“Ash! C’mon down, don’t you wanna go to school?”
Ash groans in his bed, and hides his face in the blanket. ‘School? Really?’, he thinks, and the unnerving exhaustion that will add up to his already battered body, and Jason’s bickering and concern about what happened to his face and all that, and Lucas smirking knowingly.
Not to mention that he didn’t do his homework.
Oh yeah, that was another thing waiting to slap him in the face the second he stepped through the classroom door. Why did math even exist, anyway? Did anyone really need to know how to calculate angles of a triangle in real life?
He didn’t even have the energy to process the idea without his body screaming in protest.
His face ached from last night, a dull throb that reminded him of his bad decision-making skills. ‘No thanks,’ Ash thought.
He briefly considered his options: stay home and face his mom’s wrath or go to school and face everyone else’s.
‘Skipping seems logical,’ he reasoned. He could spend the day avoiding awkward questions and aching limbs, curled up in bed like a normal, defeated teenager.
But logic didn’t get him far when his mom’s voice pierced through his thoughts again.
“Ash, if I come up there and find you still in bed-”
“Coming!” he lied, muffled by the layers of blanket.
He sighed. Five more minutes. He could figure out how to fake a sick day in five minutes, right? Right.
His mind drifted into a restless sleep again, and after who knows how many minutes- or hours had passed, he jolted awake.
By a voice.
He tried to listen to it, was it his mom’s angry shouting from behind because Ash didn’t go to school or was it Noah playing?
And then, it hit.
It was the phone.
‘Dammit, I can’t even sleep,’ he groaned and winced as he sat up, the already aching limbs doing no good at all. He moved to pick up the phone from the side table, and declined the call, without even looking at the sender’s name.
‘You deserve this, whoever you are, for ruining my beauty sleep.’
Before he could let himself drift into sleep again, and pull the covers to his face, the phone rang again. But now, there were notifications, and it seemed like they were not going to stop any sooner.
‘Ugh.’
He picked up the phone, squinting his eyes from the too-bright screen.
Jason: DUDE.
Jason: Why didn’t you come to school???
Jason: How could you just ditch me like that?
Jason: Asher, seriously?
Jason: Do you even know what happened today?! Lucas didn’t show up either. He didn’t even tell me why. I had to sit alone. WITH SOME BORING GUYS.
Jason: I deserve an explanation.
Jason: RIGHT NOW.
Ash blinked at the screen, taking into account that he slept for half a day, and if Jason’s messaging him, then he’s already back home.
His first thought: ‘Seriously? He’s acting like I abandoned him in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.’
His second thought: ‘Wait, Lucas didn’t show up either?’
Ash stared at that line for a second longer, his tired brain trying to connect the dots but failing miserably. Whatever. It didn’t matter. Lucas probably had his own reasons, like beating the crap outta people or beating Blake.
Meanwhile, Jason was still blowing up his phone.
Jason: You better not be dead. Also, I know you’re leaving me on read.
Ash groaned, flopping back onto his pillow. ‘Why is this guy so persistent?’ It wasn’t like Jason was dying without him. He could survive a day. Probably. Maybe.
His phone buzzed again.
Jason: You better text back, or I swear I’m coming over.
Ash sighed, finally typing back.
Ash: I didn’t do homework.
The reply came in immediately.
Jason: So, what??? You could’ve come, besides the maths teacher didn’t come either.
Ash winced. ‘Why is it that whenever I don’t go to school, the stupid maths teacher doesn’t come too?!’
Jason replied again.
Jason: You know what? Now I actually feel better. Ha. I enjoyed my lunch silently, with no Lucas tryna grab my snacks and no you telling me the cafeteria food sucks.
Ash smirked, he knew Jason was only making it up.
Ash: Go blow up Lucas’ phone. I’m going back to sleep.
Jason replied instantly.
Jason: YOU’RE GOING BACK TO SLEEP??!! Do you even know what time it is?! Also, Lucas isn’t picking up his phone.
Ash pinched the bridge of his nose, and knitted his brows, ‘Lucas isn’t picking up? Why?’
He had no answer, so he asked Jason.
Ash: Why?
Jason: No idea. Maybe he’s dead… Wait, he isn’t actually dead, RIGHT?! Screw that, I’m going over to his home right now! Bai!
Ash sighed, Jason might actually be on his way to Lucas’ home. He was about to collapse again, when his phone buzzed.
Jason: Wait, where is HIS HOME???
Ash: Don’t know.
Jason: AHHH! I’m RUINED.
With that, Ash collapsed on the bed, in hopes of getting just a few more moments of sleep, but his mind swirled. ‘Lucas never skips school, and he isn’t picking up his phone, why?’
Jason would probably be freaking out and crying in the middle of the road, but it wasn’t his problem anymore. He called it on himself.
‘Maybe Lucas is thinking of the terrible decisions he made. Good, he should.’
Ash sat up, his mind now fully awake.
He sighed, ruffling his messy hair. “Great,” he muttered, “sleep’s officially canceled.” His stomach growled loudly, reminding him of the breakfast that he never ate.
Dragging himself out of bed, Ash decided to head downstairs and at least get something to eat. Maybe he could sneak into the kitchen without triggering his mom’s wrath for skipping school.
As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he stopped. His mom was by the door, tying her shoes, her coat already on.
Ash raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m glad she didn’t notice me, but still, is she going somewhere?’
“What’s up? Going somewhere?”
His mom glanced at him briefly. Ash thought of bracing himself since she could show him her anger, but she looked back to her shoes. “Yeah, Noah’s bus isn’t coming today. Something about the driver being sick. I need to pick him up.”
Ash blinked. Noah’s school wasn’t far, but…
He still had to ask Noah if he was okay.
Ash had gone to check on his little brother last night. Noah had already cried himself to sleep, his face buried in a pillow, his tiny body trembling even as he slept.
Ash had stood there for what felt like ages, just staring. He hadn’t said anything, hadn’t done anything. What could he do? He wasn’t great at comforting people- words weren’t exactly his strong suit, especially when they mattered the most.
So, he just stood there, feeling useless, before quietly leaving the room.
Now, as he glanced at his mom, her focus entirely on her shoes, the thought struck him: maybe this was a chance.
“I’ll go get him,” Ash said, almost blurting it out before he could overthink.
His mom straightened, turning to look at him with a raised eyebrow. “You’ll go?”
Ash shrugged. “Yeah, why not? I’ve got nothing better to do, and, uh…” He trailed off, realizing how lame that sounded. “I mean, you’ve got stuff to do, right? I’ll just grab him real quick.”
His mom narrowed her eyes. “You sure? You know you can’t get off my radar by going out. You still have to explain to me why you skipped school.”
Ash nodded. “I was trying to do that. But yeah, I know.” He paused, and then added, “Mom, did dad call?”
Stolen novel; please report.
She hummed in response, “Yes. He called today when I was making breakfast. Told me he’ll come alone during the day.”
‘H-Huh? Isn’t Lily coming too?’
She spoke again, her eyes sparkling bright, “Lily will come at the end of this month, apparently. She said that she has to receive the full salary from this place where she works.”
‘She…said she will?’
Ash felt warmth settle in his chest, maybe things were going to be okay now in their family.
He cracked a small smile, despite himself, “Okay. I’ll get going now.”
Her lips twitched, grinning ear-to-ear. “Alright, fine. But don’t let him wander off, and for goodness’ sake, make sure he’s wearing his jacket. It’s cold out there.”
“Got it,” Ash mumbled, grabbing the keys off the hook by the door.
As he stepped outside, the chilly air hit his face, waking him up a little more. He stuffed his hands deeper into his pockets, his mind already racing with what he wanted to say to Noah. Lily wasn’t going to push them down. If she said she will come, then there is no way on earth that she’s not going to.
The problem tugging now was Noah.
Should he bring up last night directly? Probably not- Noah might not like that. Ash knew that because, well, he hated it too.
But he had to say something. The thought of Noah crying alone in his room, feeling like no one cared, made Ash’s stomach churn.
The walk to the school wasn’t long, and it was after a few moments, that he found himself in front of the school gate.
His eyes scanned the small crowd of kids waiting around, most of them laughing and chatting in their little groups.
And then, he spotted him.
Noah stood a little off to the side, alone. His hands gripped the straps of his backpack so hard that his knuckles turned white. His head was down, and he shuffled his feet aimlessly.
A sharp laugh cut through the hum, and Ash’s eyes darted to a small group of kids a few feet away. They were snickering, pointing- not outright, but enough that it was obvious who they were talking about. One kid whispered something to another, and they both laughed again, glancing at Noah.
Noah side-eyes those boys and then sighed, looking down. Ash’s chest tightened. His fists balled up in his hoodie pockets.
‘What’s so funny, huh?’ he thought, the urge to march over and shut them up gnawing at him. But instead, he turned his attention back to Noah.
“Noah,” he called out, his voice firm but not loud enough to draw too much attention.
Noah’s eyes shot up, widening as he took into account that Ash- his brother, whom he was dying to meet last night, was in front of him.
“Big brother?” he asked, although he wasn’t really sure why he asked. He was right in front of him, after all, wasn’t he?
His lips parted, like he was about to say something else, but before he could, Ash stepped forward and grabbed his hand.
“C’mon,” Ash said, his voice low but cold.
Noah blinked, stumbling to keep up as Ash marched straight toward the group of kids who’d been laughing at him. The boys caught sight of them, their chatter cutting off. One of them, a skinny kid, shifted nervously, his eyes darting around like he was looking for an escape.
‘It is kids like these who grow up to be people like Blake. Clearly, teachers need to do a better job at telling them they are wrong.’
But this wasn’t about teachers. After all, teachers do more than any normal person can’t. They do cope up with all kinds of jerks shaped as students, don’t they?
It wasn’t about teachers.
It was about the kind of people these kids had around them.
Ash stopped in front of them, his grip on Noah’s hand tightening slightly.
The boys didn’t move at first, just glanced at each other, until the shaggy-haired one attempted a weak smirk.
Before Ash could open his mouth, Noah tugged at his sleeve, his voice barely above a whisper. “Let’s just go, please.”
Ash glanced down at him, “Don’t worry, Noah. I’ll never let this go.”
Noah’s hand trembled in his, but he didn’t let go.
Ash’s eyes narrowed at the boys. “Is there something funny?”
The shaggy-haired boy glanced at his friends, who snickered quietly behind him, then shrugged. “Uh-huh. No-show’s the funny one.” His smirk grew a little bolder. “He’s… an odd duck.”
Ash felt his patience snap at the nickname, while Noah tightened his hold.
It wasn’t about teachers.
It was about who let them believe it was okay to pick on someone smaller, quieter, or just… different. It was about parents who never bothered to ask their kid why they came home with a grin too wide, or why they had someone else’s lunch box in their bag.
“Why’s that, huh?” Ash’s voice was low, but it carried enough force to make the shaggy-haired kid flinch. His friends snickered behind him, and the shaggy-haired kid smirked.
The kid hesitated, but then one of his friends muttered something under his breath, and he gained a bit of his nerve back. “He, uh… fell during PE. Tried to jump a hurdle or something, and… face-planted in the dirt. And then-”
Ash’s eyes narrowed.
The kid continued, “And then he asked-uh- what’s heavier, a hundred pounds of feathers or a hundred pounds of bricks?”
It wasn’t about the teachers.
It was about the society that made people feel like they are stronger if they are stomping on someone else's ground.
Ash knew Noah wasn't the kind of boy who just let things be. He was a curious kid, trying to find meaning in things that were too big his size.
So what if Noah was asking questions, what if he fell during P.E?
It doesn't make him an odd duck, just curious.
Ash was clenching his jaw so tight it ached. And then, he said, “Wow. Here I was thinking that you guys were kinda cool.”
The kids exchanged glances and then burst out laughing. One of them said, “It does make us cool. We actually fit in, unlike this No-show. Right odd duck?”
One of them snickered and pointed out to Noah. Ash could feel Noah tightening his hold on his hand, and a little sound of whimpering escaped his mouth.
Ash could feel his heart burst, he didn't know why though. It wasn't that it was really rare for kids to behave like that. No, people like Blake are made, not born.
People like Blake were made from kids like these.
There were a hundred little Blakes in every school, every neighborhood. And each one started somewhere, with a kid who laughed at another kid’s stumble in PE and no one told them it wasn’t okay.
And Ash knew it.
“You're a bit wrong there, kids.You can never look cool if you're picking on someone.” He gestured to them, his voice almost casual, “It makes you look like a jerk.”
The boys stopped laughing and exchanged glances, one of them pointing to the shaggy-haired kid, “Hey, you said it'll make us look cool! But it makes us look like uh-” he trailed off and then looked over to Ash and pointed to him, “ Whatever he said!”
Some of the other kids gaped, as if being called a 'jerk’ was a really big deal, and as if they were the biggest criminals alive.
They felt as if this skinny teenager, not very old, just cursed them when he said 'jerk’.
One of the kids gaped, and looked at each other. As if being called a ‘jerk’ meant the end of the world.
They looked at Ash, and their eyes widened in horror- if being called a ‘jerk’ was a curse for them.
Ash inwardly smiled. ‘They should feel like this.’
The shaggy-haired kid stepped back, and said in a loud voice, “Hey! I never said that! Besides, this guy isn’t cool either!”
One of them stepped forward, and pointed vaguely, “No! You said it made us look the best! Picking on people like No-Show here, was fun, you said!”
Ash exhaled a long breath. That explained it. One of them started it, and the others just followed his lead blindly.
But as for now, Ash wasn’t sure that this kid was just using the shaggy-haired kid as a distraction, so Ash doesn’t accuse him for being a ‘jerk’, Or if he was actually sorry for that.
The kids exchanged uneasy glances, and another kid chimed in, “Yeah, I never signed up to be called the ‘jerk’! I’m outta here!
“Yeah!” another said, taking a step back. “I don’t wanna look like a loser for picking on someone!”
The shaggy-haired kid flinched, his smirk faltering. “I didn’t mean-! You guys-!”
The rest of the kids scattered, leaving the shaggy-haired kid alone under Ash’s sharp gaze. His shoulders slumped, and he scuffed his shoe against the dirt.
Noah, still clutching Ash’s hand, peeked out from behind his brother.
Ash stepped forward, towering over the remaining boy. “What’s your name?”
The kid hesitated, looking up at Ash, muttering something under his breath.
Ash forced his voice to be softer, “Louder, please?”
“...Dean.”
“Well, Dean,” Ash said, his voice even but firm, “you see what just happened? When you pick on people, your friends will leave you behind. Just like they did now.”
Dean’s gaze dropped to the ground. He shoved his hands into his pockets, muttering something under his breath.
Ash wasn’t having it. “Speak up.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Dean said, louder this time. “I wasn’t trying to be a jerk.”
“Yeah? Then,” Ash said, stepping to the side so Noah was fully in view, “apologize to him. And use his name. Not whatever nickname you came up with.”
Dean glanced at Noah, who was staring at the ground, his grip on his backpack tightening. Dean sighed, his voice barely audible. “...I’m sorry, No-sho- uh, Noah. I shouldn’t have laughed at you.”
Noah shifted in his place, but managed out, “It’s fine.”
Ash raised an eyebrow. “And?”
Dean groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. “And I won’t do it again.”
Ash raised his eyebrow. “Pinky promise?”
Dean looked up to him, his little brows furrowing, and he said, “...Okay.”
Ash crouched down to his eye-level, and held out his pinky, while Dean did the same, by wrapping his pinky around Ash’s. Noah just stared at them with wide-eyes.
Ash smiled, and then ruffled Dean’s hair, but he looked taken aback by his kind gesture.
He looked over to Noah, and pointed at him, saying, “Noah here says that whoever breaks a pinky promise gets bad luck forever. You don’t want that, do you?”
Dean’s cheeks brightened, “...No.”
Ash then chuckled, and stood up, “Well then, get going now.”
He nodded and left.
Because sometimes, it’s not the fault of the teachers.
It’s everyone’s responsibility to look out for others. Because they share a bond that runs deeper than blood- and that’s what Ash did for Dean right now.
He also wanted Noah to know that he has someone who’s going to fight his battles for him.
Ash and Noah started to walk, the crunch of leaves beneath their shoes the only voice. Ash glanced at Noah from the corner of his eye, noting the way he clutched his backpack, his gaze fixed straight ahead. He wanted to say something-anything- about last night, to ease Noah up.
‘“Hey, you good?” No, too vague.’
‘“So, about last night…” No, too blunt.’
He groaned under his breath. Why was this so hard? It wasn’t like Noah was some stranger. He was his brother. They shared cereal boxes, movie nights, and years of dumb inside jokes.
But he wasn’t getting any ideas.
Instead, Ash decided to ease in slowly. “How was your day?”
Noah blinked and tilted his head slightly, as though surprised by the question. “...Okay,” he said after a pause.
‘Just okay?’ Ash thought. He wanted to press further, but stopped. He didn’t want to push too hard, not after what happened.
They walked in silence again for a moment until Noah spoke. “...Is Daddy home?”
Ash’s shoulders relaxed at the question, relieved. At least Noah had brought it up on his own. “He’s coming back today,” Ash said, keeping his tone light. “Might already be on his way, actually. He said he’d try to be here by daytime.”
Noah nodded, his steps slowing slightly.
Hoping to lift the mood, Ash added, “And guess what? Lily’s coming back too. End of the month.”
Noah’s reaction wasn’t what Ash expected. He muttered something under his breath, so soft that Ash barely caught it.
“What’d you say?” Ash asked, glancing down at him.
‘God, please don’t be mad, Noah.’
Noah slowed down, muttering, “I said I don’t like her.”
Ash halted in his tracks. ‘Great. Now that Lily’s coming back, Noah isn’t happy.’ He wanted to go further and tell him that Lily isn’t a bad person, but sometimes you gotta know what’s the reason other’s think that way.
Sometimes you just gotta listen.
So, Ash kept his voice casual, “Why?”
Noah clutched his backpack straps tighter, “She’s…scary. She’s really, really scary. I was afraid of her when she came. She grabbed me…and…and she wanted to take me…and…” He trailed off.
‘Oh, I know she had a really bad first impression on him, but still, it’s only fair for him to be afraid of her.’
Ash stopped, and so did Noah. He looked up to him with widened eyes, as if not sure why he stopped.
Ash took a long breath, and crouched down to his level, “You know what? You’re right. She’s scary. I was afraid of her yesterday too.”
‘Sorry god, but desperate circumstances require desperate actions. Sorry Lily, I swear I wasn’t afraid… Okay, maybe just a bit. Anyone could’ve been afraid of her if they saw her yesterday, right?...Right?’
Noah nodded, then hesitated before holding up his arm. “She grabbed me so hard… it left marks.”
Ash’s eyes widened as he glanced down at the faint but visible bruises forming on Noah’s small arm. They were a dark purple at the center, fading out to an ugly black-green at the edges.