Chapter 2 Friends
Tony's point of view
I was an unusual child. I learnt to read at two and a half years old, by the time I was 4 I could do extremely difficult sums that most students don't learn until the 8th or even 9th grade.
Before I turned 4 years old I could explain the inner workings of an engine. I built my first engine when I was 4 years old. I built my first robot not long after that.
I was extremely unhappy and every morning, getting me to go to school was a war of epic proportions.
Finally, one morning, my dad took me to his home office – something he never did unless I was in trouble.
He sat me down facing him and said
"All right Anthony, what is going on? Why are you misbehaving so much? Why do you hate school? I expected you to enjoy it, but you're obviously not."
I scowled at him
"First, I'm not misbehaving! I'm bored at that stupid school, I'm capable of a lot more than I'm learning. All the other kids hate me because I'm smarter than they are.
I would like to learn to my potential. I don't want to learn the dumb stuff I've been learning — I already know how to do all of that pointless rubbish.
I could read before I started pre-school! I want to go to a school where I will be challenged!"
Dad looked at me for a moment and at that moment I honestly thought I would get my first spanking ever… but I didn't. Dad started to laugh.
"You're exactly like me." he said "Had my parents been able to afford to do it, and had my father not murdered my mother when I was 8 years old, I would have been homeschooled. Maybe that's what we should do for you?"
"Perhaps…"
At dinnertime that night, Dad told Mom about our conversation. She wasn't against homeschooling but she was concerned.
"What about friends? Social skills?"
"I have a couple of friends, Bruce is 2 years older than me and Jay is 3 years older. They're both really smart like me…"
"Maybe we can see if they want to homeschool with you?"
"Dad… there's one thing I want to ask."
"Go on?"
"Can I have a sibling?"
Dad's face contorted, and he looked at me almost wistfully.
"A biological sibling isn't an option I'm afraid Tony."
"OK"
Mom and Dad approached Sgt and Mrs Rhodes and Dr and Dr Banner the next day, about homeschooling.
"Bruce and Jay and I study together every day at school, they've been teaching me from their Math, English and Science books. I've learned LOADS from them, but I want to actually spend time in the lab like they do."
I didn't see Bruce for three days after that meeting.
Jay and I were very concerned.
Bruce returned to school on the Thursday of that week, but he could hardly walk.
"Bruce are you OK?"
"I'm fine, Tony."
I sighed, planning to voice my concerns to my parents that night, but Jay confronted Bruce on the spot.
"Dude you can barely walk. What's wrong?" Jay protested
"I fell… badly."
Jay's brown eyes grew cold and hard.
"All right, come on man, pull the other one, you've got bruising round your neck that looks suspiciously like handprints. You have a mark on your eye that looks a lot like a fist and your trouser leg is rolled up which means I can see your leg… there's a bruise there that looks a lot like a boot print. Bruce, Tony and I are your friends, OK? You can tell us anything".
"Jay's right and you know what? If you're not going to tell us, we're going to the principal at break, and you can discuss it with her" I said firmly.
"Exactly Tony."
Bruce sighed. Leading the way to our favourite spot he said,
"This goes no further than us for right now OK?"
"OK"
"My father kicked off big time l when your parents came over to discuss the idea of homeschooling."
"Why?"
"I'm not sure. He's got a really vicious side… but before that night. I would never have thought he would almost kill his only child. I don't think he liked being shown something that was better than his way of teaching me, so he decided to teach me a lesson. I was in the hospital for three days. My mom is still there."
"You're coming to stay with us tonight." I said firmly.
"I'll call Mr Jarvis from the principal's office at break and ask him to ask dad if that's OK"
"I appreciate the offer Tony but…"
"But nothing! You're staying with us and that's final.
If my father found out that you were in danger, and then he found out I hadn't tried to help… I'd be grounded for the rest of my natural life!"
"Tony…"
"I can't tell you everything about it because I don't know everything about it but… I can tell you this. My dad told me that his dad abused his mom… and eventually murdered her when he was an innocent helpless 8-year-old child. He doesn't like talking about it for obvious reasons."
I had no idea that Justin Hammer and his crew of obnoxious brainless oddities were eavesdropping on the conversation. Poor Bruce got hauled to the principal's office towards the end of Recess. Jay and I insisted on going with him.
"He's our friend." I said simply.
"Right and he needs our help" said Jay
The principal relented, a little.
"You can come in."
"We've got some ideas that might help"
"OK… I'm willing to listen… go ahead."
"First, I would advise you not to call Bruce's mom — she's still in the hospital and if you call her, she might try to come home before she's well enough. If that happens it might upset Bruce's father, and he might harm her again. Second I would advise that you do not call Bruce's father because you might upset him."
"Tony's right. I hate to admit it but he is."
"Thanks Bruce"
"All right then, who should I call?" the principal asked
"My parents." I replied simply "My father walked through something very similar, when he was a child, though he had an older brother to protect him from his father's wrath."
"OK, I'll call your father now… I want to know how this information got around school?"
"Justin Hammer… he overheard us talking and spread the story around school" said Bruce. "Janice Lincoln told me that Justin told her. She also said that she has walked through something similar and that I needed to get a responsible adult involved."
"I see"
We returned to class. At lunchtime, my father came to school while my mother went to the hospital to talk to Bruce's mom.
Justin Hammer got 3 months of detention and a warning from the principal. I had been very tempted to give him the pummelling he sorely deserved, but my father's words rang in my head 'never turn a fight physical unless you're physically attacked by your nemesis first.'
"I'm not going to fight him, even though I know I could take him… Mr Jarvis has been teaching me Judo since I was 2 and a half years old. I've got a better idea."
"Go on?"
"A shut out… we get everyone in the school to turn their back on him and refuse to speak to him… for the rest of the day."
"Anthony, Mom and I are very, very proud of you"
"Really?"
"Of course. You're trying to do the right thing to help your friend"
"I had to share a little of your story with the principal dad…"
"That's OK because you did it for the right reasons."
"Justin Hammer spread the rumour around the school about Bruce… so we shut him out…"
"Smart… you solved the problem without resorting to violence."
"If he turns it violent… I'll be ready… all three of us will be."
"Good. Bruce your mom has given permission for you to stay with us all weekend."
"That's good, thank you, Mr Stark."
"Dad, I know it's bold of me to ask this but do you think you could ask Jay's parents for permission for him to stay too? I want them to learn Judo from Mr Jarvis the way I've been doing since I was little."
"Let me see what I can do. I need to get back to the office."
"OK"
That afternoon, the school secretary came to speak with Jay… at dismissal time he caught up with me and Bruce.
"I got permission from my parents to stay with you for the weekend Tony"
"Awesome… we're going to have a ton of fun"
Mr Jarvis collected us at the school gates.
When we got home, we changed out of our school clothes and Mrs Jarvis helped us make cards for Bruce's mom.
Mr Jarvis helped us to pick some flowers for her too.
Mom and Dad took us up to the hospital to visit Bruce's mom.
A month later, something really tragic happened, and I ended up getting the siblings I longed for…