Uuuuugghhhhhh.. FINALLY.. Another chapter. Not as much as I wanted. [Like friggen' always] but I must say, this chapter I found interesting. I ran it by some of my friends who actually thought the same. So hopefully you guys enjoy. Sorry if it's not as meaty as most of my work, I just have a lot to do. x.x;


Chapter 4

And I want a moment to be real,
Wanna touch things I don't feel,
Wanna hold on and feel I belong.
And how can the world want me to change?
They're the ones that stay the same.
They don't know me,
'Cause I'm not here.


Comfort never came easy when it came to Piers. He had a hard time relaxing or sitting still. He was always in constant movement. So it was rare for him to find anything he really enjoyed doing. But he made sure to every morning head to school about an hour early to sprint around the track, chucking his foot ball at the metal goal post. He wasn't very good with throwing the ball, granted, but whenever he bolted across the yard line, he felt.. free.

It was a comfort zone, a developing safty net. Piers liked it.

The sky was a muggy gray, perfect weather with the promise of snow.. Clouds heavy and clumped as they stretched so thin like a musky smoke sheet. The sun was also a tinted dull light, clammy and colorless. But even the slender layer of cold didn't bother Piers, his breath being marked by whisps of fog that curled from his lips. He only darted towards the goal post, boots crunching on a sheen layer of frost. His jacket made slippery sounds as he moved, sweeping friction that warmed him up. His arm snapped back and with ball in hand, he hurled it.
Piers stopped dead in his tracks, breathless as the ball sailed through the air. It was beautiful to him, cutting through all the gray.. Gracefull-.. and it bounced off the metal pole with a hollow clang. Piers felt his heart sink into the frozen pits of his stomach. He adjusted the scarf that lazily clung to his neck.

"You're not very good with throwing, are you?" Piers heard a voice and snapped completely around, nearly giving himself whiplash. His honey brown eyes locked onto Chris' darker shades of brown. The much taller male was sporting a gray hoodie that almost blended in with the air around him and a small smile. Wasn't he cold?

"How long have you been watching me?" Piers tried to fight off the surprised squeak. He didn't want Chris to lead on to the thoughts of him being startled by the 'sneak attack'.

"Long enough to know you suck at throwing.." Chris slowly drew out with a chuckle. He matched his eased steps with the pace of his words. And before Piers had time to get angry, Chris added softly. "But enough to also know you are pretty fast... How did you get so quick?"

Piers tensed in his spot as Chris neared, heart hammering with each step the other took. He was tangling his gaze with Chris, lips parting at a slight as words gently nuzzled from his lips to break free.. But Piers swallowed them and looked away, towards a car that had swept by. He pretended to be interested in that. Chris wasn't convinced.

"You like football don't you?" Chris changed the topic but not the subject and Piers was staring at him again. Debating on answering, he didn't have to when Chris simply took that as a yes. "You wouldn't be coming here every day for the past week extra early if you didn't..~"
So he knew..

Piers shook his head once, then looked down at their feet. Why was talking to Chris becoming harder and harder? For the past week, he caught himself staring when he shouldn't have, or watching Chris whenever he doing his work.. Or working out at the school gym.. Sometimes, Chris would catch his stare, but ignore it, or just smile as if he was oblivious to it all.. Piers still wasn't ready to face what that feeling in his gut was whenever their eyes met.. Even if some part of him knew what it already was..

"How about we make a deal?" Chris' words were friendly, and Piers decided to hear him out without interruption. "I help you get on the team.. And you help me with my studies.."

Get on the.. team?!

"W-what?!" Piers couldn't hide the tone in his voice this time around, and it made that stupid, melting grin spread widder and Piers was itching to slap it off his stupid handsome face! He didn't want to be apart of the stupid team.. Did he? "You're joking.."

"My grades are falling.. They drop any more and I won't be able to get into the military..." Chris muttered with his head drawn downcast. Piers perked up to the common interest, at first he wondered if he heard Chris right.
"You.. Want to join the military?.."

"Eventually.." Chris began to rock back and forth on his heels.. Had Piers made him uncomfortable for once? Piers indulged with the fantasy. "So.. Will you help me out or not? I can show you how to use that arm of yours."

Really, what could go wrong? Well, Piers could think of thousands of possibilities.. His mother used to tell him never play with fire.. You are bound to get burned.. Chris was fire in this case.. And Piers sure the hell wasn't ready to get burned. He toyed with the idea, tossed it around in his head. His mother also told him sometimes, chances are worth taking.. Why was she so contradicting?!
Oh what the hell..

"Sure.." Piers shrugged softly. And Chris extended his hand towards him. Piers looked at it for a moment. Heart shooting up his throat. He had to swallow it back down. Chris would probably think he's acting strange if he didn't shake his hand.. But Piers couldn't move..! The hand was there, but

Piers hesitated.. Then on some miracle, he thrusted his hand into Chris, thankfully.

Chris beamed as he shook the hand in his. His appendage was warm, and strong, calloused fingers that told a tale of it's own from working out in the gym or throwing the foot ball around.

"Are you good with guns?" What an odd question.. Piers wrinkled his nose briefly to consider it. Their hands stopped shaking but never separated, Piers pondered if Chris didn't notice.. He was probably being nice and waiting for Piers to pull back..

"Yeah.. I go hunting every now and then with my uncle.." He was known for his smooth accuracy. He had his uncle to thank for that.

"Throwing a ball isn't much different.." Chris drew out simply. He was waiting for Piers to let go of his hand, Piers realized.. But for some reason or another it felt like a challenge.. And Chris would be winning somehow if Piers released the hand.. Oh, hell no.. Chris was going to be the first to let go! "Just point.. and shoot.."

"I'll keep that in mind.." Piers mumble came out with his fogged breath and Chris smiled.

For a moment, it felt as if Chris was staring through him.. And Piers became uncomfortable with that concept. He sank his teeth into his lower lip.. But that was when he noticed something off. There was a powdery substance on Chris' cheekbone.. Just directly under his eye.
Makeup?

Chris was wearing makeup? What the hell for? When Chris noticed Piers staring heavily at his face, he cleared his throat and went to turn away, but Piers wouldn't let go of Chris' hand.

"Is something wrong?" Chris spoke in a low whisper. As if afraid to shatter the silence. Or afraid of shattering Piers, he couldn't decide.

"You tell me.." Piers tipped his head to examine Chris' face but Chris finally tugged his hand back and silently shrugged. His whole aura had changed.. Darkened even. Piers wasn't sure if he overstepped his boundaries or not until Chris had finally spoken up.

"It's nothing, I am fine..~"
Piers had a hard time believing him.


The American Dream isn't something that can be easily defined. Or at least that's what Mr. Donnagan was going on about in History class. Some dream of a white picket fense, two children [boy and girl] a dog and a barbeque pit in the front yard. Others dream of untold riches of money, maybe love.. Piers didn't exactly know what he wanted in life yet.. But their teacher wanted them to put their idea of the American Dream on paper.. At the moment, Piers' was blank.. A polar bear lost in a snow storm so to speak.

The clock raked through his thoughts, and Finn's creaky chair squeaked as he fidgeted next to Piers.. The pencil in his hands drummed against his notepad. This should be easy.. But his mind was scattered. He remembered on the news that morning; chattering about Umbrella corporation..

Some type of company Piers didn't quite understand.. They were apparently hiding something.. Whatever it was it stured an uproar... The first thing Piers scrawled down.. Peace.. And he went from there, etching his thoughts, speaking unspoken words into his notebook. He had a feeling Chris would agree.

Chris.. why? Again, his thoughts went to Chris, what was so special about him? What caught his interest?.. Was it the smile? Chris did have a nice smile.. It complemented his eyes and that strong structure.. the way he carried himse-.. STOP IT! Piers scolded himself.. Of all people to be infatuated with it had to be him.. Then again, what was so wrong with that? Chris was actually... Nice..

The bell was the thing to tear from his fantasies and Piers automatically collected his books, stuffing them into his bag. Finn was waiting for him at the door, their usual developed ruteen they had built in Mr. Donnagan's class since the past week.. But something threw it out of wack.. At a distance.. Piers could hear a muffled chant of a sort.. Finn noticed the disturbance in Piers' face and followed his gaze to a cluster of students gathered at a viewpoint from outside on the other side of the window.

"What's wrong..?" Concern writtled his small voice and Piers gently pushed the boy back to make way as he started outside.

Piers could hear the chant's grow louder with every step, he could almost make out what the roar of students were saying. He could feel Finn at his heels as he bounded around the corner to find his peers standing in a ring around some sort of commotion..

"FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!"

Piers' heart sank in the pits of his stomach, there wasn't much time to listen to his common sense or Finn as he wormed his way into the ring. Just a peek... It couldn't hurt..

What Piers saw shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did.. Three of the jocks.. Carl, Wade and Marco were pushing and shoving Jake around. Jake didn't look like he was having much of a problem. One clean punch to Wade's jaw and that sent the Chubba-Bubba reeling and out cold on the ground.. But that left Jake wide open.. Carl had latched onto the rebel from behind and locked Jake's arms behind his back, freeing him for Marco to hammer his fist into Jake's stomach.

Piers' gut told him to stay out of it, what the hell did he care? It was Jake Muller.. The jackass.. But that stupid little voice of reason told him differ'.. Had he not wanted to change the world? He had written it down on paper as proof.. If he went against that.. it'd be all for nothing..
Screw it all to hell..!

Piers slipped in and snapped a well aimed round house kick to the side of Marco's head. Jake looked stunned, but not for long and used the distraction Piers created to stomp a heel into Carl's foot.. He jerked himself free as Piers stepped forward. Strange enough, Jake was quick enough to see Piers reel his fist back to predict what was going to happen and duck in time. Piers figured Jake would, though he was sure he would get bitched for it later.. All that mattered now was Piers got a direct slug to Carl's nose, the crack said it all, and the stinging in his knuckles said more.
Somewhere along the fight, Jake had lunged forward, darting and colliding with Marco who actually recovered out of Piers' line of sight.. Good to know Jake was on his side... But it occurred to Piers..
What the fuck were they doing?!

He could hear cheers of the students, pumping his blood, and Finn's shouts.. And during this madness a strong voice sliced through all the commotion.

"What on earth is going on?!" It froze even Jake Muller in mid-punch.

"Principal Simmons!" Carl squeaked. So this was the big bad Principal... He didn't look too bad as far as scowling went.. He had met the Vice Princapal Fredrick, but that was about it.

So.. That's how Piers ended up in the Principal's office. He wasn't too sure what happened to Jake and the others.. He guessed they went to the Nurse's to get themselves checked. It would make sense.. He wasn't in the fight long enough to get exactly hurt.

"Oh, so you are a new face.." Piers recgonized the voice to an extent, but when he looked up, he saw a strange face he wasn't sure he's seen before.
The male before him had a soft expression, gentle green eyes and a smile. His hair was hidden, up in a gray beanie. Piers looked from the male to his hands. He hated attention, from any type of source. Needless to say this guy was no acception.

"What're you in for?" The question is casual, and Piers swears on all that's good, he heard that voice somewhere before. But still couldn't quite pin it. Piers decided to shrug it off for the time being.

"I got into a fight to protect someone I don't even know.." Piers murmured, it sounded bizarre to him.. But..

"That is admirable." The male grinned as he began shuffling through papers on the desk across from Piers. Was he some sort of office assistant?

"No.. But I hate him.." Piers felt a scowl when he uttered his words.

"Hate is a strong word..~"

Sure, Piers would agree; hate is a strong word, but Piers was a strong person. And Jake earned every ounce.. Oh yeah, this year was starting out, "wonderfully".

The first thing Piers did when he got home was make a bee-line for his room. His whole plans however were ruined when Linda was waiting at the foot of the stairs. Arms crossed, stance angry.. Expression.. Angrier.. Piers felt like a turtle ducking in his shell when he took a good two or three steps back. He had to force himself to meet Linda's stare. He hated getting her upset. And he already knew what was up.

"The school called.." Shit.. Piers allowed his gaze to roll to the side of the room. He pretended to be interested in the painting that hung on the wall adjaycent to the coat hanger. Linda wouldn't have it. With her fingertips she cradled Piers' chin and dragged his stare back onto her's. "Piers... Why?"

"Some kid was being bullied.. I-.."

"I don't care, you should've gotten an adult!" When she cut him off so abruptly, Piers felt the anger rise a bit in his throat. It took some effort to swallow it back down but that stare.. That disappointed stare was enough for Piers to feel the burn.. It was the final thread that made him snap.

"I told you from the start, this was a bad idea!" He shouted, jerking his chin back from Linda's hold. It didn't help his case nor did it ease up on that steady glare he had earned, if anything it made it burn brighter. Might as well burn the whole damn school down. He tried to do some justice to it and here he was getting punished for it. Sure, he could understand to an extent.. Yes he should have gotten an adult.. But it hurt that Linda of all people didn't understand.. She was his only friend for christ sake! Something he resembled so closely as a mother than his own damn mom!

"Sooner or later, Piers.. You have to learn to grow up.. Your mother and father would not appr-.."

"If that is the case, then why aren't they here to tell me that?!" Piers finally erupted. This visually shocked Linda.. As much as it shocked him.. Deep down, when it came to his mom and dad.. It was a touchy subject for him.

And for a while, Linda is silent.. They share this... this stand still.. And Piers could feel his eyes start to burn.. He hadn't meant... He knew his parents meant well.. But sometimes, he just wished they were here.. Why have a kid if you were going to leave him behind? It didn't seem fair... Before he could blurt anymore shit, Piers gently brushed past Linda and stormed upstairs..


Not much, but it does cover a few of the basics, and creates new questions! :] Lots of big things planned.. Geez four chapters and barely even scratched the surface. x.x Sorry guys, guess this one is gonna be a lot of chapters. But there are advantages to short chapters as well as disadvantages. I would try to write longer chapters but it would take far too long, and I hate to keep you guys waiting. Until next time!