Alex Carter: A Red Band Society Fanfiction

Second Chances for the Taking

"Mmm, I like it," Dash said, though he didn't sound fully convinced. His eyes ran over Jordi's outfit, the slightly too big suit and off-color tie choice. "I mean, the cut goes against your frame, but the pinstripes tell a story." 

"Personally, I think he needs a hat," Leo added, entering the room. 

Dash looked over at him, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, yeah, a hat would be cool."

Jordi nodded to Leo before turning back to the mirror in front of him. "Dude, I'm not wearing a hat with this. Besides, we'll be inside?"

Dash sighed. "It's about making a statement," he urged. 

Leo stood next to Dash, looking at Jordi's reflection. "I can let you borrow a different colored tie," he offered. 

"Thanks, but, I think I'm good," Jordi said. He wondered if it would help his case, give him the sympathy factor. He looked himself over in the mirror again, trying to fight the fear that was beginning to swell inside him. It was everything to him, and just another day for his judge. Did they know how hard he had worked? Everything he has sacrificed? They won't, not everything. Because even if he went there today and only spoke of the sacrifice he would need more than the hour allotted to him. 

"Uh," he said, clearing his throat. "Shouldn't you be with Emma?" he asked.

Loe shrugged, looking down. "The doctors kicked me out, they needed to run more tests." Leo considered clueing Jordi in on everything that had been going on with him. He could use some input from someone more on his level than Dash, with his wild confidence that quite frankly panicked Leo when he thought about putting it into practice.   

But the idea of telling Jordi was shot down when Nurse Jackson entered the room. "Well you look nice," she mused, appraising Jordi's clean up act. 

"Gotta look respectable for the judge," Jordi said with a shrug. 

"Judge?" Nurse Jackson repeated, her eyes widening. "You've got court today?" 

Jordi nodded, trying to look at ease while fighting the lump in his throat. 

"Okay, well, you stay," she said, looking him over with a careful eye before turning on Leo. "You, Dr. McAndrew moved your scan up to 3 o'clock this afternoon."

Leo smirk, a devilish grin. "I don't know, might put a cramp in my schedule," he deadpanned. 

Nurse Jackson's face dropped, her eyes boring a hole through the boy with her firm stare. 

The look was enough, and Leo dropped the act immediately. "That is, if, I had a schedule," he said, looking down. 

"Good, now go to your room, there's a surprise waiting for you," she teased. 

Leo looked at her, confused by the tone of her voice. "Really?"

"Mmhmm."

He turned to leave, before sending Jordi a comically worried expression, his back to the frightening Nurse Jackson. 

Jordi smiled at Leo's cringing, before turning to face Nurse Jackson's arched brow. "Now," she said after Leo had left, "why're you seeing the judge today? I thought your caseworker said your final emancipation hearing wasn't happening for a few weeks?"

"She got my appointment moved up," Jordi clarified. 

"Well did she contact any of your family members?" She asked. 

Jordi laughed at the notion. "She hasn't been able to get ahold of my mom for over 6 months, actually, I'm pretty sure my mother blocked her number. Uh, she also reached out to my abuela, but no word."