Chapter 4- Tommy: Could be Twins
The walls are grey, the ceiling is grey, and everything in juvie is grey… I hate grey. After a considerable amount of time spent hating this cursed place on my bed I figure it's time to get up and go to the mess hall. My 'cell' is cluttered; I have to walk around my shoes and past my spare jumpsuits to reach the door, New York Juvenile detention hall does not care if my room is clean or dirty so it stays dirty. Once out of the 'cell' I head to the stairs that lead down to another set of 'cells' and the corridor attached to them eventually leads to the mess hall.
Food fight in the mess hall, that's the second time this week, I dodge under a pile of flying slop and cruise to my regular seat. "Yo, Tommy!" Frank calls out to me and I look over, moving an inch to the left to avoid a juice box, my 'friends' have moved tables (third time this week) so that they are closer to the girls. Making another journey through the chaos of approximately two hundred angry, juvenile teenagers throwing food I finally reach my 'friends'.
I glance around and then grunt at Frank, "So who started the fight?" he takes a moment to think about what I've said then replies "Some big guy, this kid sat in his seat." Rolling my eyes I glance over at the table next to us where the girls are seated, they talk about who stole what and how stupid boys are same as always. My fork pokes into the slop on my tray and as a pull it up to my face I grimace, this is not quality food, and put the questionable substance in my mouth making sure to swallow quickly.
"So this kid who caused the fight this morning, Looks EXACTLY like Tommy Shepard!" the overly loud remark carries from the girls' side of the fence to where I'm sitting with my 'friends'. I swivel my head and walk over to the fence, I grab hold of the chain link and make psst sounds at the girls who were talking, "OH Tommy, what d'you want?" one of the girls reacts to my noises, the others roll their eyes, "This new kid, what's his name?" I'd planned on grilling them harder but the girl who called herself 'coat of arms' was glowering at me which I'm pretty sure meant she was thinking about how to get me away from her fence. "Hmm… I think it was Billy, didn't catch the last name, sorry Tommy." A whole lot of useful that information was- "Kaplan," I turn to 'coat of arms' "his last name is Kaplan, Billy Kaplan. That's what I heard." After she finishes I nod and turn away, beginning to walk away, "Thanks."
Returning to where my 'friends' are I give Frank a look and he shakes his head, whoever this look alike is he hasn't come outside yet. "Punk that's what you get for sitting in my seat, 'POW'" I take that last statement back as a commotion begins to stir at the far end of the yard. "Oh geeze, Tommy don't do something stupid!" Charles another one of my 'friends' calls out as I head over to the commotion. Reaching the scene I see a boy about my age with black hair that looks just like me getting his face pounded.
"I'm – Really – Sorry…" the kid says words between punches, his cheeks are swelling into purple balloons and I decide it's time for me to step in. "Hey!" I yell as I push into the middle of the commotion, "He's apologised, he's only new there's no need to beat him up." Those were probably not the right words to use I make note as the big guy beating him up turns on me.
His fist comes flying at me but I dodge with ease and speed over to the newbie to help him up, "You okay?" I ask before speeding away from another punch, new kid pulled along, "Umm… I guess I am." He seems overly confused so I let go of his hand and quickly end the fight by rallying some fast punches into the big guy and giving him a deathly glare. Returning to the new kid I lead him over to my 'friends', "I'm Tommy, Tommy Shepard." I decide to introduce myself as a start, "I'm kind of fast on my feet." It's the easiest way to explain my reflexive dodges and fast punches, "oh… I'm Billy, B-Billy Kaplan." He mumbles whilst nursing his left cheek, "I get that… I'm kind of magical." I barely hear him as he whispers the last part, I quizzically look at him and then laugh, "So Billy I guess you're confused because I look like you, I am too but you know they say everyone has a twin." I try to smooth into regular conversation as we arrive at the table my 'friends' are sitting at, "I guess that must be it."
Over the next few weeks I get to know Billy pretty well and we create this sort of brotherly bond, we get so close I'm not even bothered when he tells me he's gay or that he finds a couple of my 'friends' attractive. And finally after four weeks he shows me his powers and tells me why he's in juvie in the first place. "So this boyfriend of yours used you to rob a bank and then just left you to take the rap?" I ask as we head back inside after a long day in the sun, "yeah pretty much." Billy replies, his face looks sadder everyday- he really is not cut out for and doesn't deserve to be stuck in juvie.
"You know if you wanted to you and I could break out," I whisper as we pass the guards, "with my speed and your magic, it'd be easy." I'll admit I had my own reasons for suggesting such a crazy plan after all they wanted to send me to a special facility and study my power, "Why?" Billy asks me just before we have to separate and go to our cells, "Because you're miserable and I don't want to be a scientific guinea pig!" I rush my answer as a guard walks over to us, Billy nods and walks his way, I follow suit as the guard makes a menacing gesture.
The next day in the yard Billy approaches me, "Look if we're going to do this we need to have a plan because if we break out we'll have nowhere to go." I look up at him and smirk before hoping up and leading him to the farthest and least monitored edge of the yard, "Okay good to hear your on-board I was worried that you wouldn't want to do this." He shakes his head, "Alright well as you said we'll need somewhere to go and I'm guessing our parents will be out of the question so let me suggest the really old and really abandoned Avengers mansion." Billy's face does this thing where half of it lights up and the other half is shocked and horrified, "I g-g-guess that'll work." After a few minutes of contemplation he finally replies, "So then how do we get out?" I decide to give him the first shot at ideas. "Well I could blow a hole into the wall over here or at least damage it enough for you to run at it and pass on without any trouble." He muses and I am totally shocked at what good ideas he comes up with. "I think that second one would work, but we can't do it today. Tomorrow you work on the wall and the day after we'll hopefully be able to escape."
So Billy works on weakening the wall all of the next day and half of the day after that. Then at the end of our planned escape day as everyone mills back inside the detention centre I grab hold of Billy's waist and run full speed at the wall, blasting through with ease, and keep running until we are at the gate of the abandoned Avengers mansion.
A/N: And finally Chapter 4 is up. Sorry it took soooo long, I was going to have it done before Christmas last year but then I got a new laptop and it didn't have word on it so I had to wait till I got to University and then I got busy with school work and an original story of mine but anyway here it is. Kind of half-hearted with this chapter but I'll work really hard on the next chapter which is Teddy and will finally have our two main characters Teddy and Billy meeting each other, yay. Okay please comment, does everyone like AU Tommy? Are you excited for the next chapter? I'll try and reply to every comment.