One x One Blood

[Brinie]

Jack Rosa

As time passed, it became harder to cover the bruises that had began to appear on his body. His face had always stayed intact, his father made sure of that. Few questioned him when he came to school with a broken rib, his father had went too far that time. Jack had told them all that he was hit by a car, though that was far from the truth. There was a time in his life where he was happy. That was back when his mother and father were still together. They were decisively in love, and he was their rose, the beautiful child that could only come from such beautiful parents.


The couple had a lot of secrets. His father was an officer, and his mother had stayed at home, to care for him. Jack remembers all of the men his mother had brought over when dad was away. He remembered the noises they would make in the room next to his own, completely unaware of what they were doing.


When his father found out about Jack's mothers affairs, he was absolutely furious. They had a gigantic argument that resulted in furniture being destroyed, before his mother stormed out of the house with her purse. That was the last time that he had ever saw his mother. That was also when his father started using Jack as a punching bag.


Everyone always told him how he had his mother's eyes, though in this case it was not a good thing. His father beat him for even the smallest little mistakes, perhaps it was his way of getting back at his wife for cheating on him. Sadly, between all the abuse Jack never managed to mold himself in to a socialable human being. The cruelness of his father rubbed off on to him, and at school he likes to torment boys weaker than him to relieve the feelings of hatred towards his father.

 

[Jay Ayato]

Zaire Lavelle



​

Zaire had always lived a pretty normal life. It was only his father and himself for the longest time, ever since he could remember. As a child it was always father and son against the world. But as time went by and things proved to get more and more difficult financial wise his father took up more and more work hours and searched for a second, and even third job. By age twelve he was expected to do most to everything himself, cook simple meals, get himself to school, do his work, clean... The list went on. Zaire had pretty much been completely grown up by the time he was sixteen, but he was happy. At that time things got a bit easier and they lived in a two room apartment alone but together again, even though his father still hardly came home.


At a young age he knew his father had plenty of women he had gone out with, had played around with, but he didn't mind, they weren't bad women. As long as his father came home safely he couldn't complain. One day, his father had come home looking completely destroyed in an emotional matter. Zaire had tried to talk to him, but all he said was a single women's name and shook his head, heading into his own room and locking himself away for two days. He had been worried sickk the whole time.


Now, starting to finis up highschool, seems seemed almost normal again. His father had a women who he would see on a weekly basis, and Zaire himself would be doing his best in school. He was never particularly popular, nor liked, but never had he been treated so cruelly until this final year. However much he had grown up, he couldn't face his father or anyone about this bully, he had to get the courage to face him alone, even if it means starting to let his grades slip past his normal a-b ratio.

 

[Jay Ayato]

It was the middle of the year now, the weather was starting to cool and the leaves were just beginning to turn colors. It had been some time since Zaire had started to get bullied, letting himself become frail to even the site of this bully. He sat in class and stared out the window absent mindedly as he ignored the male glaring at him from the back of the room. Zaire sat up front for a reason, and the reason was the male glaring was his bully.


The teacher slammed a book down onto Zaire's desk, a stern tone as he gave a slight glare in his eyes, "Mr. Labelle, do you mind repeating what I have just said?" Zaire had jumped from the loud noise of the book hitting his desk, a few of the other students only half paying attention looking over.


Zaire looked up at the teacher, he hadn't been listening for the past ten minuets, worried about what he would do if he were to be trapped once again after this class. He cleared his throat a bit, "I'm sorry Mr. Frair, I wasn't paying attention." He tried not to tap his finger as he glanced at a clock just behind the teachers head.


Mr. Frair sighs deeply and puts the book back, a slightly irritated tone, "I know that. What I was saying was, I expect all of you to file out of here immediately when the bell rings. I have a meeting to attend and cannot be late." He looked at Zaire, "did you hear me that time?" He truly didn't want to be cruel to the male, but he had to since it was how he treated all of the students.


Zaire nods, "yes sir." He looks at the time and starts to put away his things, hoping to get out on time, or at least before his bully does. He knew he had to gain courage, he had studied it a few times after school, what to do in his situation. He knew what he was going to say, how he was going to say it, and hopefully this male would leave him alone once and for all. He just needed courage.

 

[Brinie]

Jack smiled solemnly, his eyes were glued to the back of a certain auburn haired nerd. The kid was as spineless as they came, Jack recalled all of the times he cornered him and all of the fun they had. It was perfect really, Zaire kept his mouth shut about the whole ordeal too, the whole occasion brought Jack a great deal of delight. Even now, in the silence the kid was clearly off his game, that was how strong his influence was towards him, and Jack indulged in that fact completely. At this point, just being in the same class made him visibly uncomfortable.


Jack's smile widened cheek to cheek when their teacher noticed how absent minded Zaire was at the moment. He could not help but snicker at him behind his back. It was hard to contain himself when the nerd ended up apologizing. He wanted to antagonize him badly, but with so many people here and a teacher, it would not be wise. That is why he would wait until the class ended, then he would get the opportunity. With all of his things already packed, he was ready to get the jump on the brunette.


The sound of the school bell resonated throughout the class room, it was like music to his fellow students ears. But, Jack wanted Zaire to dread that very same sound. Jack flung his backpack over one shoulder and walked to the side of Zaire's desk, placing a firm hand against his shoulder, holding him there harshly. He starred downwards, glaring in to his eyes. "Zaire, I'm worried. You need to start paying attention... you can't fall behind like this in class." He spoke solemnly, his words were kind, yet venom seemed to drip from them. The teacher looked at the duo, curiously, before grabbing his things and getting out of the room to attend his meeting.


Jack held down the boy until the room was entirely devoid of students, leaving just him and Jack. The crimson-haired student released him from his grip, before walking over to the door with his hands in his pockets. He slowly shut the door, it creaked as it moved.


The door shut with a thud, Jack moved his hands back in to his pockets, and leaned against the sealed door. "You are not running away from me this time, dipshit. You'd save us a lot of trouble if you stopped avoiding me. I'll have to beat your ass twice as hard to make up for lost time." He grimaced, cracking his knuckles.

 

[Jay Ayato]

As the bell rung Zaire realized he didn't pack quick enough, a rough hand grabbed his shoulder to keep him in place. Zaire looked up at the male, trying not to show fear until after the teacher left when his entire body lightly started to shake. When the male let go he kept his sealed bag under his desk, knowing that the contents would just be spilled anyway.


Zaire looked over at the male as the door was slowly shut, each creak sending visible shivers down his spine, even more so as the door shut with a dreadful thud. Zaire stood up and quickly went to the opposite side of the room, his eyes not leaving the male, he would try to avoid him as much as possible. The sound of cracking knuckles made him feel a bit sickened.


Zaire's voice light trembled as he tried to be brave, "wh-why are you doing this? Why to me? What did I ever do to you?" He needed to stop, pause and let the male answer. He forgot a crucial part, he forgot to say he wanted to talk. But what good would that do, would the male even listen?


Zaire had heard his name before in class, he couldn't space on it, not now when he needed to use it to try to get through to him. He tried to remember it, recalling on all the other names he had heard. He thought to himself a list of names, 'Jake... John... Joel... No... His name... His name...' He tensed, "j-Jack." He spoke audibly, quickly covering his mouth when he realized he said it out loud. He couldn't bare this, having to do this. He was just glad the male didn't know where he lived, his father was gone on a business trip for about a week.

 

[Brinie]

His eyes followed Zaire as he moved to the part of the room furthest from him. The crimson haired male dug in to his pocket and retrieved a switchblade, he played with it carefully, passing it between his fingers. He did not intend to use it, but Jack did wanted the kid to know that he had one with him, to instill more fear. "Tsk. Tsk Tsk." He scolded, nodding his head back and forth as Zaire moved. That would not do him any good. He placed the switchblade back in to his pocket and stepped forward from the door, and slowly approached Zaire.


He raised an eyebrow at his pathetic attempt at courage. What kind of answer did he expect from that? "I figured you needed a bit of help, since it hurts to look at someone so pathetic. If you think about it, I'm actually doing you a favor for the future." Jack spoke, halting his approach. His eyes looked down wards, towards Zaire's backpack, he hunched over to grab his backpack with one hand and tossed it on to the teacher's desk.


At the mention of his name, he gave a half smile and a sly wink. "Zaire?" He spoke aloud, with a fake enthusiasm in his voice. Jack then moved to Mr. Frair's desk, unzipped Zaire's backpack and dumped the continents on the teacher's desk. He shuffled through it curiously, flipping through notebooks and reading papers. His eyes lit up when he recognized a graded test, he lifted it and examined it, letting out a cruel laugh.


He then turned the paper around and raised it for Zaire to see. "Not doing so hot are you? At least you were smart before, now, you're just a meek little dumbass." He spat out, letting out a chuckle. He then released the paper from his grip and let it float downwards toward the floor. His eyes matched Zaire's eyes, playfully.

 

[Jay Ayato]

Zaire was completely frozen at the sight of the switchblade, his eyes widening as the fear hit him hard. He pressed himself against the wall, unable to force himself to move more. Zaire watched as his backpack was thrown and emptied, he had so many things since he tried to be a good kid. He bit his lip at the test score, it wasn't the first he had done poorly on, burn it was the worst, and he felt ashamed for it.


Zaire shook his head, trying to get back some kind of courage, anything. He took in a deep breath and looked at Jack, "J-Jack... There are st-studies that show that people who bully others weaker then them do it because of some kind of problem at home. D-do you have any kind of problems at home?" He knew he might get cut for asking these questions, but he had to try.


He took a careful step forward, his whole body trembling, "I... I haven't told b-because I... I don't want to get you in trouble..." He hoped he could reach the male by some kind of words, and if not, it was far, but he had a clear shot for the door if he ran fast enough.


He hated the look in the males eyes, it terrified him. At any moment he could he sent to a hospital, and this person would frame it on someone else, take him to the hospital himself and say he found him like this. The worst part is, even if that happened, Jack knew that he wouldn't tell otherwise.

 

[Brinie]

Something seemed to spark then, his posture changed from playful to agitated. Jack closed his mouth and gritted his teeth together. Now Zaire had given him a real tangible reason to dislike him, his words clearly set something off in Jack. He enveloped in the silence for a few moments, the smile that was on his face was replaced with a straight, firm expression. He stared at the ground, his glare lingering there, contemplating the next actions he would take to make Zaire pay for saying something like that.


His eyes shifted to Zaire, and then to the door. In a fluid motion, he rushed towards him, his left hand grabbed at Zaire's left wrist, holding it upwards and pushing it roughly against the wall. Jack's right hand dug in to own his pocket and retrieved the switchblade, he gave the button that rested on the handle a click, and the blade swung outwards. With malice clear in his eyes, he raised the blade to Zaire's throat, using his elbow to keep Zaire's right arm pinned down.


He starred in to his eyes, the malice he felt towards the other student was palpable. He gave him another firm shove against the wall to steady his position, keeping the blade poised at his throat. "How kind of you, keeping your lips sealed for my sake." Jack barked out, his blade gleaming from the florescent lights that decorated the classroom. He held it steady, his red eyes examined it carefully.


His glare shot back up to Zaire, his head tilted, curiously. "What you said earlier, about problems... at my home. Please, expand on that. But, be careful, my hand is not as steady as I would like it to be." He threatened. His right hand began trembling, purposefully. He awaited an answer, with eager eyes, he was curious how much of this new found bravery Zaire was willing to express.

 

[Jay Ayato]

Zaire was in shock, he didn't have time to move from the quick motions of Jack. He trembled with fear, eyes starting to water as he had to lift his chin away from the blade. He listened to what Jack had said and pressed himself more against the wall when the male started to shake.


He had to think, he was stumbling with his words as he tried hard to remember what some of the studies had said. Finally he found it, "w-well... One of the studies I found s-said it could be caused by abuse at home.. Th-the bully tries to mimic the figure in his life th-that abuses him and pick on weaker beings." A few tears rolled down his cheeks, "p-please don't kill me. I-I'm sorry... I'll do anything you want." He didn't want to die, even though he knew the male probably couldn't kill him, he was afraid and didn't know what else to say.


He sniffled and tried to fight back the tears in case it only angered Jack more, "I... I'm really smart, I... I can do your homework... I can do things for you if you want. I.. I don't want to be bullied any more. I-if you do have problems at home then you should know how it feels, r-right?" Wanted to reach for his phone, to call someone. The only person he could think of was his father, and he was gone for the week. He gulped, trying not to start crying again.


He was genuinely terrified, he didn't know what to do. His body was trembling and his eyes didn't want to leave the cold glare of Jacks. Besides his trembling he tried to stay as still as possible, hoping not to be killed, he could take a cut, those weren't that bad, but a slice to his throat could be life taking.

 

[Brinie]

The blade flipped sideways in his hand, the flat surface facing Zaire. He pressed the cold metal on to his neck gently, to let him know at any moment, he can turn it straight and end him. He listened to Zaire's words, uninterested. They were flat, boring even. Just studies that the kid read on the internet, he probably google'd how to get rid of bullies too. Jack snickered at the thought, leave it to a nerd to look for internet for advice rather than an actual tangible adult.


He spun the blade around, gliding the dull side of it against the soft, fragile, skin of his neck. He contemplated what he would do, he likely would not get away with murder, but that did not mean he had to leave him unscathed. He contemplated what spots he could slash at that would not end him. Blood would easily seep through the thin cloth that covered his torso... he can't have his marks be visible. His eyes trailing downwards, as he examined the students body closely...


Then he recalled his father, how he bruised and hit Jack at spots where no one would ever normally see. For a second, his eyes gleamed with compassion. He starred at the student as the brunette cried, and frowned as he began grasping at straws to stop Jack from harming him. It was no different than how he begged his own father to release him when he was especially angry and drunk.


Jack staggered backwards slightly, releasing him. Suddenly, he found himself unable to return the boys gaze. Jack hastily sheathed the blade and stuffed it back in to his pocket, with his gaze glued to the floor. His bangs fell on to his face, partially concealing his eyes. Jack leaned against the teacher's desk with his back facing Zaire, as he ran a hand through his own hair.


"This isn't over." Jack said, flatly.

 

[Jay Ayato]

Zaire's eyes only widdened more when the blade touched his neck. He hated the feel of the cold metal, and when the blade turned his eyes only watered more. Once Jack let go he slightly stumbled before quickly picking as many of his things up as possible. He stuffed everything into his backpack before quickly running out.


He didn't stop running, he just kept going and going until he was almost to his apartment when he fell and gasped for breath. He started rummaging through his bag quickly, tears falling to the ground as his asthma was heavily getting to him. He grasped the mostly emptied bag with large eyes as his lack of breath was starting to make him dizzy. He had left his inhaler in the classroom with the rest of his things that didn't get picked up.


He fell to his side, his vision blurring as his eyes started to close. He couldn't breath, though he was cqlmig down his breath was slow and nearly nonexistent. He thought to himself, 'and even after... I said I didn't want to die...' His eyes fully closed as he was ready to pass out, very close to an unmoving state.

 

[Brinie]

Jack remained still, leaning against the teachers desk, even if his victim had already gone, he had to take some time to think. He looked around the classroom, seeing that Zaire had left a few things behind. He can't leave evidence that there was a struggle here, just in case the kid decided to snitch him out. Jack walked over to the trash can and lifted it to the mess Zaire left behind, somewhat regaining his composure. He began picking up Zaire's things and dumping them in to the metal bin. In the corner of his eyes, he saw a curious object. Jack motioned a hand over and lifted it, inspecting it carefully.


He hadn't realized that Zaire had asthma, he really was a gigantic nerd. Jack chuckled, he'd have to harass him about it later. He lifted the inhaler over the trash can and loosened his fingers to toss it in, but he stopped. He remembered how he had ran out, throwing such a fit. Running and asthma don't usually go together, he pondered. Jack placed a hand on his chin and began contemplating. "He probably got home in time. Why should I care, anyway, if he didn't?" He thought, spinning the inhaler around.


There have been a few times that Jack had followed the kid after school, since he could not find an opportunity to get to him during class, so he knew the route he usually followed. He faced a dilemma then, trying to find a reason as to why he should be worried about him. The kid was rare in the sense that even after all this abuse, he had yet to turn to the authorities. If he had died, Jack would have to find a new target to abuse. Now that, would just be distasteful.


It was likely that Zack would not manage to get home on time if he did this... which meant another beating from his father. He cringed at the thought. Still, he felt like it was something that he had to do, even if Zaire was not actually dying, he had to check. Jack stashed the inhaler in his pocket, and sprinted out of class, closing the door behind him.

 

[Jay Ayato]

Zaire lay on the ground, near to motionless, he fell his heart rate start to drop and could even feel the color from his face start to leave as his body become cooler. He wanted to call an ambulance, he wanted someone to walk by and save him, he wanted to live. He couldn't die, not like this. He hadn't run so quickly since fifth grade p.e. when they figured out he had asthma.


The memory flickered in his mind, a joyous child wanting to get first place by running twice around the small track. He had once wanted to be able to do sports and have fun, but while he ran he had suddenly callasped in a fit of breaths.


Coming back to reality he used the last amount of strength he could find and took took his phone from his pocket. He could only manage to dial two numbers before completely losing his strength.


His phone lay open next to the barely breathing child, the two numbers only reading 9 and 1. He had tried, yet still, he found himself defeated. His body started to get cold and his fingers lightly twitched as Zaire's body just lay there, conscious ready to slip past him. Tears fell again as his lungs seemed to take their final breath.


He lay there... Completely still. Who would have known, that his final moments would be caused by fear and health issues. Zaire Lavelle, still in highschool, once a straight a student. Though his breathing seemed to stop, his finger gave another twitched, he was still trying his hardest to stay alive, even without proper breathing he was holding on.

 

[Brinie]

Jack tried to recall the steps he had taken when he followed Zaire after school, but was struggling. Every street he passed looked unfamiliar to him, and he was uncertain whether or whether not he was going the right way. He wondered what was compelling him to do this. To look for someone that he deplores so desperately, just because he may be in danger... It was unlike him and he found himself wanting to turn around and go home with every wrong turn he took. Still, he kept on, carefully digging in his mind, attempting to re-track his steps.


It was getting pretty late now, the sky started to dim. His phone was ringing in his pocket like crazy, and he was certain that it was his father. The anxiety was getting to him and he was ready to turn back around and head home when he saw a silhouette in the distance. He stared forward for a bit with narrow eyes, the person was laid flat out on the sidewalk, motionless.


Jack ran forwards, as fast as his legs could carry him, and sure enough it was Zaire, and he looked like he was ready to slip out of consciousness at any moment. Jack crouched downwards to the side of his head and dug in to his pocket frantically, dropping the inhaler on the sidewalk in his rush. His hand followed it picking it up, and analyzing it carefully. He never used an inhaler before, and he was uncertain what to do. His eyes glossed over the instructions that laid at its side.


His hands gripped the device and gave it a decent shake, before he removed the cap. He then lifted Zaire's head to his lap, and brought the inhaler closer to his face, to rest in-between his lips. His hand wrapped around the inhaler, and he utilized his thumb to push down. Jack looked down at him, pondering. Had he arrived too late? He cursed at himself for not being able to adequately retrace his steps. If Zaire had died here, then he would be responsible.

 

[Jay Ayato]

It took a moment before Zaire was able to take a deep breath with the inhaler, his trembling hands moving up to press it again. He took about five large breaths with it before he was breathing normally again. His body trembled as he let his hands fall, "thank... You... How can I... Repay yo-" as he spoke he slowly opened his eyes, and the sight shocked him.


He tried to sit up and push himself away, only to fall back down. His fear was back as tears wielded in his eyes, "wh-why... Wh-whg did you..." His trembling got worse as he tried to scoot away, "d-don't hurt me. Please." He had felt like he started to see his life flash before his eyes before Jack had saved him. His own bully saved his life, he couldn't believe it. There had to be a reason. He heard the ringing and looked at the male.


He bit his lip before closing his eyes, "y-you do.. You do have problems at home, don't you?" His voice trembled, he seemed ready to be beaten, "I... I'm sorry if you get in trouble because of me." He looked up at Jack again, a few tears falling. His eyes held many mixed emotions; thanks, sorrow, hurt, scared, confused.


Zaire was still pale and by how he acted he probably couldn't stand at the moment, not alone anyway. He was still cold and by the goosebumps he had he was getting colder by how late it was getting. He still tried to sit up, failing again until he chose to just lay there in his own fear.

 

[Brinie]

Jack intended to step away before he had regained consciousness but that plan had failed. He cringed at the situation he had manage to put himself in to. In truth, he was just as confused by his actions as the other male was. Jack stood up from his spot, letting his hands fall in to his pockets. He stood there for a bit, thinking about how he should handle the situation. Should he intimidate him? Push him in to the street? Jack rubbed the back of his own head, his cheeks burning a light red. "I can't let you die. Where else will I find someone that lets me push them around so easy?" He finally answered, he found himself unable to put the same amount of force in to his voice as usually did.


Jack's face went sour when his parents were mentioned again. He shook his head with a defeated expression on his face. "Forget it. Don't mention it again." He warned, as he retrieved his phone from his pocket and pressed the ignore call button. After the call screen closed, he was starring at a plethora of text messages from his father, none of them good. His eyes widened and he stuffed it back in to his pocket instantly.


He looked onwards for a moment as Zaire struggled to get up, still incapacitated from the previous events. Extending a hand, Jack pulled the other student up from the floor, and wrapped Zaire's right arm against his own shoulders to keep him up.


"This doesn't change anything." He said aloud, his eyes scanning the premises. Disinterested with everything around him, he opened his lips to speak again. "What direction is your home? You can't get there alone in your sorry state." Jack mocked.

 

[Jay Ayato]

Zaire watched and listened before his eyes fell to this things lying on the ground when he was told that Jack wouldn't let him die. He clutched the inhaler in his hand and took slow, deep breaths to calm his shaking to some extent. He looked up in time to see Jack's eyes widen before shoving a phone into his pocket.


Zaire tensed and was shocked when he was pulled up. He looked at Jack before looking down quickly, "I... Uhh..." He stumbled with his words, being so close to this male scared him. He bit his lip for a moment before speaking again, "I... Need my things... If I show up to school tomorrow without them people might start asking questions..." He told Jack, hoping he would understand, even if it was for his own sake.


Zaire took in a deep breath as he slowly fixed his glasses that were falling off his face. His knees were shaking but he started to kneel down to get his things, mostly because he wanted to get away from the male, though he couldn't really do anyhin else. Instead it would give himself a chance to think of what to do, he couldn't bring Jack back to the apartment.


He thought of how to say it, he needed to think. He looked at Jack, "I... I think I can make it home alone... Heh...heh... I'll be fine." He lied, he knew he'd be a stumbling mess and probably get the cops called on him if someone thought he was drunk. He thought again, "oh, plus, you should get back to your house. W-wouldn't be good to walk in the dark... O-or get home too late.." He gave a nervous chuckle.

 

[Brinie]

"Fine, dipshit. I hope you get hit by a truck." The young man exclaimed, tightening the straps to his backpack, before turning around and walking in to the direction of his father's house. He mentally scolded himself for staying out so late, there was no telling what his father would do when he got home. Jack had to mentally prepare himself for the worst, if he was lucky, his dad was already too drunk to give a damn. If not... that would surely turn out bad for him.


He had to figure out more ways to hide the bruises that decorated his body, he already could not afford to wear short-sleeved shirts or v-necks, he wondered where his father would leave his next mark and quivered. The next step he had to take was to make up an alibi as to why he was absent from his home for such a long stretch of time. He could lie and say that he spent the day studying for a test. Then again, his father would probably just call his teachers to see if the story was true or not.


Jack kept his head low as he approached his ruined home. The beautiful fresh paint that used to decorate the home was cracked. The lawn dead, completely devoid of life. The stand of his mailbox was crooked, from the time his father drove to work drunk and ended up hitting it. The old lawn ornaments that sat around were almost like insults. His mother had bought them, she liked things with a certain aesthetic, to decorate, to make things new and beautiful.


His pace seemed to hasten as he approached the door. His legs shaking, worried. His palm wrapped around the copper doorknob, as he slowly pushed it open. All he could see was darkness... had his father forgotten to pay the electricity bill again? Slowly, he entered his home and shut the door behind him.

 

[Jay Ayato]

Zaire gulped as the male walked away, he wondered if the male really meant that. He grabbed all his things, stuffing all but his phone and inhaler into his bag. Once he had everything he sat there for a while, unsure of what to do. He looked at his phone, at the unfinished dialing. He sighed and got rid of it, quickly typing in his fathers number.


He waited, hoping for an answer. After a whole he heard his dads voice and purkred up before realizing it was his answering machine. He looked down and waited for a been, "hi dad... I had an asthma attack today on my way home from school. There was a dog following me so I had to run.. Luckily someone was near by to help... Well... I love you. Stay safe and all that." He was going to say more but the ending beep sounded.


Zaire sighed and used the wall to stand up. He shivered and rubbed his arms. Stumbling forward he pulled the backpack over his shoulder and started home. His eyes started to water as his mind recalled the events of the day. He shook his head violently, almost causing himself to fall.


Once he got to his small apartment he opened the door and looked into the darkness, he hated being alone. He walked in and closed the door, setting his back pack down and turning on he light. He went to he kitchen and made himself a quick sandwich to try and get some energy back. He ended up passing out on the couch, his half finished sandwich on the coffee table and the light still on.

 

[Brinie]

The light gleamed through his curtain, raining down on to him. It was a new day, much to his own displeasure.


His red eyes flickered opened, his body aching with pain. His room was an absolute disaster, there were papers flung across the floor, and there was a hole in his wall, the result of another one of his fathers session. He stood up from his bed slowly, and tried to find some footing on the ground. Jack stretched his palm out against the wall to balance himself out further. The red-head nearly staggered over to check the alarm clock, 6:00 AM. That meant he had to get to class within the next two hours... He sighed and started to stretch his arms, but he decided against it when he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. Jack grumbled something incomprehensible, cursing his father.


He walked to his closet, narrowly avoiding stepping on his things. Jack looked downwards, observing his own body. He wore nothing but a tank top and boxer briefs, the first thing that he had noticed was the dark purple mark on his shoulder. Surprised by this, he flinched at the sight, shocked that he did not notice it sooner. His eyes trailed downwards at it for awhile, moving his shoulder around to get a better view. He had become numb to everything by now, it was nothing new to him.


He decided on wearing a plain white dress shirt and a white T, in-case his bruise showed through his shirt. Jack cursed, he was too distracted by his father to remember the fact that he had a big paper due today. His eyes glanced back to the clock... just enough time to copy and paste something off of Google and prey that his teacher didn't notice.


A sharp memory made its way in to his mind. It was the memory of the events that had occurred the previous day. It was the memory of how weak he was when he was facing that dweeb.


He grumbled, shaking his head. Maybe Jack did deserve the beating he had received, why did he ever waste his time helping someone so worthless? Jack would have been kinder to let him die on the street like the dog that he was. No more mistakes, he thought, today he was not going to be so kind to that kid. He went to his desk and retrieved his switchblade, admiring it briefly before putting it in to his pants pocket. Today, he'd make-up for his past failures, without any remorse.


He arrived at school about five-minutes before the bell started to resound throughout the school. Jack had been keeping an eye out for Zaire, but couldn't catch a glimpse of him anywhere. Disappointed, he entered his first class of the day and took his seat.

 

[Jay Ayato]

Zaire hadn't woken up, he slept right through his alarm in the other room. When he woke up he yawned and stretched, looking around as he fixed his glasses. Seeing the sandwich he picked it up and threw it out before looking at the time. His eyes widened, he was about two hours late. If he was lucky he would be able to make it to his next class, what wasn't lucky was that his class was with Jack and right after they had lunch.


He quickly changed and grabbed his things, walking out and locking the door behind himself. He pulled out his phone and made sure he had his inhaler on him before dialing for his father. There wasn't even a single ring before it just hung up. He looked at his phone in confusion before putting t back in his pocket, "...dad..." He mumbled to himself.


When he got to school he walked to the office first to explain why he was late. It was a bit awkward and thy tried to call his father on two different phones, one phone being his own. Zaire frowned, "I'm sorry... May I go to class now?" The vice principal looked at him before giving him a pass, he would be five minuets late for this class.


He stepped into the room with a gulp as everyone seemed to look at him all at once. He walked to the teacher and gave him the pass before having to take the only empty seat in the back of the class next to Jack. He didn't look at the male or get any of his things out as he just stared absentmindedly at his desk. He seemed almost completely out of it though his eyes screamed worry for whatever reason.


He waited for Jack to do something, anything. He was hoping that this was just a dream and that his father was actually at home right now. He feared that he actually did die on that sidewalk the other day and that he was just living on in hell for something he didn't know why. He pulled his phone under his desk and looked at it, hoping to receive a message from his father, this wasn't a thing he had done before.

 

[Brinie]

His day was relatively uneventful. Two classes had passed now and had not seen Zaire during the five minute break sessions between his classes, which was odd, Jack wondered if he actually managed to break the kid completely. His next class was the first he had with Zaire, he entered the room early and sat in a seat near the back, not seeing Zaire anywhere. The corner of his lip perked up, that last encounter must have really done the trick, he grinned. The bell rang again, signifying the start of class.


Mr Adams, the math teacher began scribbling something on the board, when Zaire had intruded. Jack perked his head up, curiously. Zaire looked like shit, he pondered why he would even bother coming to school if he was so distressed by what happened yesterday...


The teacher did not seem too bothered, as he continued scribbling on the board immediately after he was seated. Jack offered a smile when the brown-haired male took the only remaining seat next to him, of course, that smile was not at all sincere.


The advantage that came with sitting in the back of the classroom was that you would rarely get noticed by the teacher. That meant that even in the middle of class, Jack would be able to harass him. Jack ripped off a small piece of paper from his notebook and crumbled it up in to a small ball. Snickering, he flicked the piece of paper at Zaire's head, before he ripped another piece off of his paper and repeated his actions.


It was not as severe as he would like, but he could not do much to him in the middle of class. Zaire looked especially vulnerable now, to the point where it looked like doing something as insignificant as this would cause him distress.

 

[Jay Ayato]

Zaire kept his head down, not bothering to take notes as he just let Jack flick the paper balls at him. He slowly put away his phone and sat silently the rest of class, biting his lip to hold back any emotion he felt was threatening to appear. About a minuet before the bell rang Zaire grabbed his backpack and stood up.


Zaire ignored the teacher trying to get him to sit down, he stared at the clock. Just seconds before the bell rang he quickly started for the door. He left right as the bell rang and headed to the near by males washroom. He made sure no one was in there before going into the corner behind he sinks.


Zaire pulled out his phone and dialed his father, he put it on a low speaker so he could just curl up and not hold it to his hear. Biting his lip a little roughly he pressed the call button, murmuring to himself, "dad... Please answer..." He waited before all of a sudden a dreadful female robot voice spoke, "sorry, but the number you have dialed has been disconnected." Zaire widened his eyes.


Zaire gripped his phone as his eyes started to water, he knew Jack would be looking for him fairly soon if he wasn't already in here. He put his head down to his knees, "dad... What happened..?" His phone started to vibrate, he looked at the unknown number. It seemed to be from the state his father was going to go for the business trip.


He answered and put it on speaker, speaking slowly, "Hello?"


A males voice answered, he sounded a bit worried, "yes, hello. Is this by chance... Zaire Lavelle?"


Zaire paused for a moment, "y-yes... Who is this?"


The male was silent for a moment, "I'm sorry, Zaire. I'm one of your fathers coworkers... There had been an accident on the freeway coming here.. You're father... He's dead."


Zaire started to shake horribly, this was the worst thing he thought of when his dad hadn't been answering. He put his head down and stayed silent.


The man spoke again, "we will be sending all of his things home. We are aware that you are at age to live by yourself, but we would like to know if you would like some help?"


Zaire spoke softly, his voice losing all purpose, "...no... It's alright... I'll be fine alone.." He hung up and dropped his phone, curling up as he started to sob. He couldn't believe it. The one person who kept him strong was gone. Now he had to care for himself, find a job, deal with this bully... But he might need to quit school. He knew he wouldn't be able to pay for the rent on the apartment this month, he would most likely have to be on the street until he could find a job.

 

[Brinie]

What a mess... To see what used to be known as the kind, obedient student in such a state was quite amusing. Jack wondered though, was it really a result of his own actions? Zaire never let the bullying effect him this much before... Jack's eyes starred at Zaire's back as he rushed to leave the classroom. It would be wise to take advantage of the weakened state he was in. That would be Jack's own way of getting payback for making him look so weak the previous day. He rushed to put his things in his backpack and exit the classroom, before the teacher stopped him. Jack looked up at him, curiously, holding in his anxiety as best as he could.


"Can you go check on Zaire? He's acting strange, and I have seen you two spending some time together. I'm worried that something bad may have happened to him..." The older man instructed, his voice full of concern. "I'm already on it, Mr. Adams." Zaire babbled, before waltzing out the door before the teacher could respond. Jack would skip lunch for today, he decided to fuel himself on the anger he felt towards Zaire.


Jack stood in the hallway, his eyes scanned the perimeter, attempting to track his prey. In the corner of his eye, he saw the bathroom door fling open. Had he gone in there to dry his tears? The big crybaby... Jack marched to the bathroom and placed his ear against the door, eager to hear his sobs before he came in to the picture.


He could tell that Zaire was talking on the phone, but through the door he could not hear much of anything that was being said. He was able to make out certain words and phrases, but nothing more. He pressed his ear closer, this sort of information could be essential in mentally torturing Zaire, so he was desperate to hear it. "Your father....he's dead." Jack's ears perked up.


If only he could hear those same, sweet words. Jack slowly pushed the door of the bathroom open, his curiosity at its peak. In the corner of the bathroom, he found him, Zaire. It didn't seem like Zaire had noticed him yet, he was too busy sobbing his eyes out. Jack approached him, slowly, making sure not to alarm him yet.


"You're lucky, you know." His voice rang out, piercing through the silence. He stood above Zaire, with both of his arms crossed and his eyes focused downwards.

 

[Jay Ayato]

Zaire jumped a bit when he heard Jack, looking up at him through his tears. He trembled and clenched his fists, he felt like he had enough of this monster. He stood up and looked Jack in the eyes though his own he could hardly see through.


"Lucky? How would this be lucky?" His voice shook just about the same as his body, he was terrified, but he didn't care. He took a step closer, "my father was the only one here for me. I understand that you have problems but I don't need some brat like you taking it out on me." He paused and held his breath for a moment before quickly bending down to grab his things.


"I don't know what has happened to you or why you bully me so much, but I've had it." He threw his backpack over his shoulder and stuffed his phone into his pocket, "do you even know what it's like to lose the only thing in the world that keeps you happy? That keeps you from going insane while it feels like our world is crumbling down around you?" He looked Jack in the eye again, he knew what was going to happen.


"But... No... You don't care. Even if you have been through that, you just don't care. You want to make someone miserable because you think it make you happy, right?" His tears didn't stop as his voice kept cracking. He kept his fists tight, "go ahead, hurt me. Do your worst. At this point.... I think I'd rather die." He waited for Jack's reaction, he didn't mean the last part, you could tell in his eyes. He was upset, but he didn't want to die.