Warning: Mentions of rape.
Hello again guys! Thank you guys for following me to the next story of my modern AU series. Also that reminds me, if there's something that you guys wanted to see in this series, like a story of their pasts, let me know. I'll write it. I'm open to many ideas. Thank you!Enjoy the first chapter!
It should have been a normal morning for the boys. It was a Friday. All Jack wanted was to get through the day with his brothers and to go into the weekend with a smile on his face. But it was never that easy, was it?
It had started out like any other day. Crutchie was up first of course, and the boy set out some cereal for his brother, trying to repay him for all the times he'd done it for him. Then Jack slept for ten extra minutes before some of the boys ran up the fire escape. At that moment Jack was tipped off that something was wrong with one of his boys in particular.
Up at the window with ready, smiling faces were all the usual boys that met at Jack's apartment. Specs, Henry, Elmer, Albert, JoJo and... that was it. Now it was known that something was wrong.
"Where's Race?" Jack asked the boys who were waiting for him to get out of his home and off to school.
JoJo and Albert sighed before looking back down at the ground to the alleyway below the small, studio apartment. Jack followed his gaze and saw something extremely unfamiliar. There was their gambling, smart mouth, best friend. He was sitting with his back against the wall of the building next to them. His legs were lazily stretched in front of him and his eyes were closed. His left arm was hanging down by his side and his right arm was stretched over his knee. He was propped up against his book bag and he looked to be asleep.
"Hasn't said a word all mornin'." JoJo said in a small voice. Albert nodded and patted the fifteen year old on the back. Jack nodded and looked back down at his oldest friend, Crutchie limping over to his side, also taking a look at the boy.
This had only happened once before. When Race was fourteen, he'd been caught with a cigar in his pocket. Not that he ever smoked, but he just always had one on him. Only a few of the boys knew why. He'd been dragged off to the hell that the government calls The Refuge. Many of the boys had been there and just by saying the name it almost always made everyone clam up and start having flashbacks of that awful place. But only Jack knew of the terrors Race went through while he was there.
The poor boy was sentenced to one week and got held there for five. The night he was released he'd shown up at Jack's window. His was vigorously tapping on the glass to get Jack's attention. His clothes were torn apart and he was covered in blood and bruises. He sobbed that night but didn't say a word. In fact, he didn't say a word until over a month later.
It killed Jack to think of that happening again. He'd been so scared he'd lost Race. He thought he'd never hear that sarcastic voice or see that cocky smile ever again. He wasn't willing to go through that all over.
Jack looked at his boys' worried faces and smiled. "It'll be ok. I'll talk ta him, make sure he's ok." He assured them before slipping out the window and helping Crutchie out behind him.
Once they made it down to the alleyway, before Jack could even get a word in, Crutchie was on the ground, sitting next to Racetrack. He didn't say anything. Simply just sat there next to him. Without anything else, Race rested his head on the younger boy's shoulder. For a minute they just sat there like that. Like there weren't five or six other boys staring at them, confused and a little bit shocked.
Suddenly Race's head shot up and he was awake like he'd never even been asleep. His eyes were a bit frantic as he looked around. The first person he saw was Jack. He looked back at Crutchie and the boy patted his shoulder. His face showed no expression until he looked back up and saw the other boys looking at him and then shooting their gazes to the ground when he made eye contact with them. Abruptly, he shot to his feet, surprising them all by not immediately helping up the crippled boy that had been sitting next to him.
"What are you all looking at?" He growled, shoving past Elmer and Specs and stomping off towards the school.
Albert looked at Jack for an answer but the older boy shrugged, helping up his little brother off the ground and jerking his head in the direction Race had taken off in.
Race tried to breathe. He tried his best to stay calm but that wasn't his strong suit. It was Jack's. Jack was the one that kept it together. He was the one that always had a way and never lost control. Race was different. He couldn't control his emotions like his big brother. Today was gonna be hard. And he knew it. But he tried to stay ahead of the group so that no questions were asked. He knew if he answered them, he'd be in for a world of hurt. But he certainly never planned for the little boy with the dark hair that came running at him.
"Hiya Race!" The boy said in his innocent, sweet, little voice.
"Hey Romeo." Race sighed and ruffled the kids hair.
Romeo looked at Race skeptically. He saw the dark circles under the older boy's eyes and the way he stepped carefully, like if he stepped the wrong way he'd hurt himself. "What's wrong Race?" He asked, ready to help his big brother through anything. But he didn't know that Race would react the way he did.
"Nothin'! I'm fine!" He snapped, pushing Romeo back just a little bit, not to hurt him, but to make him walk with the others so he could get a little time to himself.
Romeo froze. Sure, Race had been known for loosing his temper from time to time. But he never exploded at Romeo. Never. So he waited for Jack and the rest of them to catch up with him before looking at Jack with confused eyes.
Jack wished he had the answers right then for his boys. It was true that Race got angry from time to time but he never snapped at the younger kids. Him and Albert were known to fight but at the end of the day they'd be the best of friends again. This was different. Something was wrong. And Jack was gonna find out what it was.
"Romeo, Specs is gonna walk ya ta school today, alright?" Jack instructed, giving the boys shoulder a squeeze. The small boy wordlessly nodded his head and walked over to Specs as they reached the entrance of their school. The two ran off to the middle school and Davey was seen rounding the corner to join them. Then Jack looked around and saw Race sitting alone again, just inside the building. All Jack could do was sigh as he watched the kid. He just wanted to know what was going on in that head of his.
He studied the boy as they waited for the bell. Race never caught him looking at him or even really cared but Jack noticed just about everything that happened in that ten minutes. Every time someone would brush past Race's legs, his eyes got a bit wider and he adjusted his position. His phone would go off every few minutes and he'd respond in a rush, always replying within the same minute. He rubbed at his eyes, like he'd gotten no sleep last night and he hunched over every few minutes as if he was about to be sick.
When the bell finally rang, Jack found himself muttering to no one. "What the hell happened to you kid?"
What's up with Race today? Man. Anyways, make sure to tell me anything. I love reading reviews, requests and any questions you guys might have for me.
Also! I've been getting a lot of Jatherine requests. I will tell you guys now, I'm not a huge fan of OC's so I won't really write those things and Romance is a harder thing for me to write but if you guys liked my first one, please make sure to go review it and give me any other ideas you guys might have for those types of stories. I am open to writing romance if that's what you guys want. I love your guys requests and I always try to carry them out when it's possible. Thank you!
As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to tell me what you liked, what you didn't, what you'd change or what you'd improve by leaving me a review!