Chapter Fourteen
"So…Rocky come back to school today, huh?"
Tum-Tum looked up, his heart ramming against his chest when he spotted Amy standing in front of him, clutching her notebooks to her chest. Funny how one year changed things from being good friends to him wanting to see her all the time. Going from being kind of chunky to being taller and leaner due to taking up wrestling was one thing. That got a lot of attention. He was used to it, his ninja skills got him a lot of attention. But going from Middle School to High School with that…where he'd started to see her differently wasn't something he was used to.
How doyou actually go from being 'just friends' with a girl to wanting to be her boyfriend? If there was such a thing as karma from all the times, he'd teased Rocky about Emily, he was getting hit with it full force. Knocking out a grown man was a lot easier than even smiling at a girl and he'd take on hundreds of ninjas and mercenaries before the thought would even cross his mind.
Thank God it was the end of the school day. Thank God he was about to get to wrestling practice. A little early start before the official start in school in October. It was only early September. Tum-Tum shook his head. Hard to believe everything that had happened with the Jacksons and MedoCal had happened in such a short amount of time. From June to September, but a lot had happened. And if Rocky was going to start his first few months of senior year already running against Colt for the record of quickest suspension, he didn't think he wanted to know what the rest of the school year would bring.
Especially if it meant it was that much less time before Rocky left for college.
Not that he'd ever admit that to his brother. But having him there in that moment wouldn't have been too bad. Rocky would have quietly encouraged him. Colt on the other hand…would've made things a little worse.
"Yeah," Tum-Tume replied when he finally found his voice. Cleared it a few times first to make sure it didn't crack. "He finally got off his suspension."
Amy nodded. "Kind of weird to hear he got it."
"Even weirder that didn't find out." That was a safer topic. Anything that would keep the conversation away from anything potentially embarrassing. "Everyone here knows Rocky, and you know something's gone wrong if he's the one that got in trouble."
"Yeah, but those guys deserved it." Amy shook her head, looking across the crowded hallway that slowly dissipated of students as the school day ended. "Darren and Darryl are jerks. And now Trey's turning our like Darryl, too."
Tum-Tum merely grunted.
That was the thing he never really wanted to talk about. Changes from middle school to high school was one thing with puberty. People changed, bodies, changed, personalities changed. It was one thing that Darren and Darryl always seemed to dislike Rocky and Colt for almost no reason—though if they actually listened to Tum-Tum, he was sure it was because of their baseball rivalry (the Dragons and Mustangs had been rivals ever since they were in little league) and because of their fathers being in the police force. It had to be hard to be consistently work together but have one of the two consistently rise up in the ranks while the other rises…but not as quickly.
Trey, on the other hand, had been Tum-Tum's best friend for a long time. He ignored Darryl's antics towards Rocky and Colt as simply older brother antics. At multiple points he'd slept over, had dinner with the Douglases, was the one that Tum-Tum spent most of his time with. Then time moved on and Trey's sweet disposition was turning more into that of the influence from his brother.
It was a sobering reality; of how you can turn out even with the best of influences of the parents. Older siblings did more in the terms of influence than parents could ever imagine. Now we just have to figure out what happened with Colt, Tum-Tum thought, smiling a little at his own joke.
"Well, let's just hope they don't cause any more problems," Tum-Tum replied instead. He closed his locker and turned toward her. Started to speak but found himself cut off with someone asking, "Who's causing problems?" Tum-Tum turned his head and found Patrick and Noah had come up behind him. For a moment the twin boys exchanged what looked like a worried glance. Of which cleared when Tum-Tum said, "Ah, nothing, just talking about Trey. He and his brother—"
"—Were the blokes that messed with Rocky," Patrick interrupted. His face cleared into an expression of relief as he exchanged a look with Noah again, who nodded with a light shrug. "Why do people let them get away with it?"
"Because of their dad." Amy replied.
Tum-Tum nodded in agreement. "Jerry's been part of the family for years. But with him being in law enforcement, he gets Trey and Darryl out of as much trouble as he can." He shrugged. "Seeing them is probably why dad gets on us so much." He suddenly felt more relaxed now that he had someone else around. But, at the same time…wished they hadn't shown up then. Maybe he could've walked her to the bus pick up. Get some time to talk and, maybe, ask her to hang out.
Not like they hadn't hung out before…but it would've been different.
At that, Noah shrugged. "They just want to do what's best for their kids."
"Yeah, I guess."
Amy piped up, taking a step back from Tum-Tum. "So, I guess I'll see you later, Tum?" Tum-Tum opened and closed his mouth, unsure of whether or not his response should be. He wasn't even sure if she was saying it as a question or as a comment. Was he supposed to set a time for it? Or just comment on her social media posts later?
Patrick made a face, sucking in a breath in his teeth. "Sorry, Tummo, did we ruin that for you?" He reached out and placed his hand on Tum-Tum's shoulder, gently shaking it. "We can go if you fancy walking her home."
"No, no, it's fine." Tum-Tum shook his head. "We're…just friends anyway." He looked at her over his shoulder, watching as she quickly walked away, head hung over her books. Amy only looked up and smiled when her friends suddenly surrounded her like a flock of seagulls, where she immediately brightened and became engrossed in whatever story she was telling.
Just like they used to.
"You sure about that?" Noah asked, eyes shifted from him to her and back again. "Reckon she likes you."
"Trust us, we've seen what it's like when a girl likes someone," Patrick added. The side of his mouth turned up, eyes flashing with amusement. "With how long it took for our big brother to get with his girlfriend." He rolled his eyes. "And you should've seen all the losers Riley and Rhuben dated, too."
Tum-Tum opened his mouth to respond to the comforting thought. Then stopped when something else slammed into his head. They'd just been talking about how fathers had made it so that they protected their kids. Would do anything for that outcome. To keep them safe from all the trouble they'd gotten into.
And…
Sam had constantly been against the Jacksons since they'd arrived in Los Angeles. The embarrassment still washed over Tum-Tum when he thought about it long enough. How he, Colt, and Rocky had been asking Reed some questions and their father barged in as if he was some sort of secret police that had tracked them from the house. Still, he knew hid dad didn't work so hard to protect them if he didn't have some reason to.
After everything that happened with Snyder, Harding, and Medusa, all on American soil, it didn't surprise him. Things had been kicked up even further when he'd hard about what happened with Koga on their stowaway trip to Japan. The happiness of that championship baseball game win only lasted so long when he hard about their adventures. Especially after getting the credit card bill for having bought the plane tickets.
From winning the baseball game to grounded in less than a day.
It was worth it.
Just like going into MedoCal was. But that didn't mean there weren't any questions he had of his own. "Why doesn't my dad like you?" He blurted out. Patrick and Noah exchanged a glances once more—Tum-Tum was getting tired of that, blinking in surprise. Tum-Tum held out his hand, letting out a low growl. "I know, it's rude to blurt things out like that. Blah, blah, blah, my mom and Colt have given me the riot act for that for years. But I need to know. Why does he hate you so much and are the rumors true?"
Noah's eyes shifted. "Rumors?"
"Come on. I'm not stupid." Tum-Tum waved his hand impatiently. "We've all heard the rumors since you got here. And then you were able to take down so many people at MedoCal without even really having to try. It's like you know ninja without knowing ninja. I mean, you were at the ninja tournament and everything!"
"Is that a crime?" Patrick laughed.
"Wait…" Tum-Tum's eyes shifted. "You…you don't know ninja do you?" That would explain a lot of things. As progressive as he'd become over the years, ninja still wasn't something that Sam was too keen on. If there was anything else he and his brothers could be doing, he'd want them to do it. "That would make a lot of sense if you did! Plus, you'd have to teach me some of those cool things that you do."
Patrick took in a deep breath through his nose. "Your dad didn't tell you?" He tipped his head to the side. "Isn't there some sort of a statue of limitations for that sort of thing?"
Tum-Tum's eyes shifted while Noah rolled his eyes. "Not unless you committed a crime…"
"My brother's sense of humor is a crime," Noah mumbled. "He likes to think he's funny when he's not. And is probably one of the dumbest people I've ever met." Patrick punched him on the arm. "He just means…if your dad's so against us, don't you think he'd tell you why?"
"My dad doesn't even tell me if it's going to rain." Tum-Tum took in a deep breath through his nose. "He doesn't really take me seriously. Only my grandpa really does."
"Sorry, mate."
"It's alright, I've gotten used to it." Tum-Tum reached into the side of his bag and took a bite from his protein bar. Anything that would keep his mind focused and not bounce around so much. He quickly noticed their deflection tactic but wasn't going to let them get away with it. "But seriously. How'd you learn how to fight like that? And why does my dad hate you so much?"
For a moment, Patrick was silent. It was probably the quietest Tum-Tum had ever heard him since meeting him. To the point that he had to squint and study Patrick's face closely to figure out whether it was Noah as, of the twins, Noah certainly was the quieter of the two. Of the Jacksons in general, really. He usually sat back and listened, watched, only spoke when he needed to. Finally, Patrick sighed and murmured, "Riley's gonna kill me," under his breath. He ran his hands over his face. "Um, we learned how to fight from some friends. Well, not friends, really, but we learned how to fight from some people. Not like the ninja stuff you lot can do, but enough to defend ourselves."
"Like a fight club or something?"
Patrick snorted. "I wish." Noah gave the briefest of smiles. "Just, you know, some bad people."
The gears slowly started to turn through Tum-Tum's head. "Bad people…like…got into fights a lot? Bullies or something."
"Or something."
Finally, Tum-Tum let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, you're not talking to Sydney or something. Don't act like my brothers. I'm not too stupid to figure it out. I told you, rumors are going around, my dad seems to hate you on sight, and you going almost Mortal Kombat on those dweebs at MedoCal." He reached down and grabbed the strap to his bag, squeezing it tightly in his hands. "It's not like I can't figure it out…you got into some real trouble at home didn't you? That's why you moved?"
At the same time, the boys nodded.
"Like, trouble with the police."
They nodded again.
"Did you kill someone?"
Noah laughed, a startlingly loud laugh compared to his softer voice. "Mate, I don't think your dad would let us in the bloody state of California if we killed someone."
Tum-Tum bobbed his head back and forth. "Yeah, you're right. He's so overprotective, I'm pretty sure he ran a background check one everyone in the school after everything with Snyder happened." His eyes shifted. "Actually…that would make a lot of sense now that I think about it." Why some of the "room mothers" stopped coming around the house, why his mom seemed to be doing everything for everyone else in the school and getting no thanks. The fake smiles whenever all the parents were around…Patrick shook his head. "Okay, so you got into a lot of trouble, and you got out of there. So what?"
"Huh?"
"I don't think that's a big deal. If anything, your parents should be afraid of us. Almost every year there's something that gets our attention and we have to take down whomever comes our way. By now we should move. And, you helped us out a lot."
"Tell that to your dad," Patrick shrugged. "If you don't want to be friends anymore—"
"—Who said I didn't want to be friends?" Tum-Tum interrupted. He held up three fingers. "Frist, I haven't had any close friends in a long time. My brothers don't want me around, so I have to hang out with someone. And you have some cool snacks that you brought from Australia, where else am I going to get them?"
Patrick's shoulders slumped in relief. "Good to know our food is the reason why you want to keep us around."
"Well, you also like video games, so that helps." Tum-Tum scratched just behind his ear. "No one else knows about this? Even with the rumors?" Another thought came to mind. "Wait, I know something before Rocky and Colt do?"
"…you're not going to tell anyone, are you?"
Tum-Tum's mouth dropped open for a second. He hated being the one on the outside of secrets. It was why he was the last to know about his grandfather's sickness. Last to know about how they were going to go to Japan to get the dagger since Rocky and Colt tried to convince him not to go. (Like he was going to turn down the chance to see Sumo Wrestlers in real life.) He was the last to know about Snyder's connection to their grandfather. Got blamed the most about what happened with Medusa at the amusement park. (Like he knew there was going to be a diabolical ransom plot when he was finally growing out of his Dave Dragon, phase.)
"Who am I going to tell?" He asked in response. It wasn't like he shared everything with his brothers, and it wasn't like he was going to tell Amy. He could barely even talk to her on a basis to get the homework if he waned to. "Seriously, who am I going to tell?"
"Well, we have to do something for you in exchange," Noah said in almost a whisper. Patrick nodded in agreement. "Like…we could teach you how to surf or something. Maybe gymnastics; help your ninja some?"
"That'd be cool!" Tum-Tum agreed. "Colt's never let me go surfing with him. Maybe I can teach ninja to you guys, too."
"Ace." Patrick looked at his watch. "Uh, we have to go." He reached out a hand, placed it on Tum-Tum's shoulder and squeezed it. Tum-Tum noticed a scar stretching from his wrist bone to up his arm. Briefly wondered if he'd gotten it from some of the fights they'd gotten into. Or, if he'd gotten it from the fight at MedoCal. For a moment, Tum-Tum felt a wave of guilt knowing what'd happened to Jason and Mr. Jackson. "But, thanks. For at least asking about the rumors. They're rumors for a reason, not all of em' are true. We've never been arrested and we aren't drug dealers."
"No, I know you're not…" Tum-Tum trailed off as they walked to meet their siblings at the car.
Tum-Tum hitched his bag up his shoulder and looked off towards the sprots complex. Spotted Trey coming his way from that direction, glancing over his shoulders every few feet. Shady. For a moment, Tum-Tum thought about speaking to his former friend, but in the end, decided not to. Instead, he walked towards him to get to wrestling practice, only looking his way when Trey didn't move over from the sidewalk and knocked into Tum-Tum's shoulder.
If they had been younger, when Tum-Tum's weight fluctuated toward the higher end, throwing off his balance, Trey would've knocked him down quickly and easily. How the dreaded 'Tumbelina' nickname came from his brothers. However, the moment their shoulders collided, Tum-Tum stood firm, strong in his ninja strength and his wrestling keeping him solid and firm. Trey side-eyed Tum-Tum, nearly stumbling from the ricochet of hitting such a solid force.
Taking in a deep breath through his nose, Trey turned to address him. The first time in almost a year. "Watch it, Mikey,"—the only person other than Jason who refused to use their ninja names, he'd known the Douglas brothers for so long. "You don't want any trouble."
"Heard your brother and his friends already got into some trouble," Tum-Tum replied. Trey's nostrils flared. He stepped towards Tum-Tum, then stopped, stepped back. Tum-Tum watched Trey walk to the bus stop, continually looking over his shoulder as he had before. But not looking out for Tum-Tum, looking out for someone else.
Tum-Tum twisted his mouth to the side and switched his focus back to wrestling practice.
A/N: A bit of a shorter chapter to come back to, but one focus on Tum-Tum so that was fun for me. I hope you all enjoyed it, I hope to update again soon!
-Riles
