A Little Rain and Some Sunshine

Loner

Ray had asked about the party and Jackson just grunted. Ray was turning to leave his room. 

"It's too bad you know...I thought you'd be able to get closer to her." Ray said devilishly.

"Me and her, close? No, no, no I am afraid not." Jackson said as he was being turned 180 degrees around coming off of his simulator. 

"Why not even try to get close to your enemies and try to learn something from them? Who knows...maybe it'll help you in the long run?" Ray suggested something that Jackson wasn't down for. He couldn't stand being in that girl's presence. He had to make it known to her that he was the top dog and it bothered him. Usually he never had to go out of his way like that, everyone knew he was the champion in the room. Ray just shook his hood before leaving. Ray didn't care about her either but he always looked for any chance he could get to make Jackson win. Ray wasn't as nice as he came off as. Maybe even more manipulative than Jackson Storm. 

Jackson had decided to turn in for the night. He dreamed of her beating him over and over again in a race and he had kept waking up with anxiety. Was that it? Was he really this worried about her beating him? No he really shouldn't have. He had the confidence that she lacked. He had dignity. She was just a peasant. A puny little pest that needed to be exterminated.  He then thought about why anyone would like her. She had made friends so fast and here he was racing long before her and...He never had any true friends. In fact, he didn't even try to make friends with anyone because that was all basically pointless. You never make friends you work with, that would just screw a lot up. Before he knew it he fell back asleep. 

"Jackson? What happened?" 

The young car looked away from his older caregiver with tears filling up his eyes. He wouldn't look at her because he felt so ashamed. 

"Sweetie are those boys still picking on you?"

"No!" Jackson yelled out still not making eye contact with her.

The sweet old car smiled at him. She got a cloth to wipe away the marker on his face. The other boys in his class had him up against a wall and decided to draw on his face with permanent red marker. They drew a clown face over his and wrote in big words on his hood "LOSER". Jackson was just relieved his mother didn't see him like this. Ms. Hotch just gently wiped all the marks off his face. 

"There." She said as she finished. 

He looked at himself in the mirror and almost hated how he looked. 

"I'm such a weakling." He said.

Ms. Hotch chuckled. 

"No Jacky I don't think you are. I think you're a strong young man." 

Jackson looked at her raising one of his eyeshades.

"How? I have everything I've ever wanted. I'm even richer than the other kids at school. I take a beating from them every single day. They tell me I don't belong." 

"Because you have it rougher than what anyone thinks and you still keep true to yourself."

Jackson looked at her in the eye.

"What do you mean?"

"You hide a lot Jackson. You come off as a tough guy but...I know that's just a defense mechanism that you use." She said sternly. 

Jackson woke up once again. He really hated his past and tried to push it as far away as possible but it always seemed to come back to haunt him. Even if some parts of his childhood were good he still hated them. He drove off to his training room.

"Well if I can't sleep then I better not waste time." He said before starting his self trainings.