Summary: The Crows and their class go swimming. Only Kaz doesn't, but someone tries to change that.

Kaz's childhood has never been the rosy kind.

His mother died when he was barely seven, his father was an alcoholic and because of his fear of touching people and PTSD his brother was constantly ashamed of him.

That of course changed when his slightly drunk father drove him and his brother straight into a river. Kaz was the only survivor. He still was quite afraid of it. The water.
When he shattered his knee he had an excuse as to why he would never go to the beach with anyone.

But with the school it was different. His doctor told him and his teachers, that some swimming wouldn't hurt him.

So there he was. He still wore his black jeans and a white shirt, but the others were already in the water and the teachers, mostly Mr. Rollins, were trying to get him to strip down and go in as well.

But Kaz, being the rulebrekker (ghezen, I deserve hell), just stood there and once or twice looked through the stuff of his school mates.

The only person who kept him some company was Jesper. He was his longest friend and sometimes even managed to Crack a smile out of Kaz.

So sometimes, when Kaz was sitting near the pool and watched the others swimming their rounds, Jesper would come over to him and tell him some jokes.

A few times Kaz himself went near the water and would talk to his five friends for a moment or two.

But Jesper's eyes seemed a little...desperate.

His eyes searched his posture and finally settled on Kaz's own.
"You really don't wanna come in? It's pretty hot outside!"
Kaz shook his head and let a little bit of annoyance be shown in his voice. "What's with everyone trying to get me in the water. The answer is no!"

Jesper blinked at him.
"Come on! Matthias is betting that you can't swim and won't belive me that it's not true. I should know! We went to primary school together."

Kaz glanced at him and frowned a little. Sure, he never told any of his friends how his 'family' died, but couldn't they just leave it?
Sometimes they were too curious for their own good.

"Hey, Jes! Did you manage to persuade him?", Inej swam over to them and smiled up at Kaz.

Kaz gave her a curt nod in return.

Inej's smile wavered. "So you are still not going in?"

"No. And you can't change my mind either."

The Suli pouted and looked at him with Puppy eyes.
"You are no fun!"

Kaz glared at her and was about to say something, then he was barely aware of Jesper jumping out of the water and pushing him in.

And suddenly he was under water. He saw his brother's shocked face beside him and his passed out and dying in the front seat.

Himself, feeling chained to his seat, the door locked and his air limited. Jordie giving him a sad look and than cutting him out of his seat belt with a pocket knife, just before the window on his side broke and the shards flew straight to Jordie's face.

His brother's muffled scream as the glass cut through his skin and his own self control to keep his mouth shut as said glass cut his face as well.

He didn't even remember being pulled up. His hair was pressed flat against his face and his clothes were sticking to his body.

His eyes were wide, he was hyperventilating and when he realized someone touched him he felt like vomiting.

"Kaz, breathe! Evenly!", a voice. He knew that voice. Whose was it?
"Mr. Brekker! What did you do?", now that voice he couldn't forget. Pekka Rollins, his car rammed the one of his father.

And Rollins knew Kaz was in the car, he hadn't forgotten his face, after all, Kaz hadn't either.

After inhaling a few times he sent a glare in his 'teachers' direction. He stood up and pulled the wet hair out of his face, then straightened.

"Do? What the Fuck do you think I did now?! Shouldn't you know? After all. You were there!", Kaz growled at Pekka, his jaw clenched.

Rollins glared at him and raised his chin in defiance.

"Do I? And would you tell me what I am supposed to know in front of your friends, Rietveld?"

On his right, Wylan and Nina could hear his teeth click together in his jaw. His eyes were blazing with fury, but he kept calm, his posture didn't change, but his raspy voice was low and threatening.

Kaz looked at the man.
"If I remember correctly, and I know I do, oh how I know, you told the judge that if it weren't for my alcoholic of a father and his two stupid brats, my brother and father wouldn't be dead. That I should be glad to survive and grow up, how I should forget it and that it was no less my fault than yours, if any."

"And isn't that the case?"

"No one looked closer into it after the little story you told everyone. You said I should you to therapist, that my 'thieving hands' did me no good and that I was mentally unstable anyhow. And maybe after the...trauma I just went through, they wouldn't be able to safe me."

Rollins chuckled darkly. "Ah, but I was right in one point, wasn't I? You have thieving hands. Gloved ones. Why Haskell took you in I will never understand."

"You don't have to. It was his decision and I was told it was a damn good one, too! At least I can make a fortune with those gloves. What did you do? Let your little Lions roam through the streets while you play teacher, Mr. Rollins."

Pekka raised an eyebrow. A phone rang. He gave Kaz one last glare before stomping of in the direction of his class.

Kaz could feel Inej's presence besides him and managed not to flinch when she put her hand on his wet shoulder.

"Do you want to talk about it?", it was a question for everyone else. Nothing more. But Kaz still heard it, the silent plea.

Kaz glanced over his shoulder to see his friends giving him incouraging smiles.

He stared at the horizon and shrugged.

"Worth a try."