It had been four days. Four long days since Jason had started restricting his insulin to two jabs a day instead of the normal six and he felt like absolute shit. His mood had dropped considerably and he'd snapped at everyone at least once, though they'd put it down to his fracture and annoyance at being stuck with a cast for two months, so had let him snap and pretty much left him to it. He'd lost six pounds though, so he guessed it was worth it.

Trying to suppress a yawn, Jason flicked through the book in the garage. "We've got two services this afternoon," he informed Joe, yawning again. Had he mentioned that it felt like he hadn't slept in a week.

"Right," Joe nodded. "Late night last night? You look exhausted mate."

"Are you kidding?" Robbie called from where he was tending to a small Clio. "Jase was snoring as soon as the lights were off. I should be the one who's tired."

"It's this desk job," Jason lied smoothly. "The phone rings once every other hour if I'm lucky and I'm too young to do paperwork. I'm going mental here Joe,"

"You can get us some coffees then golden boy," Ziggy said, sauntering into the garage from whatever bed he'd found himself in the previous night. "Two sugars if you please,"

He rolled his eyes, but when Joe gave him enough money his made his way over to the small coffee shop, making sure not to rush. There was little to do in the garage, everyone was too paranoid about him ruining his damn cast.

College coffee was only a ten minute walk away, even if you dawdled, and Jason soon found himself ordering the five coffees, along with two bottles of water for himself (he'd also been incredibly thirsty recently). He downed an entire bottle as soon as he was out of the coffee shop, his thirst slightly quenched but his throat still felt dry.

"Someone's thirsty," an amused voice caught his attention. Spinning around, Jason saw Holly leaning against the small fence.

"Oh urm, these they're not all for me," Jason stammered. "I mean that'd be stupid, excessive even. My brothers, I mean they're for the others, my brothers."

"What? So you're the coffee boy?" Holly asked, sauntering over, arching a perfectly sculpted brow with ease.

"No, no of course not. I urm, I broke my hand, well a fracture really but, urm yeah." Jason trailed off, holding out his injured hand for Holly to see the cast.

Holly nodded, frowning in confusion at Jason, as if she had never seen a socially awkward teen before. Then again, she probably had higher standards, Jason thought bitterly. He picked up the coffees, getting ready to make his way back to the garage. "Jason!" Holly's voice stopped him in his tracks. He turned and she jogged over to him, her golden hair flying behind her. "What time does your garage close?"

"Around six," he replied, not sure where her questioning was going to end up.

"And you all finish around then too?"

"Give or take ten minutes." Was she? No, she couldn't be. It must be the lack of insulin because it sounded like Holly was going to ask him out on a-

"Okay, can you tell Robbie to meet me at the Deli then? Cheers,"

Oh.

She smiled and walked off, not even looking back once as he started walking once more, muttering furiously to himself. "No problem. I'd love to."

At that moment, Jason hated his cast more than ever, because he'd give anything to punch something. Preferably a wall. Or Robbie's face.

Of course Holly would ask after Robbie. He was the funny twin. The charismatic, interesting, good-looking one. Everyone always chose Robbie, why would this time be any different. And it stung, the rejection always did.

There was something wrong with him, he knew it. He stopped as he passed a window and stared at his reflection. There wasn't something wrong, everything was wrong. His eyes were a dull dark brown and his mousy hair was incredibly limp if left natural. His lips were too small and thin for his face, but they weren't the worst parts. His cast stuck out horrifically and just drew emphasis to his weedy arms. His t-shirt was straining at the buttons, and not in a good 'I have lots of muscles' way either.

Those six pounds had changed nothing, but within time it would. His jeans were already looser on him and he couldn't help the thrill that ran through him as he had to tighten his belt that morning. There was still a long way to go, but hopefully by the time he got the cast off, his body would be on the way to perfect.

There was too much fat at the moment and any muscle was completely submerged by it, but if he lost the fat, then the muscle would be much easier to see and everything would be good.

He smiled slightly at the thoughts that ran through his head, excited for the future and what he would look like, when he realised that he had been gone for almost half an hour and that his brothers would be wondering where he'd gone.

He jogged back to the garage, drinking his second water bottle on the way and trying not to jostle the coffees or his arm. "Jason's back!" He heard Freddie call when he entered the small car park in front of the garage. "No need to worry,"

"You took your time," Ziggy said, taking the nearest coffee and drinking a large mouthful. He promptly spit it out on to the floor, before looking at Jason accusingly. "That ain't my drink,"

"No it's not. This is yours, that was mine."

"Since when you just had plain black then?"
Since I realised there's like no calories in it.

"I don't know, just felt like a change I guess."

"Right, this change include drinking cold coffee?" Robbie spat venomously. "They're stone cold. What were you doing you muppet?"

"I just got distracted all right," Jason shouted, his patience snapping. "If you don't like it you can get your own fucking drink next time. I'm not a bloody coffee boy."

The garage was silent was a few seconds, as Jason tried to calm himself down, whilst the others stared at him in a shocked silence.

"We never said you were J," Joe said, his voice quiet and reassuring, placing his hand on Jason's arm. "You've had a weird few days, why don't you go home and calm down." He sighed, but Jason knew his eldest brother was right so grabbed his jacket from the side, and left the garage quickly.

"Did you have to rile him up like that?" Joe's voice was clear, even when he was halfway down the drive.

"I don't know why you're looking at me like that," Robbie retorted moodily. "I didn't do nothing."

"You didn't do anything to help though." Ziggy cut in before anything else could be said. "J's been in a mood since he broke his hand, but you're fuelling it."

Robbie said something else and Freddie swiftly replied, but Jason was too far to hear what had been said. He wasn't too far to hear the laughter coming from the garage though.

They're talking about you

Laughing as you waddle down the road

They've probably just noticed that if you fell, you'd start rolling.

Fighting back tears, Jason began running again, getting away from the laughter that wouldn't leave his head, just falling in time with the steady beats of his feet hitting the ground.

He slammed the house door loudly behind him when he got back, breathing loudly at the twenty minute run he'd just completed.

"Hello? Joe is that you?" Lindsey's voice ran through the house. She stopped when she noticed Jason by the door. "Jason? Are you ok? You look a bit upset."

"M'fine," he mumbled, climbing the stairs in two, and almost pushing past his brother's fiancée in his hurry. He slammed the bedroom door behind him and collapsed onto his bed, falling asleep in seconds as he let the fatigue wash over him.

He didn't know how long he'd been asleep for. It felt like nothing, but the fact that both his mother and Robbie were in the room meant that it was past six and that he had been sleeping for at least five hours.

"Jason? Are you okay sweetie?" Sandy asked, her voice full of concern.

"Yeah," Jason said, sitting up and stretching as he did so.

"You worried Robbie, said he came in and you didn't even stir. We was scared you'd fallen into another coma."

"Mum!" Robbie exclaimed indigently, his cheeks turning a light red colour.

"Lindsey said you were asleep when she checked on you earlier too." Sandy said, ignoring Robbie's embarrassment. "You're not coming down with anything are you?"

"I'm fine mum," Jason replied, sharing a glance with Robbie, the pair simultaneously smirking at her over-protectiveness. "Was just a bit tired."

"Remember to take your insulin Jason, if you've been asleep since Lindsey said, you won't have taken any in a while."

"Right mum," he said, grabbing his case from the top drawer, hoping that both Robbie and Sandy would leave the room. When he realised that neither had the intention of moving, he turned to Robbie and slapped his forehead lightly.

"Holly was asking after you earlier. She told me to tell you to meet her at the Deli after you finish at the garage."

Robbie moved away from the wardrobe, lightly glaring at Jason. "You tell me this now? Holly's probably been and gone, I've been back for an hour."

"Sorry mate, I just remembered."
"You wouldn't be going out anyway" Sandy warned. "You're still on probation Robbie and I don't want you getting into any more trouble, which includes sneaking out, because I'll send you back to your aunt's permanently."

"Yes mum," Robbie said, rolling his eyes with added emphasis.

"And enough of your cheek too," she retorted, lightly clipping him around the ear. "You finished Jason?"

"Almost," he sighed, coming to the realisation that neither were going to leave till he took the insulin. Wincing as he checked his blood sugar, Jason measured out the dose, and quickly injected, instantly feeling dirty as he pulled away. "All done," he said, hiding his grimace behind a smile, as he moved around his mum to get to the door.

"Help Freddie lay up the table love," his mum called after him as he left the room.

"What'd you're last slave die of?" he answered back jokingly, not even bothering to act surprised when he saw Freddy intently watching an old episode of Top Gear instead of setting the table. "You gonna help?"

"Nah," his older brother replied, reclining on the sofa. "Mum told you to do it,"

"She asked me to help you, not do the sodding job myself."

"Yeah, well I'm busy,"

"And I'm the one with bloody cast on. I've already had to halve my shifts at the deli because I can't ride a bike very well with this thing on, what makes you think I can lay a table."

"Jeez Jase. Stop your moaning, I'll do it now." Freddie groaned, cracking his back as he made his way to the kitchen, throwing knives and forks in the general direction of the table.

"What's for tea?" Jason asked, as he began setting glasses on the table.

"Mum's chilli con carne," Jason stilled at the reply. Con carne wasn't exactly the healthiest meal out there (Jason had seen how much salt his mum put into that) and add a huge portion of white rice and a bowl of doritos. Well he felt sick thinking about it.

It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't had any insulin, after all by not taking it, it meant that he could eat anything he wanted and it wouldn't have any sort of difference on him. But the shot he had just taken would be timed perfectly with the meal, meaning he'd gain. Who knew how much damage would be caused. All his hard work would be undone!

"Something wrong J?" Freddie asked, a hint of concern in his voice at the sudden stillness in his younger brother.

"Nah, just the thought of mum's cooking, that's all." That wasn't really a lie. Not really.

"I'm with you on that. Could make a grown man weep." Freddie smiled toothily. "In fact, I'm pretty sure it has."

"You've barely touched your dinner Jason," Sandy commented. It's true, whilst everyone else had managed to force down at least three quarters of the plate (Ziggy even seemed to enjoy it), Jason had only managed a fifth of his meal.

"I'm not hungry." That's not true. "I grabbed something from the deli when I had left the garage. Had to tell Doug about my hand," That's another lie, he had told Doug about his injury last night.

"And? What'd he say?" Sandy asked, temporarily forgetting about the amount of food on his plate.

"Halved me shifts, and all deliveries I do are gonna be local so I don't hurt my hand any more than it has been,"
"Is that enough? Because I could always have a word with him if you want,"

"Mum it's fine. He didn't want me coming in at all, but I need the money and you know Doug can't hire anyone else."

"I just don't want you straining yourself, that's all,"

"I'm sure he'll cope mum," Ziggy said around a mouthful of food. "Jase is a big boy now, he can fend for himself I'm sure."

"Cheers Ziggy." Jason replied, his voice heavy with sarcasm, pushing away from the table.

"Jason, what about your dinner,"
"Not hungry mum," Jason called over his shoulder as he made his way back to his room, ignoring the hunger pains that ran through his stomach as he spoke.

I just want to thank everyone for the positive feedback I've received since posting this story. It means a lot and again, if anyone feels I've got some information wrong, message or review with any suggestions on what I should include.

Or review anyway, they always make my day.