Dared chapter 4: Brothers
"JJ just got paired up with your brother." Cindy announced the following morning.
"What?!"
"Means they aren't any closer to catching us." Will mused.
"Means there is double the risk." Cindy corrected him. "And they are going to speak to all of Mr. Ball's classes the incoming days."
"Really? Not that I expected Danny to tell me, but still, seems a littleā¦" Joe trailed off.
"Like they are grasping for straws."
"Yeah, exactly." Joe shot Wyatt a thankful look.
"So what are we going to do this afternoon?"
"I wouldn't plan too much based of your brother's look." Logan nodded towards Danny and JJ that stood observing them from a distance.
"I can handle Danny."
"Why don't we go say hello to your brother? Save him the trouble of trying to find out who we are?" Will proposed calmly.
"That's your brilliant idea?!" Joe whacked him lightly on the back of his head.
"Actually, it isn't so bad." Callum pointed out. "We would have each other there as support. Something we won't have if they plan on separating us later on for interrogation."
"Who said anything about interrogation?"
"Wild guess." Callum shrugged. "And it looks like we don't have a choice anymore."
"Good morning." JJ gave them a smile while Danny simply nodded towards them before turning his full attention on Joe.
"I don't think I've met your friends, kid." Joe scowled angrily at him.
"You've met some of them and who the rest are aren't your business." He spat out. Instantly angry at his brother. "Especially if you can't treat them right."
"I'm sorry, did I insult you?" Danny asked in a voice that told him he thought he was being ridiculous.
"I'm Cindy." Cindy interrupted them. "But I'm sure JJ already filled you in on that."
"And you probably remember me." Wyatt gave Danny a half smile that looked more like a grimace.
"Wyatt, yes."
"I'm Logan, that's Callum and Will." Logan introduced them next. "Joe was just about to introduce us to you."
"I don't think so." Danny snorted. Logan shrugged unfaced.
"We were almost done convincing him to introduce us to you." He mended his statement.
"That sounds more accurate."
"Have you known each other long?" JJ asked, but managed to make the question seem curious instead of probing.
"Pretty long." Joe answered vaguely. "We are in a lot of the same classes"
"What do you think of Mr. Ball?"
"Can't say I like him." Logan volunteered. "But I wouldn't throw water balloons at him for that."
"Paint. It was a bucket of paint." Danny corrected him.
"Really?" Logan looked as confused as he sounded. "I thought for sure somebody said that it was a bucket of water balloons like in the Parent trap movie." Joe was amazed of how easily his friend was putting on a scene worthy of an Oscar.
"Really." Having clearly gotten enough of Logan, Danny turned towards Callum. "I heard you punched the guy."
"He made my girlfriend cry."
"That's a pretty big motive for revenge."
"Or for sticking low. I was suspended for two weeks and grounded for a month." Callum answered firmly.
"Isn't Tessa your best friend?" Danny turned towards Cindy then.
"Yes, she is."
"Why isn't she here with you then?"
"She's sick." Cindy answered calmly. "Otherwise, she would be." The school bell saved them from further questions and the gang gratefully grabbed their bags and headed inside.
-Dared-
"Good morning students." Mr. Ball greeted them with a Cheshire cat smile. "We are joined today by two officers who would like to have a talk with you about everything that has been going on."
"Good morning class, I'm officer Reagan and this is officer Collins. We are here to talk to you about recent events."
Joe took a look around the class and saw that nobody was listening that intently to them. Logan and Cindy were one of the few that actually seemed to pay attention to the pair. Will on the other hand sat twiddling his pen between his fingers, seemingly lost in thoughts, while Callum hid a yawn behind his hand. Wyatt kept himself occupied with doodling in the margins of his notebook, not looking like he was listening at all, as did most of his classmates.
"What probably started as a cutesy revenge game for the Daredevils has escalated too far too quickly." Danny started of his lecture with. "Whatever game you thought you were playing isn't a game anymore. You aren't the Heroes you think you are, in fact you are only kids, breaking the law." Joe shot Danny an angry look at his chosen words and from the corners of his eyes he could see that Wyatt had stopped doodling and Callum had straightened in his chair.
"I might be wrong, but aren't they called the Daredevils, not the Heroes?" Will asked with a raised eyebrow. Despite the stupidness of Will's actions, Joe couldn't help but smile proudly.
"And I'm pretty sure it isn't a game." Another voice supplied from further back, surprising Joe.
"You can judge their actions all you like." One of Cindy's friends told them. "But you can't deny that it has been effective in getting your eyes opened as to what's really going on behind the scenes." Joe was truly touched by his classmates' show of support.
"And you can't deny that their actions are against the law." Danny countered.
"And right there, whatever little respect we had for you went out the window." Peter Morris, a boy Jamie had known since kindergarten said firmly, giving Danny a look that spoke volumes. "If that's all you are going to focus on, you are wasting your time, and ours." He collected his stuff and dumped it into his backpack with a thud before turning to the rest of the class. "Are you really going to stay and listen to this crap?"
"No. You're right." Callum agreed, doing the same. And that seemed to be all that was needed. All around him, Joe's classmates started packing up, before following Peter and Callum out the door. Joe didn't hesitate in doing the same. Cindy was the last one out the door.
-Dared-
"Close the door behind you." Danny ordered, leaning back into the chair he was sitting on.
"Why did you single me and my friends out?!" Joe had kept an eye and ear out and so far at least, it had only been his friends that had been questioned.
"I'm not accusing you, Joe."
"Sure seems like it."
"I'm just saying that you fit the profile really well. So does your friends."
"The one you based off of seeing the Daredevils for like five seconds when they kicked your ass?! And you are pointing fingers towards your own sister." He glared at JJ for emphasis.
"I'm aware. I also know that she, thanks to mine, Dad's and Nix's chosen profession, knows enough to pull off what the Daredevils have."
"We aren't the only cop kids around here."
"No, but you have a motive." JJ answered calmly.
"So does all of Mr. Ball's students."
"How did they know about what happened in your class?"
"Are you talking about the Tessa incident? Or when he made fun of a kid with dyslexia in front of the whole class? Or how he humiliated Steven in front of the whole class. I'm sure you didn't know about that."
"What else has he done?" JJ asked without losing his cool, sharing a look with Danny. Joe hesitated for a second before settling on saying:
"A lot. And probably more than I know about."
"What if we go back to the Tessa incident then, how did the Daredevils find out about it?"
"We weren't exactly quiet about it. The whole school knew what had happened by the end of lunch."
"We've taken a look at the notes, most of what the Daredevils blame Mr. Ball for has happened to students in your class."
"So? You think that automatically means it's one of us?"
"Actually, we think that it's all six of you."
"All you have are speculations, no proof whatsoever."
"Yet." Joe met Danny's gaze head on, trying to stare his brother down.
"If the Daredevils are as smart as you seem to believe, wouldn't they try to point a finger elsewhere?"
"What the Daredevils are doing is beyond childish pranks, Joe. It's vandalism and harassment. Not to mention breaking and entering." Danny lectured, completely ignoring Joe's question.
"When will you understand Danny, that I'm not a part of the group?!"
"When I have evidence that points to somebody else."
"You have no evidence that it's me either!"
"Joe, you do know that there is zero chance there won't be any consequences, right?! All you are accomplishing by continuing is a deeper heap of trouble."
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you almost care about me. But I do know better." Joe knew it was a cheap shot, but the unfairness of the whole situation was starting to really get to him.
"That's not fair." Danny admonished.
"What isn't fair is everybody focusing on The Daredevil's actions instead of the reason behind them." Joe could feel himself starting to get emotional and knew he needed to get out of there before he would say something he would later regret.
"That's not true, Joe." JJ spoke softly, but firmly.
"Prove it."
"You know we can't disclose anything case related."
"You know what, officers" Joe almost spat the last word. "I'm done. Good luck with your case, you are going to need it."
"Actually, we don't need much. All we need is one person." Danny told him smugly.
"Like anybody who knows anything would tell you. You both witnessed the support the Daredevils have from the rest of the students. Whether we know who is behind it or not, they have our support. Because unlike you, they are actually doing something." Joe slammed the door shut behind him with a satisfying thud.
-Dared-
Jamie's POV
To say that things were tense at home were an understatement, and Jamie was seriously getting worried about Joe. His older brother hadn't even looked at, never the less spoken to Danny during dinner yesterday, or the day before, or the one before that. Jamie had also seen Joe shrug off Dad's questions about what was wrong and how his brother had retreated to his room as soon as possible. While that wasn't all that new and Joe had gotten stubborn before, it was new that he wouldn't even listen to his mother or younger brother. He had more or less politely told them all to leave him alone.
"I don't like this, Francis. This isn't like Joe." Jamie heard their parents' murmuring voices outside his door.
"It's this case with Mr. Ball. I'm sure there is something he isn't telling us, but I can't get through to him." Frank admitted with a sigh.
"Do you think he is involved?"
"We all know Joe's moral compass is screaming at him to fix the situation, so if he isn't in any way, shape or form, I'd honestly be surprised. I hope he isn't, but my gut is telling me otherwise."
"I really hope so too. But at least we know for certain that Jamie isn't involved."
"Yes. He seems more worried about Joe than anything."
"As far as I know he hasn't been able to get him to talk either." Mary sounded worried now. "Oh Francis, what are we going to do?"
"There is not much we can do except wait it out."
"But he isn't eating either."
"He has to eat. I'll talk sense into him tomorrow if he still isn't eating properly." Frank answered firmly.
"Maybe I should, you aren't exactly high on his popularity list right now."
"No, but he knows better than to not listen to me." Jamie shuddered involuntarily. Oh yeah, they all did. Their Dad had no qualms about pulling any of them over his knee, not even Danny, who mostly stayed at his apartment when he wasn't too lazy to cock for himself.
"Just try to cut him some slack, honey. He's just upset."
"I know, I'll keep it in mind. Promise. Speaking off, I'd better go bid him good night so that he doesn't think I'm angry with him."
"Good luck."
-Dared-
The following day showed no improvement to Joe's mood and Jamie had finally had enough. He was determined to find out what was really troubling Joe. So, when Joe left from school that afternoon with Cindy, Jamie, keeping a safe distance from the pair, followed them to the street Cindy lived on. At the end of the street there was a small park where Jamie stopped out of sight, keeping watch. An hour later the pair emerged from Cindy's house and Jamie took up the chase from a distance. Not surprised at all, he followed them to an alleyway near their school. Before turning down into it, Joe took a careful look around and Jamie quickly stopped his bike and made a show out of checking the chain. He was grateful that Oliver had thought to switch bikes with him that afternoon and lend Jamie one of his shirts and ballcaps. There was no way Joe would be able to recognize him from a distance. A few moments later six people emerged from the alleyway donned in all black and non-descript ballcaps drawn down to shadow their faces. Jamie recognized three of them; Joe, Cindy and Wyatt. Still keeping a safe distance, especially since they seemed more on edge now, Jamie followed them to the school yard where they just out of camera sight switched out the ball caps for ski masks and giving each other a last pat on the back trotted after Joe towards the building. Hesitating for only a short moment, Jamie once again took up the chase, not stopping to think about the fact that he, unlike the Daredevils, wasn't all that unrecognizable from a close distance.
