Realistic or Modern Mad House.

[Pine]

Well, that sounded just about as bad as he thought. In fact, he couldn't tell if it sounded better or worse. Nick pressed his knuckles harder against his chin, hoping for them to crack, but to no avail, so he instead straightened and sharply flicked his wrist, finally causing some sort of pop. From the sound of it, Isadore would think he was stupid for going there, so he simply shook his head. "Nah, I wouldn't do that," he finally replied, not sure if he was fibbing or not. Was it too soon for him to worry about others? Going in that dress, things couldn't end well for her... unless that was what she was going for, in which case... Yikes. Still attempting to be casual about it, he inquired then, "You think she's ever gone before?"

 

[Trignome]

Hearing the concern in Nick's voice, Isadore shook his head. "You kidding me? Nobody at Sunny Brooks except for-" he paused, briefly. "Except for Cain has been to the 'Hut'." No need to get too chummy with this guy. Watch yourself, Isadore. Sighing, he leaned back into his seat. "In any case, it's not like Jodie is going to end up dying; the perpetrators would get jail time for that."


Thinking a bit, Isadore nodded his head at Nick's worried expression. "You're right to be concerned for your lady-friend, though, since much worse things can happen to her. She's not exactly sharp." He tapped his temple for emphasis.

 

[Pine]

Good, he just called him Cain. If I actually heard him use that stupid nickname... The thought of her being killed hadn't crossed his mind. He could, however, see rape as somewhat inevitable. How naive of her. "Oh, but Isadore, it's so easy to plead insanity," he mocked, tone dripping with sarcasm. There was way too many people who believed that. Nick would rather put his faith in statistics. The boy's jaw tightened, seeing as Isadore could plainly read his unease without him even looking at the other boy. He silently resolved to at least check on her once after school, knowing precisely how he could pass it off as a coincidence... or at least it might be a good enough excuse to fool her. "Sounds about right," he commented vaguely, adjusting the straps on his backpack as a school began to zoom into view. Glancing at his watch, he was amazed at how late they were going to be. He would have to figure out a better strategy to wake up in the mornings, because obviously just waking up whenever didn't work out too well.

 

[Trignome]

Isadore relaxed a bit. It doesn't seem like Nick noticed the glitch. Sorry, Cain, but I'm using your name. The cab pulled up in front of the school, and Isadore climbed out, slinging his knapsack back on his shoulder. Pulling out a 20, he slipped it to the driver. "Keep the change." Walking up the steps and through the front doors, Isadore breathed in deeply and turned to grin at Nick. "Isn't this great? You can practically smell the brains rotting in the classrooms!"

 

[Pine]

Nick gave a quiet, "Thanks," applicable to either the cab driver for driving or Isadore for paying before slipping out of the back seat. He finally relaxed the tension out of his shoulders for the first time since Jodie had followed them out of the orphanage. Now that he was here, he was actually pretty happy with being at school again. After all, it would be a nice break from all the madness from the past two days. Hopefully the teachers had a sense of humor here. He looked back over to Isadore with a quirked eyebrow and tiny grin, tucking his thumbs under the straps of his backpack as he walked into the school after him. "What happened to that education you were talking about so fondly earlier?"


Nick took a quick glance around the building, easily finding the office behind a glass wall. It was definitely bigger than his last school. Opening his palm as a short wave, he turned to head into the office. "See ya' later man." Then turning briefly with an almost wolfish grin, he added, "Don't weird too many people out."

 

[spectro]

Jodie looked at the door of the building. It was red brick and at the occasional point, plants stuck out from between them. She was about to knock when a tall, rugged looking man opened the door. He was thin and a cigarette hung from his fingers. Jodie could practically smell the drunk on him. "Thomas," He called behind him,"One of those kids is here." An even taller man followed behind him. Jodie guessed he was Thomas.


Thomas was giant, he looked like he had either been to the gym every day in his life, or had been taking muscle enhancing steroids. Jodie guessed it was the latter.


"Um...hi. Is Ashley here?" Jodie looked her up and down and she noticed a scar on his left temple. It looked like it had been inflicted by a broken bottle.


"Oh, a friend of Ashley's?" Thomas wrapped his arm around her and pulled her up the step into the 'hut'. "Well, friend of Ashley's, come and sit with my friends." He looked down at her legs and Jodie regretted her outfit choice.


Jodie opened into a room with 3 men in it. They were smoking all kinds of stuff but the smell of marijuana was prominent. One guy was dark skinned and sat with a roll up between his fingers. He looked dazed, as did the other three, who were looking at Jodie with half open eyes.


She suddenly hated that she had trusted Ashley. She wanted to run out, but she had already heard the latch being flicked down.


GET ME OUT OF HERE


She screamed in her head.

 

[Wiggle]

"Of course not, I'd never lie to you, beautiful." He said.


The pillow smacked him in the back of the head and he paused the game and stayed facing the tv, trying to hide his smile.

 

[Rise]

Ava sat there quietly, holding her breath as she watched Ben just sit there, unmoving. He had paused the game and was just staring at the screen. Uh oh...? She bit her lip and wondered if she should start running.

 

[Wiggle]

He couldn't keep the smile contained any longer and a small chuckle escaped from his mouth. With the speed of light, he jumped up and jumped at Ava, landing on the couch beside her.


"Excuse me, darling. But were you hitting on me?" He said with a snarky smile and a wink.

 

[Rise]

Ava's eyes widened as she heard him laughed, and a squeak left her as he landed beside her. What have I done...?





She scooted away from him to the arm rest of the couch chuckling nervously. "Um... no?"

 

[Wiggle]

Ben raises an eyebrow at her and sighs.


"I wasn't mad, I was just messing with you." He said.

 

[Rise]

Ava frowns a little at Ben's sigh and scoots back, closer to him.


"Zombie games make me a little on edge..." She said and gave him a small apologetic smile. "But I guess you have proven yourself that you're not a fool." With that she gave him a kiss on top of his nose. "You never said where, by the way..." Ben never did mention where she should kiss him and she was just fulfilling the bet.

 

[Wiggle]

"You're right, I didn't." He said.


He quickly kissed her on the lips and smiled.

 

[Rise]

Ava blushed as he kissed her quickly. He caught her off guard and she shook her head while scrunching up her face. "So, when's that lawyer coming by?"

 

[Wiggle]

"What was that face for?" He asked.


He leaned back and shrugged and turned to the TV.


"She said she was com-"


There was a knock on the door and Ben laughed.


"I guess that answers it, huh?" He said.


He got up and went to the door, and opened it.


"Benjamin, how are you?" A female voice asked.


"I'm good, Ms. Donaldson." He said. "Come in."


The sound of high heals on wood is heard and the door closes.


"This way." Ben said.


He came back with a beautiful blonde woman, who couldn't have been older than 28. She wore a navy blue dress with red high heels, and had her hair down.


"Ava, Ms. Donaldson, Ms. Donaldson, Ava." Ben said.


Ms. Donaldson held her hand out for Ava to shake.


"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Davis. Benjamin told me all about you, you are as beautiful as he says." She said.


Benjamin turned a beat red and smiled embarrassed.

 

[Rise]

Ava got up as soon as she heard Ben open the door and greet who was probably the lawyer. Her nerves had ran high as soon as the doorbell rang and even more so when she saw that the lawyer was a beautiful woman. Ava put on a small smile and shook her hand when Ben introduced the two.


Her eyes widened and she could feel her face turn several shades darker from what the lawyer said what Ben told her. "I-It's a pleasure to meet you as well..." She said, trying not to mumble, looking away awkwardly.

 

[Wiggle]

She smiled and leaned forward and whispered to Ava.


"Just between us girls, he wouldn't shut up about you. He was so worried about if you were okay, and the only way I got him to shut up was to ask him about you. Which made him talk about you even more." She said. "He's such a gentleman, didn't care a bit about his injuries, only about your well-being."


She winked and straightened up.


"Shall we get down to business?" She asked.


Ben nodded and showed them the way to the study and to the small table that sat inside.

 

[Rise]

Ava nodded, her hand going up to touch her hair, but she forgot it was up, so she just dropped her hand. She followed them to the study and sat down at the table, folding her hands in her lap and staring at a spot on the table.

 

[Wiggle]

Ms. Donaldson set her briefcase down on the table and clicked the locks and opened it, and took out a few of her things, a legal pad, an audio recorder and some papers.


"Okay, first thing on the agenda; your transfer paperwork. Benjamin, Jodie, and Ava, you guys are going to be transferred to another high school. There's a smaller high school on the other side of town, and the bus stop is on the next street over on Saton Avenue. They do have a wrestling team, Benjamin."


She shuffled her paperwork and read through a few.


"Your transfer paperwork was submitted yesterday to both high schools and we expect a response in two to three days. You don't have to worry about going back to get your supplies and belongings, we'll send somebody for them. All you guys have to worry about is not showing up late on your first day."


She looked up and smiled at both Ben and Ava and placed the school paperwork back in her brief case.


"Okay, now comes the part where you guys get involved." She said. "Ava, darling, Ben told me you were a bit shy, but please, don't try to hold back. I'm here for you, I'm your only friend in the legal system. Not the cops, not the judge, and not the defendant or their lawyer. It's only me, and I'm going to do my best to help you. Please after we finish here, do not, and I repeat DO NOT tell anyone else what you've said, and DO NOT change your story. I need everything you saw that day Ben was attacked, any and every detail and even the ones you think aren't important. Okay?"

 

[Rise]

Ava wasn't making eye contact, but she was listening as she wrung her hands underneath the table. She tried not to slouch, but felt herself sinking back into the chair. Ava looked up with her signature deer in the headlights look when Ms. Donaldson spoke to her.


"O-of course..." Ava agreed with everything she said. She looked over to the tape recorder and asked, feeling a bit dumb, "Is that thing on...?"

 

[Wiggle]

"Not yet, I'll turn it on when you start your witness testimony. Don't worry about sounding silly or dumb. It's just for me to take a story of audio notes with, just I case I miss something you've said now, I'll have it on here. It's so I can write a good case against the hoodlums who attacked Ben and the girls who attacked you."


She smiled at her and arranged her pad so it'd be more comfortable.


"Okay, Ava......do you mind if I call you Ava?" She asked. "I want you to start at the very beginning, and include what happened to you at school when you were attacked and all the way to Benjamin getting attacked. Anything and everything you can think of, okay? If we can build a good case, we can put those hoodlums that hurt your boyfriend in prison and those cheerleaders that hurt you with a few assault and battery charges. Okay? Now, if you would, start now."


She clicked her pen and pressed record on the audio recorder, and gave an encouraging smile to Ava.

 

[Rise]

Ava blushed in embarrassment and nodded. She felt like that was all she ever did, turn red and nod her head like a bobble head. She suppressed a sigh.


"No, not at all," she replied, sitting straighter in her seat, preparing to use a louder voice, than her soft spoken one. She stared at the recorder for a moment after Ms. Donaldson pressed the button.


"... I walked to school that day, thinking I was late for school," she started, "Turns out I was early and I went to the corner store for a snack. I sat outside on the sidewalk, just waiting for school to start or for Jodie or Ben to show up. There were three cheerleaders across the street and they were staring at me. They came over, started messing with me..."


Ava stopped and took a breath. Her eyes stung and the healing scrapes on her face started to burn like the day she received them. Her cheek ached as well and she swore she could taste the metallic warm taste of her own blood in her mouth. She swallowed.


"They, um... grabbed me, pushed me against the wall. They took turns. One slapped me, another pushed and rubbed my face against the brick wall, and the other punched me in the stomach. Called me a maggot and that I should learn my place..." She gave a dry laugh and felt her jaw tighten. "... I don't know who they are, just that they're Ashley's friends. They would've done more I bet if a teacher didn't stop them. I was taken to the principal's office and then sent home. Ben came along, I asked him to. When we got here..."


She couldn't speak anymore. She felt her throat constrict and tears overwhelm her eyes. Her nerves were on overdrive, causing her to shake visibly. Her voice broke when she finally spoke, putting a fist to her mouth. "S-sorry, that's all I've got... Sorry..."

 

[Wiggle]

Benjamin looked away as he heard her recount her story, he had no idea that's what happened. It pissed him off, and he felt guilty about it. Ms. Donaldson clicked the recorder off and placed a comforting hand on Ava's.


"It's okay, sweetheart. Take your time to compose yourself, but I need to hear it all, okay? Do it for Ben, I can't help you if you don't tell me what you saw. You were the only major witness besides the cabbie driver, who took off when they started fighting. You're very important to this case, and to Ben. Without you, there is no case, okay? Just finish your story, I'll ask some quick question, if I have any and then it'll be Benjamin's turn. Let's get through this together, alright?"


She gently patted Ava's hand and grabbed the recorder.


"I'm ready when you are."

 

[spectro]

Jodie sat uncomfortably between the two smokers and held her breath best she could. "So, when will Ashley be here?" Jodie asked Thomas, who was sat on the couch in front of her.


"I doubt she's coming today. So, would you like a skin?" Thomas held out a thin piece of paper. She knew what it was for; rolling up cigarettes...


"No thank you..." She shrugged.


"Look kid, Ashley told me that you beat her up." Jodies stomach sank. She knew what was coming next-"But I don't blame you. She's a little brat. I'd do it myself if her Pap wasn't my boss." He chuckled a dry laugh. Jodie smiled.


"Hey, you look tense." He passed her a cup of white coloured liquid. Jodie hesitated. "Don't worry, it's just Caribbean crush. Everyone will be drinking it when you get here." Thomas carried on. Jodie accepted the glass. At least now she knew a little bit about what was going on. She knew that there would be a party here. It must be because I'm early, she thought.


Jodie took a sip, aware of the eyes around her. She instantly became drowsy. Her eyelids became heavy and she felt as if she were floating. The last thing she saw was Thomas grabbing her arm and carrying her.

 

[Pine]

The sound of giggling floated around in the office. "Oh my God, did that really happen?"


"Yeah, true story." Nick settled back into the leather, the old couch attempting to absorb him, more or less.


"You're so funny."


The boy shrugged, a huge grin plastered on his face. I know. Nick looked over at the chair that was in the corner of the office where another boy sat, arms folded and eyebrows knitted. Nick offered an apologetic smile, but it only seemed to intensify his scowl even more. Well, fine. I wasn't sorry anyway. This chick had to be at least an eight, probably a nine. The girl had dark hair that tumbled around her shoulders, but kept it tied up in a pink ribbon. The sleeves of her shirt sat on her shoulders, the collar of which swooped just low enough to hide her cleavage. Fancy script decorating her collar bone, the likes of which he wouldn't have been able to read even if it wasn't half concealed by her shirt. Were tattoos even allowed in this school? For that matter, the shirt wasn't too low-cut? Her jorts looked pretty borderline, too... not that he was complaining. No, quite the contrary. If they could have the office aid, who was currently swaying side to side on a rotating chair behind the desk, could dress like this, the dress code here must be pretty lax. This school year might turn out to be pretty fun, after all.


From one corner of the room, the atmosphere had grown a little more tense with each flirting exchange between the two. Nick had walked in on the boy hitting on her. He must have deluded himself into believing that his efforts would pay off with time. What he didn't realized was how futile it was even before Nick had walked in. It wasn't like the kid was ugly, per se, but... he definitely wasn't good looking enough for a girl of this caliber. His hair was disheveled and his eyes were dark with bags under them. A little too sloppy for her tastes, he imagined. Really, they probably weren't looking for the same thing in a relationship. In a way, I'm doing him a favor. Too bad he won't ever see it like that.


Nick looked back, a charismatic smile lighting his face. "So, what's your name, anyway?"


"Bermuda," she replied with a cute, wry smile. "You?"


He could hear the other boy attempting to suppress a groan, but before he could reply, a man clad in school uniform appeared from out of the hall. "Nicholas Johnson?"


Nick sat up, tapping his forehead with his index finger and brought it down quickly in salute. With a quick wink and smirk, he simply said, "Catch ya' later," before following after the man to his office. Nick had almost perfected the stride required to conceal his limp, only bringing him a little pain with each step. If anything, he just seemed a little too stiff, not wanting to roll his joints too much. Reflecting it with his good leg, it didn't seem so uneven.


He entered the counselor's office, having to weave a little around the multitude of boxes that were strewn across the floor. Instantly upon seating himself in the chair, which acted much like the couch in the front office by trying to suck him in, Nick leaned forward, setting his elbows on his knees. He set off the Newton's cradle balance balls, shook a snow globe that had a tree with presents beneath it and footsteps leading toward it, warmed his hand by closing a hold on the lava lamp, started peeling off random magnets to get a better look at them...


The clicking from the balls cut off, making him look up at the stern face of the counselor, who cleared his throat sharply. "My bad," he half-apologized with a sheepish grin.


The man fell into the seat with a heavy sigh, closing his eyes for a moment as though to gather his bearings. Finally, he began to shuffle around the papers on his desk. "My name is Mr. Maxwell and I will be your counselor."


What, is there more than one counselor here? That was a thing? How big is this school? Nick's thoughts were taken off of this, however, when a hefty stack of papers was dropped in front of him, layered with assorted colors. He ran his thumb over it, glimpsing over way too much black ink for this many papers.


Tapping a slender finger on the top of the stack, Mr. Maxwell explained, "These are the policies of the school. Be sure to read over it-" hell no "-and have your parents or guardian sign here, here, here..."


If the world wasn't so damn sue happy, we wouldn't have to sign all these stupid papers. Thank you, all the greedy pricks in the world. I haven't even seen my 'guardian' since arriving here, how am I going to get all of this done? Nick's nostrils flared a little, heaving a deep sigh from out of them.


"... and here. Now, here is your schedule as it is now."


A purple sheet was slid over his way, and Nick gave a look of dismay. Algebra I? Did I look like a freshman to you? How could they mess everything up so badly?


"If there's anything wrong with your schedule, list off what classes you want to drop and add by their number." Another paper was handing to him. "But for now, just stick with this schedule until we have your other one in the system. This should also be d-"


"Can I turn it in after school?"


"Yes, but I'll only be here for a few minutes."


"Lazy ass," Nick muttered under his breath. Luckily the counselor was too busy checking his watch to attempt reading the boy's lips.


"Third period will be over soon," Mr. Maxwell concluded, placing his arm back on the desk. "After that will be lunch. You might find your class just in time, but you can stay here until the bell rings if you wish."


"Do you think the office aid could help show me to my class?" he inquired, a smile plastered on his face. "This school's pretty big."


Seemingly resisting the urge to roll his eyes and give the boy a 'no it's not' look, he just gave a dismissive wave and said, "If she isn't busy."


Score. "Thanks a bunch." Old man. Without another word, Nick exited the office.