I'll Follow You Anywhere

The Lawyer's delinquent son

I sat in the principal's office, somewhere I was used to, but this wasn't like my other schools. My mum stood outside speaking with the principal before they walked in.

'Mrs. McAdams, from your son's transcript I really don't think this school will be a good fit for him.' His smile was what stirred the annoyance within me, who rejects someone whilst they smile? Jackass.

'Principal Stark, I understand that John's history looks bad, but we just need a strong school, something with tight structure that will help him develop into a respectable young man.' Ah, the usual speech mum gave in order to get a school to take me on.

'Mrs. McAdams, Principal Ryan from Johnathan's last school called me, he informed me that was how you managed to get him into his last school. And that tactic won't work on me.' Principal Ryan was a pervy old bastard. My mum sighed and the lawyer was brought out in her. There was a change in her, like a draft blew in and she straightened ever so slightly.

'Principal Stark, you are our last hope, Johnathan has been misbehaving ever since his fathers passing two years ago.' I flinched and looked away. She'd never used this tactic before... 'I need someone, anyone's help. I need to get him into a good school and you're our last hope. Please.' Pathetic. But it made him bite the bullet.

'I will accept Johnathan on a probationary period, it comes with conditions and they will be strict. If he can meet them and gets in absolutely no trouble then he can stay. But Mrs. McAdams, one slip up and he will not be accepted here. Am I clear.' My mother smiled brightly. She's accomplished her task, never mind what I might have actually wanted.

'Of course principal Stark! Please, You have my utmost gratitude. I promise, John will be on his best behaviour.' I promise otherwise.

'Alright.' It really pisses me off that they're talking about me like I'm not even here.

'Johnathan.' My head snapped up to the principal. 'I hope that you will also try your hardest.' His eyes were stunning, had me glued to my spot, all I could do was nod and even that was a minor struggle. He smiled and nodded back at me. Jackass.

My mum signed some papers and we walked out of the school, it was a Sunday before the first school day of the year, my mum had to call ahead and organise a meeting with Stark even just to consider me for this prep school. None of the public schools in the area would even touch me so mum was forced to seek out private education.

'Johnathan, are you listening to me?' She asked as we got in the car. I had definitely not been listening. I always used to find it amusing that people ask questions like that when they know the answer already.

'Yes.' I said quietly as I looked out the window as we pulled away from the school, it was old, like English style on the outside but relatively new on the insides. Ha, kind of like the Tardis I guess.

'You can not mess this probation up, this is the last school before your step father cracks it and sends you to military school.' Ah, not even five minutes before she mentions Dick. I sighed out and continued to look out the window. 'I mean it John, this is your last chance. You heard principal Stark, one slip and you're out, the military schools are not lenient, you will get in a lot of trouble if you pull the stunts you have in the last schools.'

'Come on, you have to admit, filling the gym at Westmount with jelly balls was the coolest thing you've ever seen.' She looked at me with a warning stare. 'Dad would have laughed at least.' I muttered looking out the window again. She staid silent after that.

My dad was in the army, a marine. He got deployed just under two years ago for his forth tour and was killed in action. My mum remarried Dick a year later. Dick was rich, or well, mum puts it as well off, but he had a fair amount of cash. That's not why my mum married him, she did fine on her own, I know she loves him or whatever but... Whatever. We pulled into the driveway, after my last stunt we moved, but all the schools had heard about my behaviour and thus my mothers begging to get me into Oakchester Private College. The house we lived in now was big, and fancy and nothing like the house dad had bought when he asked mum to marry him. He was in the army for a while before he met mum, he used to just be a bachelor but he met mum at my aunts wedding, dad was the best man, mum the maid of honour so on so fourth, sixteen years of marriage, eighteen now but well technically it's almost her first year anniversary with Dick.

I didn't like the new house, I hated how shiny and privileged it looked, how it made me look. I never asked for anything from Dick, most of the time I just avoided him, he was pretty busy most of the time anyway so we didn't see much of each other. Mum however was working from home until we settled into the new house, which was her excuse, really she just didn't want me running off or doing anything stupid. Nothing I did ever hurt anyone, not physically anyway, it was mostly just funny pranks that made other people laugh, except the school board and my mother. Dad would have laughed though, then he would have told me off for being an idiot and given me a speech about how it wasn't fair to make other people clean that kind of thing up. Then he would make me do it by myself and he would deny anyone who tried to help. Mum didn't do that and Dick wasn't really sure how to help her. I shook my head and followed my mum inside, I went straight to my room. I closed the door and laid on the bed just watching the ceiling. Sometimes if I stare at something for too long it gets fuzzy and I feel like I'm leaving earth and going to some foreign planet.

'John, I hope you're not playing on your computer, you know you're banned-' She stopped when she walked in and looked at me from the doorway. I didn't often play on the computer anyway. 'Oh,' She mumbled before looking around the room, it was pristine, I didn't like things out of place, it was kind of funny seeing as all my pranks and stunts usually left things in all sorts of messes.

'Did you want something?' I asked looking back up at the ceiling. She was quiet for a long time, I knew she was still there because I could see her out of the corner of my eye.

'Rick is going to be home for dinner tonight, I thought we could all go out to dinner and talk about things.' I took a deep breath and let it out.

'What am I supposed to talk about with Dick?'

'John please don't call him that, it's Rick or Richard.' I groaned out and sat up looking at her with a board expression.

'Fine, what do you want me to talk to Richard about then? We have nothing in common.'

'You don't know that, if you made an effort to actually talk to him you might find you like him.'

'Wanna bet?' Her expression went from annoyed to pissed.

'Don't you dare take that attitude with me, I am your mother and you will make a damn effort.' I shook my head and closed my eyes, my head hurt a lot today.

'Can you just go away please.' I said before laying back and rolling to face the wall.

'We are going to dinner and you are going to make an effort to be a part of this family Johnathan.' With that she slammed my door and walked away.

'I don't want to be part of this family.' I muttered before closing my eyes, hoping to maybe get rid of this headache.