Disclaimer: I, in no way at all, own any of the original Animorphs. The only people I own here are the people that aren't mentioned from the original series.

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I only now started coming back here ^^; I finished the chapter last night but had to sleep before I could post it... Anyway, enjoy!

CHAPTER NINE- Jared Jordan Fuentes

The next day, Dead was still out of town, Icy still in court, and Spikes' fever was lower but not low enough where I would be able to go to hang with him by his standards.

I guess I was left with heading back to Silver's house again.

Pulling on a clean black shirt- well I hope it was clean- and jeans, I walked out of my room and out of the house, hoping that Dad wouldn't see me. I was twitching my finger, a variant of Mom's old habit on twitching her leg whenever she was anxious. I would have morphed, but who wants to fight in a biking outfit? I'd get laughed at by whoever my sparring partner is today.

I was going down the steps when I forgot the fact that the step I was about to step on was pretty much broken and made noise when ever you managed to stand on it. Usually it was just a few squeaks and no one would notice but today it seemed worse and it was nearly loud enough to wake up Dad or Anilie. I was more than likely safe since Dad got into the habit of sleeping deeply, and Anilie's room was on the other side of the hall, but she was a light sleeper.

I took a few breaths and started down the steps again, hoping both Dad and Anilie were still asleep.

"Where are you going?"

I just have horrible luck, don't I?

"Out. To Silver's." I replied, turning around to face Anilie.

"This early in the morning?" Anilie wondered, crossing her arms.

"It's not early, it's only..." I began then looked at my watch. "Oh. 6..." My other finger was twitching in my pocket, hidden. "Well I'll be on the roof-"

Anilie's hand wrapped around my wrist. Her face was full of concern, as if she knew something would go wrong with me.

"Jare..." She asked softly. She made me look down the few inches difference so I'd look into her eyes. "Is everything ok?"

I gave a fake smile. "Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

My sister smiled back at me and hugged me. "I just wanted to make sure." She stated as she let go, holding something in her hand. She put the thing in her hand around my wrist. "Here. For you."

I looked at the colored string on my hand. It matched the blue, green and red one I gave to Ani, but mine was silver, red and black. "A promise?" I wondered.

She nodded slightly. "That you wont do anything stupid that will keep you from doing your promise to me."

I raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't that be another promise from me?"

"Well I mean that I wouldn't let you do anything stupid so that you could keep yours." Ani corrected, rolling her eyes. "Such as..."

I knew she would say one of the words I didn't want to hear. It's just my luck.

"Jare, you're not doing anything... illegal... are you?"

"Why would you think that?" I asked, trying to be as careful with what I said as I was trying to get down the stairs.

Her brown eyes looked down, her hand holding mine still. "Dad told me what he found in your room. He said that maybe I'd be able to knock some sense into you and make sure you weren't doing anything stupid."

I looked away. "It's not mine. It's Dead's." I whispered. I wanted to tell her everything but I knew she would probably tell Dad. I couldn't let Dad know.

Anilie looked up. "Who's dead?"

"Craig Browns- or Dead-Lee." I stated. "He used to go to our school."

"Like you used to?"

I blinked. "Used to? It's still-"

My sister let go of my hand and put her hands on her hips. "Jared Jordan Fuentes, it's been one and a half months since school started!"

"You're serious? I've missed that much?" I replied. "I thought it was still summer break."

She shook her head. "Ugh whatever. Just go before I decide to tell Dad you haven't been to school once. You're lucky Elfang doesn't have school and can spare time being you. And at least he can pretend he's only human smart not an Andalite- makes it more convincing." She turned around and entered her room.

I wondered why no one ever told me that I was ditching school. The gang probably didn't know since they haven't been in school in a while, and it didn't seem anyone at Silv's house has ever been in school lately. As for Anilie and the rest of the family, I didn't get why they tell me instead of letting Elfang pretend to be me during the school hours. I was pretty sure he didn't enjoy doing that... He was, after all, an Andalite, and he was older than us so even if he was human it would be hard for him since it would basically be relearning everything.

"Hey Jare."

Well speak of the Devil.

"Oh hey Elfang." I said as I locked up behind me.

"It's Wednesday you know." He stated, walking up to me, one hand in his jeans and his other scratching the back of his head. "Silv's gone out of town. She locked up the house."

I cocked my head to the side. "How do you know?"

"I'm an Andalite. I can morph. Put two and two together, Jare. Can you even do that now? You've missed a lot of school." Elfang teased.

Sighing, I joined him on the sidewalk. "So I've heard. Been thinking it was summer break. Why'd you pretend to be me instead of telling me school started?"

"I was told you knew." Elfang stated. "Lauren said you were skipping on purpose- something about being all depressed but not wanting your dad to know?"

I rolled my eyes. "Elf, you should know that nearly everything Lauren will say about me will be false or mostly false."

My friend shrugged. "True, but eh. Anilie agreed with what she said too, though."

"Probably just coverin' for me." I responded. "Who knows?" We turned around a corner. I saw the gang's alley nearby. If Spikes saw me and Elfang passing by he might say something to me. Or if Icy or Dead were back, they might try to get me to come into the alley.

Instead Elfang stopped a few streets before our hang out. I raised an eyebrow, then turned, seeing the school.

"...s-." I muttered. How had I forgotten that the school was this close to our alley? "Elf, I'm-" I began, turning back to him. "-not going in there..." I finished slowly when I saw he was gone.

"Hey man!" Someone called out to me. It was a total stranger. Black bangs covered most of the pale face, showing only a hint of the dark brown eyes. A white Miami Ink jacket over a black Miami Ink black shirt, jeans, and black airwalks with skulls on the side clothed this person.

I stared blankly at him, confused. Did I know him? Or did the Jared that's been going to school for the past month and a half know him? "Hey," I replied, not knowing what else to say.

"Thought I was the only one who was stuck getting here half an hour before school actually started." He stated, reaching me. "What got you here now?"

"Elf." I answered automatically.

He shook his head, laughing slightly. "Heh, what happened to him being the reason you were late all last year?"

I blinked. I knew him last year? Or did Elfang just tell him this? "I dunno." I shrugged.

He put his hand on his side, his jacket flapping around when a speeding car ran by. "Mhm. And you know who I am, hm?"

"...Uh..." I began sheepishly. "You are..." Someone I don't know...

"Why has Elf been taking over for you, Jerry?" He asked then I realized he was a she. Oops. Hey, she was wearing all of this guy stuff out here...

"J... Jerry?" I repeated. Who... Who had called me that before? "W... Who are you?" I wondered. I knew that she was a she, who wore a lot of boy clothes, and was able to change her voice to sound like a guy's. Unless I was getting really hard of hearing and it was like that all along...

She shook her head and waved bye, fading away.

I blinked. "What the freak...?"

Sighing, I shook my head. I was never going to be able to understand what goes through girls' minds.

A half an hour later of doing nothing but just watching the clouds go past, I heard my name being called. I raised an eyebrow and turned my head to face the person.

"Oh, hey Teague." I forced myself not to blush, remembering what Ethan had said yesterday.

"That IS you, right, Jare? Not Elfang?" Teague asked as she sat down next to me, placing her books down in her lap. I mentally beat myself up for not bothering to ask Elfang or Anilie for my books.

"Yeah, it's me," I laughed nervously while scratching the back of my head. "You... wouldn't know where my locker is and what my combination is? And like my classes?" I asked sheepishly. I felt like a fool, asking her this, but she was family, in a way.

A smile formed on Teague's face. "Yeah, it's next to mine. Elfang told me it was your birthday. I have first, third, fifth, and last/seventh period with you. Anilie has you first, second, fourth, and seventh. You're with Lauren in sixth- it's a mixed grade level class."

I blinked, staring at her, not having expected her to know the answer to any of those. "And the subjects of said classes...?" I added slowly.

"Algebra II, science, computer science, English III, history, Spanish II, and technically seventh period is Theatre, but most of the time it's a free period where the teacher just lets us do whatever as long as we don't destroy property." Teague explained, twirling some of her hair around a finger.

"Theatre? How in the world did I get into that class?" I asked, brows furrowing. It made no sense, I was horrible at acting. Elfang... oh. He was used to acting. That was probably why...

"You had an Andalite filling in for you who knew how to act. Military training or something." Teague shrugged half heartedly. "We had no homework in Algebra, and we're just finishing up some worksheets from yesterday. Anilie and I can help you catch up on that. Science... eh, that isn't really my best subject, ask Anilie. Computer science is real easy since you know how to use the computer, unlike me. English, I think you guys are doing the same as our class- reading to the class a story about something relating to gang violence, as if you're in a gang. Fictional, of course." I almost scoffed at that sentence- fictional? I almost let it slip that I was in a gang. "History, eh. You're good with the civil war right? You'll be fine. Spanish... I don't see why you're in it. Don't you know Spanish fluently already?"

"Sí, señorita. ¿Por qué, ¿hay algún problema con eso?" [Yes, miss. Why, is there a problem with that?] I said, glad that I would be passing one of my classes today. She rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face as she scoffed.

"And like I said, theatre is usually a free period. You'll be fine, probably." Teague assured me. "Elfang usually leave all the finished homework in the locker, since he finishes it all during theatre or earlier." The bell rang, signaling time for students to enter before the tardy bell rang. "Come on, we need to get to class. We get more work if we're late to algebra." She grabbed me by my wrist and dragged me inside.

-later, fourth period-

The first three classes was uneventful. I nearly wished I was at Silver's place, even if I probably was going to end up getting beaten by whoever was there or something. Or maybe in the alley with Spikes, even if I would be hanging out with a sick guy. Better than being here.

Fourth period came. I walked into class with Anilie, who was talking about how she had a feeling she failed her essay when she read yesterday. I gave a half hearted shrug as we sat down in our seats at the back of the room. I pulled out the folder Elfang had put my English work in, only to realize that I didn't have any paper titled "Gang Violence." I opened my mouth to ask my twin if Elfang had already read the essay and turned it in before the teacher came back in as the bell rang.

"Quiet, class." The teacher dully said. I mentally groaned- I was seriously about to morph into a bug and sneak out of class. "We will continue reading our gang violence essays. Let's see... You were the last one to read, correct, Anilie?" My twin nodded slightly at the teacher. "All right... Jared, it's your turn."

I cursed mentally, grabbing a sheet of paper that was blank save for my name printed neatly in the corner in Elfang's handwriting. I quickly glanced at the board that still had the prompt- "Gang Violence Essay. Write an essay about how gang violence is bad. If you believe otherwise, write a persuasive essay on why it isn't."

I felt my finger twitch nervously as I stood in front of the class. I was never good in front of any crowds, another reason why I didn't see how I was supposed to do well in theatre. I glanced down at my paper, as if I had written something and was going to read it. Pausing, I tried to get the words to form in my head, hoping that I wouldn't say something stupid like "eggplants are purple."

Clearing my throat, I began.

"Gangs. There are plenty around us." I said, glancing nervously up at the teacher who stared at me with her beady eyes, and then at my twin, who nodded slightly, telling me to go on silently.

((Just turn your real life into an essay, Jared. Doesn't the prompt say you can write an essay on why gang violence isn't bad?)) Kala's voice said in my head. ((And pretend you're just talking to yourself in the mirror, or keep your eyes on the paper instead of looking at them. That's what your mother did when she had to talk in public.))

A small smile formed on my face at Kala's advice. ((Thanks.)) I said, before inhaling deeply and continuing.

"There are gangs everywhere you look. Made up of every race, every age, both genders, from small to large gangs. Some, like many believe, are just out there waiting to cause havoc on the world around them. They beat people up, they rob places, some even kill." I swallowed, adverting my gaze from my paper to see what the other people were doing. About half of the class was doing something else- reading, drawing, or passing notes to each other. Only a handful were paying attention completely, including Anilie- she was probably trying to see if I would let something slip that would say I was in one. The teacher wasn't even paying attention; she was knitting, for goodness sake!

"But not every gang is what they seem to be." I said, gaining some attention from others. "There's some that are simply people who have no where else to turn to because they were shunned by the people around them. They don't mean to do what they do- they're just forced to do so because no one will help them.

"Not everyone understands this, of course. 'Gangs are bad' and that's how it's been for years. Why change it now? Well, if you don't agree, that's fine. This is just my personal opinion, after all." I cleared my throat as I tried to figure out what to say next.

"I know most of you are wondering how I can back this up. I'll be honest- I have a few friends that together are one of the gangs we have here. They haven't done anything wrong- or at least, not enough to hurt anyone seriously. They sometimes pickpocket some people that pass by their alley, but only enough to get by, and they haven't put anyone in a hospital. They don't commit robberies or beat people up." I gave a small chuckle as I continued.

"But, to be honest, I did meet them when they tried to take my money. They did try to attack me, but only when I provoked them to, a task that wasn't so hard to do." I grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of my head in embarrassment. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to be saying this… Anilie would probably figure out what I had been doing… I mentally shrugged- the heck with it. Might as well finish it, since I started with it anyway. "I managed to scrape by safely, but it didn't really seem like they were trying." I admitted. "They just were good martial arts practice- my current teacher's much harder to beat." This earned me some laughs, even though no one knew who this mystery teacher was- I could see by the way Anilie was looking at me that she was confused as well.

"They'd invite me to hang out with them every now and then. I already knew some things about them, but I learned some more with each time I was with them. The gang's leader simply left for the streets because his parents had died, and during his grieving period, found no need to continue school. The second in command was abused by his drunken father around the time he joined- once his father got placed in jail, he quit school to hide from the looks everyone else was giving him, the whispers behind his back, his so called friends turning on his back. He had met up with the leader, and they started hanging out together on the streets, both knowing that they wouldn't be betrayed by the other." I paused, momentarily wondering if Anilie would figure out who the third member was before I spoke. "The last member's a female. She was my friend before she joined the gang that tried to jump me, but had ran away eleven years ago from the orphanage she lived in for unknown reasons and lived on the streets afterwards. According to her, she had seen the previous two member's attempt at a gang, laughed, and promptly beat them up when they tried to take her money. Since then, she's been their third member, which didn't mind the guys after they regained their hurt pride- the leader often jokes about how they need something pretty to look at. Of course, she always beats him up after those comments," Some more laughter.

"I'm not sure if any of you understand what I'm going with this." I said simply, in response to several of those weird looks. "I know many of you assume gangs are bad, but I just gave you an example of one of the ones that aren't. They aren't bad people- they were all like you and me, and still are for the most part. The only difference between them and us is how we're treated.

"They're considered bad because of their situations. They're homeless, for the most part; they have bad relations with most of the people around them; and they only do what they do- pickpocketing, theft- in order to survive. When you treat people like scum, they end up taking that personality as their own- doing these bad things are caused by what they are assumed to do, accused of doing. Eventually, enough becomes enough, and they give in to the stereotype and do what everyone accuses them to do.

"I'm not even sure where I'm going with this now, anymore- just that I want you to consider these friends I just told you about, the things I just said. Think about it the next time you see a gang." I paused again, trying to figure out if I should just end it there or not. "Though, if they are full of evil intentions, then by all means, don't stand there like an idiot trying to find out why they are how they are, run for your lives," I added after a moment. I didn't want to be blamed for their well being when they get hurt 'cause I just said some gangs were good!

I got some applause once everyone realized that I was indeed finished- somehow, I had gotten the attention of everyone in the room. I was heading back to my seat when the teacher- and some of my classmates- told me to hand in my paper to her. I froze for a split second before smiling sheepishly and placing the paper face down on her desk, hoping she wouldn't try to read it now. She called the next person on the list as I sat down. I could tell that Anilie had some questions to ask me, but as the person that was called started reading and we were told we'd get a failing grade if we talked, she wasn't able to do so.

I was glad. Then I realized I had her last period, and she'd probably tell Teague or someone else later.

I groaned slightly and sunk into my seat.

Why did life hate me?