It's Called Surviving

Chapter 3: His arrival. Our departure.

One Year Later

Today is the day. Moms going to tell me if Jack can live with us. He's been with Nana and Papa this whole time and I've only seen him on the weekends. During my limited time at my grandparents house, Jack and I bonded. A lot. Every Sunday, after Nana had dropped me off at home, I would go to my room and cry. Not only because I had to leave my best and only friend, but because I had to face the horrors of my every day life the next morning.
School was always a drag. I got okay-ish grades that never impressed anyone, but didn't disappoint anyone either. However, Hyde seemed to feed and grow off of my despair. So, he dedicated his every waking moment to making me miserable, and it worked. Every morning as I got onto the bus, Hyde would have some stupid insult prepared to unleash on me. If I tried to get off the bus before him when we got to school, I would be shoved back into my seat. At breakfast, he would take either my drink or food, and sometimes wouldn't even eat it, he would just throw it away. Anytime he saw me in the hall, it was a shove against the lockers, or tripped, or knocked down. Anything he could do to make me embarrassed, sad, angry, or depressed, he did it. I've sought out help from my teachers and guidance counselor, but they just tell me to stop 'reacting' to what he does. And it's days like those that I wish my Dad was still alive, I mean I miss him every day, but I told him I was bullied by the kids at school. The very next day, he drove me to school and threatened to sue the school for emotional distress and assult. The administration flipped out and created a whole anti-bullying campaign with assemblies for the whole school. Which cleared things up for a while, until he passed and people started skipping the assemblies.

Anyways, today is a snow day, and I had been working my butt off cleaning every inch of the house as I had done for two weeks in a row now. I swept the last of the kitchen floor and had only gotten a few stray hairs up. There was not a speck of dirt anywhere in the house.
"Mom, I'm finished. Two whole weeks of cleaning. Jack can come now right?" I silently prayed as I awaited her answer. Brian was currently at work and would be home within the hour. Brian knew nothing about Jack coming to live with us. I begged mom not to tell him, because I knew he wouldn't allow it.
"Hmmm." Mom walked around the house, trying to find something else for me to do, and failing. She looked at me and I gave her the most pleading and pitiful look I could muster.
"I guess so." She said with a sigh. "But, you must take care of him, and make sure the house stays clean."
I ran to her giving her a quick hug "Thank you! Thank you!" Then rushed off to the phone, giddy with excitement. It took three tries to get Papa's phone number right, I was shaking with excitement.
Ring....
Ring....
Rin-
"Hello?"
"Papa! Jack! Bring Jack, mama said yes!" I stumbled over the words, trying to get them all out at once.
He chuckled "Alright, let me get his things and we will be on our way."
I hung the phone up and rushed to my room, I slid useless stuff into my closet to make room for Jack's cage. He may only be a year old, but he is huge! When Nana and I took him to the vet, everyone complimented his beauty, and awed in his size. As a pup, his feet were big, which made him clumsy. Always tripping over his toys, dumping out his water, and spilling his food, made him a troublesome dog. Now, he's 80 pounds, however he's not fat. Actually, if he turns just right, you can see his ribs and it compels me to feed him more, but he's such an active dog, and if he eats too much he will just throw up.
~One hour later~
I spot Papa's red truck moseying down the driveway. This is what I've been waiting for for the past year. What I've worked for. What I've needed.
I can spot Jack in the passenger seat looking about. I bound out the front door, not bothering with shoes, but regretting it. The deck has a thin layer of ice on it and I slip, falling on my butt. I won't let it stop me.
Carefully, I make my way across the deck as Papa parks. He gets out and walk around the truck, opening Jack's door. Jack leaps out and spots me, then takes off the the bottom of the stairs where I wait. He runs into me and I fall on my butt, again.
"Hey buddy!" I pet him all over as he licks my cheeks. Papa unloads all his stuff as I manage to get off the frozen ground.
"Thanks for bringing him papa." I helped him unload Jacks things and brought them inside. Jack ran in the house behind me sniffing everything, including mom. She wouldn't pet him though, only smiled at him. Papa said goodbye, complimented the cleanliness of the house and left, leaving me to stuff jack and his belongings into my room.
"Jack!" I called him into my room and shut the door behind him. He was still smelling everything, so I sat down on the floor.
"Welcome home buddy."I rubbed his back then kissed the top of his head before pushing his cage to the side of my bed, which he would stay in while I'm at school. Putting his bowls by my closet door, and getting a basket for his toys, even though he only played with his frisbee. I went to the Lenin closet and grabbed 4 towels to put in his cage. I also made a mental note to buy him a dog bed.
Surprisingly Jack doesn't chew up anything anymore. Especially not his frisbee.
I sat on my bed and patted the mattress for Jack to jump beside me. I laid there a while, not believing that my best friend was actually here beside me. 

~3 weeks later~

It's a bitter cold Thursday evening and I just got home from school. The snow was almost all the way melted, but not quite, leaving small patches scattered all around the yard.
I stepped off the bus into my driveway and an uneasy feeling filled my stomach. The bus pulled off as I looked over my shoulder, trying to determine the cause of this feeling. The school lunches were known for their mysterious ingredients, so maybe that's why. I shrugged it off and made my first task to visit the bathroom once I got inside.
I got to the door and opened it, welcoming the heated air, but I frowned. I was normally greeted by Jack bounding around my legs and jumping on me. Is he asleep? Normally he's waiting for me. As I take off my shoes and extra layers I notice mom sitting on the sofa.
"Mom, where's Jack?"
"That damn dog!" Bryan rounds the corner and bumps into me.
I lower my brow.
"What did you do him?!" I rush into my room to find Jack huddled into the corner, whimpering. Oh god, what did they do to him?!
"Jack!" I drop to my knees by his side and hold his head so he's looking at me. I notice and small gash above his right eye, that's now scabbed up, but there is dried blood in his surrounding fur.
Instantly, my hatred for Bryan soared to a new level. How dare he hit my dog, my best friend, I assumed it was him from his previous outburst. I checked for other wounds and found none, comforted him, then prepared myself to do something I've always wanted to do.
I slammed my door and locked it, then emptied my school bag. I stuffed 5 long sleeve shirts in, 4 pairs of jeans, 4 underpants, 6 pairs of my thickest socks, my gloves, stocking cap, and 2 small sweatshirts in and zipped it up. Mom knocked at the door.
"Drake, honey, open the door."
"..."
"Drake!"
I glanced at jack and the look on his face gave me all the strength I needed to answer her.
"I'm done... I'm done putting up with all this! I didn't deserve this!" I got louder with each word as tears started to slip out of my eyes. But I couldn't cry, I had to be strong, like dad said. I remembered his words.
"After I'm gone, you'll have to be strong by yourself. Don't let them see you cry drake."
I wiped my eyes and grabbed my bug out bag (BOB). I had modified it so I could hold Jack's things too, minus the cage. I had a big Ziploc bag of dog food in there along with a collapsible bowl, and his leash. I looked around my room for anything else I would need and grabbed my wallet which had all my birthday money saved in it totalling to around 130 dollars.
Then I spotted a picture of Dad, which I took and put into my bag as well. I had just enough room for an extra blanket and packed that too. I changed clothes, putting on my long Johns, a longsleeve, and my heaviest jeans. Then pulled on my socks and pulled my boots out of the closet, lacing them up. I put on my hoodie and big windbreaker before strapping on my BOB and clothes bag.
"Jack, it's time to go buddy. Come on."
I didn't know what happened that made Brian hit him, but I don't care. I'm done.
I'm running away. We are running away.