Chapter 6

Shawn made his way into his homeroom that next morning. He was still surprised that Eddie had driven him to school again. It all felt surreal to him. He couldn't even remember the last time someone in his family had made him breakfast or had taken him to school. Eddie seemed determined to be there for him and Shawn was going to enjoy it while it lasted, because he knew it would eventually come to an end. Most likely within the next two weeks when he got to be in his own place. Shawn knew that he could have stayed with Turner, but he also knew it would be more of the same. It might have been nice to have an adult there, someone that would handle the bills, but Shawn also didn't want to have to worry about what he did or said. He didn't want to have to worry about getting kicked out. It was just easier if it was all on him, because he didn't have to answer to anyone. He didn't have to worry about upsetting someone. He could just be himself and that was all Shawn wanted.

Shawn walked into the classroom and saw that Jon was already there at his desk. At the sound of footsteps, Jon looked up and gave Shawn a warm smile.

"Hey, you're a bit early today. Is everything alright?"

"Ya, Eddie was up all night so he brought me here a bit early so he could crash." Shawn answered, as he took his normal seat.

"He drives you to school?" Jon asked, a bit surprised.

"I know, and he picks me up. He even dragged me to the library last night on the way home so I could get the books I need for my homework. He said I'm graduating whether I like it or not." Shawn said with a small shrug.

"That's good though Shawn." Jon said, sounding a bit relieved. Jon hadn't been certain Eddie would be a good influence in Shawn's life, but he was hoping that maybe showing Eddie what talent, what gift, Shawn had it might be enough for him to see that his brother could have a better life. Jon was pleased to hear that it might have worked. "It's good that you are here early; there is something I wanted to talk to you about." Jon said, as he grabbed the booklet and went over and sat down on the desk in front of Shawn and handed him the booklet to the new school. Jon was ready to go to war for this, because he truly felt it was the best place for Shawn to be. It gave him the best chance of making it in this world.

"What's this?" Shawn asked, as he took the booklet.

"It's called The Crefeld School. It is a private school dedicated to the Arts. It's an amazing school. They have visual arts, music, photography, videography, graphic design, drama, dance, glass blowing, and pottery. They have music classes for guitar, drums, piano and keyboard, bass, string and wind instruments. Basically if it's a musical instrument, they have it. They also teach English and creative writing. They focus on art history for history and geography is based on the arts and how they vary from different cultures. What makes them stand out though, they also offer business courses from starting a business, to marketing and accounting, website creation, everything you need to properly make money off your art." Jon began to explain. He had no idea how well this was going to go over, but he was hoping he could get Shawn to agree to doing this.

"Why are you showing me this?" Shawn asked, not getting what the point in any of this was.

It was a private school to begin with. There was no way he was going to be able to go to a private school. Private school meant money, expensive money, something Shawn didn't have. He was going to have to save up most of what he made from the warehouse raid. He had to make sure he had first and last month's months rent. Plus money to save away just in case Eddie was arrested and he needed to survive for three months without much work. Then he had to put a good chunk of money down on the utilities once he opened the account so he didn't have to worry about them getting shut off if Eddie went to jail. Then there would be the issue of furniture and food. He didn't know if he would even have a bed or not in this new apartment. He was going to need to use almost all of the ten grand he was getting from the warehouse just to get himself set up. He had no idea what he was going to make from his share of the drug money or when the next heist would be and what that would net him. This time he was able to get a good amount because of how expensive the electronics were. There was no guarantee what the next one would be like. He had to be smart with his money. He couldn't throw everything away for some school.

"You told me that you would consider changing schools if it meant you got what you needed to be able to have a future. One that didn't necessarily involve college, but could help you start a business and grow your skills, your passion of art. I didn't know if that was possible so I did some research and I found this school. The started a new semester a week ago, but I spoke with the Headmaster and told him about you. I showed him your sketches and photos. He was very impressed. He right there on the spot offered you a place within the school." Jon said with a warm smile.

"Great, so he offered me a place. I still can't afford to go there. The tuition is thirty thousand for a year. It would take me thirty years to save up that much. I appreciate the effort Mr. Turner, but this school is nothing more than a dream, one I don't even know if I want."

"Shawn, the headmaster was so blown away by your work, he is giving you a full scholarship. You don't have to pay for tuition or any of your books or supplies. It's fully covered for the rest of the year. Plus, if you do well and you show up and are respectful to your teachers and peers, he'll give you that scholarship every year. He said you can start Monday."

Shawn didn't know how to feel about any of this. He knew he had said he would go to a school that was more business focused, but he didn't think one actually existed. At least not in town. And even if they did he never expected to be able to get in. He had no idea what he was supposed to do now and with it being Friday, he didn't have much time to figure it out.

"My grades though." He started, but Jon cut him off.

"The headmaster knows that you don't have the best grades. He said he wasn't surprised. Most of their students came in with low grades because a traditional school, it's not designed to be able to handle the mind of someone that is a creative thinker. A lot of creative people struggle with standardized testing. It's why they don't have tests. You get nothing but projects to work on. There's no written exams at all. And they are structured differently. There aren't any grade levels, just skill levels. Everyone that comes in starts at the first level and then you move up until level four. So you would be in Photography 101 and kids will vary from thirteen up to eighteen. You can go to school until you are nineteen. In order to graduate and receive a high school diploma you would need to attend four years. You graduate and then you can start a business or go to College if you wanted. You can also take extra courses in the summer to graduate early."

Jon couldn't believe how amazing the school was. As a teacher, he thought it was wonderful that this school existed. He had seen the struggle that some of the students had when it came to essays and tests. He knew that not everyone was able to handle the more standardized evaluation. It was harder on creative minds and it caused a lot of frustrations and feeling insecure about their own intelligence. It caused them to act out, to skip classes and to not try. All of the things that Shawn was doing. On top of everything he had going on at home. This school was his chance to be around people that think like him. That sees the world like him. It would be hard to adapt at first, to get used to the type of people Shawn would be around, but Jon was confident that he could do it. That he could really excel within this new school. He had a real chance at graduating if he attended the new school. It would be hard for him to not be around Cory all the time, but this would be a real chance at a future.

"So what, I can show up Monday and no one throws me out for trespassing?" Shawn was completely skeptical about this and he didn't believe there was any way that he would be going to this new school. It was a private school, so there was most likely a uniform he would need to wear and everyone would be stuck-up rich kids. He had no interest in being the token poor kid that the school showed off to get more people to go there.

"You would fill out that paperwork and sign it. Eddie would also need to sign it as your guardian. Then come Monday morning, you go to the office and hand it in and you will get your supplies and schedule. I told the Headmaster what you are interested in and he put you in Photography 101, Painting 101, Sketching 101 and Introduction to Entrepenurialship 101. Each semester is four courses like you have now. Typically there would be a mixture of art courses and business courses, but he wanted you to be able to experience more art courses to see which forms you prefer to do. The school itself is small, especially compared to here. There are only two hundred students and instead of a twenty-eight to one ratio for students and teachers, it's a five to one ratio there. They have ten kids in a class and one main teacher and a teacher's aid for every class. They also offer free tutoring in all of the classes."

It sounded too good to be true to Shawn and he was skeptical of anything that sounded like a dream. He saw all of the paperwork and the brochure, it all looked great, but he just couldn't see himself doing this.

"I appreciate you doing this, but I gotta think about it."

"What's keeping you from saying yes?" Jon asked calmly. He knew that Shawn was going to need to talk this out and he also knew it was going to take some convincing.

"It's a private school for starts. I'm the trailer park kid. I'm just gonna sit down with all of the one-percenters? I'm assuming there's a uniform too."

"No uniform actually. It's an arts focused school. The Headmaster wants everyone to be able to express themselves. As for the difference in social class, you wouldn't be the only one on scholarship, roughly twenty percent of the students are on scholarships. They come from downtown and the rougher areas. There is also a strict no bullying policy, even one infraction and you are expelled. You won't be the only trailer park kid. You won't be some token that they can use. You also won't find any uptight know it alls, everyone there is there for the art. They aren't math or science nerds. They are creatives, just like you. I think you would do amazing there. All you have to do is be open minded and yourself."

"It's an hour bus ride." Shawn pointed out next.

"And they offer car pooling. One of the other parents or the volunteer drivers, will pick you up along with a couple other kids in your area and bring you to and from school." Jon said with a smirk. He knew all of the red flags that Shawn was going to throw up and he was ready for every single one of them.

"Cory?" Shawn countered. He hadn't really seen Cory very much, but that didn't mean he wanted to stop seeing him completely. He had no idea how he would get to hang out with him if they weren't at the same school.

"That will be hard on both of you, but you aren't moving to a different state. You can still see him on the weekends and after school. You can talk on the phone every day. You both right now are only in one class the same and on lunch, so you aren't seeing him a lot right now to begin with. I know it would be hard and it isn't what either of you would have expected, but I think he would understand that this is your future. He would be supportive of your decision to go. I know it's hard, but sometimes best friends have to take two separate paths. That doesn't mean you forget each other, it just means you aren't walking the same path, but paths next to each other. This school Shawn will give you a real chance at a future. A future that is designed for you and your passions. You said if I could find a school that allowed you to be creative and teach you about business that you would go to it. I found one. I found the perfect school for you, are you really going to let this once in a lifetime opportunity slip past you?"

Shawn really didn't know what he was going to do. He never expected for Jon to find a school like this. He didn't think one existed and now he had a golden ticket and he had no idea what he wanted to do. What he should do. He had so much on his mind he didn't know if he even had the mental space to try and figure this out.

"Thanks for this. I just need a bit of time to think. I appreciate this though." Shawn said.

"No problem Shawn. I have to ask again though and then I will stop. Are you sure you want to get your own place? I mean it Shawn, you can live with me until you graduate and want to move out. You won't have to worry about working or paying bills. You never have to worry about me kicking you out or me not being there one day. You could just be fifteen and focus on school."

Jon really wished Shawn would take him up on his offer. He knew there was next to no trust between them, but he was hoping to build that with Shawn. He didn't want Shawn to be living on his own and having to deal with adult problems. From what little he knew of Shawn's childhood, he never had much of a true childhood. He's been having to deal with adult problems for way too long. This could be his chance to just be a normal teenager and not having to stress or worry about making a rent payment.

"I want my own place. I know it sounds better to stay with you and maybe I would have taken you up on it if I hadn't stayed with my Uncle Ralph first. But all I want right now is my own place. A place where I can be on my own and I don't have to worry about anything."

Jon wanted to argue, but he also could understand given everything that happened to Shawn, but that didn't mean he was going to let Shawn do this on his own.

"Ok, I understand that. But don't think you and I aren't going to be seeing each other. You're not getting rid of me. Maybe you wanna come over tomorrow night for dinner. We could watch a movie and just hang out." Jon offered.

"Ya, I'll check with Eddie, but that should be fine. I don't think I'm working tomorrow." Shawn easily agreed.

"Great. You have my number so you can call me if something changes, if not we're on for tomorrow, say around five." Jon offered.

"Sounds great. And I'll look all of this over tonight." Shawn said in reference to the papers in his hand. Jon gave him a nod just as the bell rang and he got up and went back over to his desk. Shawn quickly tucked the papers away in his backpack so no one would see them, specifically Cory. He had no idea what he wanted to do, but he knew he didn't want to hear Cory's opinion. At least not until he had made up his mind on what he wanted to do. For now, he had to try and focus on school and then tonight when he was alone he would try and figure out what he felt.

XXX

Shawn walked into the apartment and saw that the guys were already there. They had small scales all over the kitchen and little baggies and massive amounts of white powder all over the place. Everyone was wearing gloves and masks and Shawn knew he would be helping them to package up the drugs, but he didn't expect it to be like this. The whole apartment had been transformed into a drug packaging factory.

"Hey Kid, how was school?" Dave asked.

"It was fine. What do you need me to do?" Shawn asked, as he got his bag and coat down.

"We have to package up the coke and the heroin. The heroin is in the kitchen with the black dot bags. You aren't touching that stuff though. If you get a bit high from the coke, not a big deal. Heroin gets you hooked from the first high. I ain't risking that with you." Eddie started. There was no way in hell he was going to let Shawn anywhere near the heroin. He shouldn't be touching any of the drugs, but he was going to need the money and it was part of being in their gang. Shawn was special and the others all knew it, but he also needed to know how to do everything so he could support himself should the worst happen and most of them ended up in prison.

"It's pretty simple. You put on some gloves and a mask and you help us weigh everything out and we load up the smaller bags. The runners all carry gram bags and the suppliers carry one ounce bags for any larger orders. Grab some gloves and a mask and I'll show you how to do it." Dave offered,

"Aren't we the suppliers?" Shawn asked, as he went over to grab what he needed as Eddie answered.

"We have suppliers on the street level that have larger amounts for higher clients that will use it at parties or they will divide it up and sell it in a club. We deal mostly with people looking to pay a hundred bucks for a gram so they can get high or party with it."

"How often do you get a supply like this?" Shawn asked.

"Once a month, but now it's more like every three weeks. Our customers are increasing as we take over more areas of the city." Eddie answered.

"And it comes from a lab or something?" Shawn asked.

"In another city. They call me and we set up a meet. When we go on jobs I leave my phone here and use a burner. That way if I get grabbed everyone still has the contact info." Eddie explained.

Shawn gave a nod and Dave started to show him what he needed to do and what the right amounts were for everything. Shawn wasn't certain how he felt about helping to package up drugs, but it was simple work and he was going to need the money. He just reminded himself that everything he did now, was more money that he would make to be able to survive on his own.

XXX

Shawn made his way out onto the fire escape just after midnight. He knew he was supposed to be sleeping, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to do it. He had brought out the paperwork and brochure for the school and he figured he would look through it again to try and determine what the hell he was going to do. He could hear the guys still in the living room. They had all basically slept all day and Shawn knew they were going to be up all night. It actually worked out well for him because he was able to crash in Eddie's bed instead of the couch. He had just sat down on the stairs when Eddie came through the window behind him and sat down on the window's edge as he spoke.

"You should be sleeping."

"I can't get my mind to turn off." Shawn answered.

"Those papers why?" Eddie asked with a nod to Shawn's hands.

Shawn held the papers out to Eddie as he spoke. "The Crefeld School, a private art school. Jon, Mr. Turner, he reached out to the Headmaster there and showed him my sketches and photos. The Headmaster was so impressed he offered me a place within the school."

"Private schools come with a bill." He said, as he looked through the brochure.

"Typically. But the Headmaster apparently was so impressed by my work he is giving me a full scholarship. It covers tuition and supplies. I guess if I do well this semester and don't do anything against their code of conduct, he'll give me a full scholarship again next year."

"A free ride? Fuck. What's so special about this school?" Eddie asked. He had to admit the photos looked great. It looked like a really nice school to go to. There were a lot of words though, and he wasn't much of a reader. He didn't get through grade six and reading wasn't really a high priority to him.

"It's dedicated to the arts. So anything that is artistic from drawing to music to photography, graphic design, even glass blowing and pottery. They have classes for almost every musical instrument. But they also focus on business courses so when you graduate you can be your own manager or start a business to sell your art. They don't do traditional courses. There's no math or science. You can take English Literature or creative writing. The History course is all about the history of art from various cultures and throughout the eras. There are no tests. You just work on projects. They don't worry about standard grades. There aren't even grade levels, but skill levels. Everyone that is just starting starts at the first level and you go up until the fourth level. Some of the kids in the first level could be thirteen up until eighteen. Once you pass that skill level, you move up to the next until you finish the fourth level, then you graduate and can go to college or start a business."

"Is that what you want? To start a business or go to college for art?" Eddie asked, as he gave Shawn his full attention.

"I don't know. I mean… probably not college, but I'd like to have a business. I'd like to be able to travel the country as a journalist maybe or a photographer. Art has always made me feel better. If I could turn that into a job, a way to make money, then I'd really like to. I know it's not what a Hunter is supposed to be."

"A Hunter is an abusive drunk who is a criminal. That's not exactly something to aspire to kid. Look man, none of us have ever had anything worth something in us to get us out of the life. I've been stealing and running with a gang since I was six years old. Now I'm twenty-two and I run one. I got no skills for the workplace outside of scooping out a new mark. I barely got through grade six and my reading and writing is shit. This is it for me, and that's fine with me. But it's not what I wanted for you. You got a real shot, a real gift that could take you places. You got a free ride to a school that will help you grow those skills. You gotta go. This is your golden ticket to getting out of this life. You can't let that blow right by."

Eddie knew that Shawn was different, he had always known. He was special, he saw it when Shawn was three years old. He had a good heart, but he also always had an interest in art. Eddie could remember all of the times he found Shawn drawing on anything. The walls, cardboard boxes he got from the garbage, old paper, newspaper, anything he could grab he was drawing on it with a pencil, pen, crayon, marker, it didn't matter. Eddie didn't have any idea what good art looked like, but Shawn seemed to have a talent with it. It's why he would steal notebooks and crayons for him. Why he would take the beatings when their father found Shawn drawing on the walls. He did what he could to protect him, because he wanted for Shawn to have a better life. This was his chance and Eddie wasn't going to let him toss it away.

"It's not that simple though." Shawn started.

"So we make it simple. When can you start?"

"I can go in Monday. I drop off the paperwork and get my schedule and supplies. I guess I can sign up for carpooling. A driving volunteer goes and picks up the kids in close areas. Someone will take me to and from school. I need a legal guardian though to sign my papers. I have to imagine at some point parents are supposed to be there for teacher conferences or whatever. If they find out I don't have any or a legal guardian, they'll call DCFS. At least where I'm at now, Jon and Feeney won't call."

"I can sign the papers for now. My buddy that is looking for a place for you, he can get you emancipated. He brought me the forms in case we needed 'em."

"Emancipated?" Shawn asked, confused.

"Anyone over the age of sixteen can divorce your parents if they are abusive. You were abandoned by your parents and Uncle Ralph now. You qualify, at least you would if you were a year older. We shouldn't wait eleven months though in case someone does call. Normally you gotta go through a bunch of court shit, but my buddy does it for other kids. He has a judge contact that signs off on it, even makes special case exceptions for those that are under sixteen. You just gotta fill out the forms with someone. I can't understand 'em. You fill 'em out and I'll pass 'em off. The whole thing will take two months. Until then we can fake it easily enough."

"Wow, ok. How much is that gonna cost me?" Shawn asked, looking to add it into what he needed for his new place.

"It's a grand. I'll cover you though, least I can do after all the shit you went through growing up that I couldn't stop. If you get your teacher friend or the curly hair kid's parents, they can help you get the forms filled out right. I'll pass 'em off to my friend when I see him next. He's working on securing you a place. Not sure where it will be, but he's confident it will be in the downtown area."

"Thanks Eddie. Any idea on how much the rent will be?" Shawn asked, slightly worried because downtown was expensive, even in the dark parts of it.

"Naw, but he's got contacts all over this city. He gets the kids in on a partial rent. The landlords get to claim a tax credit if they rent a couple of their apartments at a subsidized amount. He normally gets them for under a grand a month and some of the places aren't too bad. He said it was something like ten to fifteen percent of the normally monthly rent. He even finds some that are furnished, so you might not have to worry about all of that shit." Eddie said with a shrug.

That helped ease some of Shawn's fears. He was hoping that wherever the place was that it wasn't too bad. He wasn't expecting much, but if it at least had a bedroom and didn't look like it was going to be condemned, then he would be happy. It would be great if he was able to secure a place with furniture already, because then he wouldn't need to use his own cash for that.

"Do you really think I should go to that school?" Shawn asked.

"I'm telling you, you're going. Come on, I'll sign the papers and then I'll hand you the ones for emancipation. Get 'em all filled out and I can get 'em to my buddy. Sunday we can go out and get you a few new things. You should get a new backpack and some new clothes. Can't have you starting school in a fancy private school looking like you came from the trailer park." Eddie said with a smirk as he stood up.

Shawn got up and followed Eddie inside. Eddie placed the brochure down on the coffee table as he spoke. "We got some celebrating to do Boys. Shawny got a full ride to a private art school. He starts Monday."

"Holy shit. Nice going Kiddo." Mickey said, as Dave picked up the brochure.

"This looks fancy as shit." Dave said, as he flipped through it.

"Where is it?" Nate asked.

"About a twenty minute drive from here. They got drivers that volunteer that pick up the students and bring 'em back." Shawn answered, as Eddie handed him a beer.

"It like normal school?" Jose asked.

"They focus on the Arts and business." Dave said, as he passed the brochure over to Max that was holding his hand out to see it.

"With your skills, you're gonna ace the shit out of those art classes." Nick complimented.

"I don't know. I'll see. I can start Monday. I wasn't too sure, but Eddie isn't giving me much of an option." Shawn said with a small smirk.

"Fucking right I'm not." Eddie said with a pointed look at Shawn.

"Code of Conduct is basic, but it states no criminal charges." Max informed them.

"I don't have any." Shawn said, and that was a miracle all of itself. He had been arrested a couple of times, but nothing ever stuck. The cops just brought him back home.

"We're gonna have to be careful you don't get pinched." Bubba commented.

"And he can't have drugs on him. A little petty theft can be tossed away, but drug possession, no cop is letting that go." Junior added.

"We'll make sure he doesn't deliver any drugs and when we're out there, we'll keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't get pinched." Dave said.

"You guys don't have to do that." Shawn instantly said.

"You're our kid brother now Kiddo. We're not about to let your future go up in smoke, not if we can help it. We've all been in the slammer, going instead of you, not really a big deal." Max said on their behalf.

"We're all invested in your future. If Eddie didn't tell you that you were going to this school, we all would have." Dave added.

"Come on, we're celebrating." Jose said, as he went and turned the music up. Shawn couldn't help but smile. He had no idea what the future was going to have in store for him, but he was actually looking forward to school on Monday.