Study Fall

73 reviews in only 3 chapters! You guys are awesome! :D

I'M SOO SORRY!

I've been depressed for quite a while and I don't seem to be able to get out of it any time soon. So I'm making this chapter as long as possible to make it up to you guys!

Disclaimer: I do not own Monster High, if I did Jackson and Deuce would already be together!

Oh, by the way there will be an OC called Saybian who was made by CreativeWritingSoul! I think he's really cool and I hope I use him like Soul thought of!

Notes:

"Blah" = Speaking

'Blah' = Thoughts

'Blah' = Zombie thoughts

"Blah" = Zombie talk

Chapter four;

Deuce's P.O.V

Today has been such a drag; I slept past my alarm, was late to school, had Cleo clinging to me like super glue, managed to get three detentions, and had to miss Casketball practice because of those freaking detentions! I swear to the schools catacombs I could punch the life into a ghost! Thank God Clawd stayed behind for me or I wouldn't have know there was a new addition to the Casketball team, Clawd said his name was Saybian and that he was a Shape shifter, apparently can run faster than Cleo running to a make-up sale!

"I thought that it would be good if we met up with him later, since you weren't at practice, he is a nice enough monster; bit odd and I think it's best if we don't startle him. Coach shouted at us to get moving and the poor thing jumped a mile. He suddenly turned several different colours and shapes! I've never seen anything like it, it took him about three minutes to turn back to the way he originally was. So, anyway I thought it would be best if we met up at the park since my house is the closest and you and Saybian, if you two want to and Mum allows us, could stay over and watch a movie or something" I nodded at Clawd's plan, I couldn't be bothered to deal with my Mother's fretting about why I was late home, I could probably call her once I get to Clawd's house, unless Clawdeen is hogging the phone, again.

The rest of the walk to the park as rather uneventful, only interesting thing that happened was that Clawd tripped over a pebble. Once we had gotten to the rather large park Clawd yelled at a guy leaning against one of the trees, he had soft looking brown hair; a lightly freckled baby face, cat slit yellow eyes that seemed to look into your soul, he was wearing a black top with a black and white chequered tie, dark blue jeans and green sneakers. For a moment I thought he was a Normie but then I remembered Normie's can't naturally have yellow cat eyes. I watched carefully as Saybian jogged over to us with a smile, he seems nice but you never truly know with a Shape shifter. I saw Saybian look at my snakes cautiously before smiling at me.

"Hello there, you must be the guy who missed practice. My name is Saybian, yours is. . . Deuce right?" I nodded, something about this kid reminded me of someone but I can't think who. I didn't even realise Saybian was still talking to me until Clawd shoved me gently; shocked I shot him a glare which made him laugh.

"Dude! Stop daydreaming about Cleo and pay attention! Sorry Saybian, he's not normally like this" I gave Clawd a hiss and shot back

"I'm not daydreaming about Cleo!" by his expression he's as surprised as I am at my anger. "Sorry... It's just... I dunno, Cleo seems to be getting more and more irritating. Did you have that with her when you went out?" I got a simple high noted hum in response and I looked at Saybian with an apologetic face. Saybian smiled and said that it was Ok. The three of us walked over to the parks lake and noticed something horrific; just by the Oak tree stood what looked like Manny and his gang of bullies surrounding Jackson, the schools only Normie, we were just in time to see the supposed Manny swing the bat the bat down at poor Jackson and I was surprised by Saybian suddenly outburst.

"OI! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

Everything for a few seconds was blurry, I didn't realise I had ran over to the group and taken off my shades until I was greeted with the sight of a freshly stoned supposed Manny and his goons running away. In any other situation I ask a stupid question on whether I did that, but the tug my heart gave at seeing my Jackson beaten up like this hurt, a lot. Wait... when did he become 'my' Jackson? That doesn't matter right now; I needed to get Jackson to a hospital and fast! Picking up Jackson as gently as I could I jogged across the park onto the main road. As it was getting late there weren't a lot of people about but the ones who were there gave me weird looks as if I hurt him. I ignored then and broke into a run when I felt Jackson start to tense and shake like he was having a seizer.

Finally arriving at the hospital I burst through the doors and started shouting at the nurses to do something to help, the nurses took Jackson off of me and carried him away. I followed them until I was told to go wait in the waiting room, it wasn't until I sat down that I realised that I'd left Clawd and Saybian behind. It made me chuckle to think of Clawd's face as I ran off with an injured nerd. I hadn't realised that Clawd and Saybian joined me in the waiting room until I heard the creaking of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, I looked up to see their concerned faces before looking back down at the floor. What seemed like years, when in fact was only three hours; a nurse came into the waiting room with a clip board and a grim expression. "Family of Jackson Jekyll" I stood up instantly.

"How is he? Is he OK? Is he conscious? Can we see him yet?" I only stopped bombarding her with questions since Clawd put a paw on my shoulder. The nurse seemed unfazed by my bombarding so I assumed she'd dealt with frantic friends and families many times before. The nurse looked at the three of us with a stern look before she continued to speak.

"Mr Jekyll is stable for now; he's suffered multiple fractured ribs, his right lung was punctured, he has a concussion and he has bruises, with more bruises to come. Mr. Jekyll is in a coma, and may possibly suffer from brain damage. But it is impossible to tell at this stage, we'll only know for certain when, or if, he wakes up" the nurse was calm the whole time she spoke, like she was experienced in telling loved ones the horrible conditions their friend/ family is in.

"Brain damage? Oh God, w-what type of brain damage are we talking about, doc?" Clawd's shaken questioned was voiced, one neither me nor Saybian were brave enough to ask.

The nurse paused before answering "I'm not saying Mr. Jekyll has brain damage, I'm just informing you that if he did, which is a small chance, it could be anything like paralysis, memory loss, loss of sense like sight or balance. But as I've said, we won't know until we wakes up." The nurse took a deep breath before continuing "Is there any family members we can call? Like a parent or cousin?"

Instantly I replied "He has a Mum, and an Aunt, Uncle and Cousin. I-I think I have his Mum's number, should I ring her?" I inwardly cursed my stutter, why the heck was I stuttering for? I'm usually one calm dude, maybe it was just the fact I saw someone I know near death right in front of me.

The nurse shook her head "No, leave it to us. You aren't qualified to give out sensitive information. Mr. Jekyll is in room 203 if you wish to see him, but please be quiet if you do, we don't want any of you disturbing anything." The nurse then turned around and left the three of us alone.

The walk up to Jackson's room was uneventful, he was in room 203 which was on the third floor of the five floored hospital. Saybian's voice sliced through the silence that had settled. "Deuce, why do you care? I mean like, you hardly ever notice Jackson's existence and now you're being all buddy – buddy with him, like you've known him for years like I have. You saved his life once, which I am thankful for, but before that I doubt you'd notice him if he was standing right next to you screaming in your ear."

I stopped walking and froze, furious that Saybian had the nerve to ask such a thing. But then it hit me that he was right, why did I care? I barely noticed Jackson before; the only time I noticed him was in Casketball, but even then was stretching it. I turned to Saybian and said "You know what, I don't know. It is true that I have barely noticed Jackson, I just..." I paused, trying to think of a reason why. Luckily I didn't have to answer it for a nurse came out of Jackson's room, I quickly walked inside, thankful for the excuse to avoid answering the question I didn't even know the answer to.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I walked into Jackson's room, but what I saw really made me recoil; Jackson was lying motionless in the white hospital bed wrapped in bandages, a breathing tube down his throat and several tubes attached to his arms. His right arm and left leg was in a thick cast, visible skin that wasn't covered by the bandages was deeply bruised. I sat down on the chair next to his bed and gently held his hand, not noticing that Clawd or Saybian came inside the room I whispered to Jackson "I'm so sorry Jackson... this should never have happened... I-I don't even get why I'm here. Ever since the incident at the swimming pool I can't stop thinking about you, and seeing you so badly hurt just made me snap..." I sighed shakily; I couldn't for the life of me think why I was so shaken up by seeing Jackson in this stake. Was it some kind of Normie trick? Did they have special powers that no one knows about? Clawd placed a large paw on my shoulder, Saybian didn't say anything, and he looked distraught and still a bit angry at me.

"He'll be Okay, he's been through worse…" Saybian quietly said, I turned and looked at him confused.

"What do you mean? Someone's been hurting him worse than this?!" I couldn't control the growing angry in my voice, the thought of someone hurting Jackson more so then he was now was nearly unbearable. Saybian looked a bit uncomfortable, like he wanted to tell me but couldn't. Before he could open his mouth to answer a nurse came in to check Jackson's vitals and such. I asked the nurse when Jackson would wake up, because 'if' he would wake up wasn't an option, the nurse looked sadly at me, like she knew that I wouldn't react well if she corrected me about the possibility of Jackson waking up. The nurse had simply said that Jackson's body needs time to recover, so even if he wakes up from the coma he is currently in he may have to be put in a medically induced coma. Before I could respond the door flew open revealing a young looking woman, her almost black curly hair messy and a light shade of red stained her face. Tears flooded down her face when she saw Jackson, it didn't quite click that she was Jackson's mother until I heard Saybian trying to calm her down and calling her Mrs. Jekyll.

It took a while to calm her down, I guess seeing her only child in such a state would cause hysterics. I suddenly felt jealousy towards Saybian again, how come he was so close to Jackson and his mother but I wasn't?! Anger was boiling inside of me and I didn't realise I was hissing until Clawd put a large paw on my shoulder.

"Dude, I know it's upsetting to see. But you need to calm down."

"Calm down! How the hell can you expect me to calm down?!" I shrieked at him "How could Manny even think of doing such a thing to Jackson?! The poor boy hadn't done anything to him!" Suddenly I felt myself become very calm, how could Manny do such a thing? Was it even Manny? Or did I just think it was. What if it wasn't? I could be blaming him for something he hadn't even done. Clawd could probably see my inner turmoil and pulled me into a hug, not like our usual bro-hugs. But a large, warm, comforting hug. I felt something inside me snap and tears started to leak from my eyes. I wrapped my arms around Clawd's broad shoulders and wept, no longer caring that my reputation could be ruined, no longer able to be strong anymore. I was about to pull away from Clawd, after crying for so long my tears had run out, when I felt someone hugging my back, nearly squishing me into Clawd. I was able to turn my head just enough to see Jackson's mother, Sydney, was the one who was hugging me. She let go and said to Clawd and Saybian

"Would you two mind going outside for a moment? I wish to speak to Deuce alone." The two nodded and walked out of the room, Saybian seeming a bit hesitant to do so. I didn't want them to leave, for a reason I could not say I felt very uneasy around this woman. Maybe it was because of how close she was to Jackson, like a mother bear protecting her cub. I think she could see how uneasy I was, because she chuckled at me and told me not to be worried.

"Thank you, Deuce. Without you my baby would have died." Sydney's voice was gentle, but held a mysterious tone to it, seriousness? Protectiveness? I couldn't tell. Gulping I smiled and told her that it was nothing, trying and failing to play the cool guy card. "I know about what you did for him in the swimming pool, Ghoulia told me." I blinked, not that she could see it. I had completely forgotten about Ghoulia! Had somebody told her yet?

"Does Ghoulia know? About... This?" I gestured to Jackson's comatose body. Sydney nodded her head and told me that Saybian had called her not long after we had got to the hospital.

"You really love him, don't you?" Sydney asked, I looked at her in shock. Was she on about Jackson? Did I love him? No! Of course I don't, I'm going out with Cleo De Nile for pity's sake! I looked back at Jackson, feeling my heart clench at the sight of him. I did love him, the realisation struck me hard, and I swear I couldn't breathe for a few moments. I didn't know I was crying again until Sydney pulled me into a hug, shushing me gently.

"What am I going to do? I'm dating the top ghoul in school and she would flip if I broke up with her to ask Jackson out... I-I'm scared of what she or anyone else would do to him. He could end up like this again, or worse!" I was fully sobbing by this point, my mother always told me that accepting that you love someone is hard, and it's even harder in today's society if the person you love is the same gender as you.

"Why don't we start by waiting for Jackson to wake up? If he's up for it we could discuss with him how you feel" I was about to protest but she held her hand up to silence me. "Or we could help out find a way to break up with your ghoul-friend before he wakes up. Either way Deuce, you'll have to tell him"

"But why do I have to?" I asked, it would ruin the relationship I have with him, I'd rather just be friends and live without him knowing then tell him and him rejecting me. Sydney had a sparkle in her eye like she knew something I didn't. Suddenly the door burst opened revealing a rather flustered Ghoulia.

"Who did this to him?! I swear to every God and Goddess out there when I find out who did this there will be hell to pay!" it was clear the zombie was pissed. And I had no doubt in my mind that Ghoulia was saying an empty threat. She went over to the bed and gently took Jackson's hand in hers. "Why is the world so cruel to you, Jacky? You haven't done anything to deserve this... Can't life just give you a break?" Ghoulia turned to Sydney and embraced her.

"You haven't told Hugh (1) about this, have you?" She asked to Ghoulia, the zombie shook her head. Sydney sighed shakily and smiled.

"Who's Hugh?" I find myself asking, Sydney pulls a face like she's thinking about how to answer my question before she says

"Hugh is my husband, Jackson's father." I refrained from asking where he was now, as Sydney seemed like she wanted to keep Hugh away from Jackson.

"Sydney, why don't you go get some coffee or something? We'll look after Jacky whilst you do so." Ghoulia smiled encouragingly. Sydney nodded and left, I watched her leave to see that Clawd and Saybian were no longer outside. Ghoulia told me that she had said to them to go home.

"The reason why Sydney doesn't want Hugh to know that Jackson is here is because he was extremely abusive to Jackson as a child. He would beat Jackson until the brink of death, and then just leave him for a few days. Sydney didn't know what was going on until she came home one night to the strong smell of blood. She followed the scent into the basement where she found Jackson being whipped. She rang the police and an ambulance. They locked Hugh away in an asylum for having schizophrenia." Ghoulia paused to let the new information sink in. "That's why he flinches whenever someone raises their arm near him. Most people think it's because he's scared of monsters, and in a sense he is. But it's more the fear of being hit again..." Ghoulia rubbed her eyes to stop the tears from leaking.

"So, is Hugh's dual side, like, the abusive side?" I asked, Ghoulia looked at me oddly.

"What are you...? Oh right! Sydney is the one with the dual nature, not Hugh's (2). It's a common mistake people make." Oh, so it wasn't Jackson's father who was the descendant of Dr. Jekyll, but his mother.

"Ghoulia, why are you telling me this?" I asked, Ghoulia smiled at me knowingly

"Because, if you are going to go out with Jackson, I want you to know that he isn't as weak as everyone thinks he is. That even though he went through all that, he came out smiling. He likes you to, by the way." She then stood up and left, leaving me to my own thoughts. Jackson liked me back?! My heart fluttered in my chest, threatening to burst out.

All I have to do now is break up with Cleo and ask Jackson out once he woke up.

A/N: Tada! I seriously hope that it was worth the wait! I cannot apologies enough to all of you about not updating in months! I hope you guys can forgive me!

(1) A name for Jackson's father I made up, I don't think they mention his name in the books.

(2) In the books it is said that Jackson inherits his dual nature from his mother, not his father. His father is a fire element. So I wanted to use the books rather than the webisodes.