*NOTE: This is the first chapter of my new saga "A New Life ". The characters are from my recent saga "Meant To Be" which was directly about Lilly and Oliver and friends. This one is about their children. So if you haven't read that saga you may not know where these characters are coming from. So you might want to read it, or at least "Meant to Be Parts 5-9", those are the parts they come into existence and are involved in. This story takes place 5 years before the end of "Meant To Be"
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A New Life
-Chapter 1: The Calm Before a Storm-
Jimmy Oken tasted blood between his teeth as the second blow from a fist made contact with his cheek and his gums split open. It had taken all of his self control to keep his fist off of Andy Corelli's jaw. But that was no longer an option. Jimmy unleashed his anger with a right hook that sent Andy dazedly into a trash can that fell over from the impact.
Jimmy was not the favorite to win this fight. He wasn't the thinnest person around, he was slightly chubby but not even close to being overweight. He was very athletic, so it was lucky for him in this instance that it had made him slightly above average in muscular strength.
Andy on the other hand was very much overweight. He was at least forty pounds heavier than Jimmy. It was anyone's guess as to how strong he was. But thing that made him a little less imposing and slightly larger in appearance was the fact that he was a good two inches shorter than Jimmy. Andy's size was what made him the favorite in this confrontation.
Jimmy saw how dazed Andy was and figured he had had enough, and was going to back off. But he was wrong. As soon as he turned his back to walk off Andy lunged at him and grabbed him from behind and tried to wrestle him down. During the struggle Andy would not let go of Jimmy's midsection at all. At one point Jimmy's shirt pulled up a little exposing his slightly stocky stomach.
At that point Jimmy had had enough and rammed his elbow into Andy's more than ample gut, causing him to lose his hold on him. Then Jimmy decided he wanted to put an end to it. He drew back his fist and punched Andy in the face with as much force as he could. Andy looked dazed and defeated. But as some blood began to show over his lips a smirk formed on his face. This meant Jimmy could not walk away. He struck him again with as much might as he could muster. Andy dropped like as led weight in water.
Jimmy did not crack a smile. For even though he had won and Andy wouldn't cross him again in the near future, it didn't feel that good to him. He had been brought up to believe that this kind of violence was not acceptable. Although he was not always able to restrain his anger.
"Jimmy, what happened? I heard you got into a fight with Andy. Oh, I see you won." Sam, Jimmy's best guy friend, said, out of breath from running to the scene of the fight. "Jimmy what is wrong with you? You have to learn to walk away! You're better than this Jimmy! You're way better than this!" Alice, his other best friend, said in a highly aggravated voice.
"It's his fault he wanted to ch…" Jimmy started to say before he was cut off. "OKEN!! MY OFFICE, NOW!" Principal Kunkle bellowed at the top of her lungs. He walked down the halls of Sea View Middle school seeing some of the less mature guys and his friends giving his looks of approval and the girls looking at him with disgust, except for all the girls that disliked Andy Corelli.
"I've sent for your mother to leave her class and come down here immediately. But I think we'll get started without her shall we?" Ms. Kunkle said in a grizzly voice. "I'd rather not." Jimmy replied in a witty manner. "Don't try my patients Oken! You're just as smart mouthed as you father was when he went here. Except he wasn't nearly as quick witted as you." She said to him. He looked at her with an insulted expression on his face.
"You're definitely another Oken from that mop-top neck-length hair, and that pointed chin, down to that annoying little trio you have going with your two best friends. You make me sick!" she spouted at him. "Only difference is you're a chubby little, smart mouthed, hot headed, little pain. Your father was a scrawny little mouse of a kid. And a moron to boot. Oh and those green eyes and the scarecrow nose! I could never get passed any of that!?" Ms. Kunkle said, verbally thrashing him. She looked straight into his piercing blue eyes trying to psych him out. His nose was smaller than his fathers.
Jimmy jumped out of his chair. "Don't talk about my dad like that! He never did anything to you! That's not even true! And I'm not that chubby! What's wrong with you!" he shouted, enraged. Just then his mother, Lilly Oken, came into the office. He sat down, his face immediately shifting from anger to shame.
"This is the third time I've been called down here because you've been in a fight! Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to be called out of class three different times because your son can't control himself and got into some kind of junk yard dog brawl? Of course you don't. You never think about it! You are way more mature than this! You know better. I know we didn't raise you like this! WHAT were you thinking Jimmy?" Lilly scolded him.
"Andy keeps picking these fights with me! He just won't let up!" Jimmy started to say. "NO! I don't want to hear that. Don't pin the blame on somebody else. You could have walked away from it and then Andy would be the one in trouble, not you!" Lilly cut him off furiously. "I'm sorry, I…" Jimmy started. "Oh, don't start… don't start with sorry, we're way past sorry!" Lilly snapped.
Just then Andy was hauled in by Jimmy's favorite teacher, Mrs. Evans, who looked very disappointed in him. He looked at Andy. He had a nasty looking bruise next to his left eye where Jimmy's final blow had landed and a couple of stitches on his upper lip where one of the other punches must have split his lip.
"Where'd you learn how to fight like that Oken?", where Andy's first words before being instructed to sit down. "I get good practice on you Corelli!" Jimmy retorted. "SILENCE both of you!" Ms. Kunkle shouted.
Just then Mrs. Evans spoke up. "Jimmy what has gotten into you lately? You're usually such a sweet and well behaved boy." She said to him, softly. "What has that got to do with anything Evans?" interjected Ms. Kunkle. "It's just that Jimmy is so smart! He's usually so well mannered and behaves so well. I only see him get aggravated on rare occasions. I don't expect this out of him. He's the best student in his grade by far. He has the best grades out of anybody in his grade. He's in the accelerated learning program for all of his classes." Mrs. Evans replied.
"That's fine. But you may leave Mrs. Evans." Ms. Kunkle said, with a look of hatred on her face. "I want to know why this happened and I want to know right now!" she said to the two of them. "Well Jimmy was being a…" Andy started to say. "Corelli, I'm going to have to stop you. Unfortunately there were about thirty witnesses that all say you started the fight. So, Oken let's hear what you've got to say for yourself." Ms. Kunkle said.
"We were taking a test in science class. Andy sat next to me. I didn't think anything of it until I had finished three or four of the questions. Then I noticed that he was looking at my e-testing pad. I realized he was copying my answers. So I would go to answer a question and select the wrong answer, but wait to submit it until he was looking at his own test and copying the answer. Then I would change mine to the right answer and submit it." Jimmy explained, cleverly.
"I see, and that is why you received a perfect score? From hard work and studying, Oken. And you received a twenty-three percent, Corelli. Because you where slacking off and got caught cheating off of Okens' test?" "Uh, yeah, sure." Andy said hazily. "So you thought that was a good reason to start yet another fight with Oken? Which, he should not have responded to!" Ms. Kunkle asked. "Yeah." Andy said lazily.
" 'Yeah'? Well then Corelli, based on the fact that you had to cheat on that test I am going to have to ask your science teacher to re-evaluate your placement in that accelerated class, which you clearly don't belong in, and as much as it pains me to say it, Oken does. It is by point of fact the only accelerated learning class you managed to get yourself into. I wonder how you managed to swing that one. The grades in all you other classes are just as mediocre Corelli." Ms. Kunkle said. Andy looked a little bothered by what had just been said to him, but not really.
"You're both suspended for a week. Don't let me see you in here again!" Ms. Kunkle said. Andy got up and headed for the door. "You'll pay for this Oken, I needed that science class." He said pointing his stubby finger at Jimmy.
"I don't think so Corelli. I've told the security guards that if they see either one of you anywhere near each other, to send you to me with an automatic two weeks of suspension. Now go. Both of you. The sight of you makes me want to rip my own hair out." Ms. Kunkle said with a disgusted look on her face.
They started to leave. As they entered the hall Lilly grabbed her sons shoulder. "I am so mad at you right now. But I don't have time to talk. You're father and I will have a nice little talk with you when I get home. Now you got straight home, and don't go anywhere near Andy on the way." Lilly instructed him. "Yes, mom." He replied, obediently.
She walked down the hallway and rounded a corner out of sight. Jimmy turned around and began walking towards the exit. He kicked a locker out of frustration. Then he left the building and jogged home.
In the evening his mother and his father Oliver arrived home. His father looked livid. "You seriously got into another fight? What is wrong with you? I never did anything like that and neither should you!" Oliver shouted.
"Oh snap! Jimmy's in trouuuble!" Rose, his ten year old sister, said. His eight year old brother Michael giggled. "You two go up to your rooms until I'm finished talking to you brother!" Oliver told them.
He turned and faced Jimmy. "How did it go? You won right?" Oliver whispered. "Uh, yeah." Jimmy responded quietly, a little confused. He had won this fight and the last one. The first one had been broken up by a teacher and a security guard. "Excuse me!" Lilly said. "…Not that it matters or anything." Oliver added, trying save himself.
"Now go up to your room and do your homework. You're grounded for a month." Oliver told him. Lilly nodded at him in approval.
Jimmy headed up to his room. He was holding in so much stress that he could barely sit still. It was almost painful. He had already finished all of his homework and he had gone over it four more times with all the time that he had from not being at school. "Forget this!" Jimmy said, to himself, shaking his head.
He opened his window and climbed out onto a pipe on the wall and slid down to the ground. It was only five o'clock but it was already getting dark out, like it was about to rain. But he didn't care. He had to get out. He needed to relieve the stress that he had been bottling up since the end of the fight.
He ran down to the beach and just started running. Why? He didn't know. It was just instinct. The more he ran, the more his anger and stress just melted away. Why he had never thought of this before he didn't know. Without even knowing it food had been replaced as his stress reliever. He would now just go out and run and get a workout. It had been a subconscious decision, but it would stick with him.
As he continued to run the sky was darkening with rain clouds. It had become cold, dark, and windy. But Jimmy didn't care. He had to keep going. It was just that simple. It was very difficult for him to run on the beach. Not only because it would be difficult for anyone but because he was only twelve years old and wasn't that tall because of his age so running on the beach was difficult due to the fact that he didn't have long legs. But that seemed to be the point.
As the run continued he began to think of Andy Corelli's smirking face. This caused the anger to build up within him once again. He stopped and walked down to the water. He was holding in so much anger that he couldn't stand it for another second. But he stopped and stood there for a minute, still and silent. There was no sound around him except the sound of the wind and the crashing of the waves. It was quite peaceful. It was like the calm before a storm. He screamed at the top of his lungs and kicked his foot into the sand at the edge of the tide, causing a sandy splash of water.
He began running again. It had started to rain lightly. So the rain was blowing against his backside, causing him to become cold and damp. But he just kept running. He had to get it all out.
The beach was deserted due to the cold and stormy weather. So when he came upon a vacant lifeguard stand he stopped running. He climbed up and swung down over the side holding onto the armrest about four feet above the ground for him. He began doing pull-ups on the side of the chair. He continued to do so until it hurt too much to keep going. So then he dropped down. He continued to run down the beach. It was still cold and rainy but he wasn't quite satisfied that he could go home and not feel too much inner anger.
He ran hard for the next half an hour. Then he began to feel exhaustion catching up with him. He stopped running at the edge of the water. He was sweaty and his face was hot. So he plunged himself into the water, fully clothed, and cooled himself off.
He walked home and came up the front door because he noticed the light in his room was on which meant his absence had not gone unnoticed. He stood there soaked with his hair matted down his face and part of the way down his neck.
His mother opened the door. "Where have you been? You know what I don't care. I'm gonna get you a towel, then you go straight up to your room." Lilly said. He dried himself off and then hobbled up to his room. He changed into his pajamas and then collapsed on his bed. He fell asleep immediately.
The next day was Saturday. Jimmy awoke refreshed and level headed. He walked downstairs for breakfast. He woke up a little later than everyone else because had been so tired from the ordeal at school and the run he had taken on the beach. His mother looked at him. "You know your hair has gotten a just little too long. It's time for a haircut. Bring it back to jaw length, instead of neck length." Lilly said to him. "And since you won't be going anywhere or seeing your friends, since you're grounded, today is the perfect day to do it. You're dad can take you a little later." She continued.
"You know what. I think you need a little more independence. Maybe if we trust you to do a few things on your own, we can also trust you to be a little more mature at school. What do you say?" Oliver said to him. "What did you have in mind?" Lilly asked. "I think he can go get his hair cut on his own. The lady there knows how he gets it done. So I'll just give him some money and he can go down there himself." Oliver said. "Ok. We'll see how that goes." she said. She kissed Oliver on the lips. "Please mom we're eating here!" Jimmy said.
So later that day Jimmy walked out of the house with the money his father had given him and went down to the place he always got his hair cuts at near the pier. When he got out he felt the cool breeze on his head.
He walked down the pier where he saw a sight that made him run towards it. It was his sister Rose. She was in trouble. "Rose what's going on?" he asked. She was on the ground sitting up against a post crying. "What's wrong? What happened? Are you alright Rose?" he begged her. "I fell off my bike and broke my leg!" she cried. She grabbed his hand and squeezed.
"All right here's what we're gonna do. Put your arm around the back of my neck and hold onto my other shoulder and I'll lift you up and support you." Jimmy said. He turned around with his back to her and she did what he asked. Then he stood up and supported her as they walked to the end of the pier. Rose walking on her one good leg. "Alex went to get help but that was like twenty minutes ago. He must have gotten lost." Rose told him. Alex was her best friend.
"Don't worry. I've got you little sis." Jimmy said. She smiled through the pain. They reached the end of the pier. Jimmy saw a vendor. "Hey can I use your phone?" he asked the man. "Sure kid." The man said handing him a phone.
A minute later he hung up. "Ok Rose there's an ambulance on the way. Let's just sit on this bench till it gets here." Jimmy told her. They sat down and started to talk. "So did you really get into another fight at school yesterday?" Rose asked. "Yeah, I did. It was bad!" Jimmy replied. "Who won?" she asked. "You're big bro!" Jimmy said with a smile. "Not that I'm proud of it, fighting isn't something to be proud of!" he told her.
The ambulance came and one of the EMTs helped Rose onto the bed in the back. Jimmy sat down in the seat across from the bed and rode to the hospital with her. As they rode Rose looked up at him. "Your hair Jimmy!" she exclaimed. "What about it?" he asked. "I like it!" she told him. "Thanks, I like it too." He said with a light smile.
Later that day when they got home Jimmy helped his sister into the house. "What happened?" their mother asked. "She fell of her bike and broke her leg. The doctor says she needs to rest for the day and stay off her feet." He said as he helped her to the couch. "Jimmy thanks for helping me and coming with me." Rose said. "Hey, that's what big brothers are for!" he replied with a smile. She hugged him happily.
"Umm, Jimmy what happened with your hair?" Lilly asked him with a look of shock on her face. "Yeah, you like it?" Jimmy asked smiling. "Yeah, I do, I think it's a nice change. But what's your dad going to say?" Lilly asked her son.
"What am I going to say about… oh my goodness! James Oliver Oken what have you done to your hair?!?" Oliver demanded of his son. He looked at his son with a dazed look staring at the hair that had once reached half way down his neck the way his had been as a teenager. But now Jimmy's hair was incredibly short. It was just long enough that his scalp was not visible, and it stood on end. "Ooo Jimmy you have ears!" Rose said genially. "And a forehead and cheek bones and a neck!" she joked further.
"That's not funny Rose!" Oliver snapped. "What's wrong? I like it!" Lilly said. "Yeah… Yeah… I guess I do too. It's just you've had your hair like that since you where two. I thought you liked it…" Oliver muttered, still a little astonished. "I do like it dad. I mean I did. But you said it was time for me to start growing up. And I'll be a teenager pretty soon. So I thought I'd go for a new look. Plus, Michael still has that long hair. He'll probably keep it like that longer than I did." Jimmy said.
Just then Michael bounded in through the door with his best friends Susan and Robbie Rod Stewart, who where cousins. "Wow! Jimmy you're hair! Dad's gonna freak!" Michael said, running his hand over Jimmy's hair. Michael had the same haircut as Jimmy had had a few hours ago. "He's right there Michael. And he's still in the middle of freaking." Jimmy said looking at his brother funny.
"No I'm ok. I'll just have to get used to this. And you're right Jimmy; I did say you needed to grow up. I guess part of that is deciding on your own what you want your hair to look like." Oliver said, walking into the kitchen for a glass of water.
A week later when his suspension was over Jimmy went to school; he had decided he would turn over a new leaf. This new, short haired Jimmy wasn't the type to spring into fights. He decided to be cooler and more level headed. As for Andy Corelli, he stayed away from Jimmy for two reasons. First, he was a little afraid because Jimmy had just defeated him fairly easily in a fight. And because he was going to get suspended if he came near him again.
Jimmy had vowed to be more cool headed and less reactionary. But who knew what the future held for him. Trouble might find him again someday. It was his job to make sure it didn't.
Notes to the readers:
*Reviews are much appreciated!!
**I hope you enjoyed this first chapter of my new saga. There is definitely more to come.
***Again, it might help understanding where the main characters came from if you have read "Meant to Be parts 5-9 or 8-9" or something. Although they are pretty much their own characters, so it might not be that hard to read without knowing where they came from.
**** Just to clear things up at this point the ages of the characters are as follows. Lilly and Oliver, and Miley and Jackson are in their thirties. Jimmy is 12. Rose is 10. Michael and Susan (Miley's daughter), and Robbie Rod (Jackson's son) are all 8.
*****The title "A New Life" means that it is someone else's lives that are being chronicled, instead of Lilly and Oliver's lives. Specifically it is the lives of their kids and their friend's kids. But mostly their kids. At least at first. We'll see as the story develops.
****** There will be more in the near future. So I hope you will continue reading.