The Heart of a Broken Soul

Of School and Orphans

A/N:Thanks to medousaki and CupKatyCakes for their reviews! This chapter is for you guys :)

School was always a nightmare, and not just for Gabby. The halls were packed with students who had to elbow their way through the crowd just to reach their lockers. It was so loud it was impossible to hear the person next to you unless they shouted, and even then they would have to repeat themselves at least twice. If there happened to be a commotion in the halls, it made getting to class even worse, because everyone in the vicinity of the commotion stopped to watch, and God forbid you try to walk past.

Couple that with the constant wisecracks from Jeremy, the feigned ignorance of the rest of the school, and Lucy's pitiful smiles, Gabby more often than not found herself wondering why on earth she bothered. What did she expect to get out of high school, apart from a higher education than most of the boys at Teller-Morrow?

"Gabby, come on," Lucy hissed. She glanced around the crowd. "I can't see him, let's go."

They elbowed their way through the mass of students, struggling to reach their classroom. By sheer luck they made it without incident, and the two of them took their seats at the back of the class by the windows. The only reason Gabby sat in the back corner was so she could see everyone, including Jeremy, who strode in like a conquering prince. When he saw Gabby, a wicked grin spread across his face.

He sat down silently, but as soon as one of his friends walked in, he started. "Pretty good week, don't you think?"

"Oh yeah," his mate, Tommy, replied, "booze, weed and pussy." He winked at Stacey, who giggled. She'd joined them on the road-trip, and had evidently had a good time.

"How they got the teachers to believe they'd all come down with the flu, I'll never know," Lucy breathed, loud enough so Gabby could hear.

Gabby shrugged. "Half of them just didn't show up," she replied. "No excuses."

"You say something, Orphan?"

The room fell silent. Gabby wasn't the only person Jeremy enjoyed making miserable, but even those who he didn't ridicule sat quietly in their seats and pretended they were somewhere else, lesy they become his next victim.

"She didn't say anything," Lucy snapped.

"Shut up, bitch. Was I talking to you?" Jeremy turned back to Gabby. "We stopped in at Darcey's before we left. Saw you and your, uh, boyfriend. I guess you like 'em old, then. Old and disfigured."

Tommy laughed. "Yeah, can't get anyone else, and they still don't want you."

Gabby couldn't help the angry flush that reddened her cheeks, which caused the two to laugh even harder. Lucy gave her a questioning look, but Gabby just shook her head; she hadn't told her friend anything about Filip.

"You know, my gramps is livin' in the old folks' home down the round. He's pretty much blind, and he's got shit taste; maybe I can set something up. Might finally have some luck," Jeremy managed through his laughter. A few people joined in.

"I've gotta ask though; what's up with those cuts on his face? I mean, he try and do himself in after you cracked onto him, or what?" Tommy asked. He tried to keep the curiosity out of his face.

Gabby didn't say anything; she'd never asked Filip how he'd gotten them, didn't want to be rude. Lucy, sensing her predicament, stepped in. "The cuts are for each man he's killed," she said.

Jeremy sneered. "Tch. That's bullshit; why would he cut his own face?"

Lucy stared him down. "Because he ran out of room on his body."

There were few times Gabby could remember when someone had rendered Jeremy speechless. The first time was before Jax had finished school, and he'd socked Jeremy in the mouth. The second time was the only occasion on which Gabby had tried to stand up for herself; she'd almost gone home in a body-bag. This occasion bought the total up to three.

Satisfied with herself, Lucy turned back to the front of the class, just as their teacher walked in. Mr Harding was a strict man, and no one liked him, but he knew how to control a classroom, and when he called for silence, he got it. Jeremy knew better than to start anything in Mr Harding's class.

"I hope you've all completed your group assignments. The ones that were due a fortnight ago," Mr Harding began, "otherwise you don't leave this classroom until you have."

Lucy turned around to grin at Gabby; they'd finished theirs – an essay comparing the roles of modern women and women from the nineteenth century – weeks ago. It seemed that not everyone else was in the same boat.

"I've given you all plenty of time," Mr Harding continued, "and I've only received 4 completed works. For those of you who haven't finished, I suggest you get a wriggle on. For those who have, we're going to begin reading Macbeth..." There was a collection of groans. "...and yes, we will be doing an analysis, so pay attention. Now, as you all know, Macbeth was written by..."

Gabby allowed herself to zone out, thinking of how Macbeth was Scottish, and maybe she'd ask Filip his opinion of the play, because he was Scottish, too...

Lucy cleared her throat for what felt to Gabby like the thousandth time. Gabby was obviously missing something, because Lucy sighed and said, "so, who is he?"

"Who?" Gabby asked. She scowled as the blade of grass she was trying to knot frayed and broke.

"What do you mean 'who'? Who's 'the guy'?" Lucy pressed. "The one they were talking about," she added.

"No one, really," Gabby said. "He's staying with us for a while, because he doesn't have anywhere else to go. He came from Ireland, which is where he got the scars, and something else must have happened, because he's a pretty sad guy."

Lucy considered this for a while. "So, he's Irish?"

"No; he's Scottish."

"What, like kilts and bagpipes? He doesn't parade around in a skirt does he?" They both laughed at this, as Gabby tried to imagine Filip wearing a skirt.

"That's a horrible thought," Gabby admitted.

"Do you like him?" Lucy asked.

Gabby shook her head. "No," she lied. It was pointless lying to Lucy, because they'd known each other too long for that, and she'd just call her bluff.

"You liar!" Lucy shrieked.

"Yeah, I guess," Gabby said. "It doesn't matter anyway; he's twenty-seven. And, really; me? Of all people?" She motioned to herself, as though that was enough to qualm all misconceptions about her and Filip.

Lucy just gave her a knowing smile. "What's wrong with you? You're cute. Which brings us back to your Scottish heartthrob. I want to know everything, down to the last freckle."

"Uh, brown hair, brown eyes. Short beard thing. You know, the ones that go around here..." Gabby drew a circle around her mouth with her fingers. "...and then there's the scars that go up here..." she made more motions as she blushed, remembering his baby cheeks.

Lucy noticed. "You're blushing," she teased. "You. Are. Blushing."

"No I'm not."

"You are! You like him!"

"So?"

"Yeah, you're right. But I want to meet him." Lucy glanced around them. Lunch was just about over, with most students already heading to class. "Let's go, before Jeremy finds us," she finally said, getting to her feet.

Gabby stood, too. "He'll find me eventually."

"He's a dick; his mother should have gotten an abortion."

Gabby snorted. "Or drowned him at birth," she offered.

"Nah, wouldn't work. They reckon the first time a mother holds their baby, they just, like, fall in love. Even if that baby looks like pig's ass." Lucy sighed dreamily. "I want a baby," she decided.

"What, now?"

"Now's a good a time as any," Lucy told her, shrugging.

Gabby blinked. "Luce; you're sixteen," she said.

"So? I'm ready for kids."

"No, you're not," Gabby assured her. She slung her bag over her back as they braved the hallways. "I mean, you can't just go up to some guy and say 'hey, I want a baby'."

Lucy considered this for a moment. "Sure I can."

Gabby laughed. "I wish you luck with that," she said.

"Oh, why thank you."

Gabby headed over to Teller-Morrow when she'd finished school. She hadn't been there in a while, and she missed talking to Tig and Piney. Jax and Opie would probably be there, too. It had been ages since she'd talked to either of them.

The shop was pretty much dead when she got there; there was only one car in the garage, and it looked to have already been fixed. Considering Tig was leaning against it with a smoke in hand, she figured so. There was no one else around. "Well, look what the cat dragged in," he said when he spotted her. "What, you forget where this place is? Haven't been 'round in ages."

Gabby rolled her eyes. "It's nice to see you, too."

Tig just grinned. "Bobby told us you been lookin' after Chibs. Done a good job of it."

"Chibs?"

"Yeah, the Scotsman." Tig jerked his head, and Gabby turned to see Chibs, smoke in hand, talking to Clay.

"You mean Filip?"

Tig took a final drag of his smoke before butting it out on the wheel of the car. "Yeah. Filip, Chibs, same thing. It's like, Scottish for somethin', you know? I don't care. Clay said he was Chibs, so that's what he is."

"Oh... fair enough, I guess." Gabby watched Filip as he talked to Clay. She noticed, perhaps slightly subconsciously, that he didn't smile, not even when Clay burst into laughter, clapping the Scotsman on the back as though he'd just said a hilarious joke. Gabby felt sad for him, even though she didn't know what had happened.

"Gabby!"

Tig's voice bought Gabby crashing back to reality. "Hmm? Sorry, I didn't hear you."

"I asked how school was goin'. Bobby said you still ain't very happy."

"Oh... It's fine," Gabby assured him.

"Uh huh..." Tig didn't really believe her, but he didn't press the matter. "And when you finish?" he asked. "Gunna go to college?"

Gabby scoffed. "No. Even if I could get in, I don't really want to go."

Tig leaned over the car engine, fiddling with this and that. "Why are you still doin' high school, then?"

"For the satisfaction of knowing I got a higher education than you."

"You little shit," Tig said, laughing.

"Where is everyone?" Gabby asked. She picked up a car part, fiddling around with it.

Tig shrugged. "Don't know, don't care. Well, I know Piney ain't here; he left a while ago. And I think Ope's tryin' to woo himself some pussy."

Gabby frowned. "That's... really great."

"Oh, yeah. It's wonderful. Guy's pretty much whipped. He's gunna be married with kids by the end of the week. I know how it works, I have firsthand experience with this shit."

"Tig! We're at the table!"

"That's me," Tig said. He gave Gabby a hug. "I'll talk to ya later, darlin'." He followed after Clay. Gabby noticed that Filip had gone in, too.

With a sigh, Gabby started off home. Every guy she'd known ended up in the SOA. She didn't have much of a problem with the club, so much as she did the fact that they did dangerous things. Her father had died for the club, along with her mother. She didn't fancy the thought of everyone else dying for it, too.