Author: Skytate17

Title: Pressure

Summary: They say high school changes everyone..

Note: here is the second story…… time for Jack. Enjoy!

Chapter 2 The Locker Room

My father can go to hell, for all I care. Sometimes it seems he wants this more than I do.

I'm a wrestler, well I used to be. Now I'm a bodybuilder, which sucks. I mean yeah, I have the body for it, and the strength to, but I'm not really into it at all. I have other things I'd rather be doing, like actually concentrating on school. Last semester, I failed every single test. Every one. Even finals. I was too focused on lifting weights and working out. I don't even know how I mananged to pass last year. It's not like I purposely failed them; I just had no time to study. I'm rarely in school in the first place. My dad gets me out at 12 every Tuesday and Thursday, so I can prepare even more, which usually leads to me missing school on Wednesday, and typically Friday. It kills my social life. I used to be a popular guy.. I still am. I have the name 'jock' stuck to me. Not cool at all.

I haven't had a girlfriend in over a year. My last one broke up with me because I never spent anytime with her, but the bitterness between us went away. Actually, it never even started. We're still best friends. I consider her my support system, she's the only one I can talk to, because she's the only one who understands.

Her name's Sydney Drew. I don't know if she feels the same way, but I still love her. Doesn't matter anyways. I'd never go down that route again with her, it broke my heart the first time when she broke up with me. I'd rather not go through that again. I know if I were to go out with her again, we'd just end up breaking up again.

My dad never liked Sydney anyways. Her and my dad work together; they don't get along at all. Jordin's dad thinks he pushes me too hard. I feel the same way. But it's not like I can stop him from doing it. My dad is rich because of me.

He owns the biggest company in my city. I was the reason he started it, and now he gets all of his profits from my matches.

It's basically like he's using me just to get money. I hate that.

He's been pushing me even harder lately. He doesn't think I'm working hard enough, he constantly tells me to stop slacking off, because I'll regret it in the end.

I guess I slack off everywhere in life. At school, at home, and at my job. I refer to it as my job, because it really is my job. I chose to do this, but I'd never thought I'd be doing it this long.

It's torture. My body's used to it by now, but it still hurts. At night, I sometimes think about quitting. But I don't want to let my dad down. My mom hates the fact that I do this, but my dad says not to listen to her, so I don't.

A few weeks ago, at a match, I met this group of kids. They won over me in every match. It was the first time in months I had lost a match; I had actually lost 3.

At the match was where I was introduced to my lifesaver. Not the candy. But really, it's a lifesaver. I won't have to work as hard anymore. I don't think my dad realizes how much the words he said to me in the end really meant something, because they did.

3 weeks prior..

"Yo, Landors, sorry we whooped your ass so bad," Trent Fernandez said from the other side of the locker room.

Jack laughed. "I suck."

"No, you don't," he replied.

"Uh, yeah he does," Conner snickered, pulling on his shirt.

"Oh, thanks for the support," Jack rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, I just like telling the truth sometimes," Conner sat down on the bench, and slipped on his sneakers. Jack looked over to Xander Bly, who had beaten him in the match in at least 3 minutes. He was opening up a bottle of pills.

"Xander, pass me them when you're done," Trent said. Xander nodded, took a few pills out, and slipped them down his mouth dry. Jack cringed at the sight.

"Don't they hurt going down your throat?," Jack asked.

"Nah. I'm used to it."

Jack stared at Trent, who was now taking some of the pills himself. Conner crowded around him, waiting for his turn.

"What are those?," Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

Trent burst into laughter. "Are you joking?"

"Does it look like I'm laughing?," Jack snapped back.

Trent turned his head away, and went back to packing his stuff away in his bag. Jack stood, still confused.

"Ever hear of steriods?," Conner asked. Jack' eyes almost fell out of his head. Steriods were illegal, but it's not like that stopped people from using them. Jack rubbed his forehead, as he felt a migrane coming on. "You telling me you don't use them, Jack? Your dad pushes you pretty hard."

"My dad had a hard past with them. They killed his brother," Jack looked down at the ground. "Oh," Xander said, shutting up almost immediately. Jack grabbed his back, and walked out of the locker room silently. He found his dad outside in the parking lot, and ran to the car. He got in, slamming the door shut. His father got in as well, and started to drive home. Jack didn't speak at all. His dad kept saying things to him, but his responses were a head shake or nod.

Suddenly, his dad cleared his throat loudly. "Jack," he said, turning his head.

"Yeah dad?"

"I'm not disappointed in you. Those guys were buffed up. You just need to get up to their level, then you'll be able to beat them. You know, in order to succeed, you need to be built right."

"I know dad, I know," Jack responded. The car became quiet again. All Jack was doing was analyzing the words his father had said to him. He didn't know exactly what he meant, but in his mind, it meant he needed to be as buff as the 3 guys were.

The next day, Jack called Conner's cell phone. He set up a meeting place for them, where Conner would bring him the goods that he needed, in order to succeed.

Jack shuffled his feet up to the corner of the street, where Conner was leaning on the stop sign. He walked up to him, and sighed. "Hand them to me."

"You sure you want them?"

"I'm sure."

Conner reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out a bottle of pills. Jack held out his hand, and Conner soon placed the bottle in his hand. Jack looked at Conner, and nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem. Keep in touch?"

"Keep in touch."

Conner turned, and walked back toward his house. Jack just stood at the corner, stashing the pills away in his pocket. He wanted to go home; but he was scared. He didn't want his dad to find these. If he did, he'd be murdered. His dad would probably never forgive him. His dad always told him to never do steriods.. but if he wanted to succeed, it was the only way.

Now..

Jack stood in front of his mirror. He was home alone. He held the bottle of pills in his hand, and slowly took off the cap. Setting the bottle on his dresser, he took out one pill, and swallowed it down dry. The sides of his mouth burned, but it didn't matter. He took a second one, and swallowed it just as easy.

Maybe this wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.

It would help him out in the end, right?