Chapter Text
The weather was still somewhat warm despite how late it was in the night. It’s the one similarity Jake had between his home and the city. As he unfamiliar sound of cars, hustle and bustle of people was emanating from the streets below, Jake sighed deeply. He snuggled himself into bed, wrapped his blanket around him. It was a green blanket patterned with flowers. A hand me down from his beloved Nana; it made his mind calm.
Tomorrow was going to be a long day.
All he can hear is the sound of heavy breathing. His heart is pounding. The leaves brushing against his sensitive skin as he stares straight into the ferocious eyes of the beast. There is nothing he can do now but accept his fate.
Jake woke up in a cold sweat, grasping his head in his hands as tears beam down his face. His throat goes to scream but no noise will come out. A woman’s voice echos from the back of his head.
???: Jake. Jake are you alright?
JAKE: NO, DO I BLOODY LOOK ALRIGHT?
His own voice startles him, a sense of tranquility washing over him as he finally came back to reality. His breathing began to slow as Jake wiped this tears on his blanket. A teenage boys voice speaks in his mind next
???: What time is it?
Jake glances at the alarm clock on his bedside table.
JAKE: Six thirt- Oh shit.
???: You have approximately fifteen minutes to get your shit together, get ready, eat breakfast and be outside ready for Dirk’s carpool. Time’s ticking, dude.
The male presence fades away. The woman is still there.
Jake takes a deep breath and jumps out of bed, rushing to remove his PJs and put on something nice. He puts on one of his favourite shirts, a white tee with a green skull symbol in the centre. Next, a grey button up overshirt and some black jeans. Finally, a quick brush of the hair, a spritz of cologne, a very fun pair of Superman socks and green hi top sneakers.
JAKE: What a spiffing young gentleman ive become, eh?
The woman chuckles.
???: You’re all grown up, Jakey. I’m so proud of you. You got this!
Jake beams, picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulders. Moving swiftly into the kitchen, he picks up his breakfast - one of those cereal bars with chocolate on top - and grabs his water bottle out of the refrigerator.
He makes quick pace down the multiple flights of stairs from his floor in the apartment complex. He skips out the front door and pokes his head around the parking lot before finally spotting his ride. A bright red Ferrari, sticking out like a sore thumb against the grimy greys of poorer city outskirts. Jake waved his hand at the window, a few moments later getting a nod from the blonde haired sunglasses wearing man in the front seat and the back right door flinging open.
Dirk was sat on the left, knees tucked awkwardly and his bag on the other seat. He was wearing some kind Tripp pants and a burnt orange hoodie. Of course, like usual, his face was adorned by a pair of black spiky sunglasses. Once Dirk noticed Jake almost tumbling into the vehicle, he quickly moved his bag to right next to him, holding onto it with his right arm and moving around to find a more comfortable sitting position. Jake smiled at him and sat down, fumbling around with the seat belt, keeping his bag firmly grasped in his lap.
JAKE: Good morning mr strider!
MR. STRIDER: sup
MR. STRIDER: you excited for your first day?
He spoke in monotone, adjusting the front mirror as he spoke.
JAKE: Oh boy i am. I cant wait to finally meet more of my chums.
The car slowly backed out of the parking lot, Dirk’s father slowly turning on the radio to an 80s rock station as they began speeding down the highway.
Dirk perked up and nudged Jake in the side to grab his attention.
JAKE: Ow!
Dirk moved his face ever so slightly closer to Jake’s ear so it was easier to hear him, but so his father couldn’t.
DIRK: It seems we have all the same classes.
Jake’s gaze diverts to the phone in Dirk’s hands, he was looking at the timetable Jake had sent him the day prior.
DIRK: Follow me, I know where to go.
He spoke in a similar tone to his dad, but with a more thick southern accent. Something about the way the words were delivered seemed… off?
JAKE: Alright alright.
Jake giggled and rolled his eyes, shrugging his shoulders.
JAKE: I dont need you to hand hold me like that you know?
DIRK: Well, when you first got here you spent 15 minutes wandering around the city by yourself and ended up going to a shady part of town before you decided to call me and tell me you were here, so…
Dirk lowered his glasses slightly and gave Jake a knowing wink.
DIRK: I think we both know that’s for the best.
This was not Dirk.
Hal slid the glasses back up his nose and began looking out of the window. He always liked to play this game, always pretending to be Dirk until someone caught on or he thought it was funny to make his presence known. The male voice from earlier returned in Jake’s brain.
???: That slimy jackass.
Jake looked out of the window too, eyes lighting up at the large buildings and the waves of people walking by. He’d never been in any place before that felt so alive.
When they finally arrived, Jake instantly noticed the big grins on the faces of their two other friends, Jane and Roxy. They stood outside the front gate, waving.
Before opening the doors Dirk father turned to him.
MR. STRIDER: oh by the way
MR. STRIDER: i gotta go to work today so i wont be back until late
MR. STRIDER: theres leftovers in the fridge
Dirk’s expression turned sour, but he nodded. His father grabbed his hand while he was trying to get up.
MR. STRIDER: have a good day kiddo
Dirk groaned, but the two shared a smile.
DIRK: See you later, dude.
Jake was confused as to why Dirk called his own father dude, but he supposed it was just something you could do with your dad. Or maybe just something Dirk could do with his dad. Their relationship always felt somewhat strange but seeing them talk to each other so happily made Jake… jealous? Oh no that’s an inside thought we shall not dwell on any longer.
They both stepped out of the car and Dirk’s father sped off. The girls waving bye as he left. Jake hugged them both, taking a subconcious note of his height in comparison to them. Jane was considerably shorter than everyone else, but Roxy was taller than Dirk. Jake was taller than all of them.
Jane’s cheeks were flush with blush and her voice spoke calmly.
JANE: Good morning gentlemen!
She was wearing her red oval glasses, a blue cardigan - presumably she made it herself - over a white button up shirt and a grey skirt with some Mary Jane style shoes. How fitting!
JAKE: Good morning to you too miss!
Jake replied, bowing and getting an eye roll from both Jane and Dirk.
ROXY: are you two ready for a day of fucking ADVENTURES!!!
Roxy’s strong valley girl accent was comforting, despite her doing a very poor impression of Jake at the end. Her hair was curled, face garnished with bright pink eyeshadow, lips and a striking black wing. She was wearing an off the shoulder short white dress with a pink cat graphic on the front, adorned with a black belt. Her legs were covered with pink and black striped tights and she wore a pair of beaten up white sneakers.
JANE: Lalonde! Language!
Jane crossed at her and glared playfully, pouting.
ROXY: sorryyy janeyy
ROXY: i just have such a potty mouth
Roxy winked and stuck her tongue out, both girls laughing at each other. Dirk chimed in.
DIRK: This is true, Rox’s just a sailor.
ROXY: arrrghhh!
The conversation continued, but Jake wasn’t really listening. They all had so much chemistry with each other, it made him nervous. Would their friendship even be the same anymore?
Before his brain could run away with the concept anymore, Jane grabbed Jake by the arm and ran inside, Roxy and Dirk walking into the building, trailing behind them.
The environment of a school was unfamiliar to Jake, he had been home schooled by his grandmother his entire life. The hallways were lined with lockers and there were so many people walking by. Everything was so loud. Jake could slowly feel the anxiety building up in his body. Dirk noticed, grabbing both of Jake’s arms once Jane and Roxy had diverted off in different directions to their first classes.
DIRK: You’ll be okay, dude.
Jake doesn’t speak back, just staring glossy eyed at Dirk. Slowly, Jake gets pushed back. He’s watching his body move and his mouth speak from inside his own head. Jake was no longer in the body. Lara had taken front.
JAKE: God damn that woman!
The exclamation almost makes her crack up.
JAKE: Thank you Dirk, I’ll be alright.
She does her best best to mimic Jake’s voice. Dirk raises a brow. But begins walking them to their class. Lara’s attempts to mask as Jake proved to be the best out of everyone, but they all suspected Dirk and his system were catching on.
Jake’s memory of the day was mostly thrown at him by Lara when he got front back at the bus stop. Something something these are were your classes are something something make sure to do your homework. If there were any more important details she’d write it down on a post-it note and stick it on the wall next to their bed. Each alter had their own colour of pen. Jake’s was green, Lara’s was grey.
Jake was snapped out of his dissociation by the sound of the bus. He sat next to Dirk, but the ride was silent, only getting a simple wave when he got off at his stop. Okay, this was definitely not Dirk.
This whole system thing was pretty new to Jake… well the accepting it anyways. Dirk had told all of his friends a while ago by now. Jake was basically ignoring every symptom he was experiencing until it slapped him in the face on a particularly bad night. The faint memory of it sent a shiver down his spine.
When Jake gets back to his apartment, he notices a post-it note on the wall he must have missed last night.
good luck at school jake! remember we’re going to dirks place this week to go over stuff you would have missed!
It’s written in cute handwriting and blue pen. Jake smiles at the note and sits down on his bed, unzipping his bag and pulling the stack of notebooks out. He quickly scans over the notes Lara made and decides that’s enough studying for today and resides himself watching a movie for the rest of the night.
A few weeks pass by, the routine of going to school and the pure joy of getting to actually spend time with all of his best friends in person for the first time was a nice breath of fresh air for Jake. Most of the year he’d spent moping and wallowing in his own sadness. Actually having things to look forward to and be happy about was a great change of pace.
One day in particular, they all went out together to the forest, as per Jake’s request. Leaves were starting to fall off of the trees and the sound of them crunching beneath their feet warmed Jake’s heart. It reminded him of home. The group sat around a lake on a red picnic blanket, sharing sandwiches and awkward stories. It was the kind of companionship Jake had always craved, the kind he’d only ever seen in movies… and he finally had it. It almost seemed that, in that moment, the world stopped spinning. Everything was going to be okay. Jake felt okay.
That night, for the first time in a long time, Jake’s nightmares subsided. His mind was finally calm.