High-School

On with the story!

Disclaimer~Noooo!

Without waking his father, Jack stood quietly and tip toed out the room, rushing up the stairs to his bedroom in his attic. He enjoyed where he slept; in the summers it was slightly warm, in the winter it was slightly cool, yet held that heated sensation from the sun that often peeked through the misty sky. But there were some days when it was just too cold or too hot, still Jack was grateful.

The teen walked to his wall mirror at the far end of the room and stood tall in front of the mirror, staring deep into his scars and newly made ones on his back. Dry blood created waves on his pale back like paint dripping off an edgy wall. It was a good thing that the wounds had stopped bleeding. Jack felt a little dizzy and weak from the loss of blood as he threw his failry old, favorite blue hoodie over a changed white T-shirt. On unfortunate days, his wounds would beeld through his clothes, except through his hoodie. Jack felt like he could trust his hoodie.

It would keep him warm during the cold... It would hug around him like arms... It would hide him from harm except from his father's physical and verbal abuse... His hoodie was his best friend.

Jack looked back into the mirror and threw on a fake pearly white smile. Everyone loved his smile. When Jack had his hoodie on, plus his blinding white smile, he looked like an average, happy, teenager. Through out the years, Jack had perfected on his acting skills of being that dossy boy who enjoyed the life he was in, the 'family' he would go home to, and the 'encouraging' words he would recieve by his 'mom' and dad and 'siblings'.

The smile then vanished from Jack's face and was replaced by a smugged depressed frown. Jack gazed up at the mirror to see a small photo of him and his 'family.' One the right end stood Alex with a different appearance; his hair looked more alive just as his body. His eyes were more brighter and filled with kinder and love. Jack still wonders what had made the man tick and snap.

Next to Alex was his mother... Emily... Jack's eyes softened more into a more solemn look. He missed her... He missed the soft brown curls of her hair and her blue eyes that sparkled like stars in the night. He missed her sweet warm smile and the flows of her gowns that fitted perfectly with her curves. Jack fely something warm run down his face and tapped the area with his finger, pulling it to his face to see a clear wet liquid. Jack quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve to stop more tears from escaping. Yes, he missed his mother, yet he still could only ask himself, why? Why did she leave him? She took Emma, but why not him too?

Emma... Jack gazed down the picture. In front of Emily, a young girl, fifteen years of age with dazzling brown chocolate eyes, straight long brown hair, and wore a dress just like her mother. Jack's eyes narrowed with a sudden hate inside, boiling into anger and envy. Next to Emma was him, at age seven, smiling brightly.

He wished they had taken the picture without Emma's arm around him in a side-hug. It was always about Emma to his mother.

"Oh I'm so proud of you Emma!"

"Emma got all A's!"

"Emma is so sweet!"

Emma, EMMA, EMMA!

But with him... It was like his mother had forgotten she had a boy.

He would bring a finger painting from school, which was picked to be best in class.

His mother: Oh, that's good sweety. Now be a dear and pick up your toys.

But Alex... He was much different.

"Yes! That's my boy! Here, I'll hang it up somewhere."

Jack smiled softly. At least Alex cared about his achievements. At least Alex listened to him. But in vice versa... It was all his mother and sister's fault Alex turned the way he is. His mom only cared about Emma and so she left him and disappear with his sister.

Alex turned his rage towards him and now here he was... Stuck.

Even though Jack had not seen his mother, he has seen Emma; she works at a nearby daycare he would enjoy going to with his friend Jamie to pick up Sophie, his little sister. Jack would see her and when his sleeve pulled up, showing the bruises on his arm, or when he stretched and his shirt went up just a bit, revealing his scars, she would act like she 'cared', yet she never told him where his mother was.

Selfish, Jack always thought to himself when her name popped in his head.

He then gazed to his alarm clock that read 7:30.

The teen picked up his school bag and quietly headed down stairs, walking quietly back into Alex's room. The man was still asleep, but was now murmuring slurs of words and having a cold sweat as he whimpered. Jack sighed and walked to the man. Alex had gotten ill and Jack could not figure the sickness out. His pa refused to go to the hospital, in fear that it was something terrible. So all Jack could do was tend to the man, at the same time, take a good beating from him.

He loved his pa, no matter how bad it hurt. Alex was there for him, and if he didn't love him, Jack wouldn't be standing there. The teen smiled softly and lowered down to the man's face.

"Don't worry, Papa," he whispered, "you'll get better soon. I promise." Jack then kissed his father's forehead and left.

After walking- partly jogging- Jack had made it through the school doors in time. Guardian High, was the High-school's name. What wasn't there to love about it? It had a promising moral to protect and serve its students and make sure each individual was satisfied and safe. Yeah right.

Jack quickly walked to his locker, gazing at the clock. Only minutes till the bell rang, which means he will get to class a little earlier and would not be jottled by everyone that would hurry through the halls. Jack still felt a little dizzy from the blood oozing rod whipping earlier, and would preffer not to be shoved around; he would obviously just fall with no try.

Jack stepped to his first period class which was Language Arts, where he had to do a retake on a so-called-'important'-quiz there in a few minutes after class started. As he sat down at his seat in the front rows, a man with jet black hair that shot upwards in spikes, had fairly tanned skin and dim yellow orbs that looked up from the graded papers, stared carelessly at Jack. "Early to class I see, Jackson," the man, or Mr. Black, said in a professional tone. Jack rolled his eyes.

"As always, Pitch," he muttered.

"Last time I checked, I told everyone that I enjoyed being referred to as 'Mr. Black', Jackson-"

"And last time I checked, I enjoyed being referred to as 'Jack'," Jack said with sarcasm laced in his tone.

Pitch drawled out a breath and pinched his nose bridge. "This is why you are my favorite," he whispered under his breath. "What was that?" Jack snorted.

"Nothing... So, Jackson-"

"I thought I told you I don't like to be called by that-"

"Well you will be called by 'Jackson' because it is the first thing that you were given. It is what most will remember about you when you leave this earth..."

As Pitch went on with his lecture, Jack felt the annoyance starting to hit him and kept gazing at the clock. When will the damn bell-

BRRRRRIIIING!

Thank you!

Pitch stopped and sighed. He hated being interrupted, as Jack came to figure throughout the year. The man set up for class.

Finally, a herd of 28 freshmen came pushing through the small doorway, some biting a few words at each other. Jack's eyes lit up at the specific ones he was waiting for.

First was Nicholas or North. He was the oldest of the group. He was tall, buff and bulky, yet he held that charming teen guesture; he had black ruffled hair and dim blue eyes, and was was wearing his normal red jacket and black jeans.

Next was Tina. She was the only girl in the group. She was short and curvy, but she spoke tall for herself and had much courage. But what you can really remember about her was her short cut hair, layered with rainbow colored highlights and her pink glasses that matched her unbelievable pink eyes. They called her Tooth sometimes because of her desire to be a dentis really got the best of her.

Then there was Sanderson or Sandy. He was only a cenemeter taller than Jack, not including his spikey golden hair, but he held that chubby charm and sweet kinderness in his dusty yellow eyes. Jack enjoyed him the most, even though Sandy was mute and could only talk on a special machine he had invented with his father that spoke out the words he typed. It had a few bugs, but other than that, Jack thought it was brilliant.

Finally, there was E. Aster Bunnymund, or Aster. He was the group's strong arms; he had that temper, had that built torso Jack could never have, and he was the school Quarterback. Yeah, Jack still wondered why Aster chose to hang with them, the oddest group of the school. But Aster felt cool when he was around them, they bonded nicely. Aster moved from Australia, so yeah he was going to feel mixed, he liked different. Yet, to Jack's perspective, Aster could sometimes be a douche when it came to his football team and... popularity. Aster loved his reputation and did the extremes to keep it. He swooned the girls with his ruffled bluish silver hair and forest green eyes, but he wasn't in a desire for a relationship.

It wasn't Aster that bothered Jack, but it was his popularity that drove him bonkers. Aster would avoid them when he was with his team and then would say a few words to them when his 'other friends'' eyes were not observing. To North, Tooth, and Sandy, they were okay with this... but to Jack... It pissed him off. But whatever, he had other things to watch out on thanto worry about someone else's humility.

North, Tiana, and Sandy each tapped on Jack's desk as a greeting, and Aster of coarse, nudged a gaze to Jack before joining the fellow jocks. Jack rolled his eyes and then looked behind at his true friends. "Hey, did we have homework?" he asked North who was the closest. The bulky peer gave Jack a sly grin and shook his head. "What do you waste your time on?" he taunted. Jack thought for a second with blank eyes.

There in front of his shruken form, Alex towered over him. Screaming something out of rage, the man's hand swept across Jack's face, creating a loud smack.

Jack blinked several times from the flashback and smiled back. "Uhh, I would hardly call it wasting. More like busy," he crooned. North chuckled and replied, "Nah, we did not have anyzing. But eef so, you are screwed my friend."

"Aw! So rude!"

Tina giggled at their coversation along with Sandy. Suddenly, there was the late bell and Mr. Black's voice that rang about, firm and untolerant. "Now, now, settle down... Thank you... Ahem, as you all know- hopefully- we are on tight scheduel, so we need to get started as soon as possible. First off we will start by..."

Almost everyone stared boardly at Pitch writing swiftly on the black board about today's topic. Jack sighed añd rested his head in his arms. This class could not get anymore dull... oh well, at least it was better than being beaten into a pulp.

Speaking of which... Jack yawned. The loss of blood was starting to feel tired. Must be the effects, he thought.

"Jackson? Jackson, are you listening? Jackson!"

Jack shot his head up with a confused look. Pitch seemed aggrivated by his student, but Jack could care less. "Huh?" he mumbled. Pitch folded his arms.

"That is 'yes sir' to you, Overland. And if you want to write a ten minute essay, then I suggest that you sit up;"

Jack sat up with a pout and kept his head in a sulking position.

"Head up;"

Jack rose his chin up, but his eyes kept to their corners.

"And LOOK at the board."

Jack did so, giving Pitch the satisfication to continue class. "As I was saying before Jackson interrupted..."

As Pitch continued, Jack could hear a few snorts and comments shared by his peers.

"He such a dweeb-"

"I bet his mother dropped him on his head when she had shit him out-"

"Dude, does he EVER get a tan?"

"I bet he sleeps outside."

Jack's eyes lowered a bit in a sudden feeling of offense. Half of those comments were true. No, he does not have a tan. The reason why he was so pale is beacause of the lack of blood he had lost during the years and he was never given the liberty to go outside. Alex never allowed him to do so, afraid that Jack might let a few 'secrets' slip away. And yes, he had slept outside... In the snow before... Alex spent all day getting drunk and had fell into a deep slumber with the front and back door locked shut; when Jack had arrived home from school, he was locked out, and he was smart enough to not wake his dad during his intoxication so he spent the rest of the day outside in the broken shed.

His friends heard the rude comments and frowned in disapproval. North took the liberty and gave Jack a comforting pat on the shoulder. Jack smiled softly, feeling a little calm...

Until one of Aster's friends 'Lanen' spoke something that tipped Jack off. The . Fucking. Edge.

"I bet he allows Nikki to fuck him like his daddy."

Jack's eyes dialated and his body stiffened. What should have been a not cool joke... it made the peers laugh. Jack felt himslef boil inside and his fists clench tight. Never ONCE has Alex EVER tried to touch him- abuse him in that sort of manner. Alex may be damaged, but Jack knew his father loved him too much to do such a canival thing to him. Plus, Alex told him that if it had ever came to that point, he would stick a gun in his mouth and pull the trigger. Jack believed him.

Daddy...

Daddy...

Daddy...

"DADDY! DADDY I'M SOWWY! I'M SOWWY!" his eight year old voice rang in his head.

Before Jack knew it, he was up out of his seat and right in front of Lanen. His crystal blue eyes were watery and narrowed, filled with rage like his father's eyes were. His legs were shaking and his hands were trembling. It felt like something possessed him to scream,

"Shut. The FUCK. Up!"

Everyone froze into silence, only Pitch's surprise gasp of "Jackson!" could be heard. Aster stared at the raging boy with wide eyes, but his concern went from Jack to Lanen. He noticed how his teamate tensed up and followed how his eyes grew dark. The Aussie felt worry. Oh shit. He reflected his eyes back to Jack.

/Move kid/ he chanted in his head.

Lanen, as predicted, shot up from his desk and towered over Jack's frail figure. "What was that Overland?" the Jock growled, darkening his grey orbs. Jack clenched his teeth and leaned up to Lanen's face, looking more confident by the inch.

"I said 'Shut. The Fuck. UP."

"Boys! Sit down NOW," Pitch demanded, marching towards them. Lanen smirked like he was America's top ten murderers. "Oh, you are gonna wish you never said that, bitch," he snorted. The room temprature dropped by the degree. North looked like he was about to jump in for Jack, along with Sandy. Tina, on the otherhand, shot a desperate glare at Aster. 'Do something,' she mouthed. Aster shrugged in a panick gesture. He couldn't just jump in for Jack without risking his reputation.

Suddenly, Jack felt a wave of discomfort washed over him as he felt himself calm down. His legs that now terribly shook buckled under him and his vision grew fuzzy. He felt like earth's gravity had locked arms around his body as he felt himself just crumble to the floor. His head made impact with the floor, knocking him into a daze. Everyone gasped in shock, but it was Sandy, Tina, and North who were the first jumping from their seats and skidding to Jack's side to aid their friend. "Jackson!" Pitch cried in concern. He was to Jack's aid as well.

Aster had to glue himself to his seat to keep him from launching to help Jack as well. But he knew better. Yet the guilt took a heavy impact.

Mean while, Pitch had Jack's face in his hands as he dabbed his split forehead with a hankerchief he kept in his pockets. "Jackson? Jack, can you hear me? Jack?"

What Jack heard were his words at a distant echo. /At least he called me 'Jack'/ he thought silently to himself. A small pool of blood from Jack's head formed on the floor, sticking to his snowy white hair like goop. The peers were whispering amoung themselves and some where questioning a very confused Lanen.

"What did you do?-"

"You didn't even touch him-"

"Why did he fall?"

Jack heard more echos and it was killing his head. A major headache grew worse as the echoes continued. He felt paralyzed right where he laid, and with half lidded eyes, he looked dazed at his friends' and teacher's concerned faces. "Tina, go get the nurse. Hurry," Pitch ordered firmly. Tina nodded and briskly hurried out the room. Aster looked at his high-class friends. Seeing that they were occupied, he took the opportunity to slip away from the room and follow Tina.

"Oi! Tina, wait!"

Tina glanced over her shoulder to see the Quarterback hurrying to her, bit she rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Not now, Bunny, I don't want to hear it," she spat, using the nickname they had given the boy since he leaped the feilds like a rabbit. Speaking of 'like a rabbit', Aster sped up next to her, matching her walking pace. He knew why she was mad, but that didn't stop him from trying to get her forgivness. "At least let me explain!" he said. Tina clenched her jaw.

"What? That you chose your pathetic reputation over defending your friend!" she said with anger and venom.

"B-but Jack should know betta!" Aster sputtered.

Tina rolled her eyes and sped up her pace. She cared for her friemds, and she cared for Aster, but enough was enough. "Whatever, I am SO sorry that he has much greater courage and more heart than you can EVER kick in a field goal," she said before leaving Aster in the hallway. Aster was shocked that she had said that to him; he was not even sure she was capable of possessing such vice words.

The Aussie bit his lip and looked down at the floor in shame. Maybe she was right... "Maybe Ahm such a dick," he muttered.

Jack felt so much pressure on his head, he felt his body go numb. Oh, the pain on his back! It stings! It burns!

His crystal blues darted around the room. Wait... when did he get transferred into the nurse's office? His head, his legs, and his body ached. It felt like Alex had just gotten through kicking him repeatedly.

It hurts...

He feels so weak...

He can't breath...

"His blood is low," and echo of a female voice spoke. Jack grew alert.

"Well, what do we do?" a deep male spoke. The Principle.

"Well, he will have to go to the emergancy room for a blood transfusion."

"Oh, so I suppose we call..."

"His father, yes."

Jack stiffened. Oh crud.

So yeaaah many complications, I have decided to make Aster popular and a dirt bag because that will come in later use. Sorry, this was a bad place to stop at, but the Jack and Alex will be sorta angsty and long. But hey, at least you have something to look forward to :D.

So Pitch is the teacher in this because what do ya get when you place a teacher and a stubborn student. Haha I'm cruel to Pitch!

So to line things up, be aware of next chapter.

Until next time, goodbye!