Scott can feel humiliation creeping up on him on Monday morning his first day at school without his car. Standing at the bus stop with his brothers waiting for their bus. Scott isn't stupid, he was not going to beg his dad to give him back his car, that would just end up with him being grounded longer.
He is also aware this was his own fault, he should have locked the blasted door!
Scott watches as Gordon, John and Virgil get on the bus going to the elementary and middle schools.
He waits, and waits but the bus never shows up. Swearing under his breath as he trudges back up the drive way to the house, hoping grandma is feeling generous enough to give him a lift, or better yet giving him his car keys as this is an emergency. He has to get to school right?
"Scotty? What are you doing here?" Alan asks. "Have you come back to play with me?"
"I was about to ask the same thing" Grandma tells him.
"No, I haven't come home to play with you Grandma" Scott replies cheekily. "Bus never showed up, can you give me a lift to school?"
"Sure, take Alan out to the car for me and I will join you once I get some shoes on" grandma replies smiling.
"ROAD TRIP!" Alan shouts running outside still in his pyjamas followed by Scott who scoops him up, to avoid him hurting his feet on the gravel, and puts him into the car seat in the back, strapping him in so escape is impossible.
Scott gets to school only 5 minutes late and thanks to grandmas note doesn't get detention.
He makes it to his first period English class, and hands over the note to get out of trouble, and slides into his seat.
Bella slips him a note.
Scott opens it under the desk trying to hide it from his teacher. And scribbles his reply, desperately trying to keep the note hidden.
"Mr Tracy! Is that a note I see you writing and not the book you're supposed to be reading?"
Shit! Scott thinks.
"Bring it here Tracy, you know the rules".
Scott isn't stupid enough to argue and hands it over. Sinking into his seat wishing he was invisible, as Mr Matthews opens the paper.
"Oh dear" he says as he skims the note in front of him. Then as per his own sick tradition, he reads the note aloud to the whole class.
"I have been trying to text you all weekend, why haven't you answered? I even tried your house phone your brother said you were too busy to talk to me. We had sex Scott. You used me for sex. It's over Scott."
Bella gets up and walks out in humiliation. Tears streaming down her face.
Mr Matthews carries on reading the note.
"My dad found out. I'm grounded, can we dis.. that's it, go to her Mr Tracy."
Scott doesn't need to be told twice. Humiliated and dumped in public by the first girl he has really liked, he hasn't cried this hard since Gordon's accident.
Scott pushes the door to the girls bathroom open and can hear her sobs.
"Bella?" He calls out. "We need to talk, can I come in?"
"Get lost Scott!" She calls back.
"Please. Listen to me, I can explain everything." Scott begs her. "My dad found out. I got grounded. He took my phone, he took my car and he's taken my freedom for a month. Please don't let him take you from me too."
"How did your dad find out?" She asks him through the locked door.
"My Little brother had evidence, blackmailed me for money so I came clean. Look, Bella, I am really sorry but I didn't intentionally ignore you. You have to believe me, I would never do anything to hurt you" Scott pleads.
He can hear a sound from behind the door as she unlocks it, and he joins her inside the cubicle.
"Did you pound the little brat?" She asks, after the door is safely locked again. "I have brothers myself Scott. There is no way I would be letting one of them live"
"No. Gordon is special. I could never hurt him, he's been through too much already" Scott replies.
"Are you joking?! You won't even punish the little bastard?" Bella replies, angrily. "You could have at least pushed him down a flight of stairs and claimed he fell."
Scott is horrified.
"You want me to throw an 8 year old boy down a flight of stairs?!"
"Well maybe not that extreme, but you have a pool. Drown the little shit" Bella suggests. Her brothers would have been tortured for months if they have tried this scam. She insists.
"No!" Scott tells her. Grabbing her wrists, "I'm not hurting anyone".
"Choose Scott. Me or that brat. Get the picture". Bella tells him.
Scott stands up. His arms folded as he looks at her. He is seeing something else, not the kind hearted, loving girl he thought he knew. There is a coldness in her eyes, that he doesn't like. Her face hard, and set and angry.
And Scott wants nothing to do with it.
"Easy. The brat!" Scott replies.
"WHAT?!" She yells.
"T-H-E B-R-A-T, the brat" Scott spells out to her. "Get the picture?"
"ARGH!" Bella screams at him, slapping him round the face with as much strength as she can muster and Storming out of the toilet leaving him alone.
Scott leaves the cubicle and splashes his face with cold water. There is a clear hand print on his cheek, and he knows he can't go back to class without awkward questions being asked. He doesn't care about her getting into trouble but he doesn't want the added humiliation of everyone knowing he got slapped.
*TB*
By lunch the whole school knows and he is being painted as the villain who used her, then dumped her when something better came along. Scott doesn't even bother defending himself.
He's sat on his own trying to avoid any confrontation when he is approached by her older brothers. Twins in their senior year, both over 6 foot tall. Collectively they grab him by the arms and force him up onto his feet.
Chad pins his arms behind his back, while Dave starts to punch him. He can't fight back, as he is repeatedly punched in the stomach and ribs.
"THIS IS FOR OUR SISTER, SCUMBAG!" Dave screams at him. "Throw him on the floor Chad"
Scott finds himself thrown and pinned while the pair of the kick him. No part of him escapes their punishment and the kick to his balls brings tears to his eyes, curling up in pain he knows they're going to kill him.
As quickly as it starts it's over, and the Neanderthals are pulled off him by two teachers and the cafeteria monitor.
"Tracy, can you get up?" A distant voice is asking. Opening his eyes he recognises it has his football coach.
"Yeah" He replies as he tentatively gets to his feet.
"Let's get you to the nurses office" he tells him, gently placing an arm around his waist and helping him out of the cafeteria. He looks up, Bells id standing there with her friends, a self satisfied smirk on her face, that will teach him, she thinks.
The nurse insists on sending him to the hospital for an X-Ray on his now painful ribs. Handing him an ice pack she calls his Grandma to come and collect him.
*TB*
"Alan, get dressed we have to go and get your brother from school" grandma tells him.
"What did Gordon do this time?" Alan asks curiously.
"Nothing!" Grandma tells him, a smile escaping despite her anger. "It's Scott, now hurry up"
"Scotty? But Scotty never gets in trouble?" Alan replies. His eyes wide with surprise.
"He isn't in trouble Alan. We just need to go and get him" She reassures him.
She leaves a note for Virgil to find, explaining that she's had to go and pick Scott up and to just cook dinner for John and Gordon, before she sets out to collect him.
Anger and fear becomes relief when she finds him sitting up on the bed in the nurses office. One of his eyes is closed and blackening by the minute. His nose has stopped bleeding, he has an ice pack held up to his ribs and he's trying so hard to not cry.
"Scotty?" Alan asks. "Who did this to you" his voice barely above a whisper.
"It doesn't matter Al, can we just go home grandma? Please?" Scott asks.
"Not until you have seen a doctor young man" grandma tells him, in her no nonsense don't mess with me tone Scott is used to having directed at his brothers. 17 years of life experience has taught him never to argue with this women! So he meekly hands the ice pack back, and heads out to the car park.
He's lucky to be told that there is nothing broken, his ribs are badly bruised and will cause him quite a lot of pain for a few weeks.
The doctor tells him that he was extremely lucky this was not a whole lot worse, and he's given a prescription for pain relief and a note excusing him from school for two weeks.
Grandma takes pity on him and let's him stay in the car while she takes Alan to the pharmacy to collect his medication.
The car is silent all the way home, Scott doesn't want to talk about what happened, and even Alan is subdued by the atmosphere.
Pulling up outside the house grandma isn't surprised by the sight that greets her. Jeff, and the three boys are all waiting outside anxiously for their arrival and Gordon throws himself at Scott the second he's out of the car.
Ignoring all thoughts of pain Scott allows himself to be cuddled by his brothers. Bending down to Alan's height, flinching in agony, as they all gather round him, before leading him inside and helping him get comfortable on the sofa.
"Was this my fault Scotty?" Gordon asks tearfully.
"Absolutely Squid. Totally your fault" Scott tells him. But he's smiling at him, which confuses the whole room.
"It's your fault you helped me realise what a bitch that girl was!" Scott tells him grinning.
"Scott. Language!" His dad admonishes him.
"Sorry dad, but it's true. She suggested I should push Gordo down the stairs for getting me grounded!" Scott tells them.
"What did you say to that?" John has to know.
"What do you think I said? I said no!" Scott replies rolling his eyes. Grateful that they can both open still.
"Really?" Gordon replies.
"Really there is no way I am throwing you down the stairs Gordon, or drowning you, which was her other suggestion! She then made me choose between you and her. And slapped me when I chose you!" Scott tells him filling him in on all the details.
"What a bitch!" Alan tells him.
"Alan! Corner now! I won't tell you again not to repeat the bad language your brothers come out with!" His dad tells him marching him to the designated time out corner.
Scott rolls his eyes, gets up of the sofa and joins his brother at the wall, without being asked.
"I swore too dad!" He tells him.
"10 minutes and I will come and get you both" His dad promises leaving them to it.
"What's for dinner anyway?" Grandma asks virgil. Remembering the note she left for him.
"Take out!" Virgil replies grinning. "Should be here soon, I used dads Uber eats account, Indian okay with everyone?"
*TB*
Scott and Alan are released from their time out just as the food arrives. They eat in the living room in front of the tv. Scott trying to pretend his ribs aren't total agony as he eats the hottest curry Virgil ordered. He knows he's going to be hurting for weeks, but he also knows he wouldn't swap the 6 people around him right now for anyone else.
After dinner Scott excuses himself and goes to his room. Pulling off his T-shirt to survey the damage. It doesn't look as bad as he expected it too. Lying back on the bed, he places his hands behind his head and silently stares at the ceiling. He knows he has had a lucky escape from a psycho and that he has Gordon to thank for it.
He gets up and goes to his brothers room, Gordon and Virgil are both up here now. Gordon is playing on his tablet and Virgil is sketching him.
"Hold still Gordo, or you'll end up with your nose where your eye should be!" He tells him laughing.
"I'm trying but it's boring. You know I don't like staying still Virg!" Gordon replies.
"Hey Virg, can you give us a minute. I want to talk to Gordon" Scott tells them, leaning on the doorway, he can't help smiling at the scene in front of him, even now he knows how lucky he is to still have Gordon.
"Sure I will go and grab us some drinks." Virgil replies pliantly.
"Good boy!" Scott tells him patting him on the head.
"I am not a dog Scott!" Virgil rolls his eyes but leaves them too it.
"Come sit down Squid" Scott tells him.
Gordon complies and sits on the bed next to him.
"Are you really okay Scotty?" He asks. "I never wanted you to get hurt"
"I'm fine, and you saved me from a lot worse. I could have been stuck with that psycho if she hadn't revealed her true colours. I can't believe I'm saying this Gordon, but thank you for getting me grounded!" Scott laughs.
"Any time big bro, any time!" Gordon replies.
Scott grabs hold of him and wrestles him Into a headlock, ruffling his hair with his free hand. Causing him to squirm and try to wriggle free. He's laughing though, and so is Scott. This may have been one of the worst says of his life, but he still has his family.
And that is all Scott Tracy really needs.