It's okay. I know you all hate me.

Here's the truth! There was a point in time a year ago when I knew... I knew, where this story was gonna go and what exactly was gonna happen.

But plans are made to be messed with.

Guys, I reread my stories for more interesting plot lines. And I found some for this story. So it's getting harder for me to write because there's so many things that I could do and omg! I love writing it and i want it to be perfect! So thanks for baring with me. I really hope that this chapter was worth the wait!

BroadwayIsMyPurposeInLife: You caught me. I have an addiction to cliffhangers, actually, lol. Sorry about that.

Guest: In fact we will get a backstory about the boys in their homes. It might just take a little bit for them to be willing to talk about it. And Spot... well... as a matter o' fact...

Shadow: You make my whole life! That was so sweet! I'm so glad this fic is worth rereading. I never expected it to be popular in any way and it makes me so happy that you love it so much! Thank you for being so understanding and sweet!

StoneyT456: Sorry about the long wait! Thanks for the review!

ariav1200: Thank you so so much for your review! I love your idea about Race an. Davey! Don't worry, he'll definitely be around a lot! Thank you so much! I love hearing from you!

Ktlasair: Omg! Welcome to the fandom! I'm so glad you like this! I'm so sorry for all the stess you must be enduring if you're reading my stories, haha! Thank you so much for your review! It made my day! !

Guest: I'm so sorry! Thank you for the review! !

thelonglostmarauder: omg! You must be an adult now! Happy close to your birthday! I'm so glad you like this! Thank you so much for your review!

doubleenvelope: Thank you so much! That means so much!

Phoenix: I'm so sorry for the long wait! Thanks for reviewing!

PhoenixFirem: Thank you so much!

Guest: I wanna use that! Next chapter, maybe! Thank you so much! That's brilliant!

selizabethharrisburg: I hope this time around it seems like there's some longer sentences. I went back and i know what you mean. I think something about this chapter flows better. And yes, they definitely fell off the tightrope. And i apologize for it. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. And I'm so glad you liked that way I wrote Snyder beating Race. Honestly i hadn't even realized I'd done it until i was editing and i was like... this is so interesting and different. I just thought it was unique and it added something new. I'm so glad you like this story and I'm so sorry that this update was longer than the last one! I'm gonna try to be better! But no promises! I love you, Holly!

queenlmno: Thank you so much! And I'm so sorry! Everything... might be alright. We'll see... i love you! Also! If you could even put into words what it's kind of like to have dyslexia, id love to hear it. It might help me a bit because i don't have it and I'm curious to hear what it might be like.

Guest: Thank you!

IdaMaria: Me either...

Guest: OMG! YOUR REVIEW MADE MY LIFE. I'm so glad you love this so much and I'm so so sorry for such a long wait! You people deserve so much better. And yes! Race in the last chapter was so very much how i view him. Jack's strong for him when he can't be strong. But when Jack's not around, he has to be strong for everyone else. I love him. Thank you so much!

Sparks: IM SORRY! It's an addiction, it really is. Thank you so much for loving all the different perspectives. I always find it interesting how everyone reacts to things differently. Thank you so much!

Guest: boi... I'm so sorry. Thank you so much though! I hope you come back to life for this chapter though! Just real quick. Then we can all go back to the dead.

brighteyes421: I'm so glad you love all the relationships here! It makes me so happy to know that you do! It's odd. I originally had no idea that Race would be dyslexic. But there's a scene in one of the earlier chapters that says something about Crutchie reading to Race as he fell asleep. I wanted that to be important. So I made it significant. Thank you so much!

lizjanie: Thank you so much! I'm so sorry!

Fanz4life: oh my goodness. Have i ever mentioned that i love you? You're gonna be a freshman next year?! Omg! Biggest thing! Remember to breathe. Don't let yourself feel too overwhelmed, just let the negativity slid right off your shoulders and don't listen to other people. If you believe in yourself, that's what matters. High school can be such a magical time to figure things out. But don't do things to make others happy. Do things to make you happy. Don't get involved in all the drama, have fun. I hope you have such a great first day of high school! Also! On a different note! You have requested an "arranged marriage AU". I was wondering if you wanted to elaborate on that a little more? Time period? Circumstances? Or would you rather me just make it all up? I'm curious. I wanna write it! I love your ideas and I'm loving to write Jatherine more and more. Thank you so much! .

Les Phansie: Haha inspired words! I love them! Thank you so much! !

traitorrian: omg neglecting studying to read my fic? You're my favorite person! Thank you so much!

Syndulla-2: Thank you so much for all of those kind words! They mean so much to me!

equine02: Ah! Thank you so much! Very nice pun (even if it wasn't intended, haha).

unofficialfansie: Thank you so much! I'm so sorry about the long wait!

FuriedNight: I wish I could see all the emojis you wanted to show me. I fell like i can picture them in my head. I'm so sorry for the long wait! Thanks so much for the review!

bexlynne: haha i like surprising you with this one. I loved that no one questioned Snyder either! He just waltzed down the hall with a screaming child over his shoulder and people LOOKED THE OTHER WAY! Because HE CAN. ALSO! I'm sorry. I hope you enjoy this chapter though. I wrote it for you, haha. Love ya, friend!

I. Love. You. People. I need to work on this story so much more often than i do. So I'll make you a deal. If you get me to forty reviews for this chapter, I'll stop with whatever I'm writing and update this again instead. Promise. Think we can do it?

Okay, so this chapter is a bit shorter than most I think, but i think you guys will like it.

And now, without further ado...

Enjoy!

It was near silent in the room that had been his prison for that night. The clock on the far wall ticked on, not caring how much pain each click inflicted on the people that boy cared about most in the world. He was alone in his hospital room, wishing behind anything that someone would make the pure white go away. He hated it. It was all too bright for him. Closing his eyes was already hard before he had to worry about the brightness being too much.

Jack stared blankly at the menacing time keeper before him, willing it to just freeze for one blissful moment and give the world peace without anyone else ever knowing. He wished for it to just break and fall off the wall, leaving him to soak in a few moments of a frozen world so he could just catch up for a moment. He had no such luck. The inevitable would happen and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

His body couldn't keep still. His fingers drummed against the railing of the bed they held tight to; it was just something to keep him grounded. Without a familiar hand there, there wasn't much else he could do. He so badly felt the urge to make it stop, to just forget. Maybe things would be better if he forgot. Maybe it would be easier. But for the life of him, he just couldn't make himself do it.

The boy tried to envision a smile on Crutchie's features. A real, genuine grin that had once defined the child. It was only then Jack realized how long it had been since he'd seen such a treasuring sight. He tried to picture his half Italian brother, laughing... if only for a moment. He just wanted to hear that laugh again. But, like the smile of a boy that had been his sunshine since the day he was born, that laugh was few and far between. There was a bitterness and anger growing in what everyone used to call the purest of innocence. Sooner or later, it was bound to explode.

A knock startled Jack out of his thoughts. And that was okay. He needed to stop thinking. He needed to forget. Maybe his brothers would be better off without him anyway. So he turned to look at the door, about to yell out "Go away!" without so much as a second thought before he found the doorway completely empty. As his heart clenched and he came to the conclusion that he must be insane, he turned back to catch sight of a figure standing next to the window. Well, standing might've been dishing out too much credit. A figure smugly leaned against the wall beside the freshly opened window, a smirk upon his arrogant lips and his huge arms out for display across his chest in the tank top he wore, despite it being on the colder side, even in that room. Beneath his arm was a leather jacket he probably didn't care enough to wear either. But seeing the other boy didn't make Jack any less frustrated, though instead of letting out a shout, he simply scowled at the intruder and rolled his eyes. "What the hell do you want, Conlon?"

When he heard the boy snort a bit, he knew that his voice had shook. He knew that it was clear to the toughest kid in New York that he'd been crying. Jack barely had the energy to roll his eyes. "Get the hell outta here before the chief of police comes back n' finds ya and decides ta take ya ta real jail 'stead a' Juvie..." he muttered, not caring if he sounded threatening or not. He had lost the will to care about much in that moment. The sickening thought that this may be it for his family could do that to him. But he realized that his mouth kept running.

Maybe Race did have to get that from somewhere...

"Speakin' a' which, how'd ya escape this time?" he asked bitterly. "Did ya shoot one a' the guards? Or did ya... charm ya way out..." he scowled, having to pause to think of the right word.

At that, the boy by the window actually laughed. It was the kind of laugh that could send chills down someone's spine. But Jack wasn't intimidated. Not in the least. He just shook his head and forced himself not to scream out for someone to get this boy out of here, because while Jack himself wasn't afraid of the almighty Spot Conlon, everyone knew that he damn well should've been.

"Ya know, Jackie... that ain't usually the way you talk ta someone who watched out fer your kid brotha' fer two years..." the boy smirked, pushing himself from the wall and beggining to walk closer to Jack. "Or the one who saved your asses from gettin' killed," he finished with a smug grin taking over his features as he winked. Jack tensed at the reminder.

"It's how I talk ta the idiot who almost convinced my baby brotha' ta pull a gun on someone!" Jack hissed, glaring hard at the boy before him standing much too proud of himself to be comforting.

If it was possible, the grin on Spot's face actually widened and a sparkle was set off in his deep, dark brown eyes. "So he did it then?" he beamed, knowing the only way that Jack would've known that was if he'd witnessed the close call himself. "What? Was he gettin' sick n' tired a' seein' his all mighty big brotha' beggin' on the ground?" he teased. Though, he was sure that if Jack hadn't been so weak at that moment, they would've been in another fight, then and there. All the other boy could do was growl at him. "Did Snyda' have ya on the ground again?"

The only answer was silence. That was all Spot needed.

"Kid's got some guts if he even came close. But you know that already, don't ya?"

"Get out," Jack ordered quickly, hating the fact that he was left alone in that room. But Spot didn't move.

"Watch it, Kelly," the boy with the strong Brooklyn accent warned. "I only came cause a little birdie tol' me there was trouble down on this end," he explained, glancing around the room to make sure they were truly alone. That's when Jack reached out and snatched a radio that was strapped to the boy's side. Spot just smirked and let him have it, pulling a cigarette out of his back pocket, along with a lighter, and filling up the room with a bit of smoke.

"A little boidie, huh?" Jack mocked, bitterness dripping into his voice as he held the police radio in his hand. "How'd ya even get ya hands on that?!"

Without warning, Spot turned dramatically, pointing dangerously at Jack and staring him down before snatching the thing back. "That ain't none a' your damn business!"

"I think it is my business bein' that you's is tryin' ta manipulate my brother inta doin' ya dirty work!" Jack shot back, angry and ready for a fight. And a fight is what he got. They started yelling, their voices both too strong to out scream one another. The room was swallowed in a jumble of words that didn't make sense and two opposing stories that would forever be told in two separate, bias ways. Jack ended up almost completely sitting up on his bed so he could yell at the boy in front of him. And once they were just about nose to nose is when the Manhattan boy actually heard something slip out of Spot's mouth.

"Snyder's been shot!"

That was the moment that everything inside Jack froze. No... no no no no... He couldn't help but think that those words might not be so chilling if he didn't know where Snyder was or who he was with. His face paled and his green eyes widened. He felt sick, a dizziness and nausea coming over him as he gripped onto the bed for stability. "Racer...?" he breathed out, suddenly terrified. But then he saw Spot shake his head. And suddenly, the world turned upside down. Everything around him spun and Jack was powerless to stop it.

"Said somethin' about a boy with a twisted up leg..." the boy muttered gravely before taking another drag of his cigarette. "Someone from your apartment musta called about hearin' a gunshot. Police found your pal the chief hoverin' ova' Race. Said 'e was covered in blood and havin' trouble breathin'. The crip confessed b'fore anyone could say anythin'..." Spot rolled his cig between his fingers, taking a few steps away from the boy, prepared to leave him with the news as everyone knew Jack did not want his help. But at the window, he stopped for a moment. "I don't wanna hear nothin' 'bout me corruptin' Crutchie. He knew the only way out right then was ta do it. That wus his own choice..." the Brooklyn boy explained, sounding human for a split second. And then he continued, very quietly, "And ya need ta rememba' who's tried ta hurt ya and who's on you's side."

With that, Spot Conlon was gone like he'd never even been there, leaving only the smell of smoke in his wake as his ghostly nature kicked in. Jack didn't stop him. He was too busy gripping the edge of the bed and trying not to vomit. His white world was spinning and visions of blood traveled past his eyes. Race might be dead and Crutchie might be locked up for murder. And there was nothing he could do about it. His heart felt heavy and clenched and all he could feel was pain. So without any kind of warning, Jack let his legs kick out in anger. The chair in front of him toppled over and the loud clang didn't bother him. He wanted to scream. But he knew he couldn't. He couldn't draw attention to himself. So he just let his head hang till his chin met his chest and began to silently weep as the news caught up to him. But when he looked back up to blink back the tears, he saw something that hadn't been there before. A bag... an old backpack that Jack swore he'd seen before. Extracting himself from the mess of wires, all the boy could do was grab it and unzip it, ignoring the sting of his back and the pounding of his head. There was nothing inside but some clothes and bag of some pocket money.

But that was all Jack needed.

"Maybe you should try to talk to him," Davey suggested from his chair in the waiting room. He tried to keep his voice down on account of the family sitting on the opposite side of the room. For the life of him, he didn't know why he was still there. After all, he'd only known Jack a few days. But the boys had grown on him. The last thing he wanted was for them to be hurt in any way. He wanted the screaming to stop and the bruises to fade and the scars to heal. He wished he hadn't waited so long to tell someone. One of those boys could be... he didn't finish the thought. It wasn't worth it.

The room had cleared out a bit. May was gone and Medda and Kloppman were who knows where. But Katherine and David refused to leave, desperate to help their friend in anyway they could.

The girl shook her head. "What makes you think he's gonna wanna talk to me?" Katherine questioned, slouched in her chain, her face in her hands. This boy... Jack Kelly... Her so called friends at school may be annoying, but they weren't oblivious. And she'd probably pushed him away forever. Those guarded green eyes would never want to look at her again. And that hurt. Something about that boy... something about that face had Katherine enthralled. But it would be her fault that he hated her. There was nothing she could do about it. "He probably hates me right now..." she admitted in a sigh and she refused to lift her head from her hands.

A laugh was not something she expected as a response. "If you haven't seen the way he looks at you by now, I'm worried for ya, Kat." The girl didn't respond. So David just smirked and continued speaking. "And if you think I haven't seen the way you look at him, then your kidding yourself." At that Katherine did look up in surprise. Her eyebrows shot up too far and the boy beside her laughed. "We may not be the best of friends anymore, Katherine... but I know you..." he stressed, grabbing for her hand. "Go talk ta him..." he urged. "Maybe he'll listen ta you."

It was worth a shot, she supposed. With a squeeze of the boy's hand, Katherine stood, straightening out her button down shirt and taking a deep breath before walking to the room that held a mysterious Jack Kelly inside.

She did not expect what she found.

The boy was not where he should've been. He should've been in a hospital bed, wearing a hospital gown and resting with fluids keeping him healthy. Instead, he was fully clothed in jeans, a long sleeve t-shirt and a jacket (more than he could probably afford, she noted), he was opening the window and... he was running. Katherine didn't know why or how, but he was.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she hissed, shoving the door closed behind her. By the flinch that took him over, she figured he hadn't heard her walk in, but she was too confused to care.

Green eyes met brown ones. They locked in on each other and there was a feeling in the pit of Katherine's stomach that she couldn't place. But there was a look in Jack's eyes, one that she recognized. It hadn't been too long ago when she'd had the same look in her eyes. The look of a lost, terrified child with nothing to help them. Immediately, Katherine softened.

"What's it to ya, Plumber?" Jack scoffed, his look of shock and longing being hidden by a mask of anger. He wished he didn't know that she was onto him. He wished that he could ignore the pounding of his own heart for only getting to look at her. "'m just a street rat. Ya don't gotta worry 'bout me. Just go back ya your warm house b'fore ya miss dinner and don' make it ta your cozy bed on time," he spat out at her, ignoring the ache in his chest when her eyes shot down to the floor. He'd give anything to just keep looking at those big brown eyes. But he shook himself and turned back to the window. "Goodbye, Plumber..." Maybe in another life... he thought bitterly as he ducked down, ready to push himself through.

He barely made it all the way out the window before he heard her voice and froze, unable to ignore that angelic tone that came with it. "Wait!" she called, rushing over to the window. He squatted down, so that his face was fully visible beneath the glass. She did the same and his heart just about stopped. What he didn't know, was hers had too. She slowly brought her hands up to place on the base of the window.

Her brown eyes were down at her hands. For some reason, she was almost afraid to look up at the boy that she had taken such an interest in. He was mysterious and strong and protective and caring. It was insane how different he was. But she forced herself to look up and her breath caught in her chest. He was staring back at her, his beautiful green eyes infatuated with the sight of her and her heart just about beat out of her chest. Their lips were only inches from each other. It would've been so easy to just close the distance, to just give into the feelings that so many other people would warn her against. But she managed to mentally grasp onto all of her self control and keep herself from looking down at his lips again. "Let me help you?" she whispered.

Her breath on his skin felt so warm. She smelled like mint and flowers and everything good in the world. Suddenly he just wanted stay forever, like that, with her, gazing at her like the rest of the world didn't exist. But he knew it wouldn't work like that. "You could get in serious trouble hangin' 'round a street rat like me..." he replied just as quietly as her.

"Meet me out front." With that she was gone, rushing out the door and shutting it behind her, leaving the boy breathless in her wake. He groaned as he watched her go, regretting his decision to not capture her lips with his. But he did as he was told, rushing away from his white prison and to the front of the building.

When Katherine walked out of the room and looked at him, David was on his feet in seconds. He watched as she walked with purpose to the entrance. "It May have been a while," he said, slightly out of breath as he tried to keep up with her quick stride, "but I know that look. What are you into now?"

"You're right, David," she stated without much else explanation. "I got it bad and thanks to you, my father's gonna kill me."

With a laugh as a response, all David could reply with was, "When is he not, Kathy?" And with that, they all but ran to the exit.

It was freezing outside. For once Jack might've been grateful for he menace they called Spot Conlon. The leather jacket he wore was warmer than anything he'd ever owned. And while he was sure that it was stolen, he couldn't quite find it in himself to care. He pulled the soft hood over his head, hoping no one would recognize him. He tried to ignore everything around him. He was out front, looking for Katherine when he saw a familiar face he wished he didn't have to see at that moment.

An ambulance pulled into the ER parking spot and out the back of it, a frail boy was pulled onto a stretcher and was rushed away. Jack didn't have to look to hard to recognize his baby brother. "Racer..." he breathed, his heart breaking at the sight of all the blood that covered the child. He was unable to keep the tears off of his face. But as his little, precious broken brother was rushed away, he wiped at his face, desperate to make it all stop. It was his fault. It had to be. He hadn't even been there to protect him or stop his even littler brother from making a heartbreaking, awful mistake. And while he knew both of his boys were strong and smart, he also knew that he wanted to be with them. But he was only one person. And at that moment, he had to make a choice he never wanted to make.

A car pulled up in front of him and Jack wasted no time climbing in be back before feeling the car jerk forward and speed out of the parking lot. "Geez Plumba', what are ya? A get away driva'?" he teased sarcastically. He looked up jut in time to see the most beautiful smirk he'd ever seen. When her eyes met his, he felt a spark inside of him and she laughed.

"I have my secrets, Mr. Kelly..." she stated cryptically, glancing over at Davey in the passenger's seat and catching his smirk as well. But Jack didn't seem to care. "Where to?"

"The police station," he replied without hesitation. And Davey twisted around in his seat, shocked that of all places that's where Jack wanted to be. But the boy did not elaborate in any way. He only nodded in confirmation when Katherine gave his a puzzled look in the review mirror.

"Alright, but once we're done, we're gettin' ya back to a hospital. Ya look like hell, Jackie..." Davey stated, his brown eyes moving back to focus on the road ahead of them, leaving Jack to reach up and wipe at his tears again. He was sure they were almost dry. But he didn't notice if the girl driving caught sight of that horrible moment where Jack had realized that he couldn't stop this.

He couldn't stop any of it.

Haha wow. So, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Maybe it was a little less stressful than the last one, lol.

Alright! Please go check out some of my other stories! I never complain about reviews! Thank you!

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, babes!