-----

Frank arrived to class mid-way through the lesson after his counsel session. He slipped quietly into the room, a sly grin still playing on his lips; pleased with the amount of anger he had gained from Gerard. He took his seat as the teacher placed a book and pen in front of him and proceeded to explain what it was they were studying. After the man’s first four words Frank decided he was far too uninterested in trigonometry to listen any further and brushed him away whilst informing that he was sure he could work it out.

The teachers in the center did not hold such punishment over the kids as what the guards did. They were qualified teachers and that was it, if they had a problem with any of the boys they would have to inform one of the workers and that child would be reprimanded by them only. Frank generally didn’t have a problem with his teacher though. He was an older man, mid forties maybe, laid-back, quite friendly and he seemed determined to ensure each of his students gained a good education whilst they were in Juvy and that type of outlook Frank respected. He wouldn’t scowl if someone found something a little hard to understand, he would sit and explain it thoroughly, point out tips, hints and give advice. He really was a good teacher and that had made Frank wonder why he was educating delinquents; his efforts wouldn’t be recognized here, at least not by anyone who mattered.

Frank looked up to the cluttered triangles and formulas on the board. There was no way he was going to be able to work this out on his own and he knew that from the beginning, it was just that he didn’t need to learn trigonometry so he couldn’t find the point in trying nor could he be bothered. Instead he spent the lesson drawing sailing boats, scribbling numbers in the corners and placing lines and circles over the pictures wherever they looked intelligent; the entire time thinking of Gerard in the Lego porn industry.

-----

Starting lunch Frank and Jepha made their way outside, the latter rambling on about something Frank wouldn’t have been able to repeat even if he was forced to. Approaching the courts, Frank’s step quickened for a moment before he simply stopped in the middle of the field and stared straight ahead in silence. Jepha soon shut up and stopped next to his friend, glancing at him briefly before tracing his line of vision to see what his eyes were fixed on.

“Shit!” Jepha started. “Is that Bob and Pete?”

Frank squinted, his head protruding to get a better look. He was certain it was in fact his two friends and that’s why he had stopped in the first place; they looked to be in some sort of trouble. “I think so.” He turned to Jepha, starting to move again. “Come on!” He motioned, both of them running hastily to the court.

“What the fuck Bob?” Jepha asked breathlessly, coming face to face with the same group of guys Pete had had problems with last week.

“Holy shit!” Instantly Frank didn’t need an explanation, he could see exactly what went on and what was still going on.

Pete was knocked out on the floor with a bloody nose and several cuts on his face. Frank turned to Bob who had earlier blew Jepha’s question off to continue abusing the guy, whose name apparently was Nick and listen for a second until the scene quickly turned into a mess of boys and their filthy mouths, tightened fists and sprays of blood.

It started when Nick had clearly gotten tired of Bob turning bright shades of red right in his face and planted his knuckles into the blondes jaw and he stumbled back a step or two. Frank immediately retaliated on his friend’s behalf sending his own fist to smash Nick’s eye and another one quickly following into his gut. Split seconds after Frank felt cracks in his neck as one of Nick’s friends leaped forward and began belting into him. Jepha joining in using his own fists as weapons as did the enemy’s third friend. People had quickly flocked to the action, cheering them all on, pumping excited fists into the air and making their own stupid fighting actions.

After Bob had regained his posture he took to the brawl, getting about three hits in before they were all roughly pulled apart by four guards tending to the gathered crowds. Frank felt arms wrapped around his waist, lifting him of the boy who had probably broke a couple of his teeth, he was sitting over him fists belting into his face and unable to stop himself. The guard however managed to lift him away, his legs kicking out in front of him; still livid with the situation.

Once they were all calmed down, the seven of them – Pete still somewhat faint, were escorted to the nurses’ clinic to get cleaned up before being informed what would happen to them for their misbehavior. Frank left the clinic with all his teeth intact - though he could hardly move his mouth at all, a tissue held up to his nose and cut on his right-top eyelid. His friends were much the same, cuts and already formed bruises covering their faces and bodies, as well as Nick and his friends, whose names he had discovered as Justin and Dean.

The group was quickly told that they would be staying in their rooms for the rest of the day – to which Frank subtly scoffed; that was hardly punishment. They were also notified that they would be having a closer eye kept on them and if such activities were to take place again their recreation privileges would be taken away from them, including the use of the basketball courts altogether and they will each be scheduled another two hours of counseling, both separately and with each other. They nodded their agreements, shuffling apart in the hallway and then making their way back to their rooms; exchanging dirty glares.

-----

“Fuck that fucker. Piece of fucking faggot shit.” Jepha slammed the bedroom door shut once he and Frank were inside. “Stay in this grotty, shit, fucking cunt of a fucking room.”

“Don’t say ‘faggot’ and would you rather be in class?” Frank raised his eyebrows as he took to his bed.

“No. Mostly I just wanted to see how much I could swear.” Jepha smirked and climbed up onto his own bed.

They were silent for a while. Frank had plenty to talk about, but it was just too painful to even try. He didn’t know what he was thinking to just hit Nick so suddenly; he could understand it was instinct for him to stand up for his friends, he would expect the same from them, but he had no idea what had triggered the argument in the first place so he was just quick backup; simply pouncing into something he knew he was going to gain injuries from for reasons unknown.

He winced as he rolled over; a sharp pain surging through his neck and sucking back some blood that was beginning to escape his gums. He let out a rough breath, now really starting to feel every strain in his body from where he’d been hit. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, in fact incredibly far from it. Frank hated being in pain, it was uncomfortable more than anything and being physically uncomfortable was what caused him to be angry. He just wanted to fall asleep and wake up with a new body; able to see now why being in his room was tactful punishment, there was nothing he could do to take his mind off of how shit he was feeling.

“Hey princess…” Jepha hung his head over the bed frame to look at his roommate. “…what did Way say? Does he lika da pee-nis?”

Frank stared blankly at Jepha’s sarcastic face for a moment before rolling over in bed again. “No. He has a girlfriend.”

“Ah ha. Is that so? You don’t seem too pleased about that.”

“No Jeph, what I’m not pleased about it that my mouth hardly works and I feel like a big banana bruise.” He slurred and as much as Jepha laughed at the way Frank had described how he felt, he hadn’t meant for it to be funny, he just really felt like crap.

As the sounds of Jepha chuckles filled the small room, Frank suddenly stared to realize there really was no escape from this place, what would happen to him if he left the room when he wasn’t supposed too? He was trapped and felt like he was the one who should have went off when he walked in the room, at least now it suited his mood. For all the reasons in the world that Frank didn’t have his eyes started to well with hot tears as he let out a muffled ‘shut up’ to his friend and all he could think about was how much he wished he could see Gerard right now.