Author's Note: Roger has quite a mouth on him for an 8th grader. But we all know, they're never innocent by that age.

Chapter One

Collins and Cohen

"Fuck off!"

The teacher was walking by the office and heard a young boy scream this. It could only be one student. She knew his voice well, her trouble student, she sighed a bit preparing for a barrage of curse words, and she opened up the door.

The principal was sitting at his desk and tutting disapprovingly. A young child was crying in his mother's arms. Another mother was sitting uneasily in her chair. Next to this woman she saw him. Roger Davis. But she saw something that she'd never seen in his expression before; there were tears in his eyes. Was he actually upset about something so much that he was crying?

"Roger, don't use that language." His mother said sharply, but with a pleading look.

"I didn't hit him alright?! His face hit my fist." The rebel, soon to be rock star protested.

"No matter what happened you gave Thomas a nose bleed. You apologize to him and Mrs. Collins, or you'll be suspended." The principal said tiredly.

Mrs. Davis looked at Roger giving him a stern face, almost as if to say, if you don't apologize I'll beat your head in.

Roger may have been the rudest, meanest, crudest kid in school but there was a sweet look in his tearful eyes. "I'm sorry Tom. I'm sorry Mrs. Collins, it won't happen again."

Mrs. Collins smiled a bit. "Thank you Roger, that's very sweet of you. I'll take Thomas home. Thank you Mr. Marquez." She helped Collins stand up. "By the way, how's your daughter, Mimi? She must be what, about seven years old now?"

"Yes, she is." The principal said kindly. "She'll be a dancer when she grows up I know it. She's always dancing around the house, and she's got some moves." Mr. Marquez laughed a bit. "Thank you for asking."

"No problem." Mrs. Collins smiled and walked with Thomas out of the office.

The teacher made her presence known now by addressing Mrs. Davis. "Your son is failing every class but music. If he doesn't get help he won't be able to go to high school. I would like to offer a peer tutor."

"What? Roger you told me you were getting good grades!" Mrs. Davis said hotly to Roger, who shied back in his seat.

"I don't need a damn tutor." Roger replied with the same anger in his tone as his mother had used.

Mrs. Davis looked at his teacher and sighed. "Who would you suggest?"

"Mom I don't need a fucking tutor!"

"Mark Cohen." The teacher said uneasily.

"No! He's so queer! There's no way I'm letting that fag tutor me!" Roger said standing up angrily.

Mrs. Davis slapped Roger across the back of his head and he went silent. "Roger, your peer tutor is going to be Mark Cohen." She pulled Roger out of the office by his ear.

"Roger! How dare you talk about someone that way!" His mother scolded as they walked to the car.

The lecture lasted the entire car ride, which was about a twenty minute drive, until they got home, his mom looked at him and sighed a bit. "Don't tell your father," she said softly before walking into the house.

Mr. Davis was sitting in the reclining chair glaring coldly at the door. "Where the fuck have you been?" He asked angrily.

"Roger needed to be picked up from school. He was sick-" She was cut off by Mr. Davis' hand hitting her across the face.

The two adults began to fight, and Roger quickly went to his room. He closed the door softly; his parent's voices carried up the stairs and to his room even through the closed door. He quickly climbed onto bed and put the pillow over his face wishing that his parents would stop fighting, and he cried himself to sleep.