New Boy (A Javid Story)

Stories

(TW: mentions of abuse, murder, and being abandoned. Also, happiness at the end.)

Two days after he told Race and Crutchie, Jack told the rest of the boys about his breakup with Katherine. All of them were disappointed to hear the news, even Davey. Sure, part of him was kind of happy about it, since that would mean he now ad a chance with Jack, but most of him was upset. Jack and Katherine were both his friends. It hurt him to know they broke up. So, during creative writing he told Katherine he was sorry to hear the news and he caught up with Jack after school. 

"Hey, Jack, I'm really sorry to hear about you and Katherine." He apologized as the two walked towards Jack's bus. Technically, Davey walked home, but he didn't want to slow Jack down. 

"Ah it's fine. We is still friends, after all." He shook his head. "I just felt bad tellin' Crutchie." 

"Why just Crutchie?" Davey asked carefully. 

"He don't exactly trust relationships that much." Jack kicked a pebble. "It's all his dad's fault." 

"Can I ask what his dad did?" Davey asked even more carefully. 

"You don't know?" Jack looked up at him. 

"No." Davey shook his head. 

"I'll tell ya tonight. We oughta study for English anyways." Jack decided. "Just swing by Medda's theater tonight 'round four. If ya can't see me I is probably up on the catwalk." 

"Good to know." Davey nodded as Jack boarded the bus. At four o'clock that afternoon, Davey walked through the door to Medda's theater with his English books. Sure enough, Jack was up on the catwalk, swinging his legs as he seemed to be playing games on his phone. Davey smiled, looking at him for a bit. Seeing Jack doing something so small and seeming so relaxed made Davey's heart beat a little faster. It was a bit strange to see Jack sitting so calmly, but he liked it. Eventually, Davey realized he had probably been staring far too long and that he was lucky Jack hadn't said anything. "Hey, Jackie!" He waved up to the other boy, smiling. 

"Ay, Dave, you came! The ladder to up here is backstage. It's behind the kitchen sink!" Jack advised. 

"Got it." Davey nodded, going backstage and, sure enough, finding the prop for the kitchen sink. He climbed up and walked over, sitting next to Jack. "Hey." Davey grinned, letting his legs swing a little. 

"Hey." Jack smiled in return, leaning back on his hands. 

"So, you wanna study?" Davey pulled one of his books into his lap. 

"No, I owe you an explanation 'bout Crutch, don't I?" Jack asked, moving the book to the side. "We can study after, but I'd rather tell you now." 

"Well, then, go ahead." Davey nodded. 

Jack took a deep breath and started. "Crutchie is only a couple of months younger than me, but Miss. Medda took him in about five years after me. I was taken in when I was two months old, Crutchie was brought in just shy of his fifth birthday. First thing I ever heard of him was Miss. Medda tellin' me he had been through a lot and that he had gotten some injuries because of it. I remember assumin' it was a couple of scars or bruises. It was so much worse." He shook his head. "His father just wasn't a good person. He got mad at Crutchie once when he was about three. He beat him real bad. Messed up his leg permanently. Now he's got the crutch, and the doctors don't think it'll be healing anytime soon. Not that it would after almost thirteen years, but still." Davey nodded, listening intently. "Then, when Crutchie was four, his father went ballistic on his mother. And he ended up killin' her. Cops got him two months later, and Crutchie was sent to Miss Medda. I been with him ever since. His father's abuse towards him and his mother, well, it messed up his view of relationships almost as bad as his leg. He got scared when Kath and I started datin', and just as scared when Race and Spot got together. He was so young when it all happened and he still ain't past it today." Jack shook his head. "Yet he's still the sweetest person I know." 

"That's absolutely awful." Davey whispered in almost disbelief. 

"Why do ya think I'm so protective? I don't want anythin' else to happen to him." Jack crossed his arms. "He's my brother. If anythin' happened to him, I dunno what I'd do." He shook his head. The two sat in silence for a minute until Davey spoke up again. 

"What about you, Jack Kelly? What's your story?" He asked. 

"There ain't much to tell." Jack shrugged. "When I was an infant, my parents decided they couldn't handle havin' a kid. So, they left me on Miss Medda's doorstep. My biological mother had been her roommate in college, and they trusted her. Miss. Medda hasn't seen her since. When I was little, we used to get cards from them at Christmas and a few times I got birthday presents from them, but we haven't had contact in years. At least, I hasn't. And I don't need to. If they didn't want me, I don't want them. Besides, I has Crutchie and Miss Medda. Plus I has the best group of friends in the world. Who needs folks?" Jack laughed a little. 

"Then how come you don't call Medda mom?" Davey asked. 

"What do you mean?" Jack scoffed. 

"Well, she tells you to call her mom. Crutchie calls her mom. Why don't you?" He asked again. It took Jack a minute to answer. 

"I...I don't really know." He shrugged. "I just never have." They sat in silence for another minute before Jack spoke up. "You wanna study now?" He offered. 

"Yeah." Davey pulled the book back into his lap. As the two attempted at studying for English, Davey couldn't help but sneak a few glances at the boy next to him. Somehow, hearing Jack talk about his life and Crutchie made him fall for him even more. He found he was doing that every day now. Still, the two did more laughing than studying and by the time Davey left, the smile on his face seemed to stick there. 

After Davey had left, however, Jack made his way back upstairs. He shoved his hands in his pockets, watching as Medda typed away on her laptop. 

"Hey, mom, whatcha workin' on?" He asked carefully, a small smile on his lips. He watched as Medda looked up at him and as her eyes started to water. 

"Did, did you just...?" She couldn't seem to finish the sentence. 

"Yeah." Jack nodded as Medda wrapped him up in a huge bear hug. 

"I love you, you know that, right?" She asked. 

"Yeah, mom, I love you too." Jack smiled, hugging Medda tightly. Maybe having Davey over had it's benefits.