A/N: I'm not sure where I got this idea. Blame the voices that talk to me. *looks back and forth, laughing maniacally* Unlike most ppl, I got three! Heh heh, gets crowded sometimes.... *blinks, sighs, and wonders off*
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Have you ever been so weary, so tired, that you just want to collapse? Have you ever felt that mind couldn't handle anything more to go wrong? I do. Every day. You try living with four wild teenagers who would rather do nothing more than create havoc. It gets to a person sometimes.
But it wasn't just that. We were getting short on cash, badly. We were basically living on whatever Tabby and Todd stole, and that wasn't much. It seemed that we'd no sooner get hundred bucks before it was gone. That's why today was my last day at school.
I walked into the office, and sat down to wait for the principal do get done with whatever he was doing. The secretary kept glancing at me, why I did not know. Nor did I care. I leaned back against the wall, and closed my eyes for a few seconds. I hadn't told anyone that I was doing this. I didn't need the others opinions, nor did I want them. I heard a door opening, and opened my eyes. The principal motioned for me to come inside his office. I did.
"I have already did the paperwork, you just need to sign at the bottom." Principal Kelly said when I sat down across from his desk. I leaned over, took the pen he offered, and signed my name. "If you should ever like to return, you may ask the school board to let you back in."
"I don't think that's going to happen." I said, sighing. "Is there anything else?"
"Have you cleaned out your locker?" He asked.
"No, not yet."
"Then do so. Other than that, no, there is nothing else." He stood up, and held out his hand. I shook it, then left.
As I went to my locker, the bell rang. I expected to see Todd or Freddy (Pietro and Tabby had skipped, since it was a Friday), but they weren't in sight. I was glad of that. I really didn't feeling like explaining anything right now. As I messed with the combination, I heard a voice behind me that made me stiffen. I turned around and saw Kitty with some of her friends. I quickly turned back to my locker and opened it. I began stuffing junk into my book bag, stacking the books beside it. I felt somebody tap me on the shoulder. I knew who it was.
"Lance, what are you doing?" She asked me. I shut my locker and turned to her.
"I'm gone Kitty." I told her, picking up my book bag and books. I walked away from her, stopped at the office to drop off my books, and left the school.
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I didn't tell anyone what I had done until Sunday night. They said nothing, just looked at each other. Then I told them some things were going to change around here. At that they complained, but I didn't move an inch.
"Now listen up!" I yelled at them, to shut them up. I continued in a quieter, but not less forceful tone. "From now on, everyone goes to school everyday, unless there is a good reason not too, and no, the X-Freaks don't count. Ya'll will do your homework, and if you're stuck, ask me or Pietro, got it? There will be no extra spending money on things that we don't need, and that includes movies, clothes, and music. I don't give a damn what you do on the weekends, but none of you, I repeat, none of you will do any drugs of any sort, or I will stomp a mudhole in your ass and walk it dry, is this and everything else understood?"
A few muttered "yeah's" came from them. "I know ya don't like this, and probably hate me, but I don't care. If ya haven't noticed, we're starving to death among other things, and if I don't do something about it, no one will. Mystique and Magneto have abandoned us, and I don't know if they're ever coming back. So we are going to the best we can, and that means following the rules. Please guys, I can't do this alone."
"We're with ya Rocky." Tabby said. I nodded and started up the stairs.
"I'm going to bed. I suggest you do the same. Ya'll got school tomorrow."
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I got up at six the next morning, because although I didn't need to be at work until eight, I didn't feel like fighting with the others over the use of the bathroom. After my shower I went downstairs, made some coffee, and started adding up the bills. At seven I got the others up and went back downstairs. Pietro was the first one done, as usual, and came downstairs for breakfast.
"How bad is it?" He asked, truly sincere.
"Bad. Very bad. This week's paycheck is going directly to the electric and water bills, with not a cent left over. Whatever food we have left has got to last us at least two weeks." I told him.
"Todd can steal some more money." Pietro suggested, fixing himself a bowl of cereal.
"I don't want any of you guys stealing, got it? I don't care how bad it looks or actually is, no stealing."
"If you say so. I can drop out of school too and he--" I cut him off.
"No. All of you are going to finish school if it's the last thing I do. You're not old enough to drop out without a guardian's signature, and I'm not signing anything."
"An after school job?" He asked me. The others wondered in right about then.
"Look, I can handle this, you guys don't worry about it, okay? Just leave it to me, and fix everything, alright?" Pietro nodded, since he was the only one paying any attention to me. I glance at the clock. Seven-fifteen. "Hurry up, I'll drop ya'll off at school since it's on my way to work."
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I pulled into the school, and parked for a few minutes in my old parking space. The others climbed out and left without a word. I started to leave when a voice called out to me. Summers, the idiot.
"Hey Alvers, you skippin' again?" He said, all snotty.
"Drop dead, Summers. I gotta get to work." I pulled out and left him standing there, confused. Like hell I was going to explain myself to him or any of the other X-Freaks. My life wasn't any of their business.
I had gotten a job as a construction worker over in the city. The city was growing bigger everyday, so I would have a job for a little while at least. It didn't pay jack shit, but it was the best I could get on short notice. I didn't care what I was doing, as long as I had some money coming in to pay for things. That was all that mattered.
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Have you ever been so weary, so tired, that you just want to collapse? Have you ever felt that mind couldn't handle anything more to go wrong? I do. Every day. You try living with four wild teenagers who would rather do nothing more than create havoc. It gets to a person sometimes.
But it wasn't just that. We were getting short on cash, badly. We were basically living on whatever Tabby and Todd stole, and that wasn't much. It seemed that we'd no sooner get hundred bucks before it was gone. That's why today was my last day at school.
I walked into the office, and sat down to wait for the principal do get done with whatever he was doing. The secretary kept glancing at me, why I did not know. Nor did I care. I leaned back against the wall, and closed my eyes for a few seconds. I hadn't told anyone that I was doing this. I didn't need the others opinions, nor did I want them. I heard a door opening, and opened my eyes. The principal motioned for me to come inside his office. I did.
"I have already did the paperwork, you just need to sign at the bottom." Principal Kelly said when I sat down across from his desk. I leaned over, took the pen he offered, and signed my name. "If you should ever like to return, you may ask the school board to let you back in."
"I don't think that's going to happen." I said, sighing. "Is there anything else?"
"Have you cleaned out your locker?" He asked.
"No, not yet."
"Then do so. Other than that, no, there is nothing else." He stood up, and held out his hand. I shook it, then left.
As I went to my locker, the bell rang. I expected to see Todd or Freddy (Pietro and Tabby had skipped, since it was a Friday), but they weren't in sight. I was glad of that. I really didn't feeling like explaining anything right now. As I messed with the combination, I heard a voice behind me that made me stiffen. I turned around and saw Kitty with some of her friends. I quickly turned back to my locker and opened it. I began stuffing junk into my book bag, stacking the books beside it. I felt somebody tap me on the shoulder. I knew who it was.
"Lance, what are you doing?" She asked me. I shut my locker and turned to her.
"I'm gone Kitty." I told her, picking up my book bag and books. I walked away from her, stopped at the office to drop off my books, and left the school.
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I didn't tell anyone what I had done until Sunday night. They said nothing, just looked at each other. Then I told them some things were going to change around here. At that they complained, but I didn't move an inch.
"Now listen up!" I yelled at them, to shut them up. I continued in a quieter, but not less forceful tone. "From now on, everyone goes to school everyday, unless there is a good reason not too, and no, the X-Freaks don't count. Ya'll will do your homework, and if you're stuck, ask me or Pietro, got it? There will be no extra spending money on things that we don't need, and that includes movies, clothes, and music. I don't give a damn what you do on the weekends, but none of you, I repeat, none of you will do any drugs of any sort, or I will stomp a mudhole in your ass and walk it dry, is this and everything else understood?"
A few muttered "yeah's" came from them. "I know ya don't like this, and probably hate me, but I don't care. If ya haven't noticed, we're starving to death among other things, and if I don't do something about it, no one will. Mystique and Magneto have abandoned us, and I don't know if they're ever coming back. So we are going to the best we can, and that means following the rules. Please guys, I can't do this alone."
"We're with ya Rocky." Tabby said. I nodded and started up the stairs.
"I'm going to bed. I suggest you do the same. Ya'll got school tomorrow."
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I got up at six the next morning, because although I didn't need to be at work until eight, I didn't feel like fighting with the others over the use of the bathroom. After my shower I went downstairs, made some coffee, and started adding up the bills. At seven I got the others up and went back downstairs. Pietro was the first one done, as usual, and came downstairs for breakfast.
"How bad is it?" He asked, truly sincere.
"Bad. Very bad. This week's paycheck is going directly to the electric and water bills, with not a cent left over. Whatever food we have left has got to last us at least two weeks." I told him.
"Todd can steal some more money." Pietro suggested, fixing himself a bowl of cereal.
"I don't want any of you guys stealing, got it? I don't care how bad it looks or actually is, no stealing."
"If you say so. I can drop out of school too and he--" I cut him off.
"No. All of you are going to finish school if it's the last thing I do. You're not old enough to drop out without a guardian's signature, and I'm not signing anything."
"An after school job?" He asked me. The others wondered in right about then.
"Look, I can handle this, you guys don't worry about it, okay? Just leave it to me, and fix everything, alright?" Pietro nodded, since he was the only one paying any attention to me. I glance at the clock. Seven-fifteen. "Hurry up, I'll drop ya'll off at school since it's on my way to work."
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I pulled into the school, and parked for a few minutes in my old parking space. The others climbed out and left without a word. I started to leave when a voice called out to me. Summers, the idiot.
"Hey Alvers, you skippin' again?" He said, all snotty.
"Drop dead, Summers. I gotta get to work." I pulled out and left him standing there, confused. Like hell I was going to explain myself to him or any of the other X-Freaks. My life wasn't any of their business.
I had gotten a job as a construction worker over in the city. The city was growing bigger everyday, so I would have a job for a little while at least. It didn't pay jack shit, but it was the best I could get on short notice. I didn't care what I was doing, as long as I had some money coming in to pay for things. That was all that mattered.