Chapter 9
By: MysticFantasy
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Jack yawned greatly as he sat up in his bed. He slid out from under the covers and left the room.
"Morning Jackie."
Jack looked up and spotted Bobby coming up the stairs.
"You look like you partied hard little brother." Bobby commented looking as exhausted as Jack felt.
The younger boy lightly smiled as he remembered the events of the night.
Popping fireworks, Bobby getting caught with beer, Angel throwing Black Cats into the fire, reading the adoption papers and learning he was now a Mercer...
It was definately a night to remember.
Especially since Bobby insisted that they celebrate more the fact that Jack was now part of their family. Evelyn agreed on the condition they didn't stay up too late. Jack had been the first to fall asleep which had been around two thirty that morning.
He wasn't totally sure if Evelyn knew what time they had all gone to sleep but he was sure to hear about it along with his new brothers.
Jack climbed onto the stepping stool and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked like he had been at a party. He'd seen many of his previous foster siblings return home looking the same way he does now only he wasn't drunk or high like they were.
"Yep. You partied hard last night Jack." Bobby mused. "Have fun?"
Jack nodded as he grabbed his toothbrush.
"I did too." Bobby said.
"Why did Ms. Evelyn take your drink away?" Jack asked.
"Hey, she's your mom now remember?" Bobby corrected. "And she doesn't like me drinking. She wants me to set an example for you and the other two."
"What example?" Jerry asked walking into the bathroom as Jack started brushing his teeth. "The only example I get from you is how to destroy and burn things."
"Well, I hope you've at least picked up on how to assert yourself." Bobby said.
"We've seen your level of assertion and it's landed you in jail more than a few times." Jerry replied.
Jack rinsed his mouth and toothbrush as his new brothers continued their debate. He slipped out of the bathroom unnoticed by either one and made his way downstairs.
"Good morning Jackie." Evelyn greeted as he walked into the kitchen.
Jack smiled greatly and hugged the woman who was now his mother.
Evelyn smiled and picked up the small boy so that she could hug him as well.
"Did you have fun last night?" Evelyn asked placing him on the counter as she continued to make breakfast.
Jack nodded.
"I know that all of you stayed up pretty late but I'll let it slid by this time." Evelyn said.
"Good." a voice exclaimed.
Jack looked up to see Angel walk in wearing warm ups and a muscle shirt.
"I though you would skin us alive because of how late we let the kid stay up." Angel said ruffling Jack's already messy hair.
"Well, I don't like that all of you stayed up so late but Bobby was right about us needing to celebrate the fact that we have Jackie as part of the family now. But do it again and all of you will be grounded for two weeks." Evelyn warned.
"We won't. Right Jackie?" Angel asked.
Jack nodded in agreement.
"Good." Evelyn said as the two older boys walked into the kitchen. "Tonight all of you are going to go to sleep at nine thirty."
"Why so early?" Bobby asked.
"Catch up on the sleep you missed." Evelyn answered. "Jerry, Angel and Jackie have school after tomorrow and they're going to need to get what sleep they can. You can think of it as punishment for staying up so late anyway."
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Two days later, Jack found himself to be a bit nervous as he quietly stood in the hallway. He looked up and down the empty hallway. No one was around as classes were going on.
He wore some of his new clothing and felt like he was in an oven. He'd been dropped off a few minutes before eight so he could speak to the principal.
Naturally he hadn't said a word since he didn't know the man at all even though he knew he would see him almost everyday for the remainder of the school year. He'd sat in the mans office while all of the students gathered in the classrooms when the bell rang.
A little after the bell rang, Mr. Renalds escorted Jack down the hallway to one of the fourth grade classes. He'd gone in ahead to let the teacher and students know that they were going to have a new student.
Click
Jack straightened noticably and saw the principal appear and ask him into the room. He swallowed lightly and followed the grown man into the room.
There he found himself to have the attention of everyone in the room. There were at least fifteen kids in the classroom and all eyes were on him.
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"Bobby, don't forget you're getting Jackie from school today." Evelyn called up the stairs.
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Bobby replied walking down the stairs while slipping his jacket on. "Elementary gets out at three still?"
"Right at three but he has his tutoring after school. He'll be out at three thirty until he's managed to catch up with his school work." Evelyn answered.
Bobby lightly shuddered.
"Tutoring." he muttered in disgust.
Evelyn lightly chuckled.
"Thank heaven I'm out of school already."
"In a lot of ways, I am too." Evelyn agreed.
Bobby chuckled at his mother.
"I told Jack that you'd be waiting so he wouldn't think he'd have to walk."
Bobby froze just before the door with his keys in his hand.
"Those other homes make him walk?" he asked.
"When he did get to go to school? Yes." Evelyn answered with a bit of an upset face. "Some of the homes took half an hour to get to and one of them was almost forty minutes away by foot."
"Those a**holes. Sorry Ma." Bobby quickly apologized seeing the look Evelyn was giving him for his choice of words. "I'll get going before Jack does think he has walk. Poor kid is already traumatized enough."
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"Jack. Come over here please."
Jack quietly walked over to Mr. Renalds who was standing with another grown man. All around him other kids his age were quickly gathering their backpacks and heading to the front of the school so they could return home.
"Jack, this is Mr. Brends. He'll be helping you catch up with all of the school work you've missed. I already told Ms. Evelyn about it and she knows that you'll be starting tutoring today. It's only for an extra half hour a day until you're caught up. Alright?"
Jack nodded quietly and followed the second man into the empty classroom.
"Go ahead and take a seat Jack." Mr. Brends instructed. "I'll get the work you'll need."
Jack sat down in the front row and placed his backpack next to the desk and just waited for the teacher to return.
Only a minute went by before Mr. Brends returned with a small stack of papers in his hands.
"Not much to do. That's good." Mr. Brends said as he shut the door. He walked over and placed the small stack in front of Jack.
"These are all really simple but I'll help you with anything you need." Mr. Brends said placing a hand on Jack's shoulder.
Jack tensed a little when he felt the mans hand on his shoulder and felt his thumb rub small circles on his back that slowly made their way downward.
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Bobby cursed to himself as he parked his car and cut the engine. He'd spent nearly an hour looking for Jack since he hadn't been waiting at the school. After not being able to find Jack, Bobby had decided to come back home to tell his mother what was going on.
He walked up the stairs and onto the porch and froze when he saw the very person he had been looking for sitting on one of the porch chairs.
"Jack! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you kid! I thought mom told you to wait at the..."
Bobby stopped mid sentence when he noticed something about the young child.
Jack's eyes were wide and he looked like he was shaking.
"Jack, what's wrong? Jack?"
The ten year old shook more visibly and this alarmed Bobby.
"Jack, if something's wrong you need to tell me so I can help." Bobby said placing his hands on the smaller boys shoulders. "What happened?"
"A...a...teacher." Jack stammered while holding back a sob.
Bobby felt himself stiffen all over and felt his blood start to boil inside him.
"What happened? What happened Jack?"
"H-He...t-tou...me." Jack heavily stammered.
"He touched you?" Bobby asked anger clear in his voice.
Jack lowered his eyes and Bobby felt the child tremble under his fingers, which caused his anger to rise.
"What's his name?"
"M...Mr. Brends." Jack stammered.
"Alright. I'll tell mom about it and we'll do something about it. Come on. Let's get you inside. Mom's probably worried sick by now."
Jack felt himself being lifted and brought into Bobby's embrace then carried inside.
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Jack kept his eyes shut and heard Evelyn shouting on the phone downstairs. Bobby had told her everything that he had explained and it was clear that she was going to raise hell about it.
He'd been asked to stay in his room while she talked to someone higher in power who could do something about the situation.
"This ever happened at school before Jack?"
Jack looked up and saw Bobby standing in the doorway of his room.
"Yes." he answered quietly.
"Did the other foster parents do anything about it?" Bobby asked moving to sit on the edge of the bed.
"No. They said I was lying."
Bobby mentally cursed but did his best not to show anything in front of Jack.
"Don't worry Jack. Mom and I will take care of everything." he vowed.
"Do I have to go back tomorrow?" Jack asked.
"Maybe." Bobby answered. "Depends on what mom says. This sure was a s***ty way to go back to school."
The older man lightly froze when he realized what he said.
"Don't say that word I just said. Mom won't like it if you say it."
"Which word?" Jack asked.
"S***ty." Bobby answered looking toward the door to make sure Evelyn wasn't in sight. "It's a bad word and mom doesn't like bad words."
"Then how come you know it?" Jack asked.
"I heard it from someone else." Bobby answered. "Just promise me you won't say it ok?"
"I promise."
"Good." Bobby said. "And don't worry. Everything's gonna be ok."