Hey everyone! Sorry for not updating in over a week. Life has come down on me and I've been extremely busy. I won't be able to update (this story or any other ones) quite as often. Sorry if you're bummed about that, but understand where I'm coming from. I need a bit of grace and patience right now. 'Kay? Thanks! :3
Okay, so, I've got a fun chapter for you. It's light hearted and pretty funny in places (I think). It might not be one of my best, but hey, I think it's alright. Presentable, let's say.
Oh, by the way, if you're from Oregon, please don't be offended by this chapter! I've been there several times and it really is a great place! I'm just saying, it's not Paris. Which in this chapter is a good thing.
The flashback for this chapter has been requested so many times I'm not even sure I can name everyone. I know AllAmericanSlurp and Lady Cougar Trombone have both asked for it. And more, I'm pretty sure. I hope it turned out the way you guys wanted!
Alright, enjoy this long overdue chapter. I don't own Lab Rats!
* * * Chapter 2: School * * *
Chase shoved a few more pencils into the front pouch of his backpack. It was always best to be prepared! The bionics (and Leo) would return to school the next day. Donald had already talked with the teachers and gotten a few things straightened out. They wouldn't have to do quite as much work for a few weeks.
The teens had already been preparing their little "speeches" for the questions that would most certainly be asked. They went on an impromptu vacation to visit family in Oregon. Oregon was boring enough that people would most likely not ask more questions. But if they did, the Davenports went because of a sickly grandfather. They went to the beach once or twice, but most of the time they sat inside and played bored games. It would be an effective cover, hopefully.
Everyone knew the plan and the story, even Adam. The oldest bionic especially had been quizzed on it, and he had done surprisingly well. It looked like they would have nothing to worry about.
Chase placed his backpack on his desk chair and headed downstairs for dinner. Tasha, Donald, and Bree were in the kitchen, getting the food ready and chatting. Adam and Leo were in their usual places on the couch, watching some childish cartoon. Marcus sat as far away from them as he could possibly be on the sofa, his expression one of pure boredom.
"Hey guys," Chase said as he sat down in the chair beside them. "Ready for school tomorrow?"
Leo groaned in response.
"Don't remind me!" Adam said.
"Oh, come on, it will be fun!" Chase said.
"You're idea of fun and my idea of fun are very, very different," Leo said.
"Yeah, Chase, your idea of fun is different from everyone else's!" Adam complained.
Marcus snickered.
"Oh, what are you laughing at?" Chase barked, though he was trying to conceal a smile.
"Hey, it's true!" Marcus said, holding up his hands and grinning. "You're just a wet blanket."
"How would you even know if school is fun or not?" Chase retorted. "You've never gone."
"True," Marcus said with a shrug.
"Hey, Marcus, why don't you come to school with us?" Bree asked as she walked out of the kitchen.
"Yeah, that's a great idea," Chase agreed.
"Oh, um, I don't know . . ."
"Yeah, he doesn't need to be going to school," Leo piped up.
Marcus looked around. "I'm not sure. I mean, what happens when I suddenly stop going in a month? Won't people ask questions?"
"Probably," Chase said. "But we can answer them. I think you'd like it."
"What's even the point?" the android sighed.
"You'd get to do something besides sitting around the house moping," Adam said.
"Yeah, we'll be gone anyway," Bree pointed out. "Just come with us."
"Well, ah, alright," Marcus conceded slowly. "I'll go to school."
"This place is actually kinda cool," Marcus said gruffly.
"I think of it as a nice little escape," Chase said with a smile.
"Oh, that's nice," Leo said coolly. "I think of it as a nice little prison."
"If he doesn't like it, then I think I might," Marcus said with a smug grin. Leo just scowled at him.
"Oh my gosh, there's Caitlin and the gang!" Bree squealed. "Later, losers!" Bree rushed off to be with her friends.
"Oh, and there's Janelle!" Leo exclaimed. "I should probably explain why I haven't been answering her texts." Leo also ran off before anyone could say anything.
"Hey!" a harsh, grating voice shouted. Chase recognized it immediately and winced.
"Oh, hi Principle Perry!" Adam said as the three boys turned around.
"Who's the new kid?" Perry asked, looking at Marcus like she was a hawk and he was her prey. No doubt that's how she actually saw him.
"This is, um . . ." Adam said, scratching the back of his head.
"Our cousin!" Chase cut in. "Yeah, um, this is our cousin, Marcus. He's visiting from . . . Oregon. He'll be staying with us for a month."
"Right," Marcus muttered under his breath. "A month."
Alright, Chase was sorry for his brother, he would admit it. But this whole moping thing was getting old. Couldn't he just live life normally for a few seconds?
"Oh, only a month?" Perry asked, clearly disappointed. "Well, might as well make the best of it."
The group followed Principal Perry into her office. She got Marcus a schedule and assigned him a locker.
"There, you're all set," she said. "Now scram, vermin, I've got things to do!" The pudgy principal waddled away.
"And that's normal too?" Marcus asked, pointing after her.
"Unfortunately, yeah," Adam answered.
"Come on, Marcus, your locker isn't far from ours." Chase led his android brother through the halls. He showed Marcus his locker and how to open it. Even though it was silly, Chase felt a bit of pride swelling within him. Just a few months ago Chase had been the one learning how school worked. Now he knew it well enough to teach someone else.
"Hi Chase!" a peppy female voice called. Chase jumped and turned to see Rachel Webster approaching with her friend next to her.
"Oh, hey Rachel," he said meekly. Adam continued to show Marcus the locker (Chase heard something about 'a great place to store leftover food').
"You and your family were gone for a while," Rachel said. "Where were you?"
"And who's that kid?" her friend asked in a somewhat dreamy voice. She motioned to Marcus and grinned sheepishly.
"We were in Oregon on a family trip," Chase said quickly. "That's my cousin, Marcus."
"Oh. Hi Marcus!" the other girl said.
Marcus turned around quickly and gave a half-hearted grin. "Um, hello," he said quietly.
"Hi, I'm Nicole," the girl said, holding out her hand. Marcus stared at it for a moment before reaching out and shaking it.
Chase leaned over to Adam. "He has no idea how to be social, does he?" he whispered.
"Nope," Adam chuckled. "This should be good."
"Um, I'm Marcus," Marcus said. He looked down at his hand and slowly pulled it away from Nicole's.
"Well, Marcus, it's nice to meet you," Nicole said with a flirtatious smile. "I would love to get to know you more. Maybe we could hang out sometime?"
"I guess," Marcus said with an apathetic shrug. "But I'm only going to be here for a month."
"We should make the best of that, then. Hey, do you have any paper?"
Marcus reached into his locker and pulled out a notebook Chase had loaned him. He tore out the first page and handed it to Nicole. She took it and pulled a pen out her bag. After writing something Chase couldn't see on it, she handed the paper back to Marcus.
"What's this?" Marcus asked with a frown.
"It's my number, silly," Nicole said, her smile getting bigger.
"Your number for what?"
Nicole giggled. "You're funny! Call me sometime. Come on, Rachel, we're going to be late for class."
"Right," Rachel said. "Bye, Chase!" The two girls ran off, chatting excitedly with each other.
"What just happened?" Marcus asked, turning to his brothers.
"Dude, I think she has a crush on you," Chase said, trying to suppress a grin.
"She what?" Marcus asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
"You're even worse with girls than Chase is!" Adam laughed. Chase glared at his brother.
"Good news, Marcus," Chase said, clapping the android on the shoulder. "You're getting closer to becoming a normal teenage boy."
Chase slid into his seat in math class. Marcus had gone to English with Adam. Bree was in this class with Chase. He looked over to see her sitting with some of her friends, laughing and smiling as usual. Chase could see the pain hiding right beneath the surface, but luckily no one else did.
Subconsciously Chase tugged at his right sleeve. Even though it was almost eighty degrees out, he had chosen to wear a long-sleeve shirt. It was hot, but it hid the scar on his hand.
The teacher entered the room and began the lesson. Chase picked up his pencil, read to scribble notes like he always did. But suddenly a sharp pain shot through his hand. In spite of himself, Chase yelped and dropped the pencil.
"Is everything alright, Mr. Davenport?" the teacher asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes sir," Chase mumbled. The teacher squinted, but he moved on and continued the lesson.
Chase looked around and noticed Bree staring at him. Her eyes were filled with concern. Chase tried to send her a reassuring look, but all he got in return was a suspicion-filled stare that meant they were going to be having a brother-sister talk later on.
Chase turned back around to face the front of the classroom. Gently he used his left hand to pick up his pencil. There was no pain this time, but it felt awkward and clumsy. Chase put the pencil onto the paper and attempted to write.
Come on, I'm a bionic super genius! I can do this, he thought to himself. Writing with his left hand proved to be quite a challenge. Unfortunately, no matter how smart his bionics made him, Chase was just not ambidextrous.
"Whoa," Chase gasped.
"Would you look at this place?" Bree whispered.
"There are people!" Adam shouted. "And I can talk to them! Hi people!"
Some of the students shot Adam strange looks. No one could blame them. Chase was prepared for all the strange looks they would receive. For years the bionics' only way to know about the world was the television, and Chase was quickly learning how inaccurate that was.
"Would you guys calm down?" Leo asked.
"Sorry Leo," Bree apologized. "But . . . we're at school! I've dreamed about this day. I can't wait to make some friends! Then we can have sleepovers and text each other and talk about boys . . ." Bree trailed off when she saw the strange looks her brothers were giving her.
"Whatever," Chase scoffed. "I'm here to learn. Finally, a place where I fit in."
"This is high school," Leo said. "No one fits in here."
"I can't wait for gym class," Adam piped up. "Then I can show off my strength!"
"Adam!" Bree hissed. "We can't show our you-know-whats in school."
"Oh, you mean our bi–" Adam was silenced when Bree clapped a hand over his mouth.
"Alright, are you guys ready to experience normal life?" Leo asked.
"Yeah!" the three siblings cheered.
"Well hey, Dooley!" a voice from down the hall jeered.
"Oh no," Leo muttered.
A tall boy with a head full of brown hair ran up to them. He was wearing a Dingoes football jersey that smelled like it hadn't been washed in months. His sneer – for it could not be called a grin – was taunting and cruel.
"Well, who are your friends?" the boy asked.
"Trent, this Adam, Bree, and Chase," Leo said quietly. "Guys, this is Trent."
"Is he your friend?" Adam asked.
Trent let out a harsh laugh. "Nope!" he shouted. "Leo's more like a client. Every week I give him something. Something called embarrassment and pain." Leo grimaced.
"You sound like a fantastic person," Bree said sarcastically.
Trent looked up at Bree. Suddenly he started to grin. "Whoa, you're actually pretty hot," he said. "We should talk sometime."
Bree's arms flew to her sides and her mouth fell open. "No!" she insisted. "I'm not that shallow! Besides, you smell like you stuffed a dead squirrel into your pockets."
"Hey, that's a good idea!" Adam said. Everyone wisely chose to ignore him.
"Fine, but if you change your mind, the Trentster is always here." Trent walked away with a leering smile on his face.
"Trust me Bree, you do not want to be with him," Leo said. "He has a reputation around here, and I'm not just saying that because I'm his 'client.' He doesn't have a good record with the girls. He always moves on to who he thinks is the 'hottest' girl in school and doesn't care who he hurts along the way. Just avoid him."
"Thanks Leo," Bree said. "I don't think that will be a problem. I can smell him coming from a mile away." She wrinkled her nose.
All of a sudden a shrill, loud sound echoed through the halls. Chase felt it start to drill into his skull, pounding away at his eardrums. In spite of himself, Chase let out a sharp scream. He pressed his hands to his ears and tried to block out the dreadful noise.
After a few seconds it stopped. Chase opened his eyes, not even realizing that he had closed them. He noticed that Adam's hand was on his shoulder and Bree looked concerned. Chase just grinned weakly at them.
"That bell is even worse than you said, Leo," Chase told his friend.
"What do you want next time, a research paper on it?" Leo shot back. "Sorry. Hopefully you can get used to it."
"Hopefully," Chase muttered.
"Wait, does that bell mean an angel got its wings?" Adam said, looking around excitedly.
"No, it means that class started," Leo said. "Let's go."
The three siblings and their friend all headed off to different classes. Chase found out just what he had been missing all his life. The teachers talked and talked about subjects that fascinated him. It was incredible! Why did the characters on television always hate school so much? School was great!
Chase had a hard time talking with people. There was still that reservation that had been around since he had escaped Douglas. Socialization was definitely not one of his strong points. Chase honestly didn't care too much. Besides, he was scared that if he did get close to someone, he might hurt them in the end. It was a constant fear that he lived with; one that even affected his relationships with Adam, Bree, and Leo.
At lunch Adam, Bree, Chase, and Leo all sat together. Leo instructed them to sit 'cool table adjacent.' Chase told about his riveting experiences in chemistry class. Bree related how she met a boy named Ethan and a new friend named Caitlin. Adam went on and on about the amazingness of the cafeteria's hot dogs.
After lunch were more classes. By the time the bell rang at three, Chase felt like he had had a very productive day. Sure, not many people had talked to him, but he was okay with that. And sure, he hadn't actually learned anything new, but it was still great to hear it all over again!
The three siblings along with Leo met near the front of the school, ready to walk home to the apartment building where they lived. On the way home, they chatted excitedly about their first day at school.
"I can't believe we get to do this every day!" Chase said excitedly. "This is going to be great!"
How was it? First days of school! You all have been asking for that. I tried not to make their reactions the same as in Crush, Chop, and Burn. I wanted to do something original. But how was that girl flirting with Marcus? XD I thought that was pretty funny.
I have all the chapters for this story planned out now! You wanna hear the titles?
- Chapter 3: Justice
- Chapter 4: Endgame
- Chapter 5: Comfort
- Chapter 6: Family
- Epilogue
Remember that my chapter titles always have something to do with the story. Feel free to speculate about what the chapters will be about. I love hearing your guys' wild guesses!
Please don't forget to review! I appreciate every single one I get. Thank you for being patient with me, and hopefully this chapter was worth the wait. Please be patient with me again. I don't know when I'll be able to update again, but I hope it will be sometime this week. No promises, though. Thanks for reading! See you soon!