Status: Fin <3
Origins
Come here Archie, I'll protect you
The bell goes and I pack up my things, I’m the last to leave for recess and my legal studies teacher Mr Hann tells me he’s sorry about my parents. He doesn’t hug me but he looks like he was thinking about it. I thank him then walk to the spot where my group sits at recess and lunch. I put my bag down and sit next to Ash. He picks me up, sits me in his lap and wraps his arms around me. I put my head on his chest and he kisses the top of my head. We sit like that for awhile seeing we had been the first people to arrive at our group’s spot. Soon I hear a gasp and I look up. I see Ian and Cole standing there and I stand up and hug them.
“I didn’t know that you were here today,” Ian exclaims.
“Yeah, we decided it was time to come back to school, I was getting worried about my sister 'cause she hadn’t left the house at all the entire month,” I tell them. We have about another minutes worth of conversation before the other few people in our group arrive. Aimee, Denner, Corey, Jake, Benji and I hadn’t kept in contact while I was away from school, so they were all over me, hugging and kissing me and telling me how much they missed me. When Aimee and Denner walk over together and spot me Denner runs and picks me up in a hug. He puts me down then Aimee gives me a tight hug and neither of them say a word seeing that their hugs had said it all. Denner, Aimee and I are like family, more family than friend’s and they are more like another body part than a whole different person, that’s how close and alike we are.
*
After a while everyone goes back to normal and I sit back down in Ash’s lap. I get out a piece of the chocolate cake one of our neighbours had brought over and I slowly eat it, picking off little bits at a time.
“Is it okay if we come over tonight?” Denner asks looking at Blythe.
“Sure, do whatever. I’m not going to be much fun though,” I tell them. They look at me and Ash hugs me closer. I put my head onto his chest and begin to fell a little like my old self.
“Frances come quickly, its Archer, he seems really upset,” A little year 8 boy tells me, I remember that this is George one of the boys in Archer’s class. I get off of Ash’s lap and look at George.
“Where is he?” I ask.
“Boys toilets,” George tells me, Denner, Aimee and Blythe are standing up ready to follow me and I sigh. I walk up to the library and science block where the girls and boys toilets are.
“You’re not actually going in there are you?” Denner asks.
“I’m going to get my brother, stay here,” I walk in and see Archer sitting in a corner crying. I see the glint of a silver blade and run to him. I grab the knife from him and kick it away. I pick Archer up and carry him outside. I sit him down on the ground and sit next to him, I pull up his shirt sleeve and begin crying.
“I’m sorry Frances, I didn’t know what else to do,” Archer sobs.
“Oh Archie, darling, I don’t care that you did it, I just don’t want to lose you too. Please don’t do it again,” I hold him to my chest and he cries into my white school blouse. The two of us sit there and cry well after the bell for the end of recess goes.
*
“You two should be in class,” Sarge tells us when he spots us sitting in the same position. I look up at him and he sees my tear stained face, his anger disappears and he walks away, soon he comes back with Mr Harvey.
“Frances are you okay?” Mr Harvey asks.
“It’s Arch, would it be okay if I took him to the car? Fixing it helps calm him down,” I tell him.
“Yes, if you have a teacher present while you do it,” He tells me.
“I’ll go get Mr Parker, thank-you Sir,” I try to smile at Mr Harvey and he walks away. I pick Archer up and we walk together to the D&T room. I sit Archer on a chair outside and walk into the large shed that houses the D&T workshop.
“Frances are you okay?” Mr Parker asks looking up from the paperwork he was grading in his period off.
“I was wondering if you would come supervise us while Arch and I muck around with the car?” I ask him.
“Sure, do you want to bring it in here? We can put it in the back with the tools,” He suggests.
“Yeah, Arch’s outside, I’ll go get the car,” I walk out and get Sarge to unlock the gates for me. I walk down to the car park, get in my car and drive it through the open gates and park it in the shed. I pop the hood and Mr Parker pulls a large toolbox up next to the car. I smile, walk outside and get Archer, soon we are all working on the car, with one of Dad’s old CD’s blaring on the car stereo.
*
The bell for period 5, the second last period of the day, sounds and 5 minutes later Mr Parker’s class walks in. I look up from the car to see which year it is and see Jared glaring at me.
“What?” I ask.
“Why are you wearing that?” He asks, I look down at the grease covered button up work shirt and jeans I had changed into. I always keep a set of work clothes in the car for myself, Anna and Archer just in case of times like this one.
“’Cause I’m fixing my car, got a problem with it?” I ask my sadness turning to burning anger.
“Why should you get to do what you want? I reckon this is all so you can get some attention,” Jared growls. Archer walks over to him and punches him in the face.
“Leave my sister alone you fucking arsehole!” Archer shouts.
“Don’t touch me you little prick,” Jared sneers at Archer and shoves him. Archer’s eyes grow dark and he punches Jared again then picks up a spanner and raises it to crack it across Jared’s head.
“No!” I scream and crash tackle Archer to the ground trying to take the spanner from him. He struggles and tries to punch me, “Arch, it’s me Frances, come on little buddy don’t do this,” I tell him accidently using Mum’s nickname for him. He looks at me and stops squirming and begins crying. I get off of him and he hugs me shaking from the strength of his sobs. I rock him in my lap, shushing him and trying to get him to calm down. He sobs uncontrollably into my soiled work shirt and I rub his back through his work shirt. I look at Jared and he suddenly looks like he actually feels bad about it. I look back down at my 13 year old brother and rest my cheek on the top of his head.
“I didn’t know that you were here today,” Ian exclaims.
“Yeah, we decided it was time to come back to school, I was getting worried about my sister 'cause she hadn’t left the house at all the entire month,” I tell them. We have about another minutes worth of conversation before the other few people in our group arrive. Aimee, Denner, Corey, Jake, Benji and I hadn’t kept in contact while I was away from school, so they were all over me, hugging and kissing me and telling me how much they missed me. When Aimee and Denner walk over together and spot me Denner runs and picks me up in a hug. He puts me down then Aimee gives me a tight hug and neither of them say a word seeing that their hugs had said it all. Denner, Aimee and I are like family, more family than friend’s and they are more like another body part than a whole different person, that’s how close and alike we are.
*
After a while everyone goes back to normal and I sit back down in Ash’s lap. I get out a piece of the chocolate cake one of our neighbours had brought over and I slowly eat it, picking off little bits at a time.
“Is it okay if we come over tonight?” Denner asks looking at Blythe.
“Sure, do whatever. I’m not going to be much fun though,” I tell them. They look at me and Ash hugs me closer. I put my head onto his chest and begin to fell a little like my old self.
“Frances come quickly, its Archer, he seems really upset,” A little year 8 boy tells me, I remember that this is George one of the boys in Archer’s class. I get off of Ash’s lap and look at George.
“Where is he?” I ask.
“Boys toilets,” George tells me, Denner, Aimee and Blythe are standing up ready to follow me and I sigh. I walk up to the library and science block where the girls and boys toilets are.
“You’re not actually going in there are you?” Denner asks.
“I’m going to get my brother, stay here,” I walk in and see Archer sitting in a corner crying. I see the glint of a silver blade and run to him. I grab the knife from him and kick it away. I pick Archer up and carry him outside. I sit him down on the ground and sit next to him, I pull up his shirt sleeve and begin crying.
“I’m sorry Frances, I didn’t know what else to do,” Archer sobs.
“Oh Archie, darling, I don’t care that you did it, I just don’t want to lose you too. Please don’t do it again,” I hold him to my chest and he cries into my white school blouse. The two of us sit there and cry well after the bell for the end of recess goes.
*
“You two should be in class,” Sarge tells us when he spots us sitting in the same position. I look up at him and he sees my tear stained face, his anger disappears and he walks away, soon he comes back with Mr Harvey.
“Frances are you okay?” Mr Harvey asks.
“It’s Arch, would it be okay if I took him to the car? Fixing it helps calm him down,” I tell him.
“Yes, if you have a teacher present while you do it,” He tells me.
“I’ll go get Mr Parker, thank-you Sir,” I try to smile at Mr Harvey and he walks away. I pick Archer up and we walk together to the D&T room. I sit Archer on a chair outside and walk into the large shed that houses the D&T workshop.
“Frances are you okay?” Mr Parker asks looking up from the paperwork he was grading in his period off.
“I was wondering if you would come supervise us while Arch and I muck around with the car?” I ask him.
“Sure, do you want to bring it in here? We can put it in the back with the tools,” He suggests.
“Yeah, Arch’s outside, I’ll go get the car,” I walk out and get Sarge to unlock the gates for me. I walk down to the car park, get in my car and drive it through the open gates and park it in the shed. I pop the hood and Mr Parker pulls a large toolbox up next to the car. I smile, walk outside and get Archer, soon we are all working on the car, with one of Dad’s old CD’s blaring on the car stereo.
*
The bell for period 5, the second last period of the day, sounds and 5 minutes later Mr Parker’s class walks in. I look up from the car to see which year it is and see Jared glaring at me.
“What?” I ask.
“Why are you wearing that?” He asks, I look down at the grease covered button up work shirt and jeans I had changed into. I always keep a set of work clothes in the car for myself, Anna and Archer just in case of times like this one.
“’Cause I’m fixing my car, got a problem with it?” I ask my sadness turning to burning anger.
“Why should you get to do what you want? I reckon this is all so you can get some attention,” Jared growls. Archer walks over to him and punches him in the face.
“Leave my sister alone you fucking arsehole!” Archer shouts.
“Don’t touch me you little prick,” Jared sneers at Archer and shoves him. Archer’s eyes grow dark and he punches Jared again then picks up a spanner and raises it to crack it across Jared’s head.
“No!” I scream and crash tackle Archer to the ground trying to take the spanner from him. He struggles and tries to punch me, “Arch, it’s me Frances, come on little buddy don’t do this,” I tell him accidently using Mum’s nickname for him. He looks at me and stops squirming and begins crying. I get off of him and he hugs me shaking from the strength of his sobs. I rock him in my lap, shushing him and trying to get him to calm down. He sobs uncontrollably into my soiled work shirt and I rub his back through his work shirt. I look at Jared and he suddenly looks like he actually feels bad about it. I look back down at my 13 year old brother and rest my cheek on the top of his head.