Fic: Growing Up Dorian: Chapter 2/?
Title: Growing Up Dorian
Chapter: 2
Author: nighthawkms (beta'd by mostepotente
Genre: Future!Fic, Possibly AU
Chapter Rating: PG
Warnings: Slash, Obscenities, Angst, Character Death
Chapter Pairing:(s) Click to be Spoiled: Perry/Jordan, mention of Turk/Carla
Summary: Excerpts from the childhood of Sam Dorian Jr.
Disclaimer: Scrubs is the property of Bill Lawrence and I guess ABC network nowadays. I don't own it, I'm just playing in the 'verse!
Notes: So me weeping over the Scrubs Finale today made me decide to start reposting this again. Because I'm done with school, I'm hoping I can pop this out once every two or three days, we've still got quite a few chapters to go! Technically, this story does not reject the whole of the Scrubs canon b/c I believe the events that happen are plausible, even after the finale (Can I just say that I want the song that plays during the slide show at the end for my wedding song now? =D). I'm still leaving this as Possibly AU though, and considering that I wrote this story in December, there are no spoilers in it for the end of the series! Now here's the next part, hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1
When Sam was in the 6th grade; Izzy gave him a Valentine’s Day card. She gave them out to all of her friends, but in Sam’s she wrote under the signoff to the coolest boy I know, with a little smiley face next to the words.
Most of Izzy’s friends were in the 7th grade, so only he and Jenny got one in their class. Jenny’s ended up in the bottom of her backpack (“why would you put it there? It’s really nice!” “It’s just a card Sam, jeez.”), but Sam was looking at his during lunchtime, sitting on the end of the jungle gym and trying to figure out what the extra words she’d written were supposed to mean.
“What’s that?” Sam felt the card ripped out of his hands, and watched Jimmy Rowan manhandling it to his horror, surrounded by a group of his regular followers.
“Give it back!”
“Ooooo, Sammy’s got a girlfriend!” Sam blushed hard as the group of people broke into laughter around Jimmy. “Why would someone as cool as Izzy Turk ever go out with you?”
“She’s not my girlfriend!” Sam shouted. He could see Jenny coming over with two of his other good friends, Paul and Natasha. “She’s just my friend!”
“So you don’t like girls? Are you a fag?”
“Don’t say that word! It’s not nice!”
“Ooooo, you are a fag! Ahahahha. Sam is a faaag,” he started to chant. The people around Jimmy started to chant too, and Sam felt overwhelmed, clenching his fists but resisting the urge to punch the other boy. Being gay wasn’t bad! But-but he wasn’t and they’d be even meaner to him and they’d spread rumors and-
“I am not!” Sam shouted again. “I like girls!”
“Leave him alone!” Jimmy stumbled as Jenny burst through the crowd and shoved him hard against the chest. “You’re such a creep Jimmy!”
“Hah, you’re defending him again. Everybody knows you’re his bodyguard!”
“Am not! I-”
“Jenny, stay out of this!” Sam said, jumping down from the jungle gym and stepping in front of her to stare down Jimmy. The crowd filled with hisses of Oooos and Ahhhs, and Jenny tried to tug him back.
“Sam, he’s just trying to get you mad!”
“Well he already did! And I like girls, so shut up!” he said, turning back to Jimmy and glaring at the other boy.
“Fine. Prove it.”
“What?”
“You like girls so much? Then kiss one!”
“That’s stupid!”
“If you don’t I’ll tell everybody you’re a fag who likes kissing boys!”
Sam clenched his fists so hard that his fingernails dug into his palms, but ignored the pain. “Fine.” He turned to Jenny, and suddenly realizing what he was being made to do, gulped and twined his fingers together. “Umm, could I-”
“No!” she said. “I’m not helping you with this! You didn’t want my help before so you’re not getting it now!” She looked mad but he also thought he saw wet spots around her eyes, and suddenly realized- but wait, she was Jenny; nothing ever hurt her!
“Come on, you guys,” Jenny said, stomping away. “Let’s go play somewhere else.” Natasha and Paul followed her, and Sam was left alone, surrounded by the people he thought were the meanest and evilest people in the whole wide world.
“So who’re you gonna kiss, Sam?”
“Umm-”
“We need to see you do it! Come on, pick someone! Oooo, it should be Izzy!”
“But-!” It was no use, because once the idea was out there, it spread until everybody insisted that Izzy had to be the girl that Sam kissed.
Frank Pearson ran out to the grass field next to the playground and picked a nice flower, giving it to Sam. “Girls like flowers,” he said. “She’ll definitely let her kiss you if you give this to her!” Then they all pushed him towards the large blacktop where the seventh and eighth graders played baseball during recess.
Sam moved away from them as fast as he could, and found himself standing alone at the edge of the blacktop. He spotted Izzy at the opposite corner, chatting with some of her girl friends from the upper classes. Gulping and shoving the flower in his pocket to hide it, he made his way over. His legs felt like jelly as he walked, and he could feel people staring and wondering what the little lone sixth grader was doing out here.
“Umm, Izzy?” he said when he finally got to her group, drawing all of the girls’ attention. “Can I talk to you… in private?”
Izzy smiled up at him. “Sure Sammy. I’ll be right back,” she said to the other girls, and got up to follow him.
The nervous feeling in his stomach was getting bigger, and he grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind the shed on the blacktop where the janitor’s larger outdoor supplies were kept. They were hidden from the kids on the blacktop, but the playground had a direct line of sight to them, and Sam could see Jimmy’s group crowded by the edge, watching them.
“So what’s up, Sammy?” she asked, drawing his attention back. “Why are we back here?”
“Umm… Igotyouthis,” he spat out quickly, digging the flower (now somewhat bent and crushed) out of his pocket and holding it out to her. He couldn’t look up at her, his face felt like it was on fire and he knew that he probably looked like a sunburned apple or something.
“Oh- thank you,” she said. He glanced up to see her take it from him and twirl it between her fingers. “It’s very nice- isn’t this one of the flowers from Mrs. Reeve’s flower garden by the playground?”
Oops. He remembered now that Izzy had helped Mrs. Reeve plant that garden. She’d be mad if he said yes. “No!” he yelped quickly, “I, umm, found it this morning on the way to school.”
“Well it’s very nice!” Izzy dropped her arms to her sides and smiled down at him. “Thank you. Is there something else you needed to talk to me about?”
“Umm…” It was now or never. Sam took a little step forward and went up on his tippy-toes; Izzy was a few inches taller than him. “I also wanted to give you this.”
She must’ve realized what he was doing a second before he did it, because he only got their lips to half meet as she twisted her head to the side and shoved him away. He couldn’t keep his balance and tumbled to the ground, hitting it with a thump and whimpering as he felt his elbows scrape against the blacktop.
A chorus of laughter burst from behind him as he stared up at Izzy, whose face was a mix of horror and anger. “Why did you do that!” she shouted at him. “Have you gone crazy?”
The recess bell rang before he had a chance to respond, and Izzy ran past him, leaving him alone behind the shed, elbows stinging and a suffocating feeling in his chest. He could still hear the hoots of laughter behind him, but refused to turn around and let them see the moisture welling up in his eyes. He sniffed and rubbed an arm against his face, and suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.
Blinking up through his tears, he found Jenny standing next to him. She gave him a sympathetic smile and tugged on his shoulder. “Come on you crybaby, let’s go to the nurse; you’re bleeding.”
He nodded slowly and stood, following her, his face downcast and red with shame.
~
Izzy had told the recess teacher what had happened, so they were already looking for Sam by the time Jenny brought him to the nurse, who was in fact Mrs. Reeves (now he felt really bad about her flowers). She bustled around him and cleaned his scrapes while Jenny explained the whole story about Jimmy’s group of bullies to the principal, Ms. Wallace. “And Sammy was really brave and told Jimmy to stop, but he wouldn’t, and Sammy didn’t even want my help even though I always help him out, and-”
This went on for about ten more minutes until Ms. Wallace interrupted Jenny, saying, “okay dear, think you’ve told me everything I need to hear.” She walked over to where Sammy was sitting and knelt down by him. “Now dear, Jenny said that Jimmy called you a bad word? Do you feel comfortable telling me what that word was?”
Sam hesitated, then leaned in and whispered it in her ear. When he pulled back, she was frowning. “I see,” she said, nodding. “I’m going to have to have a talk with Mr. Rowan, and most likely his parents too,” she said, standing back up. “Thank you for telling me.”
“You’re not gonna call my dad, are you?” he asked her.
“I think he needs to know,” Mrs. Wallace said, smiling when his expression drooped. “Don’t worry though; I don’t think he’ll be mad at you.”
Mrs. Wallace brought him to the principal’s office while she called his dad, and as he sat outside her office, he felt the bench shift. He looked up and his eyes widened when he saw Izzy sit down next to him. “H-hey,” he said, squirming and shifting uncomfortable. “I’m sorry I tried to kiss you.”
To his surprise, she smiled at him. “It’s okay; Jenny told me what happened. I think you were really brave to try kissing me, even though it was for a bad reason.” She put an arm around him and hugged him. “You shouldn’t let those guys get to you. They’re just idiots looking for some fun. You’re smarter than them and you shouldn’t fall for their tricks.”
“Really?” he asked, looking up at her.
“Really,” she said. And then she leaned down and pecked him on the cheek. When she pulled away, Sam was bright red and stuttering. She giggled at him. “And that was for always being an awesome friend to me.”
“You’re an awesome friend too.”
“Uh, duh!”
~
“Hey, Sam?”
“Yeah, Dad?” Sam was in his dad’s office in their house, playing a computer game. They’d talked a little bit about what had happened when he had gotten home, but his Dad had been on the phone for a while after that. Sam suspected that he was talking to Jenny and Izzy’s parents about what had happened.
His dad leaned against the desk next to the big computer chair he was sitting in. “I’m going to your school tomorrow to talk to the principal. She called Mr. and Mrs. Rowan, and your mother and I are meeting with them.”
“Oh.” Sam shifted and shrugged. “Okay.”
“That’s it?” Dad asked, frowning. “You’re fine with it? I thought you’d beg me not to go and say that I would embarrass you and everybody would hate you.”
“Dad, the only people who will hate me are already under Jimmy’s control, and, well… it’s not right what he did. And you told me that people learn things sometimes from their parents, right?”
“Right.”
“So if Jimmy’s parents taught him to act like that, then they’re not being good parents.” He nodded forcefully. “And they need to be told so!”
His dad broke out into a wide grin. “You get smarter and smarter every day, you know that?”
“Well duh, Dad. I already knew that.”
“Okay, don’t get too cocky.”
~
Izzy, Jenny and Sam were squeezed next to each other on the bench outside of the principal’s office after school the next day. Izzy’s mom was coming to pick her up soon, so she had decided to wait with Sam outside the office. As for Jenny… well, Mr. Cox had shown up with her a few minutes after the meeting had started, told her to wait with Izzy and Sammy, and then walked into Mrs. Wallace’s office. “It’s not my fault!" huffed Jenny as she squeezed onto the bench. "He asked me why your dad’s car was in the school parking lot and I had to tell him about the meeting, and he got all red-faced like he does when Jack does something bad and dragged me back here!”
They were all in there now; Mr. Cox, Sam’s parents and Jimmy’s parents, talking to each other. The voices had started quietly and gotten progressively louder and angrier (especially after Mr. Cox had walked in) but still muffled.
“What do you think they’re saying?” Sam hissed, glancing at the door. Jenny smacked him on the arm. “Ow! What was that for?”
“For being stupid. What do you think they’re saying? They’re talking about exactly what this meeting was for!”
“Cut it out, Jenny. He’s just nervous; we all are.”
“I’m not,” Jenny said, bouncing off the bench and jutting her elbows out, hands on her hips. “My dad is gonna make Jimmy’s stupid parents pay! I bet they’ll come out here and beg your forgiveness, Sammy!”
“That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” Izzy said, scowling. “They’re not gonna change just because your dad say they should. Adults are stubborn.”
“Bet you they will listen to my dad.”
“Bet you they won’t!”
“Shhh,” said Sam, waving his hands in front of their faces. “I think I hear them moving.”
The door suddenly swung open with a loud bang, and Mr. Rowan, a muscular, angry looking man stomped out, followed by his wife, a wispy woman with bracelets jangling at her wrists. He caught sight of the children on the bench, focusing in on Sammy. “You, boy,” He growled, pointing, “You’re the little squealer who told on my son to your faggot of a dad.”
He took a step towards them, and Sam watched as Jenny and Izzy slid together to form a wall of child muscle between Sam and Mr. Rowan. Sam caught sight of their expressions; Jenny had pulled out what she called her ‘so-fierce-that-lions-and-tigers-are-scared-of-it’ glare, and Izzy looked pretty mad herself. This seemed to throw Mr. Rowan off, as he stopped for a moment, staring down at the two girls.
Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder, and Mr. Rowan was whirled around to face Jenny’s father. “I think it’s time you left,” he said, and Sam could see Mr. Cox visibly gritting his teeth. “Go now or I will make you leave.”
Mr. Rowan was muscular, but Mr. Cox was taller and looked like he was more willing to get into a fight. After a moment, Mr. Rowan pulled out of Mr. Cox’s grasp and grabbed his wife around the waist, hustling her down the hall and out of sight.
Sam’s heart was beating at a million miles an hour, and suddenly he found his view filled with Mrs. Sullivan’s face; when had she shown up? “Are you okay, Sam?” she asked, resting a hand on his shoulder. He nodded at her. “Good; I had hoped DJ had produced a kid who was only half a scaredy-cat,” she said, smirking and standing back up. “Come on, Jenny,” she said, motioning to her daughter. “We’ve got to go pick up your brother from soccer. I knew when your dad called me to come get you that he was deciding to do something stupid,” she said, giving Mr. Cox a look that Sam couldn’t figure out; Mr. Cox rolled his big googly-eyes back at her. “It looks like I was right.”
“’Kay, Mom,” Jenny said, and then waved to her friends. “See you guys tomorrow.”
When they left, Sam said to Izzy: “Looks like you were right, they didn’t change.”
“Yeah,” Izzy said, sighing. “I kinda wish I had been wrong though.”
Izzy’s parents arrived a few minutes later, and she left with them as Sam’s own mom came out. “You okay, honey?” his mom asked. “You’ve been through a lot these past few days, and I’m very proud of you for acting so grown-up about this.”
“Thanks, Mom,” he said, nodding and watching his principal walk out behind her, sending him a quick wave and smile. “I’m going home with you tonight, right?”
“Yep,” she said. “I just have to head to the bathroom for a minute; think you can wait out here for me?”
Sam nodded and watched his mom walk off. Looking around the hallway, he could hear his dad talking to someone in the principal’s office in a soft tone. Mr. Cox had disappeared, but Sam heard his voice as he snuck closer to the office, trying to hear what he and his dad were talking about.
“-thanks for doing this; I still don’t know why you came, it’s not like I even told you about it, you heard it through Jenny.”
“You think I’m gonna let that idiot’s kid mess with my daughter? No way in hell. Wanted to jump over the desk when he cursed you out…”
“I think that would’ve made things worse.”
“Yeah, but it would have felt so good.”
“I almost had a heart attack when I thought he was gonna go after the kids.”
“You know that I would have had him face down on the ground before he touched a hair on their heads. And Jordan would’ve probably smashed her heel into his face the moment she appeared, heh.”
“I-I just don’t want that piece of crap to have any influence on Sammy. It was hard enough when I came out to you guys; he shouldn’t have to suffer for it.”
“Hey, you listen to me, Newbie, and you listen good. Your kid is gonna encounter a lot more idiots like that in his life, whether you like it or not. You can’t keep him from facing everything; all you can do is teach him right and hope that something sticks. That’s what I did, and luckily Jack hasn’t turned into too much of a delinquent.”
“Hey, he’s a good kid ‘cause he had good parents.”
“Well gee, Newbie. That just brings a tear to my eye. I think I might start to weep.”
“Well haha to you too.”
“Heh, you’re so easy to mess with… look, Newbie, don’t think that you made the wrong decision when you came out, okay? God knows it was a relief to everybody around you when you stopped pretending you were something that you’re not, it must’ve been even more of a burden off your own shoulders. I can’t believe I’m saying this… but it doesn’t matter what any random yahoo thinks of you; as long as your friends and family are behind you, you’ll be fine.”
“Wow. That was oddly not-sarcastic and somewhat sweet for you.”
“Savor it; it happens once every millennium.”
The sound of clicking heels alerted Sam, and he was sitting on the bench by the time his mother rounded the corner. “Did you say goodbye to your dad?” Mom asked when she got to him. Sam shook his head and jumped off the bench, walking loudly into the room to make sure they knew he was coming.
Mr. Cox was sitting in one of the chairs in front of the desk with his hands resting behind his head, and his dad was sitting on the edge of it, in front of the other man. They both looked up at him when he came in. “I’m going home with mom,” Sam said, walking over to his dad. There was a heavy feeling settling in his chest, and with a sudden urge he gripped his dad in a tight hug. “Love you. I’m glad you did this; even if Mr. Rowan or Jimmy don’t change, it makes me feel better that you tried.”
“I love you too,” his dad said, hugging him back. “I’ll see you in a few days, okay?”
“Yeah.” Sam pulled back and turned around, giving Mr. Cox a wave. “By Mr. Cox,” he said as he left.
“See you, Sammy,” Mr. Cox said. As Sam walked down the hall with his mother, he caught what Mr. Cox said to his dad immediately after. “You raised a good kid, Newbie. Your dad would be proud.”
Next Chapter
X-Posted to scrubsfic and jd_cox
Chapter: 2
Author: nighthawkms (beta'd by mostepotente
Genre: Future!Fic, Possibly AU
Chapter Rating: PG
Warnings: Slash, Obscenities, Angst, Character Death
Chapter Pairing:(s) Click to be Spoiled: Perry/Jordan, mention of Turk/Carla
Summary: Excerpts from the childhood of Sam Dorian Jr.
Disclaimer: Scrubs is the property of Bill Lawrence and I guess ABC network nowadays. I don't own it, I'm just playing in the 'verse!
Notes: So me weeping over the Scrubs Finale today made me decide to start reposting this again. Because I'm done with school, I'm hoping I can pop this out once every two or three days, we've still got quite a few chapters to go! Technically, this story does not reject the whole of the Scrubs canon b/c I believe the events that happen are plausible, even after the finale (Can I just say that I want the song that plays during the slide show at the end for my wedding song now? =D). I'm still leaving this as Possibly AU though, and considering that I wrote this story in December, there are no spoilers in it for the end of the series! Now here's the next part, hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1
When Sam was in the 6th grade; Izzy gave him a Valentine’s Day card. She gave them out to all of her friends, but in Sam’s she wrote under the signoff to the coolest boy I know, with a little smiley face next to the words.
Most of Izzy’s friends were in the 7th grade, so only he and Jenny got one in their class. Jenny’s ended up in the bottom of her backpack (“why would you put it there? It’s really nice!” “It’s just a card Sam, jeez.”), but Sam was looking at his during lunchtime, sitting on the end of the jungle gym and trying to figure out what the extra words she’d written were supposed to mean.
“What’s that?” Sam felt the card ripped out of his hands, and watched Jimmy Rowan manhandling it to his horror, surrounded by a group of his regular followers.
“Give it back!”
“Ooooo, Sammy’s got a girlfriend!” Sam blushed hard as the group of people broke into laughter around Jimmy. “Why would someone as cool as Izzy Turk ever go out with you?”
“She’s not my girlfriend!” Sam shouted. He could see Jenny coming over with two of his other good friends, Paul and Natasha. “She’s just my friend!”
“So you don’t like girls? Are you a fag?”
“Don’t say that word! It’s not nice!”
“Ooooo, you are a fag! Ahahahha. Sam is a faaag,” he started to chant. The people around Jimmy started to chant too, and Sam felt overwhelmed, clenching his fists but resisting the urge to punch the other boy. Being gay wasn’t bad! But-but he wasn’t and they’d be even meaner to him and they’d spread rumors and-
“I am not!” Sam shouted again. “I like girls!”
“Leave him alone!” Jimmy stumbled as Jenny burst through the crowd and shoved him hard against the chest. “You’re such a creep Jimmy!”
“Hah, you’re defending him again. Everybody knows you’re his bodyguard!”
“Am not! I-”
“Jenny, stay out of this!” Sam said, jumping down from the jungle gym and stepping in front of her to stare down Jimmy. The crowd filled with hisses of Oooos and Ahhhs, and Jenny tried to tug him back.
“Sam, he’s just trying to get you mad!”
“Well he already did! And I like girls, so shut up!” he said, turning back to Jimmy and glaring at the other boy.
“Fine. Prove it.”
“What?”
“You like girls so much? Then kiss one!”
“That’s stupid!”
“If you don’t I’ll tell everybody you’re a fag who likes kissing boys!”
Sam clenched his fists so hard that his fingernails dug into his palms, but ignored the pain. “Fine.” He turned to Jenny, and suddenly realizing what he was being made to do, gulped and twined his fingers together. “Umm, could I-”
“No!” she said. “I’m not helping you with this! You didn’t want my help before so you’re not getting it now!” She looked mad but he also thought he saw wet spots around her eyes, and suddenly realized- but wait, she was Jenny; nothing ever hurt her!
“Come on, you guys,” Jenny said, stomping away. “Let’s go play somewhere else.” Natasha and Paul followed her, and Sam was left alone, surrounded by the people he thought were the meanest and evilest people in the whole wide world.
“So who’re you gonna kiss, Sam?”
“Umm-”
“We need to see you do it! Come on, pick someone! Oooo, it should be Izzy!”
“But-!” It was no use, because once the idea was out there, it spread until everybody insisted that Izzy had to be the girl that Sam kissed.
Frank Pearson ran out to the grass field next to the playground and picked a nice flower, giving it to Sam. “Girls like flowers,” he said. “She’ll definitely let her kiss you if you give this to her!” Then they all pushed him towards the large blacktop where the seventh and eighth graders played baseball during recess.
Sam moved away from them as fast as he could, and found himself standing alone at the edge of the blacktop. He spotted Izzy at the opposite corner, chatting with some of her girl friends from the upper classes. Gulping and shoving the flower in his pocket to hide it, he made his way over. His legs felt like jelly as he walked, and he could feel people staring and wondering what the little lone sixth grader was doing out here.
“Umm, Izzy?” he said when he finally got to her group, drawing all of the girls’ attention. “Can I talk to you… in private?”
Izzy smiled up at him. “Sure Sammy. I’ll be right back,” she said to the other girls, and got up to follow him.
The nervous feeling in his stomach was getting bigger, and he grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind the shed on the blacktop where the janitor’s larger outdoor supplies were kept. They were hidden from the kids on the blacktop, but the playground had a direct line of sight to them, and Sam could see Jimmy’s group crowded by the edge, watching them.
“So what’s up, Sammy?” she asked, drawing his attention back. “Why are we back here?”
“Umm… Igotyouthis,” he spat out quickly, digging the flower (now somewhat bent and crushed) out of his pocket and holding it out to her. He couldn’t look up at her, his face felt like it was on fire and he knew that he probably looked like a sunburned apple or something.
“Oh- thank you,” she said. He glanced up to see her take it from him and twirl it between her fingers. “It’s very nice- isn’t this one of the flowers from Mrs. Reeve’s flower garden by the playground?”
Oops. He remembered now that Izzy had helped Mrs. Reeve plant that garden. She’d be mad if he said yes. “No!” he yelped quickly, “I, umm, found it this morning on the way to school.”
“Well it’s very nice!” Izzy dropped her arms to her sides and smiled down at him. “Thank you. Is there something else you needed to talk to me about?”
“Umm…” It was now or never. Sam took a little step forward and went up on his tippy-toes; Izzy was a few inches taller than him. “I also wanted to give you this.”
She must’ve realized what he was doing a second before he did it, because he only got their lips to half meet as she twisted her head to the side and shoved him away. He couldn’t keep his balance and tumbled to the ground, hitting it with a thump and whimpering as he felt his elbows scrape against the blacktop.
A chorus of laughter burst from behind him as he stared up at Izzy, whose face was a mix of horror and anger. “Why did you do that!” she shouted at him. “Have you gone crazy?”
The recess bell rang before he had a chance to respond, and Izzy ran past him, leaving him alone behind the shed, elbows stinging and a suffocating feeling in his chest. He could still hear the hoots of laughter behind him, but refused to turn around and let them see the moisture welling up in his eyes. He sniffed and rubbed an arm against his face, and suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.
Blinking up through his tears, he found Jenny standing next to him. She gave him a sympathetic smile and tugged on his shoulder. “Come on you crybaby, let’s go to the nurse; you’re bleeding.”
He nodded slowly and stood, following her, his face downcast and red with shame.
~
Izzy had told the recess teacher what had happened, so they were already looking for Sam by the time Jenny brought him to the nurse, who was in fact Mrs. Reeves (now he felt really bad about her flowers). She bustled around him and cleaned his scrapes while Jenny explained the whole story about Jimmy’s group of bullies to the principal, Ms. Wallace. “And Sammy was really brave and told Jimmy to stop, but he wouldn’t, and Sammy didn’t even want my help even though I always help him out, and-”
This went on for about ten more minutes until Ms. Wallace interrupted Jenny, saying, “okay dear, think you’ve told me everything I need to hear.” She walked over to where Sammy was sitting and knelt down by him. “Now dear, Jenny said that Jimmy called you a bad word? Do you feel comfortable telling me what that word was?”
Sam hesitated, then leaned in and whispered it in her ear. When he pulled back, she was frowning. “I see,” she said, nodding. “I’m going to have to have a talk with Mr. Rowan, and most likely his parents too,” she said, standing back up. “Thank you for telling me.”
“You’re not gonna call my dad, are you?” he asked her.
“I think he needs to know,” Mrs. Wallace said, smiling when his expression drooped. “Don’t worry though; I don’t think he’ll be mad at you.”
Mrs. Wallace brought him to the principal’s office while she called his dad, and as he sat outside her office, he felt the bench shift. He looked up and his eyes widened when he saw Izzy sit down next to him. “H-hey,” he said, squirming and shifting uncomfortable. “I’m sorry I tried to kiss you.”
To his surprise, she smiled at him. “It’s okay; Jenny told me what happened. I think you were really brave to try kissing me, even though it was for a bad reason.” She put an arm around him and hugged him. “You shouldn’t let those guys get to you. They’re just idiots looking for some fun. You’re smarter than them and you shouldn’t fall for their tricks.”
“Really?” he asked, looking up at her.
“Really,” she said. And then she leaned down and pecked him on the cheek. When she pulled away, Sam was bright red and stuttering. She giggled at him. “And that was for always being an awesome friend to me.”
“You’re an awesome friend too.”
“Uh, duh!”
~
“Hey, Sam?”
“Yeah, Dad?” Sam was in his dad’s office in their house, playing a computer game. They’d talked a little bit about what had happened when he had gotten home, but his Dad had been on the phone for a while after that. Sam suspected that he was talking to Jenny and Izzy’s parents about what had happened.
His dad leaned against the desk next to the big computer chair he was sitting in. “I’m going to your school tomorrow to talk to the principal. She called Mr. and Mrs. Rowan, and your mother and I are meeting with them.”
“Oh.” Sam shifted and shrugged. “Okay.”
“That’s it?” Dad asked, frowning. “You’re fine with it? I thought you’d beg me not to go and say that I would embarrass you and everybody would hate you.”
“Dad, the only people who will hate me are already under Jimmy’s control, and, well… it’s not right what he did. And you told me that people learn things sometimes from their parents, right?”
“Right.”
“So if Jimmy’s parents taught him to act like that, then they’re not being good parents.” He nodded forcefully. “And they need to be told so!”
His dad broke out into a wide grin. “You get smarter and smarter every day, you know that?”
“Well duh, Dad. I already knew that.”
“Okay, don’t get too cocky.”
~
Izzy, Jenny and Sam were squeezed next to each other on the bench outside of the principal’s office after school the next day. Izzy’s mom was coming to pick her up soon, so she had decided to wait with Sam outside the office. As for Jenny… well, Mr. Cox had shown up with her a few minutes after the meeting had started, told her to wait with Izzy and Sammy, and then walked into Mrs. Wallace’s office. “It’s not my fault!" huffed Jenny as she squeezed onto the bench. "He asked me why your dad’s car was in the school parking lot and I had to tell him about the meeting, and he got all red-faced like he does when Jack does something bad and dragged me back here!”
They were all in there now; Mr. Cox, Sam’s parents and Jimmy’s parents, talking to each other. The voices had started quietly and gotten progressively louder and angrier (especially after Mr. Cox had walked in) but still muffled.
“What do you think they’re saying?” Sam hissed, glancing at the door. Jenny smacked him on the arm. “Ow! What was that for?”
“For being stupid. What do you think they’re saying? They’re talking about exactly what this meeting was for!”
“Cut it out, Jenny. He’s just nervous; we all are.”
“I’m not,” Jenny said, bouncing off the bench and jutting her elbows out, hands on her hips. “My dad is gonna make Jimmy’s stupid parents pay! I bet they’ll come out here and beg your forgiveness, Sammy!”
“That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” Izzy said, scowling. “They’re not gonna change just because your dad say they should. Adults are stubborn.”
“Bet you they will listen to my dad.”
“Bet you they won’t!”
“Shhh,” said Sam, waving his hands in front of their faces. “I think I hear them moving.”
The door suddenly swung open with a loud bang, and Mr. Rowan, a muscular, angry looking man stomped out, followed by his wife, a wispy woman with bracelets jangling at her wrists. He caught sight of the children on the bench, focusing in on Sammy. “You, boy,” He growled, pointing, “You’re the little squealer who told on my son to your faggot of a dad.”
He took a step towards them, and Sam watched as Jenny and Izzy slid together to form a wall of child muscle between Sam and Mr. Rowan. Sam caught sight of their expressions; Jenny had pulled out what she called her ‘so-fierce-that-lions-and-tigers-are-scared-of-it’ glare, and Izzy looked pretty mad herself. This seemed to throw Mr. Rowan off, as he stopped for a moment, staring down at the two girls.
Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder, and Mr. Rowan was whirled around to face Jenny’s father. “I think it’s time you left,” he said, and Sam could see Mr. Cox visibly gritting his teeth. “Go now or I will make you leave.”
Mr. Rowan was muscular, but Mr. Cox was taller and looked like he was more willing to get into a fight. After a moment, Mr. Rowan pulled out of Mr. Cox’s grasp and grabbed his wife around the waist, hustling her down the hall and out of sight.
Sam’s heart was beating at a million miles an hour, and suddenly he found his view filled with Mrs. Sullivan’s face; when had she shown up? “Are you okay, Sam?” she asked, resting a hand on his shoulder. He nodded at her. “Good; I had hoped DJ had produced a kid who was only half a scaredy-cat,” she said, smirking and standing back up. “Come on, Jenny,” she said, motioning to her daughter. “We’ve got to go pick up your brother from soccer. I knew when your dad called me to come get you that he was deciding to do something stupid,” she said, giving Mr. Cox a look that Sam couldn’t figure out; Mr. Cox rolled his big googly-eyes back at her. “It looks like I was right.”
“’Kay, Mom,” Jenny said, and then waved to her friends. “See you guys tomorrow.”
When they left, Sam said to Izzy: “Looks like you were right, they didn’t change.”
“Yeah,” Izzy said, sighing. “I kinda wish I had been wrong though.”
Izzy’s parents arrived a few minutes later, and she left with them as Sam’s own mom came out. “You okay, honey?” his mom asked. “You’ve been through a lot these past few days, and I’m very proud of you for acting so grown-up about this.”
“Thanks, Mom,” he said, nodding and watching his principal walk out behind her, sending him a quick wave and smile. “I’m going home with you tonight, right?”
“Yep,” she said. “I just have to head to the bathroom for a minute; think you can wait out here for me?”
Sam nodded and watched his mom walk off. Looking around the hallway, he could hear his dad talking to someone in the principal’s office in a soft tone. Mr. Cox had disappeared, but Sam heard his voice as he snuck closer to the office, trying to hear what he and his dad were talking about.
“-thanks for doing this; I still don’t know why you came, it’s not like I even told you about it, you heard it through Jenny.”
“You think I’m gonna let that idiot’s kid mess with my daughter? No way in hell. Wanted to jump over the desk when he cursed you out…”
“I think that would’ve made things worse.”
“Yeah, but it would have felt so good.”
“I almost had a heart attack when I thought he was gonna go after the kids.”
“You know that I would have had him face down on the ground before he touched a hair on their heads. And Jordan would’ve probably smashed her heel into his face the moment she appeared, heh.”
“I-I just don’t want that piece of crap to have any influence on Sammy. It was hard enough when I came out to you guys; he shouldn’t have to suffer for it.”
“Hey, you listen to me, Newbie, and you listen good. Your kid is gonna encounter a lot more idiots like that in his life, whether you like it or not. You can’t keep him from facing everything; all you can do is teach him right and hope that something sticks. That’s what I did, and luckily Jack hasn’t turned into too much of a delinquent.”
“Hey, he’s a good kid ‘cause he had good parents.”
“Well gee, Newbie. That just brings a tear to my eye. I think I might start to weep.”
“Well haha to you too.”
“Heh, you’re so easy to mess with… look, Newbie, don’t think that you made the wrong decision when you came out, okay? God knows it was a relief to everybody around you when you stopped pretending you were something that you’re not, it must’ve been even more of a burden off your own shoulders. I can’t believe I’m saying this… but it doesn’t matter what any random yahoo thinks of you; as long as your friends and family are behind you, you’ll be fine.”
“Wow. That was oddly not-sarcastic and somewhat sweet for you.”
“Savor it; it happens once every millennium.”
The sound of clicking heels alerted Sam, and he was sitting on the bench by the time his mother rounded the corner. “Did you say goodbye to your dad?” Mom asked when she got to him. Sam shook his head and jumped off the bench, walking loudly into the room to make sure they knew he was coming.
Mr. Cox was sitting in one of the chairs in front of the desk with his hands resting behind his head, and his dad was sitting on the edge of it, in front of the other man. They both looked up at him when he came in. “I’m going home with mom,” Sam said, walking over to his dad. There was a heavy feeling settling in his chest, and with a sudden urge he gripped his dad in a tight hug. “Love you. I’m glad you did this; even if Mr. Rowan or Jimmy don’t change, it makes me feel better that you tried.”
“I love you too,” his dad said, hugging him back. “I’ll see you in a few days, okay?”
“Yeah.” Sam pulled back and turned around, giving Mr. Cox a wave. “By Mr. Cox,” he said as he left.
“See you, Sammy,” Mr. Cox said. As Sam walked down the hall with his mother, he caught what Mr. Cox said to his dad immediately after. “You raised a good kid, Newbie. Your dad would be proud.”
Next Chapter
X-Posted to scrubsfic and jd_cox