you! Crying is for babies! Take it like a man!" Luke demanded as Tommy tried to stop crying but it was in vain as his dad took of his belt and undid his fly.
Do you see a bluer sky now
You can have a better life now
Open your eyes
'Cuz no one here can ever stop us
They can try but we won't let them... no way
Maybe you and I
Can pack our bags and say goodbye
Jason Scott plopped down on the comfy black couch in the family room. His parents were at a social function for his dad's work in Las Angeles and he had the entire house to himself for the weekend. "Ok lets see popcorn...check. Movies...check. Blanket...check. Pillow...check. No parents...check. Candy...check. Junk food...check. Soda...check. Well it looks like I have everything now on with the lovely yet talented Cameron Diaz." Jason said out-loud to himself as he pressed play and got comfortable on the spacious couch.
"Damn it!" Jason cussed as the doorbell sounded right as the movie began.
"Right when it starts." He said to himself as he hopped off the comfortable coach and headed for the door as the doorbell rang again.
"Hold your horses I'm coming." Jason demanded as he reached the door. 'I swear if this is a salesman I am not going to be happy.' Jason grumpily thought as he finished unlocking the door.
He opened it to see a distraught Tommy standing there with a black duffel bag thrown on his shoulder. If Jason didn't know any better he could have sworn that he had been crying. "Whoa Tommy, you look like you just got hit by a dump truck! What's up? What brings you here?"
Tommy didn't reply to that comment instead he stared at the floor, not meeting Jason's eyes and whispered, "Can I stay here for the night?"
Jason's brow furred with worry, "Tommy what happened? Was it Kim?"
Tommy shook his head quickly and sternly while biting his bottom lip. "Please Jase I...I don't want a talk about it. I just...need a friend is all." As Tommy spoke his voice cracked a little and Jason knew he was not to stable at that moment so he tabled the issue for later.
"Yea, sure you can stay here tonight Tommy. My parents are out of town for the weekend so you can stay here for as long as you like." Jason said, stepping to one side allowing Tommy to pass him and enter.
Then fly away from here
Anywhere a honey I don't care
We just fly away from here
Our hopes and dreams are out there somewhere
Once Jason had shut and locked the door he turned to face Tommy as Tommy mumbled, "Can I go change into my PJ's?"
Jason smiled "Sure you can change in my room. Up the stairs third door on the left."
Tommy nodded as he slowly ascended the stairs, sadness in his every step. Jason watched him go until he was out of sight. Whatever was bothering him was huge, Jason had never seen him so hurt.
Tommy entered the dark room and shut the door behind him. He flipped on the lamp beside Jason's bed and gently put his bag down. He slowly began to peel his shirt off and winced as it hit the bruise he father had left there. Once Luke had finished with him, he had left him there on the floor shaking and crying while he went into his bedroom and slammed the door. Tommy had stayed on the floor for quiet some time scared that he would come back.
Finally, he had peeled himself of the hard wood floor and stumbled down the hall into his bedroom. There he had thrown on a shirt and packed a bag in a hurry. He had rushed from the room and the house as fast at the pain would let him. He had climbed behind the wheel of his jeep after throwing his bag in the back seat and had instantly broken down into helpless sobs. After some time of sobbing he had gotten control over himself enough to drive and without knowing where he was going pulled out of the driveway and headed into the dark night. Somehow, his car had driven to Jason's house and here he stood in his bedroom changing.
Tommy took a shaky breath and wiped a stray tear away as he exited the room dressed in a pair of green flannel pants and a green tee shirt that had Garfield on it. Putting his hair back into a ponytail, he cautiously went down the stairs and into the family room.
Jason was sitting on the black coach with the TV turned off as he entered. Jason's worried eyes turned to lock onto him "Tommy what happened?" He asked, worry lacing his voice.
Tommy sighed, "I had a fight with my dad is all Jason. You know fathers and sons. They are always fighting about something."
Jason narrowed his eyes he was lying, well half of it was a lie anyway. He and the rest of the rangers knew that something was going on in that house by the lake. Something not right, something that was hurting Tommy greatly, something that had been going on for quiet some time, but none of them could even began to guess what it was that would shame Tommy so much that he would not talk about it to any of them.
Fly away from here
Yeah... anywhere honey I don't I don't I don't care
Tears started to streak down Tommy's face as he bit his bottom lip and looked away from Jason. Jason sighed. Now was not the time to push the issue with Tommy and he knew it. Right then all Tommy needed was Jason to be there for him and to show him that he cared. Jason smiled sadly as he took Tommy into his arms. Tommy didn't struggle to get away as Jason pulled him close. He slowly laid his head on Jason's broad shoulder and latched onto him as Jason held him.
A lone tear fell from Jason's eye for his hurt lost best friend as Tommy silently cried on his shoulder.
We just fly