Where are you, brother?

Bike ride

Justin was just starting to get accustomed to life with the Jensons. At first, it was a lot to handle, finally having someone who cared where he was. If he was okay. Two months had passed since he had been adopted but he still couldn't quite believe it. It all seemed very temporary to him, like one day he would wake up in that same old damp apartment to the sound of Seth yelling at his mother in another room. He wondered if that feeling would ever subside. But for now, at least, he was safe in his new bedroom next door to Clay.

"Justin, get up! We're going to be late"
Groaning, Justin rolled out of bed as Clay came into his room rubbing his eyes "we overslept, School starts in like thirty minutes."

"Mmmhm" he mumbled in response, lazily pulling on the closest pair of jeans from the swamp of clothes on his floor. Justin hadn't cared much about his clothing choices since living on the streets, it seemed like such a trivial thing to worry about. Besides, girls seemed to be into his new carefree style. Mrs Jenson, on the other hand, wasn't so keen on his mismatched and wrinkled outfits and would often encourage him to change.

"You're really going to wear that shirt?" Clay interrupted his train of thought. Looking down, Justin discovered he'd thrown on a shirt from when he was homeless with a large tear down the side.

"Your standards are too high" he teased back, swapping for a baggy grey shirt instead and posing sarcastically "better?"

"Much," He nodded, swiftly leaving the room to get himself ready. Ten minutes passed and then it was time to leave. Breakfast wasn't an option if they were going to arrive in time for the 1st period, so they settled for stealing some toast for the journey off of the table and downing it on the way to the garage.

"Have a good day boys" Mrs Jenson Called from the kitchen as they bolted towards the door "love you."

"Love you too" Clay called back casually just like he always did. Justin just smiled and waved politely, he wasn't quite ready for that word yet.

The boys hopped onto their bikes. Justin had claimed Clay's old bike. There was a small amount of rust on it but that hardly bothered him. He was grateful for everything this family had provided him and he wasn't about to complain about a bike that wasn't perfect. They could drive to school, but they enjoyed racing each other so the bikes were usually the best option.

"Ready, go!" Justin called out and they both pedalled quickly out of the driveway. A year ago, Justin could have easily beaten Clay but he'd lost a lot of weight since then. A lot changed in that year. Now they pretty were well matched, but today Clay had the upper hand. Thanks to an unexpected pothole, Justin was now trailing a few meters behind his adopted brother. 

They were approaching a hill and Justin saw his opportunity to catch up. He swerved closer to the curb, looking to take the inside route around the corner and steal the lead. He managed to gain some ground but Clay caught wind of his plan and cut him off. Just as he watched Clay disappear around the corner, a loud screeching sound caught him off guard.

Distracted, Justin eased on the brakes and glanced in the direction of the noise. Before he could process what was going on his bike was pinned between the wall and a car. Panic started to replace confusion as he tried to escape the vice. His leg was caught in the mess of the crash and he wasn't able to move very much. Adrenalin was an effective painkiller, but the sight of blood let him know he'd be in agony before long. The sound of the car door swinging open violently caught his attention next. A familiar face smirked down at him, apparently finding joy in the struggle on Justin's face. 

Seth.  

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Hope you liked the first chapter. Chapter 2 is from Clay's perspective and I think I'll keep switching between them. I'm aiming for one illustration per chapter and I have the next one ready to post. I really hope someone actually reads this fic haha I've never posted one before.