Disclaimer: I own nothing!
WARNING: THERE IS MENTIONS OF CHILD ABUSE AND FOUL LANGUE
Chapter One: It Was an Accident!
In a nice quiet neighborhood where every ones grass is even and the roads are clear. It was so peaceful and so quiet. No one could imagine the horror which was taking place just a few doors down.
"You smug little bastard" an angry man voice echoed.
"John please" came a pleading woman's voice.
"Dad I didn't mean to knock it over. I swear." a boy cried desperately.
Neighbors heard the yelling but they ignored it. They learned a long time ago that this was normal behavior of their neighbors the house's. They turned up their television and pretended all was right in the world. Meanwhile across the streets Gregory house had just turned ten.
What should have been a cheerful occasion turned into a nightmare. John had been just itching for a reason to punish his son. So when john saw house getting up to use the bathroom he stuck his leg out tripping him and making him knock into the table and shattering a vase. Now once again house found himself locked in the yard. He had a black eye and busted lip. He checked to see if his ribs were broken and winced bruised but not broken. House smirked
'Dad either getting soft or he has another punishment waiting till when he gets home'
House frowned.
He didn't even understand what he did this time. He saw a large rock in front of him and kicked it as hard as he could and imagined it was his father's face. He turned to go sit on the porch when he heard a crash. He turned and saw his neighbor's window shattered. He looked at the sky "You Really Hate Me Don't You!" he yelled.
** Two hours (and a lot of yelling) later **
"Mrs. Garrison please except my sincerest apology" Blithe House said.
"Please call me Melinda" the woman said.
House looked at her curiously this was the first time he had ever seen their neighbor. She had moved in a couple of months ago but she was mostly quiet and kept to herself. She was a small woman like maybe only 5-5 in height, she had long dark wavy brown hair pony tail at the nape of her neck that stopped at her lower back, had almond shaped hazel green eyes were just glowing with peace and serenity but house could see that they had many secrets hidden behind them, her nose was small and fitted perfectly with her heart shaped face. She was wearing a pink sweat shirt with a faded college logo and some tan pants. He noticed she was bare footed and had pink polish on her toes.
He looked up at her face and was surprised that she was looking at him.
"What is your name" she asked him her voice was soft and kind.
"G-Gregory" he said nervously.
The woman nodded "that's a lovely name" she said before pointing to the kitchen.
"You can go get yourself a cookie from the table and some hot chocolate." She said.
House walked in the kitchen and sat at the table he found a plate full of sugar cookies and a mug full of hot chocolate. He realized that she had probably been baking when they came over. He bit into the cookie and was shocked.
"These cookies are amazing" he said to himself.
"I'm glad you like them" Melinda said from behind him.
House jumped up from the chair.
"So your mom and me have come up with your punishment" Melinda said happily.
House winced prepared for the worse.
"For the next three months you will be coming here to help Mrs. Garrison around the house." Blithe said sternly.
House dropped his cookie in surprise. He would be doing what?!
"Mother, you can't be serious" he begged.
One look at his mother's face had him looking at his feet.
"Greg, you will help Mrs. Garrison after school every day. And since you complained you will help her for the next Six months" Blithe said.
Houses eyes widened "B-but my chores" he began thinking about his father's angry face.
"You will still do your chores when you get home." His mother said interrupting him.
"Okay" House said sadly.
Blithe nodded her head and said goodbye to Melinda. House continued to stare at the ground.
"Well I guess we should get started." said Melinda placing a hand on House's shoulder.
House nodded and waited for instructions.
"Why don't you go vacuum the living room?" Melinda suggested.
"Alright" House said not wanting to get in trouble.
His dad may have been great at being aggressive but his mom was no push over.
"Oh, and Greg" called out Melinda.
House paused.
"Happy birthday" she said.
House just continued walking.
* A few hours later*
House flopped down on the couch after finishing his last task. He had vacuumed, washed dishes, swept the porch, swept the stairs, washed clothes, folded laundry, wiped windows, and dusted. He was dead tired.
"Greg, can you come in here please?" Melinda called from the kitchen.
House forced himself to his feet and stumbled into the kitchen. What he saw shocked him to the core. There was a plate of cupcakes on the table.
"Happy birthday Greg" Melinda said.
"Why did you do this?" House asked Melinda who was smiling brightly at his confused expression
"You cleaned so well I thought deserved a reward." Melinda explained.
House continued to stand in doorway just staring blankly at the cupcakes.
Melinda got up and handed House a cup of Royal crown cola.
"Come now. Sit down. You must be tired" Melinda said guiding him into a chair.
She cut him a cup cake.
"Go ahead and dig in while I get the ice cream" Melinda said cheerfully.
House cautiously took a small bite of the cake still expecting this to be a prank. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder causing him to drop his cake making a mess on the floor. His head snapped around so fast he wouldn't be surprised if he got whiplash. Melinda was staring at the mess on the floor. House felt fear clawing at his chest. She would be mad; she was going to tell his mother, his mother was going to tell his father.
He quickly got out of his chair and began trying to clean the floor.
"I'm sorry" House said picking up the plate and trying to get the cake up.
"What are you doing" asked Melinda.
House didn't even look up from what he was doing.
"I'm sorry" he said again.
Suddenly the plate was taken from his hands.
"There is no need to apologize" Melinda said before holding out her hand to help him up.
"It was an accident right" she said kindly.
House looked up at her for the first time since the moment he dropped the plate and was surprised to see no trace of anger in her eyes. He looked at her hand and ignored it rising to his feet on his own.
He looked at his feet angry at himself for pulling such an idiot move. His view of his ugly brown sneakers was cut off by a sudden flash white. He looked up to see Melinda handing him a bowl of vanilla ice cream.
"Here you go. Now go finish your cupcakes while I clean this mess up" Melinda said giving house a small smile.
House was stunned. He sat down and began eating slowly. He looked back at Melinda but she was already gone. He went back to his dessert eating slightly faster than before.
**** LATER (BACK AT HOME) ****
House was sitting across from his father at dinner.
"Who would like to say grace?" his mother asked.
John smiled at his wife
"Why don't you say it tonight?" he said.
Blythe nodded and while she said grace house found himself observed under John's intense gaze.
'What did you do' his eyes questioned. House tried not to fidget and instead concentrated on his mother.
"Amen" they all said and began enjoying the food.
His mother had made steak and potatoes with green beans. House was waiting for his mother to tell his father about what happened, but she just continued eating her food and asking his father about his day.
Once dinner was over he thought he was in the clear and let his guard down.
"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that Gregory will be going to our neighbors house to help after school" his mother said while clearing the table.
House instantly felt his father's gaze on him. "Why, what did he do?" John asked.
"Greg dear, why don't you tell him what happened?" Blithe suggested to her son.
House looked at his mother who was looking at him waiting.
"I-I broke Ms. Garrison's window" House said quietly.
"What did you say?" his father said voice cold as ice.
"I accidently" House started but his father cut him off.
"Look at me" his father said.
House continued to look at his father's shoes.
"LOOK AT ME!" his father yelled.
House looked into his father's eyes and felt his knees begin to shake.
"There are no accidents only stupid people who make dumb decisions but are too afraid to own up to the mistakes they made."John growled.
House saw his father's eyes look at his mother's back for a second.
"Now, I will ask you one more time. What Did You Do?" John asked.
"I kicked a rock through Ms. Garrison's window…gulp…Sir," House said looking his father straight in the eye knowing what was coming next.
House lay in bed nursing his newest set of bruises. At least his mom had let him finish his dinner before telling his father about the events that took place earlier that afternoon. He sighed quietly not wanting to take a chance on waking up his father. He rolled over and stared at the clock on the wall. It was 3:00 am he really needed to get to sleep. He had school tomorrow morning and there was no way his mom would let him miss it. No matter how bruised and tired he was. House closed his eyes and tried to relax. He growled softly and pushed himself out of bed.
He limped his way to the door and opened it as quietly as he could and crept down the hall. He paused in front of his parent's bedroom to listen.
"That boy is nothing but a worthless piece of shit. Always causing problems for everyone around him" House heard his father say.
"John, please be reasonable he's only a child." His mother said.
House waited to see what his father would say.
"Enough about that piece of crap" John said and then House head shifting.
"Honey, what are you doing?" Blithe asked.
"I have been at the base all day. I'm about to make love to my wife" John said.
"John, stop" his mother said.
House then heard his mother giggle. There was some more shifting and then the sound of the bed springs squeaking followed by grunts and moans.
House shook his head in disgust and continued down the hall. At least he didn't have to worry about being caught. He limped his way into the bathroom and made his way to the medicine cabinet. He reached inside and pulled out his mother sleeping pills then closed the cabinet. He gazed at himself in the mirror. He had a black eye, a bruise on his chin, there was a little bit of blood crusted under his nose, and his hair was matted from the blood that came from a large cut on his forehead right above his left eyebrow. He looked horrible.
He poured out two pills and briefly wondered how many pills it would take to insure he'd never have to wake up again. He shook his head hard to banish the thought before it could root itself. He popped the pills in his mouth tilting his head back and swallowing them dry. He wasn't going to take a chance on his father hearing the water running. House put the pills back then quickly turned to leave and gasped in pain his arms wrapped around his bruised stomach. There stood his mother leaning on the door jamb watching him with a displeased expression. House coughed then quick put his over his mouth to quiet them. He stared at his mother eyes wide in panic. He couldn't think of a single word to say in his defense.
Blithe began to walk toward him and he could feel his legs begin to tremble. She reached her hand toward him and house closed his eyes and clenched them shut. Then he felt something wet under his nose and peeked to see his mom wiping under his nose with a moist toilette. House stood perfectly still not wanting to anger his mother. She then began to run her fingers through his hair trying to fix his hair. She clicked her tongue in disapproval.
"P-p-please" House finally managed to stutter.
Blithe stopped her fingers still in his hair. House heard her sigh and then she pulled her hands from his hair.
"You should get some sleep. You have school in the morning" She then turned around and paused at the door
"Goodnight Gregory" she said before leaving.
House continued to stand there trembling.
"Goodnight mom" he whispered quietly.
He then went back to bed. He stared at the ceiling above his bed. His mom had looked so sad before she left. He thought about his mother for a few more minutes than the medicine started working and he fell into a deep dreamless sleep.
**** IN THE MORNING ****
House woke up the next morning and rolled out of bed. He looked at the clock 6:00 A.M. He reached in his dresser and grabbed the first couple of items he could find. He limped his way to the bathroom. He stripped quickly knowing how much trouble he would be in if he was late. He stepped into the shower and braced himself. Turning on the cold water he grabbed the soap and began to wash himself. His dad had told him a long time ago that he wasn't allowed to use the hot water. House grabbed the shampoo and lathered up his hair.
House closed his eyes and tried to pretend the water was hot.
"Lather, rinse, repeat." House muttered to himself.
After his shower house dried off and slipped on his clothes. He wore a pair of dress shoes, a buttoned white-striped dress shirt, and loosened blue necktie. House frantically tried to brush his messy bed hair. His father would kill him if he looked unkempt.
"Appearance Is Everything," John often said.
A quick glance in the mirror revealed he looked worse now than he did last night. His skin was pale from the cold shower making the bruises more obvious. His black eye, purple bags under his eyes from many painful sleepless nights, the dark bruise on his chin was even darker.
He shrugged nothing could be done for it. Maybe if he kept his head ducked his dad wouldn't notice. He limped his way down stairs. He stumbled into the kitchen. He looked at his mom who was at the stove cooking and his father who was reading the paper.
"Good morning" House said.
His father grunted a response. His mom just continued cooking. House looked at the food on the table. There were eggs, bacon, toast, and orange juice. House forced himself to ignore the rest of the meal. He grabbed a single piece of toast and some orange juice then left. Off to another day in hell. Oops, he meant school.
House looked at the two cars in the drive way. He wished one of his parents would offer him a ride. He limped his way to school which was 10 blocks from the house. He made his way to his locker and grabbed his book bag. He closed his locker and turned around only to find his bag slapped out of his hands and his back shoved painfully hard into his locker.
"Good morning loser" Richard said with a sneer.
Richard was a 12 year old bully who took it upon himself to welcome house to school every morning. He was about 5-3, a little chubby, with short black hair, and mud brown eyes. He was wearing a blue shirt and jeans with black shoes.
"Looks like someone else decide to welcome you before me this morning" Richard said lifting up house's face to get a better look at the bruises.
House didn't even struggle he was too tired. Richard's eyes softened for a second as he traced the bruise on houses chin before they hardened and house found himself lying on the hallway floor.
"Class is about to start wimp. I'll deal with you later" Richard said stepping over him before storming off.
House struggled to get to his feet as many people in the halls walked by him. He tried to gather all his stuff back into his bag but people kept stepping on them. House felt his eyes water but pushed his tears back and reached for his notebook but a small fair skinned hand grabbed it before he could.
House looked up and watery blue eyes met ice blue. There was a girl holding his notebook along with his pencils, pens, and English book. She looked to be around his age. She had long blonde hair in a braided pony-tail that reached her lower back; she wore a black long sleeved shirt, an ankle length black skirt, and black baby doll shoes. Basically she looked like she was going to a funeral not school. The solemn look on her face didn't help.
"Do you need help?" she asked handing him his stuff.
"Thanks" House said angry at himself for needing help.
"I'm Hayley Brooks" she said holding out her hand for him to shake.
"Gregory House" House said shaking her hand.
"You are new aren't you" House said looking around the hallway.
"What makes you say that?" Hayley asked.
House began limping his way to class and Hayley followed.
"First I have never seen you before, second you're carrying a schedule meaning you don't know what classes you have meaning most likely you were trying to ask someone directions to class when you noticed me, third you…you helped me." House said.
Hayley paused.
"Why wouldn't I help you" Hayley asked.
House continued walking.
"I'm not exactly the most popular kid in school" House said sarcastically.
"Is that why you look like you got hit by a truck" asked Hayley.
House froze.
"What?" he asked carefully.
Hayley looked at him.
"The bruises on your face and the limping" she said.
House didn't answer instead he grabbed her schedule and read it over quickly.
"You have math" he said handing her back her schedule.
"Thanks" Hayley said.
"It's right down this hall to the left." House continued on like he didn't hear her.
House paused outside his English class.
"See you later" he said before entering his class and leaving Hayley standing alone in the hall looking confused.
AUTHOURS NOTE: I DECIDED TO MAKE THE FIRST CHAPTER LONGER. PLEASE REVIEW OR PM YOUR THOUGHTS. NO FLAMES PLEASE BUT I DO APPRECIATECONSTRUCTIVE CRITISM. REMEMBER THIS IS MY FIRST STORY SO BE NICE. IF YOU HAVE IDEAS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE. ALSO I INTEND TO MAKE THIS A HILSON STORY SO THERE IS NO CONFUSION. BUT YOU CAN SUGGEST PEOPLE WHO YOU WANT HOUSE TO DATE BUT BE WARNED THEY WILL NOT LAST. YOU CAN EVEN CREATE AN OC YOU'D LIKE HOUSE TO DATE BUT THERE WILL NOT BE ANY LEMONS UNTIL HOUSE IS 15 AT LEAST! HOUSE IS BISEXUAL SO I'LL ACEEPT BOY OC'S AS WELL AS GIRLS. ALSO THERE WILL BE DRUG USE, CHILD ABUSE, NEGLECT, ALCHOHOL, DOMESTIC ABUSE, SUICIDE, ATTEPTED SUICIDE AND SEX IN THIS STORY. REVIEW PLEASE.
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