The principal of Tommen couldn't hide his distaste for Joeu. He made that perfectly clear. His mistrust was potent, his wariness even more stifling, as he sat behind his desk and looked down his nose at Joey.

"Is he on a methadone program?" His question, while about Joey, was directed towards Edel and John who were sitting beside him.

"Is he receiving regular counselling sessions? Attending an outpatient clinic?

Swallowing his temper, Joey let John do the talking for him. After all, the man made a career out of it.

Instead, Joey balled his hands into fists at his sides and zoned out, only ponding when the patriarch of my siblings newfound family encourged me to do so.

Unwelcome. It was only one word, but the most accurate one he could think up to describe how he felt. Joey didn't belong here, not in this school, and not in this uniform.

Still, he held firm and allowed himself to be led by one of the few men in his life that Joey actually considered to be trustworthy.

In the end, he was sent on his way with a timetable and a warning to behave himself. Like Joey hadn't heard that before.

“I've heard about him."

“He's bad news."

"He's constantly getting into fights over at BCS."

People whispered when Joey passed in the hallways.

"Apparently, he's got a big, fat chip on his shoulder."

Joey ignored them all. They couldn't hurt him. He had been through too much and had come too fucking far to let a few opinions throw him off track.

"That one has a seriously bad reputation."

"I heard he got a girl from his last school pregnant."

"I'm pretty sure he just got me pregnant by glaring at me,"

"He's my brother," A familiar voice snapped, and Joey swung around to find Shannon of all people standing up to a group of girls in the hallway.

"And you shouldn't believe everything you hear."

"Is he single?"

"You're not his type."

"What's his type?"

"His girlfriend."