Chapter Text
Chapter 1
I'd never been academically smart, I'd never been a good student and I'd never been in trouble until a month ago. A month ago I got into a fight with another kid. It had led to me beating him with a bat and severely hurting him. I nearly killed someone. This was my fourth school which I had been to and my mum had started to run out of options. I hate that I did this to her, I hate that I am the way I am. Now here I sat at court with a Judge, and the other guy's family sat in the crowd along with my mum who could barely look me in the eye. They looked at me with so much hatred and I guess I can't really blame them.
“Mr Jackson,” the judges voiced boomed out, louder than any gavel. “You are one of the most troubled youths I've seen in my court room, thirteen and already kicked out of four other schools? And all for fighting, some not even your peers.” He looked down at the papers on his desk, “It says here that your second school, Miller's High School, you were expelled for fighting the teacher and then the principal? Now I hear you are willing to take the bargain you've been given?” I looked up at him, he was old and definitely been doing this job for years. I didn't know much about the deal I'd been given, I've been dissociated for so long, I can't even remember what happened the past week, let alone the past hour.
“We have your honour.” My lawyer answered for me. He was young, couldn't have been anywhere past twenty five.
“Alright, in agreement with the bargain, Mr Jackson will spend the remainder of his academic years, up until the age of 18, at St Maria Goretti school for challenged youth in Virginia and receiving once a week therapy from the schools counsellor. Achieving all remaining academic years will then lead to his record being expunged.” His gaze met mine, “However if you fail Mr Jackson and I hear of any fighting or misbehaving I will send you to a Juvenile detention center, am I clear?” I nodded looking down. “I need a verbal answer Mr Jackson.” He leant forward.
I look up at him again, meeting his gaze again. “Yes sir.” I said reluctantly. West Virginia? That's so far away. Who even lives out that far?
He leant back in his chair. “Good, he is to be put back in the care of his mother. Dismissed.” The bang of his gavel brought me back to reality. I looked back at my mum who was walking towards me, I started walking towards her as well. Once we met she hugged me, I felt like crying. I didn't want this for her. “Oh danni.” She spoke into my head. I hugged back, tight not wanting to let go. She let go of the hug and cupped my face, I could see tears welling up in her eyes.
“Hello again Miss Jackson,” my lawyer sheepishly said. Mum sniffed her nose and wiped her eyes. “So the school is around six hours from here. It's a long drive but there shouldn't be much traffic, it's a fairly remote drive.”
“Thank you Mr Thomas.” Mum said in a broken voice. “When does Danni start?”
“You have around a week to get there.”
Mum smiled, it wasn't a real one though, just a polite one. “Thank you.” She shook his hand.
“Of course,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. “If there's anything you need or if you have any problems please, call me.” She took it and put it in her handbag, she then turned to me and we left the court.
The drive home was tense, I could tell she was angry and I don't blame her, how could anyone blame her? We drove to our apartment and as soon as we got in mum only said, “Go to your room.” Which I did without protest. My room was small with only band posters to decorate it. There really wasn't much I could take with me. I threw myself onto my bed and then looked around again. There was only one notable thing I could see that I definitely wanted to take, the walkman my grandma gave me. Two years ago she gave me the walkman along with a recording set up for the tapes so I can make my own. It used to be my uncles until Grandma took it off him and I guess never gave any of it back. I stared at the ceiling and tried to think about what's happened over the past month, everything feels like such a blur, I can barely remember any of it. The most fluent of the memories are, getting into that fight, being arrested at school, taken to the police station and then today, being told that im going three hours away from home and now living at some random school which I've never heard of. Thinking about it only made me more tired, I can't even remember the last time I slept properly. I could feel myself drifting off to sleep and I didn't even want to fight it, I just wanted to sleep.
It's been three days since the court and I've packed what little I have. It only took around two boxes to pack all my clothes, and stuff I wanted to bring. I picked up the last box and brought it to the door. Mum came through from the kitchen looking through her bag. “You got everything?” She looked tired, she did her hair up in a bonnet and was wearing clothes she typically wore inside. I didn't really get changed either, I just put on sweat pants and a hoodie and some beat up old nikes, it was too early to get properly dressed.
“Yea.” I replied stiffly.
She sighed, “Alright then, lets get going” She opened the door and held it open so I could get through while holding the box. The hallway was silent, almost creepy the sound of the door shutting felt like it shook the whole building. Mum locked the door and I started walking down towards the front of the building. Eventually I reached the front door and opened it with my foot. Once I was outside the cold air hit me like a brick, it was nice and calming but then the thought hit me, I could run away. I could run and not look back, I wouldn't have to move six hours away, I wouldn't have to leave my home and I wouldn't have to be far away from Mum. But if I got caught I would be sent to prison, so which one was worse, actual prison or some boarding school. Probably actual prison thinking about it.
“You alright?” Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“I… yea im good.” I stumbled on my words. I started walking down the street towards the car, mum following close behind. The streetlights gave this moody look to the street, it wasn't a nice neighbourhood but I’d grown to like it all the same. I'm gonna miss going to the shop on the corner before school though, it was really the only place I liked on the street besides home. Once I got to the car I opened the back seat where the rest of my stuff was, I lifted the box and put it on top of the others, and closed the door once I was done. Mum got in the driver's seat and I looked around me one last time. I took one last deep breath and walked around to the passenger seat and got in. The car rumbled and then we set off. Driving out of New York was actually calm but it was really early, even for early risers, I looked at the time on the dash, 4;56 AM. I can't even remember the last time I was up this early. I look out the window as we drive past building after building, not a soul in sight besides the occasional homeless person sleeping on the sidewalk. Eventually I managed to go back to sleep.
The drive was long and boring mostly, once I woke up we were on some highway that probably hasn't been used in years by anyone other than truck drivers. It was nice though mostly just forest and fields but It was nice, when I woke up we was already half way through the drive. We only stopped for gas, food and the occasional toilet break, but they were usually all done at the same time. Eventually we ran out of signal and the radios were mostly static so at our last stop I decided to reach into the back and get my walkman and a couple of cassettes. I picked out some normal albums, some Gorillaz Demon Days and Deftones White Pony, but I also got out one of my own mixtapes that had a wide mix of music. I put in my earphones and listened. Me and Mum did speak at the beginning but eventually we ran out of things to talk about, it feels so awkward we had never been like this before and I don't really know what to do or say. I looked at the time again, 8:28 AM, still like two more hours to go. The rest of the drive was quiet, occasionally a car would drive past and we stopped again around half way through the last part of the journey. We actually stopped in a town, there wasn't much going on but we took ages at this stop as Mum wanted to get dressed. I still had my earphones in and waited in the car. When she came out she looked like a totally different person, her make up was done, her hair was done and she was wearing a nice blouse, skirt and cardigan.
“You trying to impress someone?” I said when she got back in the car.
She laughed, “No but I am trying to look nice in front of your new principal.” She looked me up and down, “Maybe you should have changed too.”
“Whats wrong with what I'm wearing?”
The car started and we began to set off again. “Well for starters , you've got food crumbs on your lap, you haven't combed out your hair and it's a mess and lastly, you look like you haven't slept in about a year.”
“Ouch.” I flipped down the sun blocker and opened the mirror part. My curls were everywhere and were basically matted and my face did look a bit dry and ashy. I sighed in defeat, I do look like shit. “Which box was my comb in again?” I said looking back at the boxes.
“How would I know you packed them?” She looked over at me. “Do you want me to stop so you can get dressed?”
“Maybe.”
She sighed and pulled into a diner. “Whats the time?”
I looked over at the dash, “Ten forty seven.”
“Lets get a drink and something small and you can get changed in the toilet.”
I agreed and we got out of the car. Mum went in to get a table while I looked through the bags and boxes I packed. I opened my rucksack and looked through it till I found my comb and moisturiser. I closed it and then looked through my duffle bag and looked through my clothes. I mostly wore baggy clothes, mostly because they were hand me downs from my uncle and also because I thought the style was cool. I pulled out a pair of baggy jeans and a Yankees jersey and I can't forget the belt. It was the simplest thing I could wear and the most comfortable as well. I went in and headed straight for the toilet, no one was in them and I got changed quickly and then used a mirror to comb out my curls. I made it into a sort of outwards afro type of thing, and then moisturised my face and arms. My skin looked a bit lighter than before and better. I put the comb and moisturiser in my pocket and picked up my clothes and went out to where Mum was sitting. Mum ordered a coffee and me some juice and then we shared some fries. And headed back out onto the road, the GPS said we were only an hour away now so the car started and we went the rest of the journey without stopping. It was pretty much the same the rest of the way, I listened to music, mum drove and the surroundings were the same forest as before.
It wasn't until we got closer to the school that it changed. We took a turn down a back road, the road turned into gravel and it stayed like that for a while. Eventually through the trees a great old building appeared, it was huge and old like some Victorian mansion. There was a huge gate that was open, we drove in and at the front there was a man and a girl who looked my age. We drove up and stopped in front of them. Mum got out of the car first and walked around to greet him, once she realized I didn't get out she looked back and shot me an angry look, which made me instantly get out. I walked over to where everyone was standing, Mum and the man were talking. He was probably like fifty something, he was wearing this nice suit and had grey hairs round the side of the hair near the ears. The girl had long blond hair that was tied round the back in a french braid and had prominent blue eyes. She was wearing a long flowy white dress and had a brown cardigan over the top with some black boots, she also had a prominent golden cross necklace showing.
“So you must be Daniel then?” He said, switching his focus to me. Putting his hand out for me to shake it.
I was caught off guard, “Erm, y-yea Danni actually.” I extended mine and shook his hand.
“Nice to meet you Danni, I'm principal Alston.” He gave me a smile. “This is June, she's in your grade and I thought it would be good for you to meet someone your age before you start.”
“It's lovely to meet you Danni.” June said with a big smile and her hand out for a hand shake, which I shook giving her a smile as well.
“So, Miss jackson-”
“Please, call me Tisha.”
“Tisha, why don't you come to my office and do some paper work, and June can show Danni around.”