Work Text:
It Isn’t Fair
It was supposed to be exciting especially after having to go to summer school just to pass the eighth grade for Zachary Martin. To start high school and be one step closer to being done with school. He knew he wasn’t as smart as his twin despite being born ten minutes earlier than Cody. The only perk of being at the school was sports. He had tried out for every sport possible while in middle school and he didn’t see a reason for that to change now.
It was one of the things that made him and his twin brother different. He had always been good at sports, it felt like the only thing he was good at really. Besides being a menace towards his teachers. At least it prevented them from calling on him in class. He was no goody-two shoes like his brother. He might share the blonde hair like his twin. And it did annoy him when people refused to call him by his name.
He might be a twin but that didn’t he liked to be referred as one of the twins. He had a name for a reason. Cody had been more excited about the clubs that had been posted. He didn’t care about no Chess or Robot Club that this school had. He was more interested in the Basketball and Football team. At least it would keep him from dropping out of school if he had that to distract him. Something he was sure that Cody was positive would happen. He wouldn’t doubt if his brother tried to sign up for every club possible as long it had nothing to do with sports. It wasn’t like it wasn’t a hidden secret that he didn’t have a talent for sports in his body.
But even he couldn’t help flirting with one of the girls that his green eyes saw first. She was a pretty brunette and didn’t allow her declines to affect him. She was only a year older than him. So, he didn’t see the big deal of her being a Sophomore was. What he hadn’t been informed of that she already had a boyfriend, a fact that might have been useful to know beforehand.
It would be the first thing that would place him to be on the bad side of the principal. For once, it would be something that was out of his control. Usually he would get sent to their office and not by the principal themselves. It was usually by the teachers when they would have enough of his antics in their class. Not his fault that he found the classes that boring. Maybe if he could actually understand what they were talking about in his math class…
Zack knew they would call his mom and she would have to come down to the school. His mom would not be impressed by the new record set by him, detention on his first day of school.
Normally, he wouldn’t fight whenever he got detention… but for once… it wasn’t his fault. And last time, it had been when the teacher thought he was lying. At least he was able to maneuver out of that detention. The fact shouldn’t really have mattered given how much he was in detention, but it had. Mostly because he had managed to do something that normally was something that his younger twin was capable of. Expected really. It wasn’t expected of him.
Something not even his own twin had understood. It wasn’t like Cody would ever understand. He had never been in detention in his life. Too much of a goody-two shoes for that.
Zack couldn’t help the bitter thoughts. He lost count how many times his mom asked him why couldn’t he be more like Cody… It was always something he had become sensitive about. It wasn’t his fault that school was hard for him and gave up trying. It wasn’t like it would matter anyways. Sure he managed to get an A in Woodshop and excelled in the advanced class for Woodshop. He had never been invited to join an advance class before, that had always been more of Cody than him. But what was he going to do with that?
His mood soured even more when it sunk in that the girl he had been flirting with was taken. By an older classmate named Vance, that was probably a Junior or Senior. Even there was lines he wouldn’t cross. But it still landed him being picked up by the color of his shirt and he heard the rip of the fabric before hands shoved him deep into a trashcan. It wasn’t going to be easy trying to get out as his feet were no longer touching the ground.
This was probably the most humiliated he had felt in his life. The entire hall had surrounded him in laughter. He couldn’t even feel grateful for Nia being there. She was the niece of Mr. Moseby, the manager of the Tipton Hotel. The same hotel that his mom worked as a singer. He had been living there with his twin brother, Cody and his mom for a few years now in Suite 2330. There wasn’t even a hint of amusement as Vance’s face was dunked into blue paint. That had been after Nia had kneed Vance in the balls before shoving his face into the paint.
He should have been able to defend himself and not let someone else do it for him. He was supposed to be the older brother… Yet he could still hear the laughs as he fought to get out of the trashcan. Yet not a single person helped him. But he still got the detention.
Detention… for being placed in a trashcan…
It was completely unfair. He was just happy that his brother didn’t see it. He wasn’t sure if he could handle the mocking for that one. He couldn’t even properly explain himself to his own mother. He hadn’t been able to get the explanation out before she jumped to conclusions. Evidently, she had been told that he had gotten into a fight.
If that was the case, he was missing the bruise on his cheek for it. No, the only reminder he had was the trash that was slowly seeping into his boxers and through his jeans. It was starting to be mildly uncomfortable. He never got into fights unless it was about his brother. He was the older brother and it was expected for him to protect him. It wouldn’t be the first time that he had caught someone bullying Cody and would step in. Nobody messed with his brother except for him.
He ignored the argument when Mr. Moseby had showed up around the same time because his niece, Nia, had also received a detention. But at least he could say she was in a fight. And won. The principal didn’t seem as amused when his mom and Mr. Moseby started an argument over them.
It just made his mood even worse. And now he was not only going to be punished by getting detention but grounded for something he didn’t even do.
Great…
Since was it fair for those being bullied to get punished for just being there… he didn’t even throw a punch. Now, he wished he had because at least he would have deserved the detention. Maybe he could have given Vance a black eye. Least he would have deserved it. But he knew his brother would eventually find out. If not from the school but by their mother. It wouldn’t be something he could keep secret, no matter how much he wanted to. It was still humiliating to think about.
But perhaps he might have judged his own twin a bit too harshly. Even if his clothes still smelled from the trashcan. He wanted a shower, if anything so he didn’t feel something sliding into his boxers. It was getting a bit much even for him. It was usually their mom that had to convince him to even take a shower.
“You smell…” Cody wrinkled his nose.
“Don’t remind me…” Zack grumbled.
“I heard…” Cody fidgeted in place.
Zack avoided looking at his twin brother, waiting…
“Going to mock me for it now… even I couldn’t defend himself…” Zack laughed sarcastically.
“What!? No! I just wanted to see if you were okay,” Cody rebutted.
“Why?” Zack was suspicious.
“You don’t get into fights. Unless it’s over me… And… because… I remember when they had you hung up during summer school. I wouldn’t do that. Would you have done that to me?” Cody asked.
Zack’s lips twitched, “after calling you a wimp? Probably would have gone after them for daring to mess with my baby brother.”
Cody frowned, “I’m not a baby. You’re only older by ten minutes.”
“Still makes you the baby brother,” Zack told him before wrapping an arm around him.
“Eww!! Zack! You smell!” Cody tried to squirm out of his brother’s hold.
Zack refused to let his brother escape for a minute or so before letting his brother escape his hold. He really wanted that shower right about now. And get rid of the clothes he was wearing. He just hoped that Cody could get the smell out. He really did like that shirt and jeans. Even if his socks probably haven’t been washed in months. Something Cody frequently told him about.
He didn’t care if their mom had believed him at that moment. His younger twin had and it was all he needed. That didn’t change that their mom was soon at their door.
“So… you weren’t in a fight today, Zack?” Carey Martin asked her son.
“I was stuffed into a trashcan!? How could I?” Zack was annoyed. “Shouldn’t be surprised that this stupid school punished those that get bullied. So, no. I was the one they wanted to hit. Now, if you don’t mind. I still feel trash in my boxers.”
Cody looked at his mom, who looked to be shocked.
“Even Zack isn’t invincible, mom. Sometimes he has been the better brother and protecting me. Think I’m going to grab some gloves because I am not touching those clothes!” Cody vowed.
There was a guilty look that crossed over Carey’s face as she stared at the shut door of the bathroom that her two boys shared. She had noticed the way her eldest son wouldn’t quite look at her. But she hadn’t known the reason why he had been in all those fights over the years. She lost count how many times she had told Zack to treat his brother better.
Cody was the younger of the two and seemed he was being more of the parent than she was. It wasn’t like it wasn’t a known fact that she was bad at cooking and cleaning. Her youngest son tended to take over that.
It was enough to tell the difference when her eldest son wasn’t coated in the stench of trash. But she wrapped her arms around her son. She could feel Zack tensing up before clutching at her just as strong as her grip was. She placed a kiss on the top of his head, it was still wet from the shower.
“I’ll speak to Principal Militich about your detention. How about we go out tonight?” Carey offered. "And I'm sorry for not believing you."
“Sure, mom,” Zack replied, feeling lighter than that morning. Whatever he was expecting it wasn’t this… He knew Cody had said something and for once, he was glad that he had. He couldn’t help but hold onto his mom, taking in the comfort she was giving.
It would seem that a conversation with Mr. Moseby would be on the list. Get the true events from his niece. She hadn’t forgotten that Nia had also got detention for fighting the same day as Zack had. Zack had already told her his version of the story. And for once, he wasn’t doing it to get out of trouble. It took her a minute for it to wrap around her head, Zack… getting bullied? Didn’t seem possible. But right now… she had other concerns that would take priority and one of those was taking care of her son.