THREE DAYS IN A ROW
It's a quarantine miracle.
Also I'm avoiding my daily math assignment.
Anyway... enjoy the POV of the one and only, Spot Conlon.
~TH~
"Where do you think he's going?"
Sean leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Probably home."
"You really think he would just walk out of school like that?"
He shrugged, "Wouldn't you?"
Race started pacing in front of the stalls, Spot leaned his head back.
"I shouldn't have asked him to talk about it. I freaked him out."
"Race, you did fine. Anything you said would have freaked him out. You calmed him down, that's all you could have done." Tyler had done a much better job than Sean ever would have been able to. Spot always tried to help, but wasn't too good at calming people down. He guessed he wasn't the comforting type.
"Still. He was really upset. I shouldn't have let him leave."
"Technically, I let him leave. Keeping him trapped just would have freaked him out even more." There was silence for a moment, the only sound being that of Race's anxious pacing.
"So what freaked him out to begin with?" Spot had been sitting in English class when he'd gotten a text from Race to meet him in the bathroom and to not let anyone else in. He had been worried. He knew that Tyler had bad panic attacks and sometimes just needed him there, but he still surprise was when it wasn't Race panicking. It only took him a moment to realize who exactly he was talking to.
"I dunno exactly what happened." Race shrugged, "I was in the library and he yelled something about people going through his stuff then took off. Followed him in here where he was having a pretty bad panic attack."
So he was freaked out about someone going through his stuff. Understandable. Especially if my guess is right.
"Who was he talking to."
"Uh, two kids, I don't know- oh, I remember, it's that girl, Plumber, the one that wins all the writing awards. And her friend, the boy whose dad is a cop."
"Jacobs?" Spot had heard of him. Not much about him, but of him.
"Yeah. They've been meeting almost everyday. I think they're doing some project together."
Spot nodded. It made since. He couldn't think of another reason Jack would be hanging around them. He'd watched the kid after their meeting in the cafeteria. Jack never talked to anyone. Just kept his head down and sweatshirt on. Only a sweatshirt. In the middle of a New York winter. Spot had helped as much as he could, giving him his number and leaving a bag of food in his locker. He hoped it had helped.
"D'you invite him?"
Race nodded, "Yeah, but I don't know if he'll show. Medda and I will be there though."
"Good." Maybe he'd come. Maybe he'd finally accept some help.
Tyler stopped pacing and looked at him warily, "Listen, I wouldn't get your hopes up. I've been going to class with him for a week now and he still barely talks to me. Ask him anything personal and he clams up. Talk about his bruises he makes up some dumb exucse about being clumsy or something. He seems to like Medda, but he's jumpy even around her."
"Yeah," he had noticed that too. "Did you look through his file?"
Race scoffed, "Yeah. Not much there. Says he moved here at the beginning of last year. Used to be homeschooled. And that he had a record of violence." He rolled his eyes, "Can you believe that? I have no doubt that the kid could fight, but I've never heard about any fights involving him. He doesn't let people get close enough to touch him, much less fight with him. And his bruises don't look like the type you get from a fight."
Spot nodded "One of my boys went after him last week. He never fought back, stayed on the defensive the entire time." There was a pause and when Race didn't volunteer any more information, Spot sighed, "Race, you know what I'm asking."
"Yes, he's a foster kid. Been in the same home for almost two years. He came from the group home across town. Part of the free lunch program."
Probably the only food he gets.
"Shocking." Was all Spot said before he walked out of the bathroom.
~N~
It wasn't hard to find the two kids sitting at the library table. The girl, Plumber, looked like she was fuming, angrily scribbling on a sheet of paper. Jacobs looked nervous, maybe even sick. He kept glancing over at the girl with an uncertain look in his eyes. Spot walked over to the table and sat across from them.
The girl glanced up with a sceptical look. "Can I help you?"
"Yeah, you know a Jack Kelly?"
Plumber rolled her eyes, "I really don't see how that's any of your business."
"Well, he just ran out of here upset which makes it my business."
"Oh," she smiled in a condescending way, "You're friends. Listen, if he has a problem with something, he can come talk to me himself."
"Listen, he doesn't know I'm here talking to you right now. I just want to know what has him so upset."
"He missed a meeting." The Jacobs boy fidget nervously, "He was supposed to meet us last night but he never showed. Didn't answer our texts. Nothing."
"Probably didn't even do the project," Plumber muttered under her breath.
Spot crossed his arms, "And that's it. He didn't show up and when he saw you he got so upset about it that he ran out."
"Sounds about right to me."
"Katherine, would you stop that!" Jacobs hissed, "I get it, you're mad at him, but just leave it, okay?"
Spot raised his eyebrows, "Care to elaborate?"
"Listen, it wasn't…" he sighed, "Kath was upset, she said some things she shouldn't have."
"Such as?"
"Listen, if the guy is going to wear makeup, he shouldn't act so freaked out that I mentioned it."
"And how did you know he wore it?" Spot was getting angry now.
She had the decency to at least look embarrassed,"Fine, I shouldn't have gone through his stuff, but still-"
"So, you went through his stuff, called him out on something he obviously wanted kept a secret, and then you have the audacity to make it seem like, he's the one in the wrong?
"Listen, if he wasn't going to come, he should have just said something." The fire seemed to have gone out and she looked at least slightly sorry. "And look at his face, he obviously got into some sort of fight. I just wanted him to own up to it-"
That was too far in Spot's opinion. "Listen. The kid has it rough, okay? I've lived the kind of life that he has and it ain't fun. If he misses something unexpectedly, maybe he didn't have a choice. Maybe he couldn't get to his phone. Maybe it was dead. Maybe he didn't have it. Maybe there was a family emergency and he just couldn't make it. Maybe he walked into a door. Maybe someone jumped him. I don't know if you know this, but he doesn't live in the safest neighborhood. Don't just assume the worst about people."
She stayed silent, as if trying to think of something to say.
"You win lots of awards, right?"
"I've won some, what's your point?"
"What if someone walked up to your face and said, '"Course you won, you're dad's the director of schools'. How would that make you feel?"
"I don't-"
"Just think about it, yeah?" He stood from the table and walked off. He could feel their eyes on him as they walked out. Good. Maybe they would actually learn their lesson now before he had to go beyond simply talking.
~TH~
Back to Jack next chapter.
But Spot needed one of his own.
Not to mention Katherine desperately needed a talking to.
I'm sorry if she seems a little ooc and angry. I just can totally see her getting this way when she's really mad about something.
So, what'd you think? Did you like Spot?
I for one love him.
Anyway...
Let me know what you thought of it all!
Spot and Race had a nice little convo there...
What could it all mean?
Be sure to leave a comment!
Love you all!
God bless and stay safe,
Jamie
