Jethro peeped in and then withdrew his head. Rose was seated at a desk, silently reading a book and Jethro understood the mood so well. Normally, Rose and Mother T would be in the kitchen, chatting excitedly. Rose was like Gavin, she could hardly go quiet except something had gone wrong somewhere.

He sighed and then whistled discreetly to her. The girl looked up and she gave him a look of disappointment. He gestured to her to ask if Mother T was in the living room and she shook her head a no.

Relief rushing down his spine, he pushed the door gently and quietly slid in. Rose gave him a pout as she watched his stealthy movement. He tiptoed to his room and then expertly made a creaking door go dumb. He closed his eyes with a big relief and when he would open them...he froze.

Mother T was right there in his room, staring out the window with her eyes full of tears.

Damn Rose! She didn't tell him Mother T was in his room.

He muttered some angry words under his breath and then cringed when the woman turned to face him.

"Good evening, Mum." He greeted her courteously.

"Good evening that you're suspended!" The woman yelled at him as soon as their eyes met.

"Mum, I.." He stammered and before he could get himself back, the woman had interrupted.

"You've turned yourself into a bully in the school. A mannerless boy who hit everyone like a mad bull!" Mother T fired again.

"Mum, that wasn't.."

"You already hit two boys just a week after the resumption. What the hell had gone into your skull during the break." The woman snarled on and Jethro's teeth gritted.

"Argh.." He sighed, "Mum, the boy hit him me first and I punched him back." He said, wondering himself if that was a sensible thing to say.

"Sweet Tyson!" Mother T gave an evil smile, "Two boys hit you first in just a week. Sounds like you just sat gently and they came knocking on your head." She yelled sarcastically.

"Mum, I wish you were there. You would see how..."

"How my dear son fought for a girl?" Mother T scoffed and Jethro was taken aback, his eyes bulging.

Mother T had known about that? Swears it was Rose who told her.

"I heard you screaming her name from a dream and you've been doing crazy things ever since." Mother T continued and Jethro just scratched his cheeks, not knowing what to say, "I wish you could sit, think and fight for your life as you did for her. Your father left us, we're suffering and all you could think of was turning a Tyson for a girl!" Mother T ranted and that stoked a bitter feeling in Jethro.

"You don't have to remind me I have a useless father, Mum!" He groaned.

"If that will get your senses back right, then I'll say it a thousand times." Mother T slammed as she moved closer to him in a sinister manner.

Jethro scoffed as their eyes locked coldly and he grumbled some nasty words, "You married the useless man in the first place, Mum." He said impertinently.

Mother T's face lit with the rude statement and she lashed a slap across his face, "You must be silly to say that to me!" She panted.

Jethro stooped silently after, a palm rubbing his red cheek while his breathing grew coarse.

"Oh, you want to hit your mother too, brat!" Mother T barked at him and he cautiously took some steps backward in response. The door sounded behind him and he glared when he saw Rose peering in. With that sad look on her, she certainly had heard of the deafening slap.

Jethro hissed as she stared piteously at him and that irked Mother T the more.

"She's a lot better than you." The woman slammed, "Small girl but she thinks right. Not a jerk fighting for..."

"Mum!" He interrupted, hating the fact that Mother T was comparing him with Rose..right in her presence!

"Don't you ever cut me off!" The woman warned harshly, "I tried to be the best mother to you ever since your father left. Doing laundry at different homes. Dirty, petty jobs everywhere. You think I'm happy with that! Yet I suffer those shame to feed you and..." She could continue no longer. Her heavy breath had choked out her words.

Jethro's eyes had also swollen by then. Mother T had reminded him of what he had always tried to forget. He hated remembering Nolan, the man who had left them when he was just eight. He hated remembering the disdainful jobs his mother take to cater to him and Rose. And finally, he hated himself for making the woman reminded him of them.

A line of tears trickled down his chin. Something Mother T mistook as the effect of the slap she gave him.

"If you can cry over a slap, you should cry more over your awful life!" Mother T growled and she paced towards the door, before stopping abruptly and scowled back at him, "And henceforth, you follow me to do those dirty jobs till you get back to school. That should get your head straight!" She yelled and Rose cautiously moved away from the door to allow her to stomp out.

Jethro's lips hung in horror as he watched the woman exit the room, his brain still failing to process what he had just heard. He would follow Mother T to do those laundry and dirty jobs while his mates were in school. He mentally flinched at the reality of that and then he glowered at Rose with a hatred greater than Devil's for humanity.

"Jeth, I'm sorry. Didn't know she was in your room." She pleaded when she saw the fire burning in his eyes.

"Kindly follow your woman, please." He returned curtly and threw his backpack on the bed.

"I guess you're not talking about our mother, are you?" Rose scoffed, her voice stressing the 'our'.

"Talking about the woman who said you're better, you glad right?" Jethro chuckled harshly, not looking back at her as he pretended to do something on his desk.

"I wouldn't doubt this was what got you into trouble in the first place. Talking impulsively." Rose scorned and Jethro sprang towards her in a rage.

"Hey! I won't mind getting sent out of home too if you don't shut that your trap!" He hollered.

"Sounding like you're looking to avoid doing the laundry tomorrow." Rose mocked and his jaw clenched in suppressed anger.

"Leave my room." He ordered with his eyes firmly closed, "At a count of five." He lifted a hand and started picking the fingers, "One..two..three..."

When he reached four, he heard the door thunder and he mouthed some offensive words as he opened his eyes. He threw a hard stare around his room like he was suddenly lost in a desert.

He dug his phone out of his pocket and then honked at seeing ten messages from Gavin. He already knew what Gavin wanted to say, but still, he scrolled down to read them.

'Hey, dude!'

'How's your Mum, she's mad at you right?'

'You shouldn't have done that yunno, wanted to come in between you guys but it was too late

'Bing calling you since but you not picking'

'Hope you call back when your hot head goes cool'

He hissed and threw the phone furiously on his bed. Gavin would never make sense. He had read five of his messages and none went well with him. He had thought Gavin would say he loved the way Finn's face swelled when he landed him that blow. Honestly, that was what would excite him now.

He gave a satisfied smile as the fierce scene with Finn replayed in his sight. It would have been a stark injustice if he had not gotten suspended for it. He hit Finn so right!

Sweet Tyson!

Mother T's hilarious phrase echoed again in his ears and he laughed in amusement.

His phone buzzed not long after and he crawled onto his bed to get it. He pressed the receive button without looking at the caller ID and grunted, "Wouldn't you let me rest after such Tyson- like fight?"

"Sorry?" It was a husky voice that replied to him instead.

Jethro gasped, he had thought it was Gavin. He quickly stared into the phone for the caller ID but it said unknown, "Sorry, who's this?" He asked cautiously.

"James. Ava's grandpa." The voice said.

"Oh.." He gave a weak exclamation, wondering how the man had gotten his number. He snorted when he remembered Gavin had given Lira his number.

"Are you still there?" The voice asked when he would not speak.

"Yes sir." He was startled back from the thought.

"We can do away with the sir, boy." The voice said in a friendly manner that made Jethro wonder if it was the same voice that had raged at him that day he visited Ava, "You can call me James." The voice came into his thought again.

"Yes sir." He repeated and heard James give a sound of amusement and frustration.

"Alright." James sighed, "I need your help with Ava." He stated the reason for his call.

"Really?" Jethro scratched his head, doubting if that was the right thing to say.

"Yes," James took it calmly, "Ava has still refused to eat and she gave a promise she will if she sees you." James' voice went dull as he spoke.

Jethro rolled his eyes at the statement. Ava had said that?

"So, can you come tomorrow? Don't say no, please." James continued in a pleading tone and Jethro imagined how funny his heavy jowls would look with a pleading face.

"Alright sir, tomorrow." He agreed.

"Thank you, son, thank you," James said excitedly.

"You don't have to thank me. Ava's my good friend." Jethro purred, trying to act like a nice, polite boy.

"Alright. I'll tell her you're coming. She'll be so glad to hear this. Thank you. Goodbye. Thank you" James sang.

Jethro chuckled at the man's antics as he dropped his phone.

Excitement instantly rumbled inside of him.

Ava wanted to see him.

Really?

He grinned. But then he remembered Ava had lied to him the last time he went to her. He dropped his head on his pillow and gave a sound of disappointment.

"Why Ava?" He moaned.