Anna and Robert Palchuck were still technically married. After all, It cost a lot more money to get a divorce than it did to get a restraining order. The restraining order...
Devin Lawrence hadn't found out about the restraining order until a few weeks ago. That's when he stopped by to surprise Anna only to find her pressed against the kitchen cabinets with a knife to her throat. Devin didn't think he'd been more terrified in his life than when he saw her close her eyes and accept her fate. Terrified for her. He didn't think but soon found himself holding a bloody frying pan with the man unconscious at his feet. The knife clattered to the floor. Anna choked back a sob. The telephone operator said that they were on their way.
An hour later, Steve emerged from underneath the bed.
Their wounds were still fresh... in every sense of the word.
While Devin 'Coach' Lawrence truly cared about Anna, in truth, they hadn't been together long, only a few short months. It was far too short of a time for him to move in, but with the threat of Robert Palchuck hanging over his girlfriend's head... he wanted to be there to protect her and her son. So he handed his landlord his key, packed his bag, and moved into the guest room. (It was definitely too early to share a bed.)
It was a strange new dynamic. Very strange. For one, he had to cook for three people now. For another, he was in the delicate situation of acting as a surrogate father for a teen that held extreme distrust for, well, fathers.
The first week was hell for everyone. He had to pull Anna out of three panic attacks and Steve out of five.
Every time Steve spoke to him, he emphasized 'Coach' in his name, just to emphasize how Devin would never be his dad. Devin didn't want to be a dad. He definitely hadn't expected to practically adopt the kid within the span of a week. He had moved in to make sure Robert never came back to hurt his Anna. That was the plan, but every day it became more and more clear that Steve needed a dad.
He tried his best. His offer to 'hug it out' was met by a garbage bag being thrown in his face.
Balancing being the boy's teacher was even harder. He thought he'd done a good job of treating him like a normal student despite their new situation. Of course, when he tried to explain that to Steve he only succeeded in embarrassing him in front of his friends.
The second week was slightly better. The coach noticed a sudden drop in Steve's bullying habits. He wasn't sure how or why that happened, but he silently thanked whatever higher power there was for it. On the drive home from school on Wednesday, they even had a meaningful talk about becoming a better person.
On Thursday night, he had stayed late to talk to a parent about her kids failing grade in Health Class. (No, he did not accept bribes, thank you very much.)
Ushering the woman out of his classroom, the teacher sat down at his desk with a sigh. Great. He forgot he still had grading to do. Devin reached for a pen when a light in the window caught his eye.
Trespassers.
He marched up to the window, peering out. All Devin could see was a pair of legs before the gym door swung shut. The motion sensor shut off. Devin picked up the heaviest nearby object, which just so happened to be a book on anatomy, and headed down the halls.
The gym had two entrances, one by the soccer field, and one next to the cafeteria, directly below his classroom. He walked quietly as he could, though he had to admit he wasn't very good at it when he knocked down the Glucose model hanging outside of the Chemistry classroom. One set of stairs later, Devin pressed his hand against the gymnasium's double doors. "Steve?" Devin dropped the book at his side.
A voice yelped above them as another body fell from the ropes, directly onto Steve. They both tumbled to the ground. Steve groaned as the other kid scrambled off him. "Sorry Steve." The voice cracked.
"Wait a minute, Pepperjack?" The man's eyes widened in shock.
"Huh?" The boy blindly groped the linoleum floor.
Devin turned to Steve. "Mind explaining what exactly is going on here?"
One long, convoluted explanation later, he still had absolutely no idea what was going on.
Apparently during the health assignment last week the two had become sort of friends. No, partners? They were the "Creepslayerz! With a Z." No, wait, Steve said it was just some geeky TV show they liked. The long of the short of it was that now, for some strange reason, Steve had decided to help Eli with his upper body strength, hence breaking into the school to use the climbing ropes.
Devin was surprised to learn about Steve's newfound friendship with the school geek. He made a mental note to invite the boy over for dinner sometime. Pepperjack had made his life a hell of a lot easier.
He gave them Saturday detention anyway.
This story may seem like a bunch of random one-shots, but they're actually all connected and in (mostly) chronological order. Each chapter is written from a different perspective There is an overarching plot, just hang in there.
Also, if anyone has a request for perspectives, please comment below.