A Different Path

Chapter 12 - Name Calling

I slept through most of the day since I was so exhausted from what happened earlier, as I usually was after having a panic attack. Once I woke up I waited patiently for Jack, smiling when the ladder shook a bit.

"Hey!" Jack said as he reached the top, smiling at me.

"Hey," he came and sat next to me, handing me a bit of food. "Good day?" I asked as we began to eat.

"Mhm," Jack nodded, taking his cap off. "You gonna be on my team?" Jack asked, looking at me.

"There's teams?" 

"Not always, but tonight there is." He said, finishing his food.

"Oh, sure," I smiled at him again, finishing my food as well.

When we entered the lodging house most fellas were already there, messing with one another and being generally loud. I followed Jack to a table and sat beside him, waiting to start. As I tend to do when in a new space, I stayed silent, just listening to everyone else around me talk rather than joining in myself. After a few minutes Race stood up from a separate table, heading to the front of the room.

"Alright, who's up first?" He asked, and Romeo shot up from a third table.

"We'll go first!" He yelled, his entire team cheering for reasons I didn't quite understand. 

Despite how chaotic it felt, I still was having a great time. It was something I had never experienced before, being around so many people who were all happy and just having fun with one another. I remained quiet, unable to stop smiling whenever I saw how much fun Jack was having. 

"Take five everyone," Race yelled, heading right outside for a smoke. A few fellas followed him, the others staying put and talking.

"I'm gonna run to the bathroom, I'll be back," Jack said to me, smiling. He left the room swiftly, leaving me 'alone.' I thought it'd scare me to be here without him, but it didn't. I actually felt just fine.

Just seconds after he had left, I heard the unmistakable sound of bottles clanking. I turned in my seat to see some fellas bringing beer out, already beginning to open a few. I surprised myself yet again when I didn't panic at the smell of the beer, instead just tensing up a little, but not feeling like I had to leave. I turned back to the table, seeing a few of the guys looking at me. I didn't know the names of them, causing me to feel a bit uneasy as we looked at one another for a moment before I looked down.

"You're quiet," one of them said, making me look up at him. I didn't respond, tensing up even more. "We don't bite," he joked, making the guys next to him laugh. I laughed a little, too, before looking back down at the table.

"So you're Jack's new project?" Another kid said, and I looked at him.

"Hm?" Was all I said, confused.

"Jack always takes in new kids for a while before sending them to the lodging house. We call them his 'projects.' So, is it just your leg that's fucked up, or is there somethin' else wrong, too?" I froze as he spoke, feeling sick to my stomach. 

"I think he might just be fuckin' dumb," the first kid said, and I choked up. 

"Oh, one of those people, huh? Do you even understand what I'm sayin'?" A third boy teased, and I suddenly felt like I was back in school, and I remained quiet, afraid that if I spoke I'd get hit.

"C'mon kid we know you can talk, stop bein' irritating," the second kid said. I opened my mouth to respond, but couldn't say anything. 

"Hey hey, you gotta talk slower than that," one of them spat, but I didn't see who, as I looked down at the table.