Number four!

Jerome Clarke - Unloved

As a lower year at the school your opinion of Jerome Clarke would be pretty low. Especially if you are a victim of either his recycled homework business or one of his many hilarious but humiliating scams, you would think of him as nasty, a mean bully and a ruthless business man.

If you are a member of Sibuna then you would be a little suspicious of him because of the previous Rufus Zeno incidents but you know he will be there for you in the end and isn't as bad as people think.

If you are a classmate then you would know not to mess with him and would also know he is one of the best pranksters known to man, who pulls the most hilarious, devious, clever pranks and scams with his partner in crime an best friend Alfie.

But if you are Mara then you know there is a lot more to him then people think. You will have seen every emotion in his eyes from icy blue to a deep, warm blue. You will have seen his softer side and know his secrets and be one of those lucky few people able to get past his walls.

Jerome Clarke is the eldest child of Joan and John Clarke. Joan wanted a daughter. Before then she never liked children, however to her it just seemed like the logical next step after marriage.

The thing was that Joan Clarke wasn't a very nice woman. She had favouritism and always liked to get her own way. Her youngest child Poppy was her favourite. The girl she wanted to complete her image of what her life should look like.

Soon the novelty of children wore off. Children meant she was confined to the house and had to deal with constant questions and crying. Joan would rathe watched daytime TV and go shopping. She was lazy and made Jerome do the house work and look after Poppy when she couldn't be bothered. She was cruel and unreasonable. So cruel and unreasonable that when her husband John started to think about a divorce, suggesting that he move down to the house up for sale a couple of doors down, so he could still see the kids without putting up with Joan's behaviour anymore, she decided to frame him for abuse. Along with revealing the minor crime he committed years ago as a young man and get him sent to prison.

When Jerome was eight and Poppy five, the police came and his dad got into the police car without a single goodbye. When he asked his Mum what happened she grunted at him and mumbled it wasn't any of his business and there was washing up he could do. Later when Poppy asked where her daddy was Joan told her "Daddy's been a very bad man and has hurt mummy so he has left us".

Jerome overheard and got angry. He knew his dad wouldn't do that! His Mum had to be lying. But Jerome wasn't certain she was lying the more he thought about it. His Dad had been arguing with his Mum a lot recently. He was the only person brave enough to stand up to her. From then on things at home got worse. Joan would leave Jerome to babysit Poppy while she went to the pub for a drink and chat with her mates. She could leave them for hours at a time.

When Jerome was 11 years old he was old enough for boarding school. Joan couldn't wait to palm him off to someone else. She wasn't leaving him there for a good education like most other students parents were, he was there because his Mum didn't want him. Joan used her husbands money to get rid of Jerome . Joan did not hesitate to tell her 11 year old son that he was not to come home for the holidays either. Not even for christmas.

Jerome packed his case and said a very emotional goodbye to Poppy. He was worried about her because he had always looked after her, protected her and now he was forced to leave her with his so called 'Mother'. He was afraid Joan would turn Poppy against him as Poppy was only just 9 years old.

Jerome used Frobisher Academy as a fresh start and a place to finally be a child. He met a boy called Alfie who loved pranks. Jerome had never dared to play pranks at home and soon become obsessed with the fun and thrill. At Christmas time Trudy was the one who coaxed him out of his room to bake cookies. She was the Mum he never had. Well, only when nobody was around. Every holiday season only Victor, Trudy and Jerome would be at the house. Jerome always got Trudy a present and she made sure he had fun until one year when Alfie started inviting Jerome to stay with him.

The year Poppy started at Frobisher Academy was both a blessing and a nightmare for Jerome. On one hand he finally had his little sister back. One the other she was a reminder of everything he used to be. He was different now and didn't want her to be upset. What if she hated him? What if she didn't like the man her big brother had grown to be?

When the letter came to tell him that his Father was in prison, that he hadn't been arrested, released and moved on, that was when Mara made Jerome realise that his job wasn't over. Poppy still needed her brother and he didn't have to feel abandoned by his Dad.

Since then he has never looked back.

So how was that one? Not my best story, sorry about that. I will do better on the next chapter. Can you tell I'm still sticking with Jara? I like them a lot more than other Jerome ships. They just fit well in my opinion.

- xxJustBeingMexx