Cops' Kids

C4

"Mr. Watson and co!" Coach hollers from his office. He has a nice view of the gymnasium but not the weight lifting portion of the storage system. Tyson burrows his nose into the crook of Georgia's neck, breathing deeply. Despite his protesting arms, he'd picked her up, watched her smile and heard her laugh blissfully as he spun her around and set her on the top of the folded in bleachers. Tyson had won first place in his school's weightlifting tournament, making him eligible for the division wide competition. "I'm heading home," Coach says, walking out of his office and locking the door. While Tyson is a macho man teenager, the past two years he'd gone to Coach when Elmer got in his head - which is every time he laid a hand on him before or after school or a weight lifting meet-up. "So you have to, too."

"Alright," Tyson sighs again. He knows Elmer is going to be extremely pissed off. Tyson skipped helping the neighbours because of his scheduled competition but that won't matter to Elmer, even if he brags his athletic stepson up to his cop buddies.

"Hey," Georgia smiles at her boyfriend of two months. She folds his flyaways behind his ear, noticing the hesitation on his often bitter face. "I was thinking about date ideas and I have a really good one."

"Oh, yeah?" Tyson grins, looping his hands under her armpits and lifting her off the bleachers. His phone vibrates in the process and as much as he wants to ignore it, he can't. If his brothers all went home after helping the neighbours and Elmer finished work before Tyson gets home, he'll more than likely take it out on his brothers. He fishes his phone out of his pocket, deflating as he reads the text from Benjamin. Dads going after Colin. Tyson growls in his throat. Colin is his baby bro, Elmer knows that, knows that Warren can take care of himself, and Tyson too but it hurts all of them more when he goes after, sweet, naive Colin. "We'll have to rain check, babe." Tyson forces a smile as he pockets his phone.

"Awe," Georgia pouts in a way Tyson finds cute. "It was a really good date plan."

"Pick a day," Tyson says, bending his head down to kiss Georgia.

"That's enough PDA! Out! Out! Out!" Coach hollers from the doors, waving his arms in a circular motion. Inside, he is smiling. Something is different with Tyson with this girlfriend. He's still angry, still bitter but he's stopped nitpicking his girlfriends when he's upset. Coach's best weightlifter is learning self-discipline, a different kind then his physical discipline. Tyson ruffles Georgia's dark brown hair, a crooked smile on his lips when she huffs and tries to fix her bangs.

"Your dad still give you the green light next week?" Georgia asks, looping her fingers through his. She notices the way Tyson winces when she leans into his side. The pain he hides is why she feels so connected to him because she hides the same things. Only she uses make up and excuses of being clumsy to cover the bruises. With Tyson's bad boy aura and angst attitude, no one doubts when he says he got into yet another fight. The principal has called him to the office, told him he's lucky he doesn't fight on school property otherwise he'd be off the team.

"Need a ride?" Coach asks. He's brought Tyson home countless times and but not his girlfriends. He's a male teacher, knows it already doesn't look good he spends so much time with Tyson. Tyson's phone vibrates again and he pulls it out. Coach rolls his eyes, this behaviour was routine for Tyson. The text is another from Benjamin. Broken beer bottle.

"Nah," Tyson looks up, worry flashing in his eyes. "I gotta run." He pulls Georgia in for a quick kiss, slaps Coach's shoulder and literally runs off. It's a full out run because he doesn't have a vehicle. Only Warren does. Fury fills his bones, pumps adrenaline through his veins. There's five of us older boys, Tyson thinks. Why don't we fucking take him on already? At the same time, guilt swirls in his stomach. His brothers are getting beat because of his mess up, because he tried showing Elmer he's not the big bad boss of his stepsons. Tyson should have just forfeited this match but that meant he wouldn't have been placed in divisionals. Elmer  probably would have beat him for talking him up to his cop buddies and failing his expectations. There is no win with Elmer. They all know this but sometimes it's the hope that they can get out, have something that isn't connected to him that keeps them pushing forward. One step in front of the other, like he is now; running to a beating to keep Colin and Ross and Isaiah and Jeremiah and his mom safe.