Thirty seven

Jessie was sat at the front right table. Josh was sat in the centre desk of the class room, Rick was back left and Frank back right. Detention was dull, Jessie was sat doodling on her notebook, Josh was catching up on his maths homework, Frank was writing a story and Rick was thinking about what song to learn on guitar next. The detention teacher still hadn't got there. Finally Mr Crowhurst walked in with their English teacher, arguing about something. "you can't just throw them all into detention," Mr Crowhurst shouted at her retreating back. He turned and faced the four members of his form. "I'm disappointed in you four, especially you Josh. In detention on your first day back. Must be some kind of record," Mr Crowhurst joked. "Look I know it wasn't completely your fault but she has a point Jessie. You can't back chat a teacher."

Jessie looked up from her drawings and tilted her head to one side. "You should have heard what she said about Josh," Jessie said. "I wasn't going to just listen to her criticise him," Jessie told him angrily. "We get enough people staring at us, or laughing at us. Or not trusting us. Because we are care kids, Josh has been in a YOI, I've been abused, because the other care kids have backgrounds that people don't want to know about. All anyone cares about is making jokes or laughing at us. I'm not going to take it from a teacher as well." Jessie said scowling.

Mr Crowhurst had heard about what had happened between them. "I know Jessie, but please in future hold your tongue. Not literally, obviously," he said. Jessie smiled. "Anyway I'm not going to make you do anything in this session but I'm adding my own punishment to this. You all have to audition for Grease tomorrow. I don't think I can stand another school play with Lori as the lead, bragging about it in form time all week," he said rolling his eyes. Rick, Josh and Jessie smiled while Frank groaned.

"We were trying out anyway sir, Frank wasn't," Jessie laughed. She turned back to her drawings and then felt a small crack on the back of her head. She looked behind her and saw Frank's rubber on her chair. She smirked and rolled her eyes.

They finally got out of detention and walked home. They opened the door to complete and utter chaos in the hallway. They stood back and watched it unfold as Blake held up above his head, while standing on the coffee table, what appeared to be Elektra's coursework. "Leave me alone or I rip it!" he shouted. Elektra was scowling but let go of her grip on Blake's photo . It slipped to the floor.

"I've let go and you can have it back. Now give me back my coursework. I worked hard on that," she said quietly. Blake didn't move.

"Blake," Jessie said quietly. His head snapped towards her. She held up her hands to show she didn't mean any harm. "Can you get off the table please?" she asked, holding out her hand to help him. There had been one previous event like this. He was a troubled child and had mood swings occasionally. Last time he almost threw Jessie's photo of Josh out the window of her attic bedroom. Blake scowled but placed one of his hands slowly into Jessie's. She helped him down. She let him think a second. He then realised what he had just been doing and his muscles relaxed quickly, letting Elektra's coursework to flutter to the floor. He curled up in a ball and started sobbing.

"I'm sorry Elektra. I wouldn't have done it. Probably," he said through his tears. Jessie walked back to Rick and Josh.

Rick glared at him. The mood swings were one of the reasons he didn't like Blake. Rick would be talking to him happily in their room and he would suddenly start shouting or screaming at him. It was getting tiring. Blake ran upstairs and Jessie watched him go. She might hate him but she did feel sorry for him. Rick muttered something under his breath. "Rick leave him. He's slightly unhinged but so are all of us," Jessie told him angrily. She followed him upstairs and found him crying in Rick's room.

She sat down on Rick's bed and waited. He glanced up and saw her. "What are you doing here? Come to take a pop at me?" he asked sarcastically. Jessie shook her head.

"No. I'm going to tell you something you need to know. I got depressed but I never got like this. You need to see someone Blake. And I think you should see Jack. He helped me so much," Jessie explained quietly. She didn't raise her voice or tell him had to. She was just trying gentle persuasion.

He looked up through his tears and smiled weakly. "I think you might be right Jessie. About me seeing someone," he said. At this he leaned forwards towards her and pressed his lips onto hers. Jessie pushed away and hit him.

"What do you think you are doing!" she shouted. "I have a boyfriend and it's not you!" she ran out the room and down the stairs into the living room. She slumped into the gap between Rick and Josh on the sofa. She stared stunned at the wall. "He kissed me," she whispered. Josh jumped up.

"What!" he said. Rick pulled him back down.

"Shut up and listen to her," Rick told Josh.

"I offered him support. Said he should see someone and he thought I meant in a girlfriend situation and kissed me," Jessie explained quietly.

"I will kill him!" Josh said angrily.

"No you won't" Jessie said pulling him back down.

A/N: What did you think of the twist with Blake? Indigo :)