Hi guys! Omg! Let me just begin by saying how incredibly sorry I am. This story is no where near abandoned. I am so incredibly sorry about the wait. For some reason this chapter was really hard to write. I've been trying to write it for weeks. So sorry!

Good news though! I graduate today! I should have a bit more time to write for the time being. I mean, I hope to get a job and start doing more. But for now I'm not doing much :). I've just been super busy with the end of school and such and I'm really sorry about that!

Guest: I am so sorry for the long wait! Thank you for checking back so often! I hope this chapter helps a bit.

Toria-Pancakess; Thank you so much! That means the world! I am so glad you like the boys' relationship. I really needed the first chapter to show that. Thank you so much! And don't worry, we'll be seeing a lot of Katherine in this one. Just... not so much yet. And wow! First person to catch my Archie reference! Yes, that was because of AKB's dog. He's just so cute! Thank you so much!

mac: Omg! You're adorable. Please review more! I'd love to hear more from you! I'm so sorry about the long wait. I hope this chapter lives up to expectations! It was hard to write, but trust me... this story is gonna get a lot messier and easier for me to write, so waiting shouldn't be much of a problem. Thank you so much! This review made me smile so much!

potterheadproblems: ... no comment... but thank you for the review!

selizabethharrisburg: Thank you so much! I hold this one very dear. I'm so excited to get further into this story. Like beyond excited. This might be one of my all time favorites. Thank you so much!

FuriedNight: I can neither confirm nor deny that you're heart is gonna be crushed... but IM DOWN. LETS DO IT. (Don't worry, if your heart is crushed, mine will be too.) Thank you so much!

Les Phansie: Thank you so so much!

Fanz4life: Thank you so much! I've really been working on writing Katherine! I'm glad you enjoyed her. Don't worry, she will most definitely be back. !

lizjanie: I'm so glad you don't know where this story is going. That kind of makes it all the more exciting for me. Thank you so much!

unofficialfansie: Thank you so much, B!

thelonglostmarauder: Thank you so much!

inactiveuser2017: Oh don't worry... Crutchie will most definitely be getting his whump. I promise. ;). Thank you so much for reviewing!

MonsterOfLife: Yes. I'm glad you're confused. :). Thank you so much for reviewing!

bexlynne: I know... they're adorable... I love them! I love you friend! Thank you for all your help!

brighteyes421: The first review! Thank you so much! We'll get into secrets in the next chapter, I believe. Nothing is as it seems but I'm very excited to continue with this story. Thank you so much!

It was the next morning when Crutchie smiled as he glanced from the window to his two brothers up in the front seat of the car. This was his favorite time of day. The car ride to school. One that didn't necessarily happen everyday. One where Jack would look over at Race's sleeping form in the passenger seat and chuckle to himself a little bit. One where all of them had a minute to think. It was rare they had that. A peaceful second. One without a lot of sound or nagging. The youngest boy, always in the backseat, cherished every second of it.

One thing the boy never did miss in the morning, was the sunrise. He knew his brothers didn't always care too much. He couldn't blame them. After all, Jack was... well... Jack. Always moving. Always running around. Barely having a second to himself because his work hours were hell and everyone knew it. And then Race who... well... Crutchie didn't like to think about it all that much. Race who rarely ever got a goodnight sleep; Race who had to take pills and be watched day and night; Race who had every right to hate the world because it was so cruel to him... Crutchie sighed just thinking about it. His big brother normally used that time to sleep. It was better for him.

But that sunrise was worth watching. Every second of it. It rose above the high buildings with so much grace and beauty that sometimes Crutchie wondered if it was real. He loved it when the sky turned pink everything would just become this beautiful, perfect color as the day began; As the world awoke once again. For a moment, all Crutchie could do was close his eyes and let the warmth of the morning light hit his skin as they rode closer and closer to the place even he- the optimistic, awestruck kid- hated going.

He was disabled. He knew that. It was only shoved down his throat everyday at that godawful place.

"What are you doing? The elevator's that way."

"Are you sure you want to take gym? You don't have to..."

"Get outta my way, crip!"

Going alone would be pure torture. Crutchie knew it. So did everyone else. Which is why he was beyond grateful for his big brother. He was sure that they wouldn't survive without each other.

Opening his eyes, Crutchie looked up at the sunrise once more. He wished he could remain there forever. He truly did. But something was bound to break that. Something that would break the boy's short attention span. Something that would suddenly be more important. Something like being stopped at a stoplight and looking over and seeing a black car speeding down from the street next to them. For a minute, nothing occurred in Crutchie to say something. For a moment, nothing was out in the ordinary. Well, not until that car didn't stop.

"Jack?" the kid called, unsure of what to do or say. But that car was going really fast. And they weren't moving anytime soon.

A bit startled by the sudden sound of his kid brother's somewhat panicked voice, Jack glanced back in the mirror. "Yeah, kid? What's up?" He brother paled a bit. He looked terrified of whatever was out his window and all it took was the child pointing in that direction for Jack to see it too. His green eyes widened, shocked for a moment. That car was about ten seconds away from hitting them. Ten seconds away from hitting both of his brothers, possibly killing them both on impact. "Oh sh-"

It was a miracle Jack didn't scream as he moved, thanking God that no one was behind him. His hands were faster than lightning as he quickly moved the car into reverse and slammed on the gas. He heard Race gasp as he was thrown forward and almost hit his head on the dashboard and he heard Crutchie scream a little bit as the black SUV sped past them, nearly taking the front of the car with them.

Everything was silent except their labored breathing.

Jack's heart was beating so fast, he gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.

Race's blue eyes were so wide that he feared they might fall out of his head, having been scared awake that way.

Crutchie's whole body was shaking with the adrenaline that that consumed him within seconds.

The light ahead of them turned green. They didn't move.

Jack let them sit in the middle of the street for a moment while they all caught their breath. While his brothers calmed for a second. Then, he slowly began moving to the side of the rode. He parked and without a second thought, turned to his boys. "Are you alright?" he asked in somewhat of a rush. "Are you both alright?" His voice was kind and soft, but they could all hear the slight panic behind it.

"What the hell was that?" Race was on the verge of a panic attack. That much was clear. But he closed his eyes and laid his head back, trying to gain back control. Desperate to stay calm.

Crutchie wanted to ignore it. He wanted to ignore the panicked look on his guardians face. The one that was only there for a split second before it was replaced with confusion and terror. "Some asshole wasn't payin' attention!" He screamed in the direction the car had gone. Then he turned back to the two boys, trying to hold back tears. They'd almost just lost their lives. Crutchie could see the unshed, frightened tears in Jack's eyes too. No doubt he'd never be able to live with himself if he'd lost both of them within seconds. Or ever, for that matter.

"Are either of you hurt?" The question brought Crutchie somewhat out of his shock. The boy quickly began to check himself over. A few bruises from the seatbelt, but nothing too serious. He shook his head back and forth and then they both looked to Race who still had yet to move from his calming position. "Race?" Jack asked, quietly. The boy still did not move.

"'m fine..." the kid let out, his voice quivering. But both of his brothers could see that his knuckles were white as the gripped onto armrests. All Jack could do was run hands through the kid's hair and try to calm him down, along with glancing back too often to make sure his youngest brother was okay.

Needless to say, they didn't arrive at the high school till about twenty minutes later; Fifteen minutes after they should have arrived. Both boys sat, staring at the school with distaste and fear as what had just happened had put them a bit on edge. Jack didn't blame them. He'd thought more than once in the past half hour about driving them back home. About letting them sleep it off or relax a bit. God knows they needed it. But he didn't want to take that chance. Not right now.

Hearing Crutchie sniffle practically broke his heart. But he knew that it was better this way. It had to be better this way. "Okay, c'mere..." he opened up his arms. They were in them within seconds. If they both could've crawled into his lap at that moment, Jack had no doubt that's what would've happened. He hated it when they were scared. They trusted him to keep them safe... All he could do was press a kiss to both of their heads. "I love you, boys. So much..." He got two mumbled responses back. It was clear to him that neither one of them wanted to get out of the car. But he knew that he only had a few more minutes before he was getting chewed out by his boss for being so incredibly late. "I'll see you after school, yeah? Just a few hours... I'll try ta be home earlier today..."

It took a long time. It took lots of encouragement. Eventually, Jack was able to get Crutchie out of the car. Race, however, clung to Jack for dear life, silent and unmoving like a small child who was going to kindergarten for the first time. It wasn't an unnatural response from the kid. It was no secret he didn't like it there. It was no secret that Race had hard times there and Jack wished beyond anything he could just go with him. Protect him from everything. But he could only rub the boy's back and whisper, "Come on, kid... class starts in three minutes... ya gotta go..."

Crutchie stood, waiting for his brother to let go. "Race, c'mon. Medda promised that if ya get through the week without ditching, she'd make cupcakes for ya," he recalled with a smile. That made Jack's face melt into a smile as he laughed a bit.

"You've just got our poor neighbor wrapped around your finger, don't ya?" Jack laughed, relieved as Race hesitantly let go and began to sit up. They worked together in wiping away the frightened tears.

"She's the one who offers!" Race protested, a light laugh coming along with it. It amazed Jack how his brother could have such flexible moods. One minute he was terrified, the next he was laughing. If Jack hadn't been so used to it, it might've been scary.

"Get outta here, kid," Jack smiled, shooing his brother's off to school as they were just about to close the gates. "Have a good day!"

He watched them like a hawk. He had to. It was all he truly knew how to do when he was dropping them off. Whenever they left his sight... he never wanted to admit that he was scared. But he was. He wanted to believe that they were safe. But truly, he didn't know. He could only pray that what had happened that morning would never happen again. Not as long as he lived. So once he'd lost sight of his brothers, he pulled out his phone. It wasn't long before a bitter smile met his lips. "O' course," he hissed angrily.

Mouth, 7 missed calls.

Tapping the screen and putting the device up to his ear, Jack waited about three seconds before he heard a dull crackling sound. Before the other man could get a word out, Jack was already talking. "What the hell, Davey?!" By then, the car was speeding away from the school, probably leaving dark tracks behind it.

Race's leg bounced up and down plenty quickly. He was anxious. With what had happened that morning, he had the right to be. School had never been particularly nice to him. And almost dying always put him on edge a little, even in all the different ways it always seemed to find him.

Worry was eating at him. Worry for his little brother who was probably just as scared as him and...

Race hated thinking about it. But what else was there to think? Jack was hiding something. Something dangerous. Or, maybe he was just over speculating. That could be it. The bruises, they were just from messing around. Right? Sparring. That's what Jack has said earlier. But the way Jack had let out a breath after they'd bought the story, it got to Race. He didn't like it. Jack never lied to them. Jack cared about them. Jack wasn't their mother. He was different. Race knew that. But still... something wasn't right.

His own worry was distracting. Not that he would've been paying attention anyways. Chewing on his pencil and doodling was much more entertaining. In fact, he came to realize that what had once been an empty spiral notebook page, was now full of shapes and shades he could only vaguely recall making.

It would never be as good as Jack's art. His paintings were so realistic that Race sometimes thought he could reach through the canvas and touch whatever was staring back at him. And it would never be as good as the pictures that Crutchie took. That kid always chose the right moment to snap a picture. Knew how to get it to look like how he wanted it. Exactly. It was still a mystery to Race. But he loved it. He loved them. Looking at the cartoon doodle in front of him was pathetic compared to them. He didn't deserve them. They were pure and good and he was... Race.

The picture in front of him was what appeared to be a monster. It didn't take Race long to figure out that he'd drawn a Delancey. The thing looked about ready to eat the smaller boy in the picture. The boy who looked kinda scared and surprised at the same time, his eyes practically bulging out of his head and his tiny hands gripping to the straps of his backpack. There were some shaded lockers in the background along with details that the boy didn't pay much attention to. He'd most likely drawn the same thing before. He couldn't find it in himself to care too much.

Race stared at the picture for a long time. The lights were out in the room and the projector would've hurt his eyes. He didn't want to read the board or take notes. He wanted out of that room. Especially when it started.

It always started.

A force from behind him shoved his head forward. "Hey loser, ya dumb er somethin'?"

The blond boy bit back a groan. With the morning he'd been having, anxious tears wouldn't have been uncalled for. But he held it in. It was all he could do. Unfortunately, that didn't make it stop. His chair was shoved forward from behind and he gripped the sides of it when he torso was shoved into the desk in front of him.

"We's told ya this wasn't ova', Higgins," the boy sneered in his ear from behind. "Just do like we says an' it'll be ova' quick..."

The warning didn't help. Do what they want? No way in hell. No matter how broken Racetrack was, he did not roll over and give the bad guys what they wanted. He fought till the bitter end, even if sometimes he thought he might not even make it out.

"Not like he'd care, anyways..."

Those bitter words made Race cringe. The ones that echoed in his head too much. The ones said by his best friend. By his little brother...

It was a long time ago. That didn't make it any easier. That didn't make it any less of a wake up call. Race was selfish and stupid and he knew it. Those words hurt. He'd deserved them.

When the back of his shirt was grabbed and he was forced backwards, the boy gasped in surprise. "Don' run away this time, Race... I ain't in the mood fer huntin' today..."

That was it. Race was done. Without warning he stood abruptly and grabbed his bag. He all but ran to the door, ignoring his teacher's call for him to sit down and explain what had caused such an outburst. He didn't give a damn that the door slammed on his way out. He made a beeline for the bathroom and made sure it was empty before he sat down in a stall and did the only thing he could've done. He took out his phone...

Please pick up the phone, Jack... please...

"Crutchie! It's your turn..."

Indeed it was. Snapping out of his trance, the boy in question looked up from his notes to see that the piece of paper had once again been passed back to him. The boy that had whined at him was practically bouncing up and down in attempts to keep himself quiet. Crutchie smiled. Ten games of tic tac toe and somehow they'd managed each win three and tie the rest. There was never a winner with them. At least, that always how it seemed.

"Gimme a break, Jo. Some a' us still wanna graduate someday," the fifteen year old responded with a slight chuckle, resetting the board and putting an x in an empty space. He was hardly strategizing anymore. It was mostly just him trying to keep JoJo's mind busy. It would be like this for about a week. And Crutchie didn't mind. After all, he'd dealt with worse.

JoJo tapped his pen against his chin and glanced at the board for a second before a light caught his attention. "Charlie?" The boy hummed in response, going back to his notes and trying to focus on too many things at once. "You got a text from Jack..."

... crap...

Without a second thought, Crutchie threw his notes down on the lab table and grabbed the device.

Go find ur brother. Called me 3 times. Cant answer the phone. Hes not ok.

Without a word, Crutchie was out of his seat, pocketing his phone and limping to the other side of the room. Rushing to the door, forgetting about his things and about anything else, the boy gabbed the door handle.

"Excuse me, Mr. Morris!" His teacher was outraged. By the sound of it, he was about to get a detention or something. Crutchie froze, unsure of exactly what to do. "Was my class too boring for you?"

God the man was insufferable. Charlie hated his guts. He was no where near understanding or polite to his kids and there was nothing more that Crutchie wanted to do than to let his big brother into the room. Jack surely would set the guy straight. He had a way with people. But today, Crutchie didn't know what to do. So he stood there, silent for a moment, before his own shaky voice filled the room. "I-I'm sorry, sir... uhm..." the kid swallowed hard before continuing. "I-I have ta find my brotha'... he's-"

Without so much as a second thought, the man shook his head. "He's fine, Charles. Have a seat before your brother's stupidity drags you under too."

Blood boiling and innocence coming into question, Crutchie stood his ground. It was no secret what his family had gone through in the past few years. So the boy shook his head, holding back his angry screams before he simply turned and left. His brother needed him. And he'd be damned if he let a grade A asshole tell him he couldn't go to him.

No one called his brother stupid.

Race's hands were shaking. He knew that much. He swallowed the lump in his throat. It hurt, but he did it anyways. He would not let the tears fall. He wasn't weak. He wasn't. He was just overwhelmed and-

What was the use? He was pathetic and everyone knew it. Apparently even Jack knew. His brother wasn't answering his calls. Jack always told him that he was sick. That he had a reason for these things to be happening. He had anxiety. Bad anxiety. And other things that Race would much rather forget about. But even Jack had to get tired of him right?

No. That didn't happen. Jack loved him. He did. Jack always answered his calls. Always. Why was Jack not answering?

Race was scared. The bruises, the excuses, the lies, the car and now the missed calls. Jack had to be in some kind of trouble. It was the only explanation. The only thing that made sense to Race at that moment. And he was gonna figure out what it was, so help him.

"Race?"

It was like the breath he'd been holding was finally set free. "Charlie?" He heard footsteps. It wasn't long before his baby brother was in front of him, setting his crutch on the floor to be able to sit crisscross on the ground with his mess of a brother.

"Are ya breathin' okay?" It was a fair question. Race nodded but did not speak. "That's good..." the boy admitted, earning a small smile from his big brother. "Do ya need anythin'?"

Race loved his little brother more than life. He shook his head before sucking in a breath and pausing for a moment. "Just, uhm..." he began, his voice trembling slightly. "Just don' tell Medda..." he said with a slight smirk that was gone within seconds and replaced with a helpless, hopeless look.

The younger boy smirked. "Sure thing, Racer... on one condition?" When Race looked up at him again, his watery blue eyes slightly wide and completely broken, Crutchie smiled. "Let me whoop your ass at poka' lata'."

If there was one thing that Crutchie lived for, it was to make his big brother laugh. He never got tired of it. And if he got another Saturday school for skipping class- one that Jack would most likely get him out of- who gave a damn. It was worth seeing that genuine smile on Race's face, no matter how small.

Though, just as they thought they were able to say the worst of life was behind them, they had no idea the storm that was rolling in. One that would threaten to tear them apart for good.

Okay, so here's the thing... I know that this chapter might be a little bit confusing. It's hard. It really is. This is actually one of the few chapters I really didn't have a set plan for. And being that I know everything about this story, past present and future, I know a lot of things you guys don't. So you might be a little confused, but that's okay. All details will be explained in due time.

Let me just say though, the first chapter will always be my favorite.

Okay! If you haven't left me a review on "I'll Leave That Up To You," I would absolutely love for you guys to run over there and give me your thoughts and ideas on it. Please and thank you!

I love you guys so much!

As always, thanks for reading. Make sure to tell me what you liked, what you didn't, what you'd change or what you'd improve by leaving me a review! Love ya, friends!