Disclaimer: Not mine, except for Sam, all Disney's. This is just a short little foofy fic that popped into my head a couple of nights ago, and I decided to write down. :) I hope you guys like it, and don't worry--I'll have the sequel to Broken out as soon as I can get it written! Anyway, I hope this isn't TO bad, so with out further ado...
At The Beginning
"Do I HAVE to go?" Nine year old Jamie Waite whined from the backseat of his family's car on the first day of school. He crossed his arms over his chest and sticking out his lower lip in the 'puppy dog look' that always got him his way with his mother. However, this time it wasn't his mother he was appealing to, and the patented puppy dog look didn't work on his father.
"Yes, you HAVE to go." Sam Waite informed his son, looking at the pouting dark haired boy in the backseat, his wild black hair standing on end as usual. Jamie's mother, Genevieve, was forever cursing the boy's unruly locks and attempting to make them lay flat on his head. No matter what she tried, from hair spray to something that looked suspiciously like pig fat, she had never been able to make the boy's hair behave the way she wanted it to. Sam, after having to find the horror-stuck Jamie for the third time that morning, had finally managed to talk his wife into simply letting his hair stay spiky.
"Why?" Jamie asked his father, impressing his father. Sam wondered how Jamie managed to talk around his bottom lip, but kept his question to himself, smiling in the rearview mirror at the boy.
"Because, for every kid that parents make go to school, they get a hundred dollars a week." Sam teased his son, watching Jamie's expression go from upset to incredulous and then to annoyed.
"Well, why do I have to go? Why can't you make Jazz or Crimson go?" Jamie demanded, and Sam grinned.
"Because, we'd only get seventy five dollars for them." Sam chuckled, and his son joined in for a minute.
"I'd think they'd pay you to keep them to at home." Jamie mused out loud over his six- and four-year- old sisters.
"Right." Sam chuckled. "And it won't be that bad--all your friends are at school. Isn't Jade there?"
"I would rather see Jade at HOME." Jamie complained, thinking about his best friend.
"Well, to bad." Sam laughed at the little boy, as he pulled up in front of Kingsport Elementary. "We're here."
"You now, you don't HAVE to drop me off. You can take me to work with you--I'm good with cars!" Jamie begged, making his father laugh.
"Yes, that is true--but I think you'd better go to school. Your mother would kill me if I let you skip." Sam mused, shuddering at the mental image of a extremely angry Genevieve Waite.
"She wouldn't have to know!" Jamie hinted, flashing his mother's million watt smile at his father. Sam almost thought about it for a half a second, before shaking his head, and putting the car into park. Jamie had inherited his mother's persuasive nature, along with her beautiful smile and melting dark eyes, Sam thought to himself eyeing the little boy in the mirror.
"Nope, sorry son." The dark haired man told his son, and Jamie groaned, crossing his arms over his chest.
"No fair."
"Get out of the car Jamie."
"Aww, Daddy..."
"Have a good day." Sam laughed as the little boy unsnapped his seat belt, and grabbed his brown paper bag that contained his lunch, before sliding out of the car door and closing it with a thud. "And no fighting!"
"Bye Daddy." Jamie said, wiggling his fingers at his father, before turning around and glaring at the school building.
Jamie hated school. It wasn't that it was REALLY hard--he could do the work when he put his mind to it. It was just that it took up so much time, time that he COULD be using to play outside with his sisters and his best friend Jade, or to draw, or help his dad with the broken down cars he was forever dragging home. But no, he had to sit through class ever day, with a teacher that would eventually wind up hating him, no matter what he did, with people that were all younger then him.
He grimaced at the ground, scuffing his toe against the concrete walkway, listening to the other kids playing around the back of the building on the playground. It wasn't HIS fault that all the kids were younger then him--he was actually suppose to be in fourth grade, not third. But he had moved from Toronto when he was in Kindergarten, and the people at the school had said he would have to go through it again here in Kingsport. Thankfully, he had meet Jade the second day he was here, a little girl who had been held back because she couldn't speak English as well as she should be able to. She was his age, and they had been best friends ever since.
Jamie heaved a sigh, and set out for the other side of the building, shuffling his feet as he went. It wouldn't be so bad this year, maybe--at least Jade was in his class.
The boy had just made it around the building when he heard a shriek. Yanking his head up, he caught sight of a tiny girl in a dark blue dress with dark black pigtails and pale skin cringing back against a wall, trying to get away from a much taller boy who grabbing at her lunch bag, which was black with silver whirls around it.
The girl he didn't really know--he'd seen her around school once or twice at the end of last year, with a pretty blonde haired girl. But she was in a grade ahead of him, so he had never really made it a point to find out her name.
However, the boy he knew VERY well--Matt Laxton, school bully and generally just not a very nice guy. He was 'famous' around school for picking on the kids younger and smaller then he was. Jamie had gotten into three fights with him last year over Jade--she was little, littler even then the dark haired girl that Laxton was currently picking on.
Jamie's father had once told him that the duty of those that were strong was to protect the weak. That had made sense to Jamie, and those words had been imprinted in his mind ever since.
"HEY! Why don't you leave her alone!?" Jamie yelled at Matt, putting down his lunch and stomping up to the older boy. Matt turned away from tormenting the little girl and looked over his shoulder at Jamie. The black haired boy pulled himself up, and looked the other boy in the eye, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Why don't you make me?" Matt challenged, and Jamie flashed his mother's smile before knotting his fists and shoving it in Matt's face.
"With pleasure."
@-}--}---
The ensuing fight, of course, led to both detention, and his mother being called. Needless to say, Genevieve was NOT thrilled with her son's antics, and Jamie just knew that he was gonna get it when he got home. Hopefully, his mother would punish him before his father caught wind of it--Sam Waite did not agree with violence of any sort.
Jamie sighed, making his way out of the school building after he had served his time. "Another day, another detention." He groused to himself, hoping down the steps of the building. He had just turned in the direction of his house, when a female voice stopped him.
"Hey, wait a minute!"
Jamie blinked, and turned around, and came face to face with the pretty little dark haired girl that Matt had been bothering. Up close, Jamie realized, she was VERY pretty, with wide hazel eyes, a gently curving mouth and pale skin. He crossed his arms over his chest and lifted an eyebrow, waiting for her to speak.
"Umm...I wanted to say...umm...thanks." The little girl said, pushing a lock of hair out of her face nervously. "You didn't have to do that..."
"I don't like Matt anyway." Jamie brushed of her gratitude, shrugging his shoulders, and turned back home.
"You KNOW, when people say thank you, it's considered polite to say 'your welcome'." The girl informed him, suddenly falling into step beside him. Jamie looked at her out of the corner of his eye, confused.
"I know that." He told her, shaking his head.
"Well?" She demanded, darting in front of him and stopping, not letting him pass. Jamie stared at her, not sure if he should laugh or be annoyed.
"What's your name?" Jamie asked, obviously surprising her. She recovered quickly, and she looked at him in surprise.
"Catie Roth. You don't even know what my name is?"
"Catie? Okay. No, I don't know what your name is--should I?" Jamie finally managed to get around her, and started walking again, wondering how many years he was going to be grounded for.
"Wait a minute!" Catie called after him, running until she was in front of him again. "You don't even know what my name is, and you got into a fight to protect me? Are you crazy or do you just LIKE to get into trouble?"
"Umm...Mere says I'm crazy." Jamie told her, hoping that would get her off his back. However, she didn't move, and Jamie sighed, figuring out that she wasn't done yet.
"Mere? Whose that? Your sister?" Catie asked, knitting her eyebrows together.
"My mother." Jamie told her, giving her his patented 'you're such a moron' look.
"Well why do you call her Mere? Why don't you call her mom or momma or mommy or something?" Catie demanded, and the little boy glared at the little girl, hoping that would scare her away.
"Because that's what I've always called her. Why do YOU call YOUR mother whatever you call her?" Jamie asked, starting to get annoyed with the girl's constant questions. "Do you want something or something?"
"No--I just wanted to know why you saved me from Matt. Especially since your so much younger then he is!" Catie declared, and Jamie huffed.
"I AM NOT younger then he is. I'm the same age as you, ya know." Jamie informed her, pushing past the dark haired girl and heading for home.
"Then why are you only in THIRD grade?" Catie demanded, still chasing after him, her much shorter legs making it difficult to keep up with him.
"Because the stupid people in the school thought I should go through Kindergarten again, cause I went when I lived in Canada." Jamie told her over his shoulder, still heading for home.
"Oh...you lived in Canada? COOL!" Catie called, finally catching up to him and walking beside him.
"Why are you following me?" Jamie demanded, stopping and looking at her. Catie turned to look at him, flashing his a pretty smile that made his stomach flip over in the oddest way.
"Cause--I wanna know what YOUR name is. You know mine, but you haven't told me what yours is yet." Catie informed him, crossing her arms over her chest and lifting an eyebrow.
"Oh. Jamie. Jamie Waite." Jamie introduced himself, and Catie smiled again.
"Cool. Well, that's all I wanted to know, so I should probably go home." Catie decided, turning in the opposite direction then Jamie was going and walking away.
"Oh. Okay." The young boy said, slightly confused and a little let down. He was actually starting to enjoy talking to the girl.
Catie suddenly stopped, and turned around and waved. "See you tomorrow!"
Jamie blinked and waved back. He turned to go, but then remembered something. Turning BACK around, he cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled "Catie!". When she turned around, he grinned and said "Your welcome."
Catie smiled as well, waving once more, before turning and running off toward her house. Jamie turned his feet in the direction of his house as well, a slow smile pulling at his lips. Something told him that Catie Roth was going to play a big part in his life, from now on.