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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from boy meets world! Blah, blah, blah...
I have taken the storyline from a few other fics that Shawn is abused by his father, but with a little twist; this now takes place after Shawn's mother has left him. All the rest is completely original.
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PLEASE READ WARNING: This story contains serious elements including severe physical, mental, sexual and emotional abuse, violence, Vulgarities, prostitution, Child endangerment, and the foster care system. You have been warned - if you want to read on, please do. There are also elements such as comedy, romance, friendship, the prevail of human spirit, criminal investigation, adventure, coming of age tales, bravery and thrills. It is a very diverse story, with a lot going on, however you may need a strong stomach and possibly a box of tissues if you're very sensitive - so sit tight, hold onto that cup of tea, and read on.
------------------------- Chapter 6: The Poacher in the Rye -------------------------
"Hunter, why do you think Holden wants to save all the children in the rye?"
Mr. Turner notices Shawn sat at his desk, just staring into space.
"Shawn?" he calls.
"Huh?"
"Holden, Holden Caulfield, a character from a little book called the Catcher in the Rye" Mr. Turner Rose his eyebrows a little...
"The Catcher in the what?"
"The Catcher in the Rye...I'm sorry Mr. Hunter, I shouldn't expect you to know too much about it, I mean we've only been studying this book for the last 2 months"
"What kind of a math book gets named the Catcher in the Rye?" Shawn asks, of course knowing it isn't maths, but still loving every second of it. It's a little thing he and Mr. Turner have. It makes him kind of feel normal when he thinks about it.
Turner looks dumb struck for a moment and then he puts on one of his grins, as if to say: "oh you think you're real funny, don't you".
"Uhuh - and I'm sure calculations will get you very far in your exam on Tuesday" Turner points out.
"I'm Hoping so" Shawn replies with a smirk.
"I'm guessing you can't tell us all why Holden Caulfield wanted to save all the little children from jumping off the edge of that cliff then?"
Shawn sighs, and actually tries to think about the question. He hasn't even read the book, but somehow the question seems to get to him. He still doesn't have a clue what it is about; Why are these kids trying to jump off a cliff, unless they're being pushed… It must be a metaphor... So he thinks about why he would want to do that. Why?
"Innocence" he states, not sure if he'd said it aloud.
Turner was about to ask someone else the same question, but he turns and raises his eyebrows in Shawn's direction.
"What did you say?" he asks.
"Erm, nothing" Shawn mumbles, somewhat embarrassed at the attention he'd mustered up.
"No, no Hunter, you said innocence didn't you? Well done, that's a key word in this question, can you tell me why you said this?"
"Erm..." he doesn't know what to say. That had just come out; he doesn't have an explanation for it. He hasn't even read the darn book.
"Well, I was thinking sometimes people grow up to be really bad, but when they are like, little kids there more innocent and impressionable..." He didn't sound like himself. "...And maybe this guy thought, hey why do they have grow up and become these bad people, why can't they stay young and pure... Maybe he's afraid of growing up, and he doesn't want everyone else to, and that why he stays in the rye, and he tries to make sure everyone else does too... because he's afraid."
'Pure', he's no longer pure, no longer innocent... his father stripped him of this. That's why he said 'innocence', that is why felt some sort of resemblance to the question. That is why he can feel the beads of sweat forming down the sides of his face. That is why his voice begins to tremble at this realization.
"I...is that it now?" Shawn asks, wanting everyone to take their eyes off of him.
Turner's facial expression is one of stunned amazement. He's never seen something this intelligent, or at least serious come out of Shawn's mouth. It isn't rocket scientist stuff, but it's further than he'd thought Shawn can go. Well, he always believed Shawn was capable of more. He wasn't expecting it at this moment, and so... randomly. It's not the perfect answer to his question, but it's pretty damn close.
"Sure, right, erm yeah Shawn, yeah..." Turner replies, noting down the anxious look on Shawn's face.
"So Mark, what evidence can..." Mr. Turner turns his head away from Shawn and turns towards another pupil in the class.
Shawn sighs. What is he saying? Crap, he's just talking a load of crap.
Suddenly the bell goes rings out and buzzes around the classroom and everyone begins pouring out of there. Shawn waits until everyone has gone before getting up from his desk; Cory is at the door waiting for him. He feels so tired.
"Hunter, wait, can I see you for a moment...Cory you go on to your next class, I wont keep your best-friend long" Mr. Turner says.
Shawn feels this sickly feeling in the pit of his stomach. Cory looks back at him with raised eyebrows and then scratches his head and leaves.
"Sir?" Shawn squeaks.
"I was very impressed with what you said today, I just wonder why, when you can come out with this stuff, why you don't do any of the work or even listen?"
Shawn doesn't say anything.
"Did you read all of the book?" Mr. Turner asks.
"The Poacher in the Rye?"
"Are you kidding me?" Mr. Turner says in a high-pitched tone of voice.
"Yes" Shawn replies, trying not too sound too dumb, but going along with the whole 'it was a joke' thing. Then he remembers the actual title of the book.
"The Catcher in the Rye" he answers back.
"Yep, did you read it?" Mr. Turner enquires.
"Sort of" he lies. In truth he hasn't even opened the book, let alone read any of it.
"Ah, well, at least I'm getting through to you a little"
Shawn smiles. A fake smile, but nevertheless a smile.
"Can I go now Mr. Turner?" Shawn asks.
"Yeah..." he replies "...but one more thing Hunter"
Shawn stops, dreading the obvious. It's okay though, he tells himself, if he asks about the bruises I know what to say.
"Where'd you get that bruise?"
Bingo.
"Oh, this, I was playin' baseball with my dad, you now how things are, sometimes the ball just goes and hits you smack in the middle of the face, we put some ice on it straight, but here it is..." he touches the bruise on his cheek and forces another a fake smirk.
"Yeah, alright then Hunter, keep up the good work" he looks at Shawn oddly and shakes his head, "I never thought those words would come out of my mouth..."
Another smile. He guesses that was a little funny. He isn't in the mood to actually laugh though, not after the week he's had.
"See ya next Math lesson then Sir" Shawn mutters as he walks out of the door and carries on down the corridor.
It was a pretty dumb thing to say really - seeing as math was his next lesson. There are papers scattered across the floor, and the school bin seems to have been pushed over. The rubbish is snaking out of it and onto the ground. Shawn finds himself returning the bike he'd left behind the alley to the corner shop he had stolen it near. He drags it in through the door and shouts: "Hey this bike belongs to the women I stole it from this morning!" He hides his face and shoots out the door before anyone can run after him. It's a stupid thing to do. He could have easily gotten caught, especially since he can only jog, and not even run due his injuries. He speeds off down the road as fast as he can go. It hurts but he can't afford to slow down. He's definitely not going to late tomorrow.
After a short while he gets a little short of breath and stops running and finding himself at a fence he leans on it for support. It hurt like hell to move his legs so fast, but he seems to have been able to do it. He lets himself drop to the ground and just sit for a while. He can still feel it inside him. The shame he feels is overwhelming. He can feel it in the pit of his stomach. It's been about three days since he was raped and he can still feel it writhing inside of him. Shawn lets his head lean over his knees, covering it with his arms, trying to block out the memories. They just won't go away though. They'd never go away. Then he hears footsteps ascending toward him. There are a few of them all at once.
"Hey kid!" an unfamiliar voice says hoarsely.
Shawn begins to lift his head. A hard smack to the face, by an unknown attackers fist knocks him back into the fence. He then falls right down onto his stomach and lies there staring at the concrete ground beneath him. He's too damn depressed and weak to be bothered defending himself.
"Please God, just end me" he whispers, half serious and half not.
"You stole my sisters bike you dumb trailer trash fuck!" the mustard blonde haired man states viciously.
Shawn exhales painfully. "...So what are ya gonna do... take me to a police station, or beat the crap out of me, either way, get it over and done with" he states flatly.
He really doesn't care anymore. He'd actually rather get the crap beaten out of him. The police would get him in trouble with Chet, and he can't be assed with that. He kind of knows this guy won't go to the police with him anyway. In fact it's pretty obvious he won't because if he was intending on doing that he wouldn't have just hit him.
"Yeah" the guy mumbles, unsure of how to answer to him.
There are about three other men standing around the scene before them. Most likely his friends, they all look about nineteen. In they're matching coloured t-shirts and they're tight denim jeans. He tries not to make eye contact with the man in front of him. He's scared that the shame he feels will reflect in his eyes. He stands limply in their arms. Not even struggling.
"How old are you?"
He's sick of that question. Everyone always wants to know how old you are.
"What does it matter?" he mumbles.
With that the teenager backhands him across the face. He doesn't feel threatened by this hotheaded bastard. His nose and mouth feel dry, and his eyes sleepy.
"I asked you a question, give me an answer... NOW!" the guy screams in his face. Only the ringing in his ears makes it sound more like a loud whisper.
"Fourteen" he squeaks, giving in.
What's the point in making them angrier? Then the beating will just take longer.
"What happened to your face, you steal someone else's bike?" he sniggers.
"I returned it" Shawn mutters quietly.
The guy laughs."I asked you a question," he states again.
Shawn thinks about this. That was an actual question; he thought it was meant to be rhetorical. He still feels a little dizzy from the first hit. He doesn't reply. He would take a million beatings before he'd breathe a word of why his face was so bruised and beaten.
"His dad probably gave it too him, trailer park shit" one of the boys holding him says.
Shawn hangs his head low. He wants to punch out, but he really can't bring himself to find the strength to. And after all there are about five nineteen year olds and he's just a fourteen-year-old boy.
"Is that it, trailer boy, daddy likes to beat ya?" The teenager says even more sadistically than he had with the first comment.
"Go fuck yourself" Shawn states, holding in the tears of shame and finding the strength to fight back. He can't just let them go on like this any more. He throws a punch at one of the boys holding him and his fist smacks right off of the boys nose, blood quickly running out of it.
He kicks, punches, and lashes out, anything to get them off him. He almost succeeds as well, loosening their grip on him. Only the others gather around closer and begin to pounce.
"Let me go!" Shawn screams.
He can feel blows coming at him from every direction. In the end, he's on the ground once again, curled up in a fatal position. He wrapped his arms over his head protecting his face, and pulls his knees up to his stomach. Although he lies helplessly on the floor, the leader of the gang carries on kicking at him.
"STOP!" He screams over and over again, until the only thing he can squeeze out is a small whisper.
After about 20 seconds the gang leader stops kicking at Shawn and they all back off. Shawn feels like he is fading in and out of consciousness. There they are. Just staring at him lying there. He lets out a few groans of pain and tries to check over his injuries in his head. Well thankfully nothing feels broken. But he'll have serious bruising. His head hurts, but his face seems all right, except for where that bastard had struck him. The gang all seem somewhat shocked and nervous. Shawn knows they hadn't intended to take it this far. They're obviously scared in case he has serious injuries or even dies. In case they'd get in real trouble for really beating up a fourteen-year-old boy.
Shawn listens to their running footsteps descending further and further away... 'Uhuh, The Catcher in the Rye', Shawn thinks to himself, 'Why couldn't someone have been there to stop me falling off a cliff...?'
------------------------- I am going to write more of this chap. I have just had my first English exam and half term is here, so I wont have another one for about a week and a half or so, so I will be able to write more chaps! Yay, well for you...I'd like to say thank you so much for all the reviews, they were all very positive and great inspiration! Though feel free to give me negative reviews if you feel something isn't right or there are many mistakes and whatnot ...I will update soon!
Special thanx to all those reviewers who just kept on reviewing...
sunrise19, blondenbeautiful, AEM1, Jalen I, Mariah, anon...and thanx to all the others who reviewed my story.
Oh and p.s. R&R this chapter if ye like. : )
Oh and one more thing, to answer your questions:
Yes I'm going to write more about the other members of the BMW cast in there
Nope, Mikey isn't from the show, I made him up... No I'm not gonna take the easy way out, and have Cory just find out about Shawn, and everyone live happily ever after, not to say there wont be a happy ending, but who knows. Also how happy could ya be when you've been abused like Shawn has in this story. Yes Chet will get what's coming to him, but I don't want to give anything away...
Oh and next time I have to write the name 'Topanga', I'll write it like this, correctly spelt, (sorry, lol)
And lastly Mikey will stay a good person, but anyway, yer, that's about it I think...
Tell me what you think of this chap, cya ppl, Cesca, xxx