One More Year

Chapter 1

And here I am, once again starting a new fic. I've mainly written short one-shots for this fandom, but couldn't resist the urge to write a Foster Care AU.

This was largely inspired by SomedayonBroadway on Ao3. Everything they have written is amazing. You should check their stories out!

Anyway, please read the description for warnings and be aware that there will be major abuse of a minor in this story. Read with caution.

And as always, please enjoy and comment!

Gosh bless,
Jamie

~TH~

One more year. Just one more year. One year and I'm out. Just one more year. He repeated it like a mantra. Like it was the only thing keeping him alive. The world was in the background, the only real thing was the promise of escape and the deep breaths he was forcing himself to take.

His back slammed against the wall and the world slowly started to come back into focus. He immediately noticed the pain throughout his body as hands pinned him by the shoulders. There was something dripping from his nose.

A hand smacked his face to the side. "Are you listening to me, boy?"

Jack blinked, drawing in a shaky breath. "Yes, Mr Snyder." His voice was hoarse. Oh please tell me I wasn't screaming.

"Listen here Kelly, you're lucky that I agreed to take you in. No one else wanted you. So you best keep your mouth in check and stay out of my way!" Jack could smell the alcohol coming off of his breath but couldn't getaway.

"Yes, sir." He managed to say, forcing himself not to cry out now that he was back in the present and feeling every bruise he had been left with.

Snyder pulled him from the wall and shoved him towards the back room. "I don't want to see you again tonight." Jack stumbled, but managed to stay on his feet. He didn't respond as he made his way into the one place in the apartment that offered relative safety.

The room was mostly empty. There was a twin-sized mattress in the corner, there used to be a frame, but it had snapped when Jack had been thrown into it a few months prior. There was a floor-length mirror sitting against the single dresser and a nightstand with a small lamp beside the bed. A small window led to a fire escape down the back of the building.

Jack looked at his backpack begrudgingly. He should really at least try to do some of his homework. He ran his sleeve under his nose, minorly surprised to see it come back red. He sighed, pulling off his light blue sweater, holding the sleeve against the nosebleed. It didn't take long for it to stop. Dropping the shirt to the floor, he looked at himself in the mirror. There was blood crusted around his nose made even brighter by the dark circles under his eyes, at least Snyder hadn't completely blackened them. A nasty bruise was forming on his cheek. He had a few dark bruises covering his abdomen, but nothing he couldn't handle.

He grabbed a plain white t-shirt, slipping it on. The thin material did little to warm him from the January cold, but he didn't want to risk ruining his other school shirt while one had enough blood to warrant questioning.

With another sigh, Jack threw his backpack onto the bed. He had just opened the bag when his phone started vibrating. Jack pulled the small rectangle out of his pocket, it couldn't do much but text, call, and download music, but he was just thankful to have one. Looking at the caller ID, he cleared his throat before answering.

"Hey Charlie,"

There was almost an immediate answer, "Hiya Jack!"

"What's up with you, kid?" He found himself smiling at his younger brother's voice.

"I got new crutches! They're forearm crutches, the doctor said it will make me more independent."

"Nice." He paused, "How'd you get them?" He didn't want to press, but new things were rare in a group home. They took care of you, but only the necessities.

"They're for my birthday next week. Since I went to the doctor today they said I could get them now. They're real nice too, red instead of just plain silver!" The boy was turning fifteen. Jack could hardly believe it,

"That's pretty cool, kid." He moved a bit too fast, causing him to hiss in pain.

"Are you okay?" Charlie's tone changed to worried. "Has your foster dad been beatin' on you again?"

"I'm fine, Crutchie, don't worry about it." He ran a hand over his face, flinching slightly when it brushed the tender skin.

There was silence for a moment. "This is my fault, Jack."

"No. Don't say that. It ain't your fault."

"But if you hadn't been standin' up for me, they never would've kicked you out and you wouldn'tve ended up with Snyder!"

"Hey, you can't talk like that. I'd do it again. It ain't your fault. It's those boys who were pickin' on you, ya hear?" He took a calming breath, not wanting to get so loud that Snyder heard him.

Charlie stayed silent before whispering, "Okay Jack."

"Hey, just another year, right? Soon as I turn eighteen I'm out of here. I'll get custody and we'll get a nice place of our own, yeah?"

"Yeah." There was a sad smile in the younger kid's voice. "Hey, I gotta go, I'll call ya again tomorrow."

"Take care of yourself Crutch, and don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"Okay," He sounded unconvinced. The next phrase was said in a near whisper. "Love ya, Jackie."

Jack took a calming breath, closing his eyes, "Love ya too, Charlie."

The phone clicked, signalling the end of the call. He dropped the phone onto the bed, leaning against the wall. His head was killing him. His stomach wasn't all too pleased with him either. Jack found himself wishing that he had grabbed something from the cafeteria. They wouldn't miss an apple, right? Free lunches were great, but that was one meal. Sometimes Snyder would leave food in the kitchen, but not often enough to count on. And it only did him any good if the Spider passed out early. It didn't matter. He'd be fine. He could wait until tomorrow so long as he didn't think about it. Just don't think about it Kelly, do something to distract yourself.

Jack looked at his homework, still in his backpack, it would distract him... His head continued to viciously pound. He then zipped it back up and dropped the bag onto the floor. He curled into the thin blanket even though he knew it was pointless. He didn't sleep much anymore. 

~TH~

And that my friends, is part one. The chapters will be shorter for the most part. I like them better that way personally. If you'd like to see anything particular, you can let me know here or on Tumblr. Can't make any promises, but would love to hear any ideas! I'm open from prompts too.... so don't be afraid to come say hi!

Hope you enjoyed this and I shall see you relatively soon!

Be sure to let me know what you guys think! Also, don't be afraid to come yell at me, say hi on, or leave a prompt on Tumblr.

@Trekkiehood

Gosh bless,
Jamie Dawn