Chapter 12 PT 1 ("Life is short so don't waste it")

After a lot of arguing, Didi finally allowed Jack and his father to go to the hospital to see Duncan. When they arrived there, they went through the normal procedures, and Jack practically raced to Shawna, with his father trailing behind him slowly. Shawna was filled with tears, and her body was shaking. She couldn't help it. She never thought that her brother could be taken away from her so soon. Jack pulled her into a hug and tried to quiet her tears as Rev. Stone stood in the background, looking over at Shawna and Jack sadly. He sent a silent prayer to God as he did this. Meanwhile, Jack was still trying to calm Shawna down, "Ssh, it's ok. It's gonna be ok."

Her head was buried in his chest as she continued crying, "How can you say that Jack! How is it going to be ok! They practically s-stabbed him to death! He...He just..." She couldn't even finish her sentence because she was crying.

He sighed as he felt a single tear fall down his face, "I'm sorry Shawna...I'm really sorry."

She didn't say anything. A doctor opened the door and saw the three people waiting out in the hall, "Miss Lewis?"

Shawna slowly moved away from Jack's embrace as she turned to look at the doctor, "Yes, that's me. I'm his sister. Is everything ok? Is he going to be ok?"

"Breathe Shawna," Jack said as he gave her a small pat on the back.

"Your brother has some very deep wounds and we're going to have to keep him in the hospital overnight to see what can be done. You can see him right now, but he's very weak." She looked over at Jack and his father, "And I'm sorry but only family members can see him."

Shawna looked at the doctor, "Duncan doesn't have a lot of family...Our parents died a long time ago and that guy over there, Jack, has been one of the biggest and most important male impacts on his life. So family doesn't really mean shit now. Duncan needs to see him."

Jack was a little surprised at what Shawna said, but if it allowed him to see Duncan, then so be it. The doctor reluctantly agreed to letting Jack inside with Shawna, and the two of them made their way into the hospital room.

When Jack walked inside with Shawna he gasped at the sight of Duncan. He looked terrible. His left eye was completely bruised, and his lip was cut. There was a slash on his right cheekbone, and he shuddered at the thought of what the cuts looked like on the rest of his body. Shawna was still crying as she took a seat next to his bed. She grabbed his hand gently, but he didn't respond, "Duncan...Duncan can you hear me?"

Nothing.

Jack felt his eyes getting watery as he looked at Shawna and Duncan. Shawna looked back at Jack helplessly, "Jack...can I ask you something?"

"Of course," he answered softly.

"You believe in God right?"

He nodded.

"So if he is real...then he can do anything?" she pushed as she tried to wipe her eyes.

"Yeah...Yeah of course."

"Then can you ask him to keep my brother alive?" she cried, "Can you just...just ask him not to take him away from me so soon?"

She broke out into more tears before he could say anything. Jack couldn't stand seeing her like this, and he couldn't stand seeing Duncan like this either. He grabbed her hand and she looked up at him curiously, "Close your eyes."

And she did.

"Dear Heavenly Father...This kid that's sitting in the hospital right now is one of the best kids that I've ever met. When I first joined the Big Brother program, I didn't expect to meet such amazing people and I know it sounds dramatic, "he paused,"But these people have changed my life. Duncan showed me that it doesn't matter where you come from. You can overcome anything, and be the type of person that will make people proud of you. And Shawna showed me that being a good person means that sometimes you have to give up things you don't want to give up. All I'm saying is that, these two people are really good people, and I know I can't see the big picture but Duncan is an amazing kid, and I just...I don't think it's his time to go Lord. Because a kid this amazing can't possibly be done fulfilling his duties on Earth. So I just pray that you heal him Lord, I pray that he makes it. In Jesus name I pray, Amen."

Shawna was touched by Jack's prayer, and it was written all over her face. She tossed him a sad smile and then she hugged him, "Thank you Jack. Thank you for being here for me and for praying for Duncan. That really means a lot. The hardest thing in life is to lose someone you love."

Jack thought back to how he had lost his father, and how hard that was for him to go through. And then he thought about Grace. Even though Grace was still here, he felt like he was losing her. And then all of the sudden something just clicked. He didn't want to lose Grace. He loved her. Regardless of what she did, he still loved her.

"Are you gonna be ok tonight?" Jack asked.

Shawna gave him a small smile, "Yeah of course. You go and I'll keep you updated."

They hugged again and Jack made his way outside the hospital. His father was standing there with an anxious look on his face, "How is the kid?"

Jack sighed, "I don't know...He wasn't responsive but I prayed for him and so now it's all in God's hands."

His father smiled at this, "Are you ready to go?"

"Um...yeah. Can I meet you in the car though?"

"Sure." And with that he exited the hospital.

Once he left Jack pulled out his phone and took a deep breath as he called Grace.

Grace was in her bedroom reading her Bible. After being at church she realized that she needed to re-dedicate her time to the Lord, and this time she knew that something was different. It wasn't about not having sex, it was about having a real relationship with God. As she read through scriptures, she had this nostalgic feeling. A series of memories of her with her father, her mother, and Tom all flashed through her head. She remembered going to Sunday school and going to all of the Bible camps with her brother. She could remember all of the Easter services and Christmas services she attended and she felt herself smiling. Those were the days when life wasn't nearly as complicated as it was now. Everyone got along, even if she occasionally got into arguments with her family. As she continued reading she found herself pausing at a very familiar story. It was about a woman who was caught in adultery, and how Jesus protected her. She read the popular scripture aloud, "He who is without sin throw the first stone."

Before she could reflect more on it, she heard her phone ring, and she answered it lazily, "Hello?"

"Grace...hey."

She felt her heart beat speed up, and her stomach do flips. She honestly thought that she would never speak to him again, "Jack?"

"Yeah...How are you?"

The awkwardness began to seep in and she suddenly remembered that they had broken up, "...I'm fine. I went to church recently."

"Oh that's good. My dad says the church attendance has been off for a while now."

"Yeah...it was nice to be back. I missed it."

"I'm sure the church missed you too," he joked.

She giggled, but it died down quickly, "Jack...Why did you call me? I thought you weren't speaking to me anymore. And where did you go? Everyone was worried sick about you!"

He sighed, "It's a really long story, but I'm back home now so don't worry. I'm sorry that I just left on such a bad note and after everything we've been through, I really don't think I could ever stop speaking to you Grace."

Her heart fluttered at this, but she didn't say anything.

"Do you think we could do something after you're done with your classes tomorrow?"

She bit her bottom lip nervously, "Do something?"

"Yeah...Like hang out I mean. I really need to talk to you face to face."

"...Yeah, yeah sure. I think there's some things we need to sort out anyway."

"Alright bye Grace I...Never mind."

"Wait, what were you going to say?"

"Nothing," he sighed.

She rolled her eyes, "Jack you're a terrible liar."

"I'm not that bad."

"Jack!"

"Alright! Alright...I was just going to say that...I love you Grace."

The curve of her lips turned upward and she felt the heat rise to her cheeks, "I love you too..."

"Goodnight."

"Night."

Grace hung up the phone and set it on her nightstand. She was beaming as she fell back onto her pillow and sighed, "God? What do I do now? Where do I go from here? Does he really love me? Should we be together?"

The night passed quickly, and before Jack knew it, it was morning time. He was thankful to be up, having been plagued by nightmares once again. They were starting to die down, and he had stopped screaming, but they still haunted him. He thought about the fight club, and he wondered how he was going to get there without getting in trouble with his mom. As he got ready for school he heard his phone ring and he went to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jack...I have some good news and some bad news. Which one do you want?" Joe asked.

Jack was too confused to be fearful, "Well what's the bad news?"

"Bad news is that the day of your fight has been moved up a few weeks."

Jack's eyes widened, "What! Are you kidding me! I haven't even had time to practice!"

"Don't worry about it Jack, I'm sure you'll be fine."

"So when do I fight then?" Jack whispered harshly, "And I can't believe you let this happen. You said if I trained with you I would be fine."

"You will be!" Joe hissed, "And the fight will be four weeks from now."

"Are you freaking kidding me! That's not enough time to train!"

"Jack just calm down. How early can you be down here today?"

"I don't know dude! I got grounded for a week so how am I even going to make it up there? I practically had to argue with my mom last night just so she could let me hang out with my girlfriend after-school. There's no way I can lie about this!"

"Alright, alright just breathe ok," Joe said in a calm tone, "Do you have a gym at your school?"

"Well...yeah I think so but-"

"You have everything that you need Jack. I've shown you punches and kicks, and all the techniques that you need to win a fight. Now you have to practice on your own this week."

"But-"

"Make it happen," Joe interrupted, "And remember, the fights in four weeks. I put money on you kid, don't let me down."

Jack rolled his eyes, "No pressure right?"

Click.

Jack sighed as he put his phone in his pocket. Once he was done getting ready for school he grabbed his backpack but it slipped out of his hands. He groaned. He was stressed out with the idea of fighting so soon, and everything was just getting on his nerves. As he went to pick up his backpack, he noticed that something had fallen out of it. He picked it up and noticed that it was the steroids. Since he had been given the pills, he hadn't taken them. He knew what steroids could do, and he had football to think about. Besides, it just felt morally wrong. But as he thought about the fight coming up in four weeks, he knew that he needed something to help him.

He looked at the steroids longingly, and then he decided to take them.

At school, Grace was trying to keep her mind off of the fact that she was going to see Jack for the first time since their big blow up. She couldn't help but feel a little nervous about that. She had prayed long and hard about the situation, but she felt like nothing could mentally prepare her for this. The bell rang, and before she knew it, it was time for lunch. She wandered into the cafeteria and realized that she didn't actually have anyone to sit with. Usually she would sit with Adrian, but Adrian was in college now, and she was pretty much her only friend.

She looked around and saw Jason, but he was seated with his football friends so she decided not to risk it. She turned and saw Grant sitting next to a few of his friends and she rolled her eyes. She was still a little mad at him. Ben was sitting with Henry and Alice, and she thought about sitting with them but decided against it. She saw a few of her former cheerleader and youth group friends laughing and talking. She sighed. She felt all alone.

She turned her head to the left and saw a familiar warm face, and made her way over there. She smiled, "Hi Amy!"

Amy looked up and gave her a warm smile, but Grace could see that something was off. She took a seat and looked at Amy with confusion, "Where's Madison and Lauren?"

Amy shrugged, "They said that they had to spend all of lunch in the counselors office. Apparently they want to help out with this freshman mentoring program."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"...Are you alright Amy?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well you just seem a little...upset. Did something happen with John?"

Amy sighed as she ran a hand through her hair, "No...well, yeah I guess there's that too. John bit some little kid a few days ago. I've never actually had to punish him up until now. I don't know what happened, John never bites kids."

"Wow, I'm sorry to hear that. Well maybe John was just frustrated that day."

"Yeah...Yeah I guess so."

"Are you sure that's it?" Grace pushed.

Amy bit her bottom lip, "No offense Grace, but it's kind of a family thing...And by family I mean a me and Ricky thing. I don't think he'd feel comfortable with me giving out his personal information."

Grace sighed, "Right...sorry. I was just trying to help."

"No, it's not your fault it's just well...like I said it's personal. Thank you though Grace."

"Can I just ask one more thing?"

Amy raised an eyebrow, "...What?"

"Ok you don't have to answer if you don't want to but...is it something about Nora?"

Amy's eyes widened at this. She lowered her voice knowing that there were some pretty nosy kids at Grant High, "How do you know about Nora?"

Grace paused for a moment. She wondered if maybe she shouldn't have said anything, "Do you want to go somewhere else?"

"Um yeah...We can spend the rest of lunch out in my car. I don't want anyone overhearing anything."

Grace chuckled, "I don't blame you. Students at this school are expert gossipers."

Amy nodded in agreement and the two of them made their way out the cafeteria.

...

"So how do you know that somethings wrong with Nora?" Amy asked.

Grace and Amy were sitting in Amy's car as they ate their lunch. Grace bit into her sandwich, and swallowed it before speaking again, "Well...I was at church on Sunday and I saw him-"

Amy's eyes widened, "So he was at church on Sunday? He said he needed some air but he didn't tell me he was going to church."

"Well maybe he figured the best place to clear his mind would be church? I mean I know he's not a Christian, but there's something about church that just makes a person feel like they can get through anything...Anyway, I didn't mean to preach. I saw him at church and it seemed like something was wrong with him so I asked him. At first he tried to tell me about Ethan. You know he got busted for holding drugs for a friend? I thought that was so ridiculous. Ethan really needs to-"

"Yeah I heard," Amy cut her off, "But skip that part, and finish the story."

"Oh right sorry," Grace said, "Well anyway...He just told me that something was wrong with Nora. He was about to tell me what the doctors said when Ethan walked in, and then he just left."

Amy sighed as she ran another hand through her long brown hair, "Oh...Grace if I trust you with this you have to promise me you're not going to tell anyone. Not Jack, not your mom, no one."

"Amy I promise...I know we don't talk much, but we're going to be step-sisters pretty soon," Grace paused. It still felt weird to know that her mom and George were getting married, "And I just want you to know that I'm gonna be there for you."

Amy smiled, "Thanks Grace. That means a lot. Especially with Ashley leaving, not that we ever really got along anyway but..."

"Ashley's leaving?"

"She's going to some cooking school in Italy with her boyfriend. I think she's tired of being with the family...And I don't think my dad really wants her to go, but they don't wanna take away her freedom either."

Grace sighed, "Wow...She had to have been really smart to get in, but she's so young."

Amy bit her bottom lip, "Yeah...I guess so."

There was a momentary silence, and then Grace could see that Amy was about to cry. She looked at her with a concerned look on her face, "Amy what's wrong?"

She blinked back the tears as she drew in a shaky breath, "Nora has...She has lung cancer."

Grace gasped, "What! T-That's crazy I can't believe it!"

"I don't know what to do Grace...How can I help Ricky through this? He feels like the whole world is against him because he just found out about his mother, and he just started to move on and forgive her for everything that she did...And, and! To top things off, I'm leaving soon and I can't help but feel guilty that I'm leaving him here with John like this, just to go and see a school that I might not go to."

"Amy," Grace spoke softly, "You can't beat yourself up over this. It's going to take Ricky a long time to get over the fact that his mother is suffering. He's been through a lot and I just know that he's a strong person. And you can't feel guilty about going to something that you planned before even receiving news of her illness...Life goes on Amy, and you can't stop your life. He's going to need support yes, but don't worry, he'll have Margaret and Shakur, and he'll have John."

"Can you promise me something Grace?"

"Anything."

She sniffed, "Promise me that you'll be there for him while I'm gone."

Grace's eyes widened at this, "M-Me? I don't know Amy I mean...Ricky and I aren't exactly friends."

"But you guys were at some point...you even dated. And I usually wouldn't trust someone who dated the man that I'm with, but you're a good person Grace. And I'm trusting you right now...So can you do this for me?" She looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Ok Amy, if it makes you happy, then ok."

Amy smiled and the two shared a hug. The bell rang and they got out of the car, and went to their classes.

"So big day today huh?"

Ally shot her head up and smiled when she saw Leo standing there. Leo had taken the day off of work just so that he could be sure that Ally would safely make it to her parents house. She was sitting on the couch, with Chloe's laptop on her lap.

"Yeah," she smiled, "I'm really excited to see my parents after all of this time...But I'm worried too, about how they're going to handle me doing this court case."

"Have you talked to your lawyer recently?"

Ally nodded, "Yeah. We're supposed to be going over more questions later on today. The hardest part is going to be retelling my story I think...I'm not sure if anyone will believe me after all of this time."

Leo made his way towards the couch and smiled, "Let me tell you something Ally...No matter what the judges decide, telling your story will probably help you more than you think. You've spent years in hiding, ashamed of everything that's happened, and now you get to stand up there and say the truth, that it wasn't willing, that you didn't deserve this. And that's the biggest reward that anyone can ask for."

She smiled at Leo and nodded, "Yeah...Yeah I guess you're right."

The doorbell rang before anymore conversation could be made and Ally tossed Leo an excited look. He chuckled, "I think we know who this is."

He went to open the door and Ally practically ran to her parents and hugged them. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson smiled as they hugged their daughter. Mr. Johnson looked at Leo and smiled, "Thank you."

Leo nodded, "No problem. It was nice to meet you Ally, and good luck with the court case."

Ally smiled, "Thank you...for everything. Now I see where Ben gets his kindness from."

Leo smiled at this and Ally paused for a moment, "And speaking of Ben...Can you send him a little message for me?"

Leo looked at her in confusion, "Um, sure...what is it?"

"Just tell him not to forget me."

Before Leo could think much of the request, Ally and her parents were already out the door.

Jack had a hard time concentrating in class, and he was more than thankful when his classes were finally over. He made his way over towards the coffee shop and saw that Clementine was there. He raised an eyebrow at her, "I didn't know you worked later shifts."

She shrugged, "I needed the extra cash. I'm joining this program and I need the money for it."

"A program? What kind of program?"

"It's called the DFS. It stands for Deans Future Scholars. It's a program for high intellects with low incomes. The program is all the way in Japan, and so I'll get to study there for a year."

Jack's eyes widened at this, "Wow! That's really exciting Clementine."

"I know. It's always been one of my dreams."

"To study with scholars in Japan?"

She chuckled, "No, to get the hell out of here. I never really thought I would do anything with my life after being in foster care. Most kids like me, they don't exactly become successful, but now here I am, finally making something out of my life."

"Have you told anyone else that you're going?"

Clementine shook her head, "Not really. I tried to get a hold of Ricky but he hasn't been answering my calls lately."

"That's strange. You know I didn't see him at school today either. We don't have the same classes but I usually pass by him in the morning."

Clementine looked like she was thinking, "I wonder what's up with him."

Jack shrugged, "Maybe he just had to take care of John."

"Yeah maybe...So what are you over here for? Not that I don't enjoy your company but aren't your classes over?"

"Oh right. I was just wondering if the school gym was open right now."

"Oh yeah it is. Hardly anyone ever goes in there. You're about to work out?"

Jack nodded, "Yeah I've got a change of clothes in my bag. Can you show me where it is?"

"It's a few doors down from the men's restroom. It shouldn't be too hard to miss."

Jack smiled, "Thanks."

"No problem...but do you mind me asking what you're going to the gym for?"

He paused for a moment, but then smiled, "What a guy can't get in shape?"

She chuckled, "Point taken, alright see you later Jack."

"Bye Clementine, and good luck with your program."

...

After Jack made his way to the bathroom, Adrian made her way into the coffee shop. Clementine tossed her a polite smile, "Hi Adrian. Something I can do for you?"

"Was Jack here?" she asked in a rushed tone.

Clementine raised an eyebrow at her, "Uh yeah...He just went to the gym. Why?"

"He's been out of it all day, well for the classes I've had him for anyway. And I heard that he ran away for a while, at least that's what Grace told me. And him and Grace broke up too, but when I asked him about it he didn't say anything. Not a word! He didn't tell me where he went all of that time."

"Well no offense Adrian, but maybe he doesn't feel like it's any of your business."

Adrian waved her statement off, "Yeah whatever! Or maybe he's up to something. You said he went to the gym right?"

"Yeah but Adrian-"

Adrian was already heading towards the gym though.

...

Once Jack had gotten changed, he entered the gym. He was more than pleased to see that there was a punching bag there. It didn't look very sturdy, but it was good enough. He looked around for any boxing gloves, and he found a worn out pair that was close to his size. He sighed. Next time he would bring his own boxing gloves. He started punching the bag and then something took over. He wasn't looking at the bag anymore. He was looking at him.

Mike.

"You can't beat me Jack."

The voice in his head startled him, and he punched harder.

"You will never win Jack."

He felt himself panting as he punched even harder. He could feel the sweat on his forehead. He switched up his punches with kicks, but the voice only got louder.

"Jack...Jack!...JACK!"

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" he screamed. He turned around to leave when he saw Adrian looking at him like he was crazy. He let out a relieved breath, "Oh gosh...Adrian what are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you." She stared at him intently, "Why did you scream?"

He took off his boxing gloves and sighed, "I don't know I just haven't been feeling well that's all."

"Mhm sure...And I heard you ran away. Are you going to tell me what that was about?"

Jack didn't say anything as he grabbed his bag, "Don't worry about it ok? I'm fine."

He pushed past her and made his way towards the door but she called his name again.

"Jack!"

He let out an irritated sigh, "What Adrian?"

"I only do this because I care. You're my friend Jack and if there's something wrong then you need to get help."

Somewhere in his mind he knew that she was right, but he didn't want to believe it. Before he could respond he heard his phone ring and he picked it up without checking the caller ID, "Hello?"

"Hey...are we still going to the Diary Shack today?"

"Shit," he muttered, "Um yeah Grace I'll be there in five."

He hung up and Adrian looked at him with a confused look, "Wait so now you and Grace are talking?"

Jack shrugged.

Adrian sighed, "Look Jack...just think about what I said ok? If not for you, then get better for Grace. Because eventually if you don't, you're gonna hurt her."

He didn't say anything, he just exited the gym.

A/N: And bam! There it is. I was going to write more but I figured I would just make this a two part chapter. Thank you so much for reading, and thank you for all of the support on this story, it means a lot and I couldn't have continued writing this without you guys!