Chapter Two

My breathing had finally gotten back to normal only after I handed in my calculus test. I was almost late today. I nearly ruined my perfect attendance record! I blame this all on Colton. If he didn't waste his time goofing off with those thugs then we could've been out of there faster. I will wring that b*****d's neck when I get my hands on him.

When the bell rang, I put my notebooks and pencil cases inside my backpack and I stood up to leave. I exited the classroom and I walked to my last class; Art.

While I was walking someone placed their hand on my mouth and dragged me into a room. I couldn't really do anything because I didn't want to risk blowing my cover, but that didn't stop me from freaking out when I noticed I was inside the girls washroom.

"What the-"

"Nico!" an awfully familiar voice chirped.

"What the hell Amanda? You nearly scared me to death!" I exclaimed.

"Sorry, Nico," she apologized.

Amanda is my older sister. She's only a year older than me, meanings she's a senior in high school whereas I'm a junior. Amanda also happens to be captain of the cheerleading squad, which means she's super popular.

"Is there a reason why you brought me here?" I questioned with raised eyebrows.

"Do you have my duffel bag?" she asked me. "I brought yours by accident."

My eyes widened. S**t, s**t, s**t! My duffel bag is filled with things Amanda should not, I repeat, should not see!

"Did you go through my bag?" I demanded.

Amanda shook her head. "Gross, I don't want to touch your nerdy stuff."

I mentally exhaled a sigh of relief.

"So do you have my bag?" she asked.

I nodded. "It's in my locker."

"Great, let's get it!" Amanda practically dragged me out of the washroom - thank God no one else saw - and we went to my locker.

That has to be the one and only thing I like about Amanda; despite her high status within Monroe High, she isn't a b***h to me. We've been through so much together and Amanda's a great sister to me, though she's incredibly annoying.

I opened my locker and gave Amanda her bag.

"Thanks Nico!" She leaned in and kissed my cheek.

Amanda was about to leave but turned around. "Oh, and you're staying for my cheer practice," she informed me.

I made a face. "No thanks."

"You have to," she urged. "I'm your ride home, remember?"

I mentally groaned. "Fine, I'll be there."

"Thanks, Nico!" Amanda kissed my cheek one more time before leaving.

I checked the time on my watch and let out a few incoherent words. I was late for Art!

I practically sprinted to my Art classroom and barged inside. Immediately all eyes were on me.

"Nicholas Jackson," my art teacher, Mrs. Corbett said, looking surprised. "Why are you so late?"

"My sister needed help with something," I responded.

"Very well, just try not to make it a habit."

Mrs. Corbett had to be one of the chilliest teachers at Monroe High, she was so laid back about everything. It also helps that I'm in her good books, so she would usually let me off the hook.

"Thank you, ma'am," I said gratefully before taking my seat in the front of the class.

Despite having this whole nerd façade, I really did enjoy art. I felt like I could express myself in this class and just be Nicholas Jackson. Not the nerd, not the criminal, just me.

Mrs. Corbett clasped her hands together. "Can everyone take out their sketchpads and a pencil?"

~*~

My teeth were chattering as I finished the last of my English homework. Why the hell were the cheerleading practices outside in February? I was certain my a*s was completely frozen, alongside the rest of my body. My glasses had fogged up so many times I had to fight the urge to throw them. On top of that, the bleachers were freezing cold and there was a horrible gush of wind that would consistently blow my papers away.

I couldn't have been more relieved when I was finished my homework. I stuffed it inside my backpack and zipped it up so none of my papers would be flying around. I already went on a wild goose chase four times to recollect them!

I heard the familiar ringing of my cellphone and whipped it out. "Hello?" I asked.

"On a scale from one to ten how cold are you, Jackson?"

"Piss off, Hayes," I grumbled.

Colton burst into laughter. "Why are you even there? You look like you're about to kill someone."

"It will be you if you don't shut up," I said threateningly. "And I'm here for my sister."

"I want to meet this sister of yours someday. If she's a cheerleader she must be hot," Colton said dreamily.

"If you even lay a hand on her I will personally cut your balls off," I spat bitterly.

"Man, someone doesn't like the cold," Colton noted.

"How do you even see me?" I inquired.

I looked around and spotted Colton in the parking lot having a smoke with some other guys in the gang. He waved at me when he saw me.

When I saw Amanda heading towards me I ended our conversation. "I have to go now, I'll see you around."

"Later," Colton responded before hanging up. I saw him get in a car and then he left, alongside the guys he was with.

"Hey, Nico," Amanda greeted.

"Can we go home, Mandy?" I asked, using my nickname for her.

"Sure, let me get changed."

I was beyond surprised as to how the cheerleaders had practice outside wearing nothing but their uniforms, which aren't exactly fit for this kind of weather.

Amanda went to the change rooms, leaving by myself waiting for her.

I tucked my phone away in my pocket and removed my glasses so I could wipe the fog off of them. As I was doing so a football came soaring through the sky and crashed right into me. It knocked the wind out of me and I nearly fell over.

"Nice catch, nerd!" Graham Walters said to me.

Graham happens to be the quarterback of our school's football team and is none other than the biggest d****e on the planet. He's a complete jackass which makes me wonder why he's so popular. On top of that, of all people Graham happens to be Amanda's boyfriend.

"Couldn't you be more careful?" I asked him.

"What'd you say, nerd?"

"You heard me, Walters."

"You're lucky you're Amanda's brother, or else I would've killed you."

I had to resist from snorting. Like this guy knows anything about killing. The knife in the inner pocket of my jacket agreed with me.

"Nico, let's go," Amanda said, joining us. "Hi baby," she cooed when she saw Graham. Amanda wrapped her arms around him and kissed her a*****e of a boyfriend. When they were done their make out session, Amanda grabbed my hand and led me to her car.

We sat inside and she began driving home. "Have you met any cute girls lately?" she asked.

I rolled my eyes. Amanda always asked me this every day. "No Mandy, I haven't."

"There are tons of cute girls on the cheerleading squad, I could set you up with one of them."

"Who would want to go out with a nerd?"

The answer: no one. But every girl would kill to go out with a badass.

"Then let me give you a makeover," she pleaded. "I could make you totes hot," she promised.

"Sorry, Mandy, but incest isn't my thing."

Amanda scoffed. "You're disgusting, Nico! When did my baby brother grow up?"

"Ha ha, so funny," I said sarcastically.

Amanda parked her car in the building garage and we entered the building and went to our apartment. Both of us went straight to the living room and plopped down on the couch. It was crazy how in sync we were sometimes. Amanda stood up to go to the kitchen and came back with an apple and a banana. She tossed me the apple and she began eating the banana.

"You know me well, Mandy."

"Duh," she answered with an eye roll.

I turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. We only had basic cable so we didn't have many good channels.

Out of nowhere Amanda swiped off my glasses.

"What the hell, Mandy?"

Amanda cocked her head to the side as she examined me. "You look cute without glasses. We should get you contacts."

I snatched my glasses from her and put them back on. "I don't need contacts, I'm perfectly fine with glasses."

"But I want you to get a girlfriend," she whined. "Then you two could go on double dates with Graham and me."

"Graham and I."

"Huh?"

"You're supposed to say Graham and I, not Graham and me."

"Shut up," she huffed.

"Why are you so hooked on trying to get me a girlfriend? I'm perfectly fine being single."

"No you're not!" she cried.

"Amanda, I don't want a girlfriend."

She gasped. "Oh my God, are you gay?"

"What? No-"

"I know tons of hot guys I could set you up with."

"Amanda-"

"I'll call some right now," she insisted. Amanda took out her phone but I slapped it out of her hands.

"Amanda!" I yelled. "I'm not gay! I just don't want a girlfriend right now. I already have too many things on my plate."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"School."

And my gang, I thought to myself.

"Well it won't kill you to be more social. I mean, come on. All you have is that weird friend of yours," she said.

"Theodore?"

"And his weird girlfriend. The one who's obsessed with..." she trailed off. "Nicholas, do you like that Katie chick?"

"Sadie, you mean?" I corrected.

"Don't tell me you like her," she pleaded. "She's totes a loser."

"I don't like her, Mandy."

"You promise?"

I rolled my eyes. "I promise."

"Good. My baby bro can't date a loser like her."

"I'm a loser too," I pointed out.

Amanda frowned. "You could be so popular if you didn't act like a nerd."

"It's not an act."

"Whatever," she grumbled. "I feel like getting highlights. Do you want some?"

"I'm fine," I assured her.

"I could dye your hair if you want," she suggested. "How do you feel about being a blonde?"

"I'm happy with my hair the way it is."

"But it's so boring," she complained. "We could both be blondes!"

"No thanks, I'd rather not match with you."

Amanda's a natural blonde whereas I'm a natural brunette. She's always pestering me to change myself but she just doesn't understand that I don't care about how I look.

"Boo, you're no fun."

"Then why don't you call Graham over?" I asked sarcastically.

Amanda frowned. "Why don't you like him?"

"The real question is why do you like him?" I shot back.

"Graham's a great guy," Amanda said.

"My a*s," I grumbled.

"Watch your tongue," she hissed.

I chuckled. If only she knew how much I really swore.

"I'll be in my room highlighting my hair. Call me if you need anything." Amanda disappeared into her bedroom.

I continued surfing through channels out of boredom. When I had finally landed on a channel that was worth watching, my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"There's a fight today," Keaton told me.

Keaton is one of the best fighters in the gang. He could have been the best... if I wasn't in the gang.

"When does it start?"

"In about ten minutes," he answered.

"Can you give me a ride?" I asked.

Keaton chuckled. "On my way."

"Thanks."

I hung up and went to Amanda's bedroom. "I'm going out," I told her.

Amanda, who was currently mixing the bleach for her hair, nearly dropped it on the ground. "Oh my God, really? Are you going with a girl? Is it a date? Do you want to highlight your hair?"

"No, no, and definitely, no."

"Then where are you going?"

"Just for a walk," I lied.

Amanda furrowed her eyebrows. "You're going for a walk? Be back by dinner, Graham is coming over."

"All the more reason to take my time," I mumbled under my breath.

"Nicholas," she chastised.

"Fine, I'll be back by then." I paused. "Where's my duffel bag?"

"Crap! I left it in my car."

"That's fine, I'll get it."

I left Amanda's room before she could say more. I grabbed her car keys off the hook near the front door and went to the building garage. I found Amanda's car and I unlocked it, took my duffel bag out and locked it. Since I was the only person in the garage I just changed my clothes there.

Yeah, I'm pretty badass.

I took off my glasses and slipped them in my bag before I slung it over my shoulder and walked out of the garage. I was almost outside until I heard the unmistakable sound of footprints.

I whipped my head around and saw two massive guys standing with their arms folded across their chests.

"Jackson," one of them growled.

I was surprised as to how these guys knew my name. "Who are you?"

"You going to the fight tonight?" he asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

"Boss told us we'd find you here."

"Who's your boss?"

"That ain't any of your business, boy," he spat.

Without a warning they both lunged at me. I sidestepped and tripped the guy who was talking to me. He collided with the ground face first.

"You little b*****d!"

The other guy did a wide U punch which I easily blocked, and I returned the favour by doing a palm heel strike to his face. I then grabbed his shoulders and kneed him in the gut. He clutched his stomach and fell to the ground.

Then his buddy got up and tried to kick me. I easily grabbed his foot and twisted it, making him fall to the ground... again. The only difference was this time he didn't get up. The other guy appeared to be unconscious too. I didn't want to get caught with these two unconscious men, but clearly luck wasn't on my side because a car was driving towards us.

"S**t!"

I was about to hide but refrained from doing so when I heard my name being called.

"Yo, Nick, get in!" Keaton hollered.

I picked up my bag, which had fallen while I was fighting, and a without a second thought I hopped inside his car. Once I was in, Keaton drove off.

"Who were those guys?" he asked as soon as we were out of the garage.

I shrugged. "Dunno. But they knew who I was."

Keaton raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"They knew me and they were sent by their boss, but they wouldn't tell me who he was."

"What else did they know?"

"They knew I was coming to the fight today."

"If they knew that, don't you think other people know that too?"

"I dunno, man."

"Maybe you shouldn't go," Keaton suggested.

I smirked at him. "You're just saying that so you can win."

"Possibly," he admitted sheepishly.

I chuckled. "Fine, I'll let you have your victory today."

Keaton grinned. "Thanks, man."

I clapped his back. "Make me proud."

Keaton turned the car around and dropped my back to the building. "Want me to drop you inside?" he asked.

"Don't worry, Mom, I think I can handle myself," I said sarcastically.

Keaton rolled his eyes playfully. "Whatever you say, boss."

I got outside of his car and walked inside the building. It wasn't until I stepped inside the elevator did I realize my shirt had some blood smeared on it. It must've been from one of the guys in the garage. I had no choice so I pulled my shirt over my head, leaving me shirtless. It's a good thing I didn't get any blood on my pants.

When the elevator stopped on my floor I got out and went inside our apartment. "Honey, I'm home!" I joked.

"Hey, Ni- Whoa." Amanda dropped her cup of yogurt when she saw me. "Since when were you fit?" she exclaimed. "How are you so fit anyways?"

I mentally scolded myself for not bringing a backup shirt. "I work out."

Amanda broke out into a fit of giggles. "You work out? I don't believe it."

I tried to wrack my brain for a believable reason. "Um, it reminds me of Dad."

Our dad worked as a personal trainer and always encouraged us to stay healthy and active.

Surprisingly Amanda stopped laughing and pulled me in for a hug. "Aw, Nico, you miss him, don't you?"

"Him and Mom both," I agreed.

"I'm sure Dad would be really proud of you."

I smiled at her. "Thanks, Mandy."

"On a brighter note, if girls see your body then you'll definitely get a girlfriend!" she squealed. "Who knew a nerd could have a nice body?"

I cocked my head to the side. "I thought you weren't into incest, Mandy."

Amanda gaped and slapped my arm. "Disgusting!"

I walked away, laughing.

~*~

I wrapped a towel around my torso and stepped out of the bathroom. I was hit by the smell of something good... something really good.

I walked into the kitchen to see Amanda taking something out of the oven.

"What are you making?"

"Lasagna," she answered with a grin.

"It smells great!"

"Thanks, baby brother. Now go get dressed. Graham is coming soon."

I rolled my eyes. "Do I have to stay?"

"Yes, now go." She shooed me out of the kitchen.

I went into Amanda's bedroom and took out some of my clothes from my closet. Since I didn't particularly like Graham, I decided to wear sweatpants and an old t-shirt. I put my glasses back on and returned to the kitchen.

"Nicholas, how do I look?" Amanda asked, gesturing to the dress she was wearing.

Frankly, I wasn't a fan of what she was wearing. Her clothes weren't something I would classify as appropriate.

"Your dress shows too much cleavage," I stated bluntly. "Go change into something else."

"Shut up, Nico. You don't know anything."

"Right, I don't know anything," I agreed sarcastically. "That's why I've been tutoring you in math since the tenth grade."

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

I took out a fork and snagged a piece of lasagna before stuffing it into my mouth. "Oh, and make sure you use a condom, Mandy."

Amanda slapped my arm. "Nicholas!"

"Seriously though, I want you to change your clothes."

"Stop acting like my mom, Nicholas," she said out of frustration.

"I'm just looking out for you."

"Well stop it! I can look it for myself, you know."

"I'm just trying to be a good brother, Amanda."

"That's the problem!" She waved her hands for emphasis. "You're my brother, Nicholas, not my parent!"

"I may not be your parent but I am your only family." I paused. "You know what? I hope you enjoy your dinner with your boyfriend."

"Nico," Amanda said softly.

"Don't talk to me," I spat. I turned around and stomped out of the kitchen. I grabbed my cellphone and exited our apartment. I just needed to get some fresh air.

Author's Note

Hope you liked it!