I looked at Jasper who was playing with his fingers "So Jasp tell me about yourself?" he sighs before looking up at me
"Well, it all started 17 years ago when my mother gave birth to me in a small town where no one leaves but everyone wants too...." he looks at me and smiles
"Far enough for you?" I reach over and slap at his leg
"Hey!" he cries out
"You don't have to go back that far. I just want to know about you – Mr Jasper Rogers the mysterious guy who finds bullying boys to help out a girl he didn't know?" he leans back on the pole and thinks for a moment
"Okay so basically, it's my mum and I. We come from a small place but my dad, mum's ex-boyfriend used to beat us up all the time. He drank and was involved in illegal drugs. …. anyway one day after I'd been caught for shoplifting he gave me a pretty bad beating and mum had, had enough. That night while he slept she packed our things and we left. That was 2 years ago, we've been running ever since" he shrugs as if it's nothing
"Wow, I thought losing my Mum was bad put that some fucked up shit" he laughs at my words and then we both laugh.
Just as it quieten downs the bus pulls up out the front of the house. I jump to my feet and rush out to meet my little sister as she gets off the bus "Brooky, you would not believe what happened today at school!" she blurts out
"What?" I ask.
I quickly wave to the driver as he pulls out and away from our house "Well you know Joanna and Stacey well that weird boy who always stares at us came over and asked Stacey out and then Stacey freaked out on him and he ran off crying, Stacey got into trouble for being mean and ..." she stops mid-sentence when she sees Jasper sitting on the steps to our house
"Who's that?" she whispers to me.
I laugh "This is Jasper, Jasper please meet my sister Emily" he gets up and kisses her hand and she giggles like most of the other girls would
"Hey, Jasper" he says to her
"Emily, Brooks younger sister" she eyes him before looking at me with a smile on her face
"I've got homework. Can you help?"
"Sure"
"So anyway Stacey got in trouble for upsetting this boy. It wasn't her fault she didn't like him right?"
"Right" i said and she continued to go on
"So in the end Stacey had to do a detention after school. I think it's unfair?"
"So do I now go do your homework and let Stacey's parents deal with it?"
"Okay!" she strained the words out.
We walk inside with Jasper right behind us "Can I help?" he asks and she laughs
"Sure"
"I'll get snacks and drinks" i say rushing to the kitchen.
After I'd gotten what I needed I walked into the living room to find Jasper huddled over Emily's home on the coffee table "Do you understand it?" I ask and he looks up and nods, placing the pen slightly to his lips and tapping it.
I sit down and place the food on the other side of the table before sitting down with them. I look over his shoulder and read the question before I start helping out. I watch as Emily digs into the food and drink on the table "Oi, you need to see what we're doing so you can do it!" I almost yell at her as she sits on her phone playing or texting someone
"Okay" she whines and comes over.
Jasper and I work it out and write down the method before showing Emily how to do it. She seemed to get it straight away, before long her Maths, English and Science is all done "Can I watch TV now?" she whines at me and I laugh
"Sure, I've got homework of my own to do. I’ll be in the kitchen?"
"With Jasper?" she asks
"Yeah why?"
"Oh nothing...bye" Jasper and I walk into the kitchen and he looks at me
"Your sisters pretty cool!"
"Thanks, she wasn't always this mellow. The drugs they had her on used to make her hyperactive but now they keep her calm"
"Oh" was all he said as I grabbed my bag and placed it beside my foot, opening it to get out my homework.
I look at Jasper "Do you have any homework?"
"Yeah but I’ll do it later?"
"Why we can work on it together?" he sighs deeply
"Fine" he gets his bags and pulls out his books and spreads them on the table across from mine.
It looks like he has way more than me but I'm happy to help.
