"Baby, you'll stay with her. She will take care of you. She will get you anything you want." He said kneeling down to rub my back.
"But I don't want to stay with Oma, dad, I want to go with you." I hugged him and heard his heart pounding.
"I'm sorry but you can't come." He pushed me lightly and got up on his feet.
I tried hard to not let my tears fall but I couldn't stop the warm water running down my cheeks.
"Please, dad, please. I promise, I promise that I will be a good boy." I grabbed his hand tightly.

He pulled himself away from me and I could see the tears in his eyes.
"I swear that I will come to get you soon. Now let me go."
With that he left, closing the door with a loud bang.
I started to sob uncontrollably and I was soon gasping for air. My chest was getting heavier and I couldn't keep my eyes open. It felt like I was slowly falling, falling into the dark abyss.

Jason woke up with a start, his body was drenched in sweat and he was breathing heavily. He had the same nightmare again. For all his childhood and adolescence, he had waited for them to stop but they only got worse. They weren't just dreams, they were memories; memories of the horrible night when he was abandoned by his parents. Nothing helped him and the fear these memories brought still took him to the darkness he had always wished to escape from.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and started to get ready for school because there was no way in hell that he could sleep again.

Jason had been staring at the clock for the last five minutes. Just one more minute and he will be a free man. He couldn't wait to get out of his class and meet up with Mike and Alex.
The bell rang, "Finally!" he shouted, making himself the center of attention again. He didn't care about the staring eyes of his classmates. He grabbed his books and ran out the room as if his ass was on fire.

Michael was standing next to the lockers when he saw Alex and Elise having a chat. He was staring at them and by his posture, it could be guessed that he had been standing there for a little while.
"What you doin, brotha?" Jason asked putting an arm around Michaels head.
"Nothing, just looking around." Michael said feigning carelessness.
"How could you ever look around when your dear dear friend is standing here?" Jason replied with a hand on his heart.
"Just look at them." Michael pointed at Alex who had his arm around Elise's shoulder now.
"Oh!" Jason finally spotted them. "Let's go and get him." He suggested.
"I don't think we should disturb them. Let's get something to eat first." Michael put his books in the locker and locked it.
"Whatever you say man." With that they both went away to the school canteen.

They both were sitting on a bench when Michael asked, "Umm Jason, I sense trouble. Do you know why is Delilah marching towards us like that?"
"Oh shit!" Jason stood up as he saw the girl waking towards them with smoke coming out of her ears.
"Jason Steiner! How dare you leave me like that?" Delilah shouted.
"Come on, babe, I told you that my mother was calling me. I had no other option." Jason gestured her to sit down which she didn't pay any attention to.
"But everyone knows that you live with your grandma." Delilah again shouted.
"Doesn't mean that I don't get the occasional motherly calls." Jason said, grinning.
"You are not lying, right?" Delilah asked with uncertainty in her voice.
"I will never lie to you, love." Saying this Jason wrapped his arms around her.
Michael, who was silently watching the whole scene, cleared his throat.
"So you two are dating now? But what about Erica, Jason. Weren't you with her last night?" Michael asked with a sinister smirk.
"N-no I wa-wasn't with her." Jason stuttered with wide, horrified eyes.
"Shut up asshole! We are over now." Saying this Delilah snatched Michael's juice and dumped the contents on Jason's head.
"Don't you ever try to call me again." Saying this she went away, crying.

"Why did my juice suffer?" Michael said in a very sad tone.
"Mike?" Jason said in a calm voice.
"Yes?" Michael raised his head and smiled at him.
"Run or I will kill you."
Without wasting a second, Michael ran with Jason tailing him.

They both were laughing like idiots but kept on running.
"You will never catch me, dufus." Michael shouted.
"Don't underestimate me, man."
Michael was about to reply when he collided with someone and both of them fell down.
"Ow!" someone groaned from beneath him.
Michael looked down to face none other than Elise Woods.
"Could you please get off me?" She muttered.
"Not too soon, cupcake." Michael whispered in her ear.
"What?" Elise almost shouted at him in shock and he quickly got off her.
"Are you alright Elise?" Came Alex's concerned voice.
"Yes she is." Michael answered for her.
Alex looked at Elise and she nodded her head in assurance.
"Dude that fall was what I call karma." Jason said with humour lacing his voice.
"Yeah whatever." Michael muttered. He shoved Jason on the ground and said, "I need to go now. See you guys later."
Saying this he went away.

"What were you both doing?" Alex finally asked, a little confused.
"Long short story, your friend is the reason I'm single now." Saying this, Jason flipped his imaginary hair and walked away.
"Why are your friends so weird?" Elise asked with a confused expression.
Shaking his head, Alex said with a small smile, "That, my friend, is a mystery yet to be solved.

Jason found himself in the school's parking lot as he didn't have a class anymore.
Bentley and Peter were also there standing and smoking cigarettes.
"Dude, want some?" Peter asked.
"Nah... I stopped smoking." Jason replied.
"Why? I thought you said that I feel free when I smoke." Peter took another puff.
"I don't remember saying that. I don't need it." Jason replied with a small smile.
"As you wish." Peter said with the same neutral tone.
"Jason, do you remember Maggie?" Bentley asked with a serious look. 
"Um... not really but why?" Jason asked, a little confused.
"She's my sister." Bentley's eyes were shining with anger now.

Jason could not remember Maggie, no matter how hard he tried, he doubted he had ever heard that name. He didn't usually thought about the girls he went out with and Maggie was no exception.
He was still thinking about who Maggie was when a strong punch landed on his jaw. He was not expecting this so he fell on the hard floor.

"Asshole! Do you think that you can use my sister like that? My sister is not a toy!" Bentley threw another punch on his face but he didn't respond. He knew he deserved this but when Bentley kicked him in the stomach, he couldn't control himself. He punched Bentley and the poor guy fell on the floor.
"Everyone knows that I am not a relationship type of guy so it's NOT MY FAULT that she thought we could be more than a one night stand." Jason shouted at him
"You, son of a bitch!" Bentley shouted back.
The boys kept on throwing punches and kicks until Peter intervened.
"Stop this you morons. What happened with Maggie is in the past now. I'm pretty sure he got his lesson and she moved on." Peter pushed his friend away from Jason.
Bentley just grunted whereas Jason had a small smile playing on his lips.
"Let's go Pete." With this they both went away.

Once again Jason was all alone. He rubbed his aching jaw and felt the blood on his face. He was used to taking care of his own wounds since his grandma was too old to care for him.

He remembered when he was nine and got into his first fight. The big guys in foster care were bullying Michael. Michael had just ran away from his new home. His new parents were abusive and he had the audacity to report them to the police. That little guy had helped stop domestic violence.
Alex and Jason were at foster care home playing with Michael when the big guys came and pushed their friend on the ground. Jason was the first one to stand up against them. He punched the big guy and Alex followed his lead. They both got really bad injuries and Alex still has the small scar on his right cheek. Michael hadn't been involved in any of it but this fight built his self-esteem and he was never the victim of bullying again. He was brave; he knew it and now with his friends to keep his back, he was never weak again.

Jason remembered how Mrs. Black came running to hug Alex. A good-looking lady in a summer dress and sandals, he had liked her.
"Kid, where's your mom?" Mrs. Black asked him with concern in her voice.
"I live with my grandparents, she's not with us." He replied.
"Should I call them?" She put her arm around him and gave him a small smile.
"No, no need, they're probably busy, I'll be fine." He smiled back at her. She dressed both of the kids' wounds and dropped Jason off at his grandparents' home.

Jason envied Alex. His mother was beautiful and caring, just like he remembered and imagined his mother to be. There was one big difference between them; his mother had left him but Mrs. Black stayed with her son.

It took him a little time to come back to the present as it always did. He was still sitting on the floor with his hand on a bruise on his face.
Jason straightened his jacket and walked towards his car. 'I'll quit smoking tomorrow.' was his last thought before he drove to the store nearby and smoked a cigarette.

*******