Chapter Text
Jake Sterling has lost everything unfortunately…
He didn't get what he dreamed of…
His friends…
His passion to sing for the school, maybe the whole world…
His crush, Daisy…
His reputation…
His trust from everyone…
A chance to be who he wanted to be… a singer… finally express his talented voice…
The music club didn't forgive him at all, they just didn't accept his apology and speech…
The band competition was postponed due to the music club's request for an additional month to get ready to compete without Jake.
Drew called Jake a ‘freak’ after assuming that Jake was using him and their relationship is over unfortunately because of their fight in the hallway…
Jake's school life wasn't the same since Zoey leaked the audio to the whole school, everyone at the school, who are around Jake have started calling Jake some horrible names whenever they would see him around the hallways or anywhere in the building, they started destroying some of his stuff, his locker was getting vandalized by his classmates, and Daisy started avoiding him after blaming him for the effect of her head girl position being revoked. Stacy, Sadie, and Elliot have been ignoring Jake because of what they were being influenced by the rumors. Jake tried his absolute best to explain his side of the story but they refused to hear him out, and neglected him fully. With Stacy saying…
“I just don't want to be seen with you.”
Those words cut his heart into pieces…
The music club started ignoring him the most during school and outside of school, giving him the death stares and the silent treatment whenever they were around him, making him feel so unwanted, isolated by everyone around him. Because of those circumstances that Jake had to experience throughout the time at Rosemeadow High School, he started relying on unhealthy coping mechanisms to make him feel better, stuff like self-harm, drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes in the alleyway, and taking drugs to make himself feel good. Jake's parents and his younger brother Milo were concerned for Jake's health, his unhealthy coping mechanisms, and his horrible situation at school. They did find out about what happened, they were mad at first but after hearing Jake's side of the story later on, they felt bad for him after hearing his side of the story and this afternoon, Sam (Jake's mother) and George (Jake's stepfather) were having a talk inside their bedroom while their sons were asleep.
It was 10:11 pm in the afternoon, Sam was sitting on the bed, holding a cup of water that George had offered to her as a way to calm down due to everything that was going on with Jake, Sam looked at her husband, saying to him “Oh honey, couldn't you believe that one of the boys had punched our son in the eye? I can't believe the school didn't do anything about it.” Sam had her head down, feeling bad for Jake as she took a sip of her water that had 3 ice cubes inside the glasses cup, George sat down next to his wife and sighed. George told his wife “He's only 17 and he is experiencing this madness again, like he did back in elementary school and middle school. Those kids are so ruthless towards him, it kinda reminds me of when I was in Jake's shoes before you stood up to me, and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you.”
Sam looked at George with a warm smile, saying “I'm glad that I helped you when you were being bullied.” Her expression changed back to a sad expression as she continued talking about her son “I had Jake when I was very young, I'm glad you helped me with the teenage pregnancy that I had to experience, and here we are, a wonderful family with two sons.” George understood where his wife was coming from, experiencing a baby at a very young age, appearing at his doorstep as a teenager and his parents helping her out. George told his wife “I remember. I hate it that William broke up with you and your parents kicked you out. But other than that, I'm glad you chose to keep the pregnancy and be happy with Jake in your life. But I'm worried about Jake. Should we keep him going to that horrible high school where they are going to continue harming him, or do we need to take him out of that school and homeschool him until he turns 18?”
Sam wasn't sure about taking Jake out of Rosemeadow High, she wanted her son to continue his education and have a good career, but something clicked in her head just now. Sam said to George “You know what, let's homeschool Jake until we can find a new school or somewhere else to live for him to feel safe.” George nodded before saying to his wife, who he has been married to for 14 years now “I'll have to research a location where Jake can feel safe and secure.” Sam drank the rest of her water before giving the glass cup back to her husband, who gradually took it and kissed his wife's forehead, wishing her a goodnight. Sam went off to sleep as George left the bedroom to put the glass cup into the sink, and he was about to reach back to the bedroom where he saw Jake, coming downstairs, having his eyepatch on the eye where he was punched today.
“Oh, hey son. What are you doing down here very late at night?” George asked his stepson, who came downstairs, wearing his favorite blue pajamas and a dark rose colored blanket around his back. Jake got his attention from his stepfather, answering his stepfather's question with a giggle “Oh, I came downstairs to get a late night snack before I have to go to school tomorrow.” George sighed, clarifying to his stepson as he started speaking “Oh, about that… your mother and I have spoken about it, we decided to homeschool you until we either find a new school or find somewhere else to live where you'll be okay, physically, and emotionally.” Jake looked surprised at first, but the more he thought about it, the more he believes that the choice is probably for the best due to his struggles, the bullying at his school, and the emotional impact on his mental state.
“Oh… I guess that can help. Despite the circumstances that are happening at school, it is probably for the best, I don't know what the principal will say about the idea.” Jake responded to his stepfather's statement about homeschooling him, Jake smiled at his stepfather, knowing that he has always been there for him “So, no school for me tomorrow?”
“Nope. You're officially staying in the house tomorrow and possibly indefinitely until we find a new place or a new school.” George nodded as he answered Jake's question, Jake smiled warmly and said to his stepfather “That's amazing. Finally, I'm staying away from the bullies, the vandalism that I've been experiencing, and the horrible stares from my former friends.” George smiled as Jake made his way to the fridge to get some bread, some ham slices, and some mayonnaise to make a sandwich. George walked back to the bedroom where he shares the bedroom with his wife, and he entered inside the bedroom where he saw Sam sleeping peacefully on the king-sized bed.
George sighed, closing the door behind him before pulling out his phone, going on Google to search up nearby therapeutic places to help Jake, and while searching up a specific location, he saw an island called ‘Toon Island’. George clicked on the top result, it was called Toon Island, he checked the reviews, multiple 5 star reviews by users, known for having good restaurants, 5 star hotels, and it's known for having numerous cartoon characters from different fandoms on the island. It's also known for helping people with physical and mental issues, providing therapeutic locations for any mental health people, and has a wonderful school for all grades called Toon Island Education School Pre-K To 12th Grade. George checked out the website, he saw the cost of the island, 100 dollars per ticket, and it will be boarding to the island within 2 months.
“Oh, Toon Island?” George wondered, he tapped on Sam's shoulder, waking her up as she asked her husband “What is it honey? I am so tired right now.” George showed her the phone, she stared at the website after rubbing her eyelids with her wrists and she gasped at the look of Toon Island, she started smiling at the phone as she said “Oh yeah, my grandfather went there when he was dealing with marijuana and other horrible stuff during his youth. He told me about it and I always wanted to go there. The recent update I heard from a friend is that most kids like Jake go there for a new fresh start, it's very known for being internet-free, it's all for ages, and it helps with people with mental issues. We should definitely take Jake and Milo there one day.”
“We should actually, it will be good for Jake and Milo. The earliest flight to the island is in two months.” George added, Sam smiled and said to her husband “Sweet. So for two months, we'll be homeschooling Jake and save as much money as we could to live there.” George did a little bit more research, finding the information about staying there “We can stay there forever if we want to, we can pay for a place to stay and have a wonderful experience there.” Sam smiled even more, saying “So, how much money do we have in our bank account for the new life at Toon Island?”
[The Next Morning - Around 8:30 am at the Sterling household]
Jake Sterling slowly woke up after the alarm from his phone went off, he got up, looking tired still after forgetting to take his night medication, he looked around to see his phone was still making the alarming sound, he pressed the stop button and he got off his bed, weakly. Jake went to the wardrobe to pull out his favorite dark blue jacket, put it on before putting on his shoes to head downstairs, he went downstairs to the kitchen to see his parents and Milo having breakfast. It was a Saturday today, Jake went to the counter to prepare himself a cup of decaf coffee, he sat down on the chair, and he noticed Milo playing on his iPad. Suddenly, Sam looked at her oldest son, saying to Jake with a smile on her face “Honey, your father and I have some good news.”
Jake looked up at his mother, asking “What is it?”
“Your father and I are taking you out of school, we'll be homeschooling you for two months.” Sam informed Jake with a bright smile on her face, Jake informed his mother by saying “Oh yeah, dad already informed me last night when I was going downstairs to make a sandwich.” Sam looked at George, smirking at him as she said to her husband “Looks like you already informed our son about the homeschooling part. Didn't you?” George nodded along, teasing his wife by patting her shoulder, he stopped when his wife looked at Jake and she added “After two months, we'll be taking you and your younger brother to Toon Island.” When Milo heard the name of the island, he suddenly stopped eating his cereal, he swallowed down his cereal and said “Really!? We're going to Toon Island!?” He asked excitedly, both Sam and George nodded, Milo jumped in excitement as he said “OH HELL YEAH! I'M SO EXCITED THAT WE'RE GOING TO TOON ISLAND! I'M SO EXCITED TO GO THERE!”
Jake stared confused at both of his parents, asking “What's Toon Island?” Sam started explaining everything to his son about Toon Island “The island was first founded in 1912 by one of the workers from Disney after Mickey Mouse was introduced to the public. It is in the Pacific Ocean, near the United States of America, and it's very therapeutic for all ages. It's known for having good rating restaurants, good hotels, therapeutic places for everyone who struggles with issues, trained staff there, and they have a good school for all ages. Additionally, the island has numerous cartoon characters from different programs, and the first resident of the island is the owner before in the middle of the 1920s, Mickey Mouse appeared on the island with Minnie Mouse. We'll be moving there in two months after we purchase the tickets and save a lot of money for the flight expenses.”
Jake smiled at his parents, saying “Alright, hopefully we can permanently stay there.” George remembered that information, telling Jake after taking a sip of his coffee “Oh yeah, we can permanently stay there if we want, we'll be having a good place to stay and have a good time at Toon Island. Your great-grandfather, the grandfather of your mother, went there when he was struggling with drugs as a teenage boy and he has been cleaned since returning back to Rosemeadow. We'll have you homeschooled and we'll be leaving Rosemeadow in two months, if we can purchase the tickets as early as possible.” Jake, being a teenager, understood and said to both of his parents “Okay, I'll give it a try.”
Sam clapped, smiling at Jake before she said “We have checked our bank account, we have enough for our tickets, and we'll be homeschooling you for two months. I'll provide a schedule for our homeschooling sessions and other things to work on while we stay here for a while.” Jake nodded in understanding and agreement, he was finally able to have a good rest from Rosemeadow High School for a very long time of bullying, vandalism, and other harmful issues that have occurred to him.
[A few weeks later, a week before traveling to Toon Island]
Jake and his family were able to purchase the tickets for Toon Island since the island is very famous for helping people with anything, and the tickets are almost always sold out so the family are lucky to have the tickets. Jake remembered something, his mother informed him that the island is internet-free but you can have devices for calls, messages, and a limit of an hour of screen time for the island's purposes. Jake has decided to carry his phone, only for other purposes instead of entertaining purposes like scrolling through social media or chatting with friends, or his former friends as he would say it after his speech didn't change anything as he expected it to be. The principal of Rosemeadow High School has heard his side of the story, allowing him to have his assignments sent to him by someone, who they recently hired to do that, and the principal also wished Jake luck on his permanent residency at Toon Island.
Jake was able to be homeschooled by Sam, Jake was able to spend more time with Oreo, and they even got Oreo a chance to come along to the island as well. Jake had lessons from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm every single day but not on the weekends, he would be participating in volunteering for other places, and have some time to say goodbye to his neighbors, who are kind to him. Jake has been able to have some peace and quiet, away from his former friends, his ruthless bullies, and fully away from the emotional distress that everyone at Rosemeadow High have caused him while he was there.
Jake was seen sitting on the kitchen chair, he was scrolling through the memories in his gallery of his relationship with the music club and his former friends, which are Drew, Liam, Henry, Zoey, Maria, and Lia. Jake stared at one photo where Hailey was taking a picture of the music club that had Jake in it, and Jake just stared at the photo, wondering if he wanted to miss them emotionally or say goodbye to them in person before leaving Rosemeadow permanently with his family. During his time at that horrible high school where he was constantly bullied, the music club has been ignoring him, especially Sean, who was the only one who seemingly feels bad for Jake and the two have only spoken once about an assignment from math class, he hasn't spoken to Sean since that conversation.
Jake's mother came into the kitchen, noticing that Jake was staring at the photos of his former friends, Sam approached Jake and asked him with sympathy “Are you still thinking about your former friends?” Jake nodded, he asked “Should I delete the memories of them?”
“That decision is yours honey.” Sam answered, not wanting to control Jake's decisions because Jake is a grown teenager, Jake nodded in understanding of his mother's statement and he has decided to delete the photos of his former friends, only keeping one photo of each group of friends he had in the past. Jake put his phone down and sighed, Sam looked at her son with an understanding look, she is aware of what her son has been experiencing at school, and she didn't want to blame him for it. She couldn't blame him for everything, she just feels bad for what he had to experience at that time, the bullying, the vandalism that he had to experience of his stuff, and the lack of respect from his former friends, including his classmates. At least Miss Jones, Miss Cherry, and the other teachers are the only ones who are actually nice to him, they have told the students to stop mocking him and more, unfortunately none of them ever listened to the teachers, and went on to cause even more harm on Jake.
‘Did Jake make the right decision to delete the photos of his former friends and the music club?’
He hasn't thought of it for a while.
Five days later, it was 8:30 pm, Jake had finished packing everything in his luggage, suitcases, and other packing places for his permanent residency at Toon Island. As Jake was zipping up the last luggage, he heard his mother calling him from downstairs “Jake! There is someone who wants to see you!”
Jake finished zipping his luggage quickly before running downstairs to see his mother, waiting for him as she said “I think it's one of your classmates or something.” Jake stood next to his mother, he saw that it was… Lia.
Lia was standing there, feeling bad as her left hand was on her right elbow, her head down in deep remorse, staring down at the bricked porch, Jake sighed and asked Lia “Lia, what are you doing here? It's getting late.” Lia looked up at Jake, saying “Jake… can I talk to you privately, about something? I need to tell you something that is very important for me…” Jake sighed again, telling his mother as he looked at his mother “I need a minute with her.”
Sam nodded, leaving the space to go to the kitchen to make some dinner for the family, Jake stared at Lia with crossed arms, asking “What do you want?”
“I heard that you're moving to Toon Island.” Lia stated, her voice sounding sad that Jake was moving away from Rosemeadow to start a new life at Toon Island, she said to Jake as she smiles at Jake “And I want to say that, I wish you luck at your new life at Toon Island, and I want to make an apology for everything that you've been experiencing.” Jake looked surprised at the last part, asking “You want to apologize to me?” Lia nodded, she then started apologizing to Jake “I'm so sorry that you had been going through a lot of stuff at the school, I'm sorry for always ignoring you, I'm sorry about sharing the audio to Hailey, and I'm so sorry for a lot of things that resulted in you being constantly bullied by everyone around you in the school.”
“I was the only one who shared the audio with Hailey, I was just upset about you spending more time with the music club and never noticing my feelings for you.” Lia has finally come clean to Jake about what she did, she has just admitted to sharing the audio of him saying some heartbreaking things about the music club, and how she has sent it to Hailey. Lia continued speaking to Jake about everything “Zoey was the only one who recorded you that day, she wanted to use the audio to blackmail you after you blackmailed her at the library a few weeks ago, and she was planning to use the audio as a way to sabotage your chance. She wanted you to do ‘her every bitting’ and when she leaked the audio to the entire school, she became popular. Just last week, she tried to blackmail another kid but the kid turned out to be a relative of the principal and she was immediately expelled from the school.”
Jake looked surprised by what Lia had admitted to him, Jake let out a gasp as he asked “Lia, why?”
Lia said to Jake, answering his question “It was out of anger… I was angry that you were spending more time with the music club and ignoring my feelings for you…” She broke down into tears, sobbing quietly but Jake took a moment, Jake smiled warmly at Lia, giving her a warm hug. That surprised Lia, but she didn't mind, she hugged back and she said “I'm so sorry for everything Jake. If I just controlled myself and didn't send the audio to Hailey, you would've been okay.” Jake smiled, accepting Lia's apology by saying “It's okay Lia, I forgive you. You were just mad and I don't blame you for it.”
The two pulled away from the hugging, Jake told Lia “I don't love you in a romantic way unfortunately, I just see you as a friend. If you're okay with it.”
“It's okay, at least you're honest to me about it. I gotta go. I'll see you when I can.” Lia smiled, the two shook hands and parted ways for the whole night, waving goodbye to each other before heading back home. Jake entered back inside the house and went upstairs, with Sam smiling at her son.
The day has just arrived around the corner, Jake and his family, including Oreo all aboard on the plane to Toon Island. Jake looked out of the window of the airplane, seeing that he is departing from Rosemeadow, his hometown, the location where he grew up with wonderful former friends in his childhood, and the school that he had attended, he hoped that they will change or something in the future. Jake smiled warmly, looking away as he faced the direction of the small TV in front of him, and this was the beginning of his new life in Toon Island. As a permanent resident at Toon Island and a new resident at the island.