I am so sorry, guys! I know it's been such a long time since I've updated and in so excited to have finally gotten back to this story!
Fanz4life: It's happening, hon! We're getting there. I'm so excited for you to read the rest of this story!! It's gonna be amazing! Thank you for continuously reviewing! Never stop!
Teeloganroryflan: Aww thank you so much! Did you find the cute moment you missed? I hope so. I always put them in every chapter. Or I try to at least. :)
queenlmno: I know. I was so excited to finally put this in here. Thank you for reviewing!
NASA: I'm sorry for the wait. I know it doesn't seem like there's a lot of protectiveness in this chapter, but, boy, wait until the next one. I'm so excited to for it!! Thank you so much for reviewing!
TheMomFriend: That makes me actually really happy. I am so excited that you guys love this fic as much as I do!! Thank you so much!!
Guest: I'm so sorry for the long wait! I hope it was worth it, I really work hard on this story!
I'm excited to see your guys' responses to this chapter. :)))
Enjoy!
"Why the hell is they makin' us do this? It ain't like they's gonna teach us nothin', anyhow!" Jack sighed as his brother complained. He pulled a zip up hoodie up further up on the blond boy's shoulders. He made sure it covered the fading bruises around the kid's neck. Then he grabbed a small bottle of something and poured a little bit of the pale substance into his hand. It was the last of it. He rubbed it on the younger boy's face, right where the bruise was fading on his cheek. His little brother didn't even flinch. It was like they did this everyday.
"Relax, Race," Crutchie sighed from his position, sitting on the edge of the bed, "It'll be betta' than Snyder's version a' school," he commented, making Race roll his eyes as Jack made sure there were no especially bad bruises that could be seen on the boy's body. "At least they's will actually try ta teach us somethin', stead a' gettin' drunk, beatin' us and tellin' everyone we's is homeschooled."
Race glared at the other boy. He adjusted his own sweatshirt as Jack turned back to the single dresser in the room and pulled on his own hoodie, making sure it covered his arms and then grabbing an old baseball cap and throwing it backwards on his head. "How's ya gonna hide that shiner, Jackie?" he asked, arms crossed over his chest, raising his eyebrows as he looked pointedly at Jack's, still bruised, left eye.
Jack scoffed turning to his brothers and slinging an arm around Race, leading him to the bed where their baby brother sat in his green, long sleeve shirt and well kept jeans that did not reveal any horrors of the boy's legs. "It's fadin'. No ones even gonna notice," he assured, noticing how the thought of someone seeing it made both his brothers nervous.
Race sat down at the head of the bed. He glared at his older brother but let silence pass for a minute before answering. "What if someone does notice?" The question scared them all. It was not something they liked to think about.
Crutchie glanced back at his blue eyed brother before slowly laying his head down on the older boy's thigh. He let Race run a hand through his combed hair. He let the gesture calm him and he felt Jack reach out and pull his legs over his lap. The gimp let his oldest brother massage his bad knee. They did it automatically, like it was response to the question. A reaction that kept them all calm.
Jack slowly shook his head. "No ones gonna notice. It's all gonna be okay." The oldest of them looked at his two younger brothers. He could see it in their eyes. They were terrified. Though, neither of them would admit it.
"What if the older kids pick on me?" The question was so quiet. It was like the poor boy was afraid to ask it.
Race's eyes shot down to the younger, innocent green ones that were below him. They locked on each other. "If someone tries ta pick on you, they's gonna have ta go through me first," he stated, confidently.
Crutchie took in the tone of the older boy's voice. There was no humor in it, whatsoever. Race's features were stone cold and he was absolutely furious at the mere idea of that happening. The younger boy didn't comment on it. But the fact that his brother said that made him feel a lot safer.
Jack gave his gambling brother a look before sighing and reaching his hand to Crutchie's cheek. "'Ey, anyone tries ta get ta you, ignore 'em. They don't know what they's talkin' about." The seventeen year old smiled as the blond gimp did. He ruffled the boy's hair and felt better about everything when his brother giggled. Then he looked up at Race. The boy may be putting up a wall, but Jack could see what was behind it. "We's can do this," he assured, locking eyes with Race. "It'll be alright. Ya got it?"
Race didn't move. He glanced down at the ground. He wasn't so sure. One slip up... one more wrong move, and the only two people in the world that he needed could be ripped away from him like it didn't matter. And that thought terrified him. So he didn't respond. Instead, he helped his brother sit up as a knock was heard at the door. And they all took a deep breath before they grabbed their bags off the ground and headed for the outside world that may be the death of them.
Davey sighed. He glanced down at the boy to his right as they waited at the door. The kid had way too big of a smile on his young face for it to be before seven in the morning. He held onto the boy's hand as he was practically bouncing up and down, waiting for the boys in the apartment to open the door. He had on a nice, button down shirt and some new denim jeans, much like his own outfit. They both wore their backpacks over both their shoulders as they waited. Eventually, three boys appeared in the doorway.
They all looked miserable. Jack wore his backpack, slung over one shoulder and hanging off his back like a weight he did not want to be carrying. Race had a sort of satchel. It had a strap that sat on his right shoulder and crossed his chest, connecting to a bag that was sitting at his left hip. And Crutchie had backpack that sat lightly on his shoulders. Davey wanted to take it from the boy with the crutch and simply carry it for him. But he opted against it as the fourteen year old leaned on his crutch with a confident look on his face.
Jack froze as he saw the little boy clutching Davey's hand. The kid had such an innocence about him. It was practically radiating off of him. His smile widened as he saw the brothers and seemed so excited to see some new faces. Jack couldn't help but give the kid a smile. "Who's this?" He kneeled down in front of the boy as he asked the question.
"I'm Les! I'm ten!" he said with certainty. The boys behind Jack laughed at the kid's enthusiasm. Jack did too, but he didn't move away from the boy as he continued to speak. "...almost," he added, shyly. The boy in front of him chuckled and nodded.
"This is my little brother," Davey explained, tightening his hold on the boy's hand. "He really likes meetin' new people."
Jack chuckled. "I can tell." The seventeen year old smiled and introduced himself. "I'm Jack. Jack Kelly." He gestured behind him with his head, not taking his eyes off of the boy. "These are my brothas, Race and Crutchie."
The boys waved at the kid and the boy smiled at them, waving back with so much energy the boys weren't sure he was even human. Jack just laughed and spit in his hand, extending it to the boy. "It's nice ta meet ya Les."
Crutchie watched as Jack spit in his hand. He saw Davey cringe and glance down at his brother who mimicked the action. They shook hands and the tall boy spoke. "That's disgusting," he said, dryly. Crutchie couldn't help but laugh. He just rolled his eyes and watched as Jack stood to his feet.
"It's the price a' doin' business, Dave." Jack looked up to the other boy who shrugged at him. There was no expression on his face. Jack couldn't blame him. The sun hadn't even risen yet.
"What business are ya doin'?" the brunette asked, curiously, his grip on his little brothers hand not loosening a bit.
"Well," Jack started, crossing his arms over his chest. "If he's gonna be one a' my boys, he's gotta do the handshake."
Race smiled as the kid's grin widened. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen such excitement in his whole life. It was refreshing.
Davey rolled his eyes as his brother smiled up at him with pure joy. "I'm one of his boys, David!" he yelled, excitedly.
Davey laughed and shushed him. "Quiet! Ya wanna wake the whole buildin'?" he couldn't wipe the smile off of his face, though. The grin on his baby brother's features was just too contagious.
Jack giggled as the boy's excitement was made evident in the hall. But then he looked back to his brothers and motioned for them to follow him out the door. "Let's get a move on fellas." And then they were off.
The building was huge. There were so many kids all around it. Boys and girls. Most of them had their faces shoved down in a phone or any other type of device that distracted them from the real world. There were couples everywhere. Some were shouting at each other, others making out and even some awkwardly holding hands and pulling each other along into the large doors of the school entrance. There were other kids, laughing at certain people and fights being picked. He could see it all. It all made Jack nervous. More nervous than he'd already been.
Davey sighed as he looked over at his friends. The looks on their faces said it all as they stood just outside the entrance of the giant school. They were petrified. "I won't be that bad..." he tried to assure. Crutchie gave him a quick glance before staring back at the mass of teenagers. Jack shrugged off his fears, hiding it behind the wall his own brothers were still pounding on and Race didn't even bother tearing his gaze from the scene. So the tall boy sighed and looked down to his brother. "Why don't ya go on ahead ta school, Les. I'll see ya later!"
The young boy's smile fell just a bit, enough for Jack to notice. But he let his hand slid from his brother's anyway and quickly ran over to the three new boys he'd just met. "Have a great day!" And then he was off, running in the direction of the middle school, catching up with some other kids headed the same way.
Jack glanced at his brothers. Race had yet to say anything. That alone made Jack all the more worried. But he stepped in front of them anyway and put a hand on both their shoulders. "Hey, you's can do this, okay?" he nodded at both of them. They could. He knew they could. Crutchie gave him the smallest nod and Race only gave him a glare. "Just think," he continued, determined to cheer his brothers up somehow. "Less than a year and we'll be out in Santa Fe... Just like Mamma always wanted..."
Crutchie actually smiled at this. "Ridin' in style..." he chuckled as thought back to those days. Those days that would never leave his mind. Good or bad.
Jack grinned as his brother said this. "Yeah, Crutch. Ridin' in style. Just like she said." He gave his baby brother's shoulder a squeeze and pulled him into a one armed hug.
"Jack... I can't do it..." Race's voice was so quiet. It was like he was embarrassed of the statement he'd made. Jack sighed and let Crutchie go. He didn't even care that Davey stood by, awkwardly watching them. He placed both his hands on Race's shoulders and gave him a small shake.
"You're gonna make it, Race. You'll be okay." And something inside Race felt lighter. His brother's reassurance allowed him to take a deep breath before he gave a small nod as he readjusted his hoodie on his shoulders, ready to walk into the large building.
Jack smiled as his brother's fears seemed to lessen. Then he turned to the tall boy who stood next to Crutchie, draping an arm around Race as he did so. "So where're we goin' Dave?"
Davey smiled and nodded toward the building. "Let's go." So they went.
Crutchie didn't know how these kids had done this everyday for the past ten years. These freshmen kids all sat at desks, listening to people talk for hours on end. Nothing made sense. It all sounded like gibberish to him. The numbers on the board didn't make sense. He just didn't get how it worked. Turning one number into a different one was not relevant to him.
He sat in the middle of the class. His crutch was laying down at his feet, parallel with the desks he occupied. His good leg bounced up and down, anxiously. He didn't know if he could sit there for that long with nothing else to focus his mind on. He couldn't take out his book, he couldn't goof off with his friends and he couldn't see his brothers. So he opted to just pull down on he sleeves of his shirt, nervously, and duck his head down to the book, making it look, to the teacher, like he was actually trying to understand what the numbers meant.
He didn't look up as he heard the whispers. He knew they were about him. He may be a foster kid who'd never been to school in his life, but the boy was not an idiot. He knew people looked at him differently. He knew he was an easy target for a lot of things. And suddenly, he felt very vulnerable. His brothers were not around to protect him. He was on his own.
He tuned out everything. He didn't want to hear the snickers or the pitiful sighs. He didn't need them. He knew they meant nothing. He just closed his eyes and tried to take himself somewhere else. To anywhere but there. And just when it might've started working...
"Mr. Morris?" The boy's head shot up and he looked up at the teacher. She was looking at him like she was expecting an answer to something. The boy took a quick glance around. Everyone was staring at him. All he wanted to do was fold in on himself and turn invisible. But since that wasn't an option.
"Yes, Miss?" he replied, ignoring the giggles he got from other students. That's what Jack said. Ignore them.
The teacher gave him a look. "I'd appreciate it if you'd stay with the class from now on. Please pay attention. Now..." and then started the gibberish again. And Crutchie sat back and listened to it, letting it rush right over his head.
Race was about to burst. He wanted out so bad. He was trapped in a room with too many strangers and his brothers may as well be on another planet. He couldn't get to them. And he wanted so badly to get to them. Someone was reading. He didn't care. His eyes may be down in the book on the desk, but he didn't see anything these other kids did. The teacher was walking around, glancing over every kid. Race couldn't help but tense up as his breath hitched when the man walked past him. It was instinct. He couldn't stop it. Lucky for him, the teacher only gave him a curious glance before continuing on.
It was almost over. It had to be. He tapped against his leg. It had to be almost over. And suddenly, Race's instincts kicked up. The boy sitting behind him was staring at him. He knew it. He tried to push it aside, but something about it made him nervous. So he took a small risk. He glanced backwards at him, catching all his features in one glance.
The boy was only a bit shorter than him. He had thick, dark brown hair that was neatly styled on top of his head. His dark eyes shot through Race like a knife as he smirked at him. He was looking at him in a familiar way. A way that said he was excited for some... fresh meat. Oh Lord, it had to be almost over. And then, he felt the waded up piece of paper hit the back of his head. He jumped a bit as it touched him, not liking it when things would touch him without warning at random times. He ignored it. Just like Jack said. Just ignore it.
Race took a deep breath as the harassment continued. The boy was throwing little papers at him, hitting him on the back with his pencil when the teacher looked away and constantly whispering in his ear, "what's wrong, idiot?"
Race had had enough. He swore he was gonna bite the other boy's head off. And then he put the last straw on the camels back. "Get a load a' these kids," the one boy laughed to another student whom Race did not care to look around and see. "Three newbies in one day." Race shook his head. Jack had said to ignore them. Ignore them. Not listen to their every word. But the last words were spoken. And Race couldn't stop himself. "The stupid cripple is the first one goin' down."
Race was out of his seat in a second whirling around to the other boy, his fist in the air, ready to strike. He was seething as he stared daggers down at the smirking kid, but just as he might've let his fist fly, there was the sound of someone clearing their throat. Crap.
"Was the story too boring for you, Mr. Higgins?" The blond boy did not move. His face was furious and his fist did not fall from the air. Oh how badly he wanted to clock the boy right in the nose. And he could. Jack wasn't there to stop him. But he also knew that, if he was dragged down to the office, right then, on the first day, he wasn't gonna live for much longer. Not only would Jack chew him out, but Snyder's response might as well be deadly. And not even just for him. So he slowly unclenched his fist and brought it back down to his side. His eyes however, did not move from the boy who might be the death of him.
"No sir," Race grumbled out. He still did not turn away from the boy in front of him. The boy who just smirked at him.
"Then I suggest you sit down." And Race thanked God he wasn't about to be written up. He gave the bully one last, hard glare before he reluctantly sat back down. He turned his eyes back to the book and waited for the monotone voices to continue speaking, but they didn't. "Why don't you read a few paragraphs, Anthony?" And that was when Race went ghost white. He heard the room go completely silent. They could've heard a pin drop. He knew all eyes were on him. So his eyes darted around the page, trying to make sense of the letters. Trying to understand.
"U-uhm... I..." he stuttered, desperately trying to think of a way out of this situation. He felt his hands starting to shake and it seemed to warm, immensely, in the room. "I..." His heart was pounding so hard as he tried to do as he was told. Tried to just get through. And he was sure he'd been praying in that moment. He was sure it was God who sent his angels down and set the bell off.
The other kids didn't give him a second glance. Besides the bully, who "accidentally" bumped him on his way out. But Race didn't move. The teacher was still staring at him. He knew he was. So he didn't move. He didn't even look up from his desk. Just sat there with a blank look on his face as everyone filed out of the room, leaving him behind.
They sat in silence for a minute. The man leaned against a desk next to Race's, making it hard for the boy to just stand and leave. Just stand and leave and run right to the only people he could be around right then. But he was stuck under the gaze of the man and he shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"Do I make you nervous, Mr. Higgins?" the man asked, curiously as he watched the boy squirm under his gaze. Race didn't reply. Just sat in silence, waiting for the man to tell him he could leave. But he didn't. He only sighed and crossed his arms.
"Am I in trouble?" Race asked, still not looking up from the book on the desk. He wasn't reading it. He just couldn't look up at the man.
The teacher sighed again and looked over the boy with curious eyes. Then he uncrossed his arms, kneeling down, below his new student. His arms rested on the desk and Race leaned back, trying to move himself out of the man's reach by simply leaning away. "I'm letting you off with a warning, Anthony. But you ever act up like that in my class again, I'm gonna have to write you up. You understand?" Race didn't give any sort of response. But the man continued anyways, trusting the boy got it. "One more thing, Mr. Higgins."
Race bit back a groan. There was more? He just wanted to get to his brothers. "Can you tell me what this says?" The man pointed to a big, bolded red word in the book that sat open in front of him.
Race laughed, bitterly. He looked up at the ceiling for a moment before glancing back down at the page. Then he shook his head when he realized the man was dead serious. He just scoffed and grabbed his bag, throwing it over his shoulder before hastily walking to the door. And the man didn't stop him. Only sadly shook his head as the boy left, keeping himself a mystery to the world.
Jack sighed in relief as the bell sounded. He wasn't sure how he'd made it that long in the class. As he stood to his feet, Davey walked up to him from across the room. "It's not so bad..." he tried, but Jack just glared at him as he slung his bag over one shoulder.
"When can I see 'em?" It was out of the boy's mouth so fast, and Davey felt his heart clenching. He realized right then and there, the longest these boys had been apart must've only been for a few minutes at a time on a regular basis. An hour felt like an eternity to them. So he clasped his friend's shoulder.
"Soon, Jackie," he promised, and the boy nodded.
Jack took in a deep breath. Soon. He could wait. Soon. They were doing fine. He knew they'd be okay.
Then he turned around and nearly smacked right into someone who was walking past him, trying to get out of the classroom. He heard some books hit the floor and a startled gasp and he immediately bent down to help grab the person's things. "I'm sorry..." he muttered out as he handed the person their things that he'd caused them to drop. And then he looked up and his eyes froze on what he saw.
Her light brown hair was perfectly pulled back, out of her face. It was pinned on both sides of her head to keep it up. Her bangs covered her forehead and framed her features well. Her perfect skin made her look like she was shining in his eyes as she moved to grab more of the things that had fallen from her hands. She wore a button down shirt that showed off her curves a little bit and a vest over that. The skinny jeans she wore also hugged her body just the right way. And then when she looked up... and their eyes met... Jack was sure he'd never seen anything more perfect in his life.
"Excuse me, Miss," he apologized, a flirty tone in his voice as he looked at the girl in front of him. "Didn't see ya there." he smiled at her as she gave him a little, pitiful one and she stood to her feet. As she nodded at him, about to walk out he stopped her.
"I's could carry some a' those book for ya..." he offered, completely forgetting that Davey was there at all.
She paused for a moment, giving him a curious glare, noticing the bruise that was almost gone right around his eye, before continuing on her way. "That's alright. I don't need another cheeky boy doing my work for me." And then she was gone. Just like she'd never even been there and Jack found himself staring in the direction that she'd walked off in.
Davey chuckled and shook his head. "Cmon," he laughed, "we can go find Race and Crutchie right now. We've got fifteen minutes till next class." Jack seemed to snap out of it at that, but Davey wasn't sure his last encounter had, or ever would, leave his mind.
And he was right.
Don't worry. This is definitely not the end of the boys' first day of high school. Go ahead... take some guesses at who some of the characters are. I think one of them is extremely obvious, but we'll see.
I have to give a big shout out to BroadwayIsMyPurposeInLife. They actually took my advice and PMed me and told me to sit down and write and that's what I did. So thank you! I also have to give a big shout out to bexlynne for letting me continue to bounce ideas back and forth, not only for this story occasionally, but for new ones that I've been working on. If you guys want to hear more about that, let me know!
Guess, I love requests! They turn into stories like The New Kid and Sacrifices. If you guys have a scene or even a few lines that you want to see in a fic, I'm your girl! Just let me know in the reviews or PM me at anytime! Thank you!
I love you guys so so much!!
As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to tell me what you liked, what you didn't, what you'd change or what you'd improve by leaving me a review! Love ya kids!