Author's Note: Hey guys here's the latest chapter of SOTH, I hope you enjoy it. Next up will be chapter 6 of SR.
Chapter 42 – Doing What's Right
A day had passed since Shawn had been called out of his meeting with Philip to get his brother from school. JT had been suspended indefinitely for his unlawful actions of breaking and entering the teacher's lounge with the intent of placing chemicals, or as JT lamented food coloring, in their water bottles. Shawn had just barely saved his baby brother from an expulsion.
Instead, his punishment was to end up at home for the next three months receiving his schoolwork at the beginning of the week and turning it in no later than the end of the week, with the requisite help of a tutor if needed. He would also have to attend school early Saturday mornings to take any exams that he would otherwise miss. All in all considering that his punishment wasn't the normal course of actions for students, JT was extremely lucky to have gotten off so lightly since he was suspended. And he had Shawn to thank for making the arrangements so he wouldn't be forced to make-up three months worth of material in summer school and miss his graduation. But, of course those arrangements had been made the previous day and today was a brand new day, JT's first day of at home imprisonment, as he'd come to think of it.
Shawn was getting ready to head to work when he'd received a frantic call from his baby brother demanding that he'd come to the house and stop his parents from sending him away. Naturally assuming that JT was merely exaggerating, as he was prone to do, he requested to speak to his mother. But, what he had come to find out was not only was JT not exaggerating it was a joint decision from his parents and in-laws to send JT to a boarding school. So leaving all of his morning appointments up in the air, he headed over to his parent's home immediately.
He parked his truck by the house and stormed up the walkway. As he approached the front door it opened, JT practically pulling him into the house.
"Shawn, thank god you're here. You can't let them send me away." JT grabbed frantically at his brother's arm yanking him into the house, his voice carrying as he was distressed, his brown eyes widen with in fright.
"Don't worry I won't." Bracing his hands on his brother's shoulder looking him in the eye until he felt him calm at least a little, he let him know just with a look that he was there for his brother. Then he turned around and heading into the living room where his mother stood in a olive colored sweater and jeans calmly drinking her cup of coffee. Bo was dressed in the same relaxed form as Hope while John was dressed in business attire. "Now, explain to me why you're thinking of sending JT to boarding school?"
"We're not thinking about it at all. We've already decided that it would be best for JT if he finished the remainder of his senior year in a boarding school. He's only missed a month or two of school there and he can make it up in no time at all and still be able to come home for the holidays." Hope replied.
"What? I can't believe what I'm hearing. This is your son, you just can't send him away," Shawn turned to his father. "Dad you can't honestly want JT gone to some boarding school halfway across the country."
Bo raised his hands in a holding manner. "Look Shawn it's not as if we've just decided to send him to boarding school. We've been debating what do since before he got suspended yesterday. We don't want to send him away. This was a last resort, only a remote possibility, but after what happened yesterday we feel sending him out of Salem is the best thing we could possibly to do for him. We're not trying to punish JT," he looked toward his younger son, "we really aren't. But, you said yourself that you wanted to move out of the house, get away from all of the stress that's in your life—,"
JT interrupted him. "But, I never said I wanted to leave Salem. I just wanted to stop being put in the middle of you guys. That's it. I'm sorry about getting suspended but it was just supposed to be a … a senior prank that's all. Please, please don't send me away from Salem. I'll change, I promise." He pleaded pointedly looking into the face of his mother, Bo and John.
"JT we've given you many chances to get your act together. And while I admit you've made some improvements to your behavior, it's not enough." JT attempted to interrupt once again but John continued on. "Especially, considering that you've been suspended from school again for at least two months if not more. Frankly it tells us that you clearly aren't taking the things we've told you in the past to heart." He moved to stand directly in front of his son. "It tells us that since we can't seem to keep you from getting in trouble even with the promise of trying to answer you request that maybe what you really need is for someone else, an objective party, to get involved and help you to get things back on track."
"Please stop feeding me the boarding school will get you back online crap. I've heard enough of it. What you're really doing is setting me up for a jail sentence, because that's what going to boarding school is going to be like for me. Nothing good will come from sending me away."
"That's not exactly true, Brady went to a boarding school—,"
"And he came home hating his mother," JT interrupted crossing his arms over his chest.
Hope walked over to her son cupping his young face in her hands. "Honey, I know you're thinking of this as if we just want to send you away but that's just not the case. We all love you a great deal and only what the best for you. We think that this could be a great opportunity for you, even better a chance for you to get away from all this drama."
JT pulled his mother's hand from his face. "If you wanted me gone so badly you should have sent me away before. You say you're doing this for me but the real true of the matter is that you're doing this for yourselves and no one else. So if you want me gone so bad I'll go, I'll go to your dumb boarding school." He dropped her hand before turning and storming out of the room.
As Shawn saw his baby brother leave the room, he stood in absolute disbelief at how things had turned out. He couldn't believe that his parents were willing to send JT to a boarding school for a silly little prank. It was completely unacceptable as if they couldn't possible reconcile that sometimes JT makes mistakes but that doesn't mean he should be sent away. So he decided to do something that not only surprised John and his parents but himself as well. "Wait a minute, before you send JT anywhere I want you to consider another alternative."
John arched his brow inquisitively, "what other alternative?"
Nodding toward the direction his brother had taken off in he proposed that JT move in with him and Belle. "You've been looking for someone to take him in. So I'm asking to allow JT to move in with Belle and I. It's the perfect solution. He wouldn't have to go half way across the country to a boarding school, and he would still be living in Salem."
"But what about Belle? I'm assuming you would need to talk this over with her before you even make such an offer." Bo asked wanting to be sure that Shawn was sure about what he wanted to do.
"Belle is already on board with this. She's just been trying to convince me to go along with it. I, I was resistant because I thought that by offering to take JT I would be overstepping my bounds as his brother. And I'm not saying that I still don't feel that way but I know that I don't think JT should be sent away." Shawn finished.
"Okay then what about school? What are you going to do about him not being able to attend school? Both you and Belle work so what's he going to do?" Bo asked clearly interested in Shawn's proposal. He certainly didn't want to send JT away and if this was the better option he'd be a fool not to take it.
"We could do exactly what I arranged with his vice principal. He could get his school work ahead of time and have to complete it during the week. If he needed help, we could always get a tutor to make sure when he goes back to school that he's still on schedule with his other classmates. He wouldn't have to stay at the house all the time either, he could come to work with me sometimes. Obviously, we'd have to work things out better but that's the gist of it. Belle and I can make sure he stays on the straight and narrow, he won't get into anymore trouble I can promise you that."
Everyone sat silently thinking about the possible benefits there was to not send JT away. "So what will it be, are you going to entrust JT's welfare to me or are you just going to send him away?" Shawn asked on bated breath.
Hope, Bo, and John looked at one another then as if a silent agreement had been reached, she answered. "If JT has no objections, I think we'll all be willing to work on an agreement that will satisfy everyone."
"I don't object." JT replied surprising everyone as he came back into the room, his gaze focused on Shawn.
"Alright then, lets decide some ground rules and terms." Hope offered as she, Bo, and John moved to sit down and discuss JT's new living arrangements.
*~*~*~*~*~@~*~*~*~*~*
Salem Middle School, 0830 hoursJarod and Conrad arrived at school by bus. Usually they were able to get rides from their parents but due to recent revelations neither boy took that option. They didn't talk about what they had learned about their parents, other than to confirm the stories they'd heard about the Last Blast were true. So they'd simply sat side by side on the fifteen-minute bus ride to their school in silent introspection.
Locker Area - 0836 hours
Jarod walked to his locker after getting into the school without any problems. Conrad has gone to his locker already and awaited his friend. After swiftly putting in his combination he opened his locker. The snickering of some other guys, particularly Sonny, Brian, and Ted – was heard as a bunch of paper with operagirl.net, the infamous Chloe Lane flyers fell out of the locker. Jarod turned to the other boys dropping his books as he stood head to head with Sonny. "You think this is funny?"
"Yeah I do." Sonny sneered. "What about it rich boy?"
Conrad placed himself in between his cousin and Sonny, pushing the boys away from each other. "Don't you need to going somewhere Macinsen?" He asked the red-haired bully attempting to hassle Jarod.
"Nope, Black I don't. I don't have anywhere to be right now. Besides, you won't be around to protect Ritchie Rich all day."
"I don't need anyone to protect me. If you wanna start something then bring it on, Carrot Top." Jarod declared knocking Conrad's hand that was holding him and Sonny separate away. But, before Sonny could do anything, Conrad stepped between the two boys facing Jarod.
"Cool it, K-man." He turned to Sonny. "Back off Sonny boy." He said warningly.
Sonny blinking glaring at Jarod before his gaze hit Conrad's. Seeing the intense warning in his eyes, Sonny moved away. He had no qualms about picking a fight with Jarod or Conrad for that matter. He certainly wasn't scared of either boy. But, he wasn't stupid either and there was no way he was going to pick a fight with the school's best wrestler, it was a well known fact that Conrad Black was not someone to mess with – he was definitely no pushover. He smirked as he straightened up before starting to walk away. Within a second he was turned back around to stare at Jarod, "when you want to finish this without your bodyguard around let me know." Then Sonny walked away with his two cohorts following close behind him.
Conrad waited until Sonny and his crew had cleared out before letting his hold upon his friend relax. "Are you cool man?" He asked.
Jarod had returned to his locker getting his books out, he put them into his book bag. Then he grabbed all of the flyers out of his locker and tossed into the nearest trashcan. "I'm fine, just peachy. But, I don't need you to get involved with this Conrad, it my—,"
"Dude, I know you think that this is just your problem but its not. You forget your parents aren't the only ones involved now, mine are too. Anyway, you don't want to get in trouble over him. If someone bothers you that bother me too, we're friends remember." Conrad replied. "So we cool? Or am I gonna have to knock some sense into to you?" He joked.
"As if you could," Jarod scoffed joking right back. Sighing his shut his locker. "I'm cool and I won't let Sonny get to me or at least I'll try not to." He added, as the two boys took down the corridor adjacent to the locker area.
"Good. I have to go see Mr. Barnes before 1st period so I'll see you in family studies, K-man." Conrad said giving a slapping Jarod's hand.
"Alright, man."
Social Science Corridor, Room 145 - Judith Lee, Family Studies 1000 hours
Sonny quickly placed the photocopies on the desktop. While Ted kept Ms. Lee occupied and Brian guarded the doorway.
"He's coming, Sonny." Brian called out walking into the classroom swiftly taking his seat. Sonny joined him at the table.
Jarod and Conrad walked into the room together side-by-side talking. As they got to their table the dropped their backpacks on the ground and sat in their seats. Conrad saw the photocopies first.
"So anyway, Joy was telling me about the new program on her computer, she said I could come to her house and see if I like sometime. It sounds so cool."
Conrad stood as swiftly as he'd sat down. "Okay Sonny did you do this you jerk?" He charged over to the other boy, a photocopy crumbled in his hand.
"Why Conrad, I have no earthly idea what you mean." Sonny said with a sad attempt at an innocent smirk.
Jarod followed Conrad over to Sonny. "What's on the paper?"
"Nothing." Conrad said crumbling the paper more in his hand so that no part of it could be seen.
"Let me see it Conrad." Jarod said.
"Yeah,Con-man, let's see what you have there." Sonny added.
"No—,"
"Why not?"
"Because it's not important that's why not." Conrad said before turning back to Sonny. "You really are a complete ass you know that Sonny." Not paying any attention to Jarod he was surprised when Jarod took the paper from his lax grasp.
Sonny crossed his arms over his chest smirking all the while. "We figured that since you were looking for pictures of your mom, you might want to include one of her as a porn star."
Jarod's eyes widen when he saw the picture was his mother's head superimposed onto the naked body of a women posing provocatively. He crumbled the paper in his hand and then calmly torn it in half.
"So I take you didn't like the picture. What was the pose not right, darn I knew we should have gone with the one in the shower." Sonny sarcastically added as he and his two cohorts laughed. Although, they weren't laughing for long when Jarod charged at Sonny.
Not even Conrad could get close to stop Jarod before he tackled Sonny to the ground and a fight between the two boys ensued. Seconds later, Conrad was pulled into the fray as he tried to separate the two boys by Brian and Ted.
Please tell me what you think I love hearing feedback.