Jackson Collin Levine POV-
The bathroom was small with a shower/tub combo taking up the furthest wall from the door. The toilet was on the adjacent wall with the sink in front of the door. The mirrored medicine cabinet above that. For the billionth time, I look into the small mirror and cringe at my appearance. My thick black hair hung past my slightly pointed ears; it was pulled back into a short ponytail. My eyes that resemble a dead rainbow stared back at me with a dark bruise around one of them. The other had a healing yellow bruise around it. My pink bow-tie lips looked dry, the split on the bottom didn't help. A jagged scar from my hairline to my jaw after a run in with someone I had once trusted with my life. My sun tanned skin covered work hardened muscle that flexed with every move I made. The longer I looked, the more I realized there was nothing showing that I had turned eighteen that day. I had not seemed to age since I turned sixteen.
"Happy 18th birthday to me, I guess." I muttered as I took the damp cloth from around my waist and slid on some lime green briefs. I stare at the five new cuts I placed on my wrist just minutes before as I walked back into my studio apartment. Making new marks was a habit, or maybe a ritual by that point. It was something that I did every week when the stress and hatred became too much. I would rather hurt myself than another living being any day.
In the far left corner was a mattress with plain dark blue covers; two white pillows at the top. A small black milk crate next to it with an electric clock on it. The sun had just begun to peak through the windows as I checked the time. It was only six-thirty in the morning but it felt like the day should have ended already. I was exhausted after the onslaught of nightmares the night before brought me.
With a shake of my head, I threw on a pair of dark jeans and some socks. A bright blue shirt that said 'Smurf my life!" written in large curly bold lettering. Smurfette laid across the bottom and tried to look seductive. The shirt seemed to sum me up in three words and a flirtatious smurf. Even if I did stand at over six foot, seven inches being a mischievous goof suited me with the right crowd.
Unfortunately, there was no such crowd of friends waiting for me at school or work. Instead, there were horde waiting to trample on not only my feelings, my dreams, and even my person. I plucked my phone from it's charger and grabbed my off-brand sneakers from the closet just beside my bed. I pocketed the phone and put on the shoes before once again I checked the time.
My keys, wallet, and sweatshirt in hand as I got ready to leave. I tossed my backpack over my shoulder and looked around the apartment one last time. Once sure I had everything, I opened the front door. I left my safe haven and strutted down the hallways and stairs until I reached the lobby.
"Jackson! Jack!" A familiar male voice called out to me as I reached out for the front door's handle. I internally sighed as I turned to face my square faced landlord. His face was flushed, slightly out of breath. I raised an amused eyebrow at him as he placed a tired hand on my shoulder. His brown hair was disheveled and his brown eyes cast down as he tried to regain his breath.
"Good morning, Mr. Gnocchi…" I greeted with a small smirk on my lips. He seemed to sense my amusement as he looked up with a large smile on his face.
"Hello,my boy! I haven't been able to catch you for the past couple of weeks. We need to talk about your lease. I have a new one that I need the tenets to sign since I got a new business partner." he said quickly, as though I would bugger off before he could finish speaking. Though it was tempting to run, it was against my morals to disrespect someone who had shown me kindness. Mr. Andrew Gnocchi had helped me when nobody else would. He got me a place to live with reasonable expenses, got me a job, and has acted almost like a father in the three years I have been emancipated from my parents. Though inside, I was still thinking 'fuck me…" at the new annoyance in my day.
"Hmm, I have to work this week but I will be back between seven and eight. We could schedule a time?" I suggested and he nodded along understandingly.
"Of course! What day would work best for you?" he asked and I wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.
"I can come straight to your office after work? Or I can grab something good on the way back and you can come to mine for dinner?" I offered, knowing that his wife was on a health kick. The poor man complained about kale more than kids complained about going to a dentist. I would be amused if they didn't have me over for dinner so often.
"I will buy dinner if we can have it at your place! My youngest has been up my arse every second lately. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids but a guy doesn't want to have a princess tea party every day, all day." he complained and we made plans to meet the following day. He would get the burgers and I would get the drinks.
"Alright kid, have a good day at school." Mr. Gnocchi said as our conversation came to an end. I gave him a nod and walked out of the large blue painted brick building.
In it's designated parking spot was a Verge TS. It was yellow with black and silver accents. I would call it a lucky find if I hadn't found it at an estate sale years earlier. A pregnant woman was selling some of her and her husband's things to prepare to move into a smaller house. Her husband had died a month earlier in a train accident and she couldn't take care of the large house herself. She had it out for ten times less than a second hand price and it looked brand new. When I tried to explain that it was severely under priced, the poor woman began to cry. So, I did the only thing that I could and bought it from her with all the money I could afford and offered to help her pack and move. She accepted the offer and I helped her pack up her things and move to a smaller house five miles away.
The bike was in perfect working order, and roared to life under me as I flipped the key in the ignition. I relished the feeling of the wind rushing past me and the green blurs I passed on my way to hell, or school as most call it. It took me half an hour since I left a couple of towns over. Not to mention a turtle could have moved faster than the traffic that day. Unfortunately, I still arrived at school forty-five minutes before classes were to begin.
I parked in one of the many spots reserved for people who ride motorcycles. They were a popular mode of transportation in the small town. With slightly shaking hands, I removed my helmet and climbed off of the bike. My eyes darted around knowing what they were looking for. There were three guys that liked to make my time in the school even worse than it already was. They constantly gave me new cuts, bruises, and scars. However, I saw nobody until I had already made it to the front door of the school. By then, it was already too late as seconds later someone had kicked me in my side. I was sent to the ground as a pained groan escaped me. Looking up I saw the very person I wanted to avoid through my unshed tears. The thing that frightened me every time was the pure blood lust shining in his eyes.
Timothy Blake was five foot, eleven inches with dull brown hair and grey eyes. He was anything but lanky with wide shoulders and muscular build. Behind him stood his two most loyal dogs. Garret Reddington was six inches shorter than Timothy with dirty blonde hair that never looked clean. He was slender, lacking any kind of muscle or definition. He was the complete opposite of the other two boys, scrawny and weak. Many wondered how he was able to get in with the other two. Me? I could see how he fit in with Timothy. He was just as eager as them to destroy my life. I assumed that he enjoyed being able to beat on someone taller than he was. He wanted to feel like a man but that is rather hard to do when he stands at five feet tall. Not to mention he hits like a little girl. The last boy was Sean Fitzgerald. He had light brown hair that had natural highlights from his time in the sun. He was the same height as Timothy but his muscles were twice the size. He never bothered me like the other two, only stepped in when prompted by Timothy. Not that I like him any better for it, it hurt like hell when he hit me either way.
I had never been small or scrawny but neither was I pure muscle like some men. However, I had trained long hard hours to be able to defend myself in several fighting styles. Unfortunately, at school, all those hours go to waste. If I hit them back one more time, I get expelled for fighting while they get away with murder. Not to mention there are three of them and they always surround me in a small triangle. Without a doubt, I knew that I could take all three of them on. My honor and education was far more important to me than putting those idiots in their place. Even as they rained attacks from above, I knew my time would come for payback. I would give it back to them ten fold.
"What's wrong now, Timmy my boy?" I asked mockingly, it was the only way I could fight back without expulsion as a result. Upon hearing me call him Timmy, The brown haired boy grimaced. I wiped away the blood that had gathered on the corner of my mouth as I stood. Pain radiated from every part of my body but I stood tall. I let none of the pain I felt show on my face.
"You are alive and breathing; what other reason than that do I need to beat you senseless?" asked Timothy in a tone so cold that even his entourage shivered. There was an evil, malicious look to his eyes and a smirk on his pale lips. Garret shakily nodded and snickered in agreement while Sean stood with a bored expression on his face. He had the audacity to be bored while beating the shit out of me and it made me even more annoyed.
"With that reasoning, you are alive and breathing. Should I hunt you down off school grounds and return the favor?" I asked, my voice was calm but chilled down to the last note. All three of their eyes shot up to mine with what looked like a challenge. I smirked but it didn't last long as more attacks came at me from all sides. Sean kicked my legs out from under me just before my face snapped to the side. Timothy's fist still balled as he went to punch me again. However, that was when Garret decided to aim for between my legs in a swift kick. He might hit like a child but he kicked like a God forsaken soccer player at that moment. I crumpled and cupped my nether region as they laughed and continued their assault.
"Remember. Your. Place!" Each word out of Timothy's mouth was punctuated with a kick twenty minutes later. I thanked the Gods I didn't believe in that the bell rang just after his last kick.
"Let's go, boys." Timothy sighed and the Trio walked into the large white painted building. I watched through half lidded and watery eyes as scores of students entered the building after. Not one of them held pity, sadness, or even empathy in their eyes as they walked right by me. I laid there bleeding and broken as they looked at me with hatred, disgust, and disinterest. I had done nothing wrong to any one of them; yet, since I was born, this was how I was treated.
"Oi, today is not your day is it?" A feminine voice said what felt like hours later. I tried to look and see who had come but one of my eyes was already swollen shut. The other was filled with unshed tears that wouldn't disperse. All I could make out was the obviously dyed blood red hair. Hiss' and groans of pain escaped me as she prodded my injuries with small, childlike hands. When she was done, she shocked me by helping me stand. She only came up to my chest but she managed to keep me on my unsteady feet. I was slumped onto her shoulder, my body too heavy and mind too clouded to care. She shuffled us into the school slowly, struggling slightly under my weight. Which only shocked me more as I probably weighed twice as much as her.
"Oi, blood bag, which way to the nurses office?" the female asked in an annoyed voice. Though it was still better than the hate filled voices that I was used to.
'Wait… The hell does she mean by blood bag? She couldn't be…' my thoughts were cut off when she huffed in annoyance. I managed to barely lift my hand and point down the left hallway. Blood, my blood, left a dotted trail behind us as she basically carried me down the hallway. I could feel my consciousness trying to leave me in the dark a few times, each time I lost more of my strength. The poor girl was probably getting squished under my weight. She was puffing as we neared the nurses office.
"You better not pass out before I am able to get you on the bed." the girl grumbled as she pulled my arm farther over her shoulder. We had just reached the Nurses office and she nudged the swinging door open with her foot. She shoved us inside and moments later I was on a hospital gurney the office had as a bed.