During the night, Gregory suddenly heard a gunshot in his dream, and then woke up in a cold sweat, “MOM!” He took a deep breath and then tried to calm his rapidly beating heart, until it stopped and he went back to sleep. Celestia then walked into his room to check on him after hearing him scream, but suddenly smiled warmly at him sleeping relaxed and then kissed his cheek and placed his blankets back over him, and went back to bed.
The next morning…
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With a yawn and a flexible stretch until he heard some popping from his stiffly aching bones, Gregory woke up as the time on his alarm clock read 6:00 in the morning. The sun was beginning to rise, and started to warm him with its beautiful light. All throughout his body, he finally felt well-rested and was once again ready to take on the day. From the mental health day and some much-needed time off, he was now eager to go back to school and start off with a brand new start, and maybe use a clean slate.
After getting a quick shower, he got dressed into his usual attire, complete with his hoodie jacket and getting his backpack packed up with his school supplies and notebooks. With a relieved sigh, his nose caught the attention of an aroma from something delicious coming from the kitchen. He went over for a look, and then what he found made his eyes gaze in awe and his mouth water, until Maisie came in and saw it as well. Two glasses of orange juice, and plates full of pancakes, 3 pieces of bacon, freshly cut fruit in a smaller serving, and hash browns, it was indeed a freshly cooked breakfast for two hungry kids. All of that, courtesy of Luna herself.
“Good morning, children,” Luna said as she sat with her sister, who was just eating a plate full of eggs and sausage with a cup of coffee, and so did Luna. “I hope you’ve had a good rest, Gregory.”
“It was something I needed, but I’ll be okay,” he yawned as he stretched his back again. “Wow, this looks good.” He and Maisie sat down in front of their plates, staring at their food with hunger. “You really didn’t need to do this, Ms. Luna. It’s really nice of you, really, but still.”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” Luna chuckled with her sister while cutting Maisie’s pancakes and hash browns. “We both agreed that this is another perfect way to help you and Maisie start the day.”
“Indeed,” Celestia agreed warmly after sipping her coffee. “Besides, you look rather thin. So we thought a nice hot breakfast should warm you both up for the day, and get your strength back in shape.”
Nodding with a warm smile, Gregory dug into his delicious morning grub, and so did Maisie. The fluffiness of the pancakes, along with the butter and syrup, the salty and crispy hash browns, the sweet and tender crunch of the juicy bacon, the sweet tanginess of the orange juice, Gregory felt like that he was already in heaven. All that food warmed him in the soul, making him feel relaxed. Boy, did he ever have a good home-cooked meal in his life.
“Wow, that was really good,” Gregory said. “That certainly sure hit the spot.”
“Well, I’m pleased to hear it helped, dear,” Luna replied back. “Now, after I get done cleaning up, Tia will take care of lunches and then get cleaned up next and we’ll get going.”
“What about Clifford?” Maisie asked. “He’ll be fine, sweetheart. He’ll see you later,” Celestia replied, as she made Maisie a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, and packed some snacks and a box of juice to go with it. And she left a lunch box for Gregory.
After Luna did what she did, Celestia went next to rub some cream around her belly so that she wouldn’t get stretch marks or a itching and burning rash, until Gregory went in afterwards to brush his teeth and comb his hair, and Maisie came in so she can brush her teeth, but Celestia helped brush her hair. Once they were all ready to go and Clifford was asleep in his crate, Gregory and Maisie followed the two principals to their car and drove off towards the school. Neither Gregory or Maisie didn’t say much during the ride. Apart from a strange hidden feeling towards Celestia, he’s been having a great appreciation for her and Luna’s efforts. If it weren’t for both of them, he somehow shivered with a shudder imagining what would’ve happened if they didn’t help them. But above all, he was really happy to have Maisie by his side and to be out of a situation that would’ve ruined his entire future forever. Pulling up towards the parking lot, they got out of the car, ready to start a brand new busy day.
“Ms. Celestia?” Gregory nervously asked, as she turned around to get his attention. “I feel as though I haven’t said this enough before, but… thank you… for everything.” With that said, he gently wrapped Celestia in a warm embrace and gently nuzzled with her, which she returned by stroking his hair and rubbing his shoulders and back. It lasted for a minute before the expecting motherly principal broke it with a smile of her own.
“Gregory,” Celestia said. “we’re just doing our best to look out for you in your situation. The pleasure is all ours. But, you’re welcome.” She then kissed him on the forehead, and then placed her hand on his shoulder. “Now you and Maisie have a good day and then meet up with us at my office so we can go home together.”
With a smile and a nod, all four of them entered the building, going their separate ways until the bell rang for arrival. Gregory went to his locker on the first floor to get his book for his first-hour history class. From what Luna told him, Mrs. Cheerilee was going to cover the Revolutionary War. Placing the book in his backpack, he gave out a relieved sigh before zippering it shut, and then walked over to class.
He suddenly saw a girl he familiarly recognized. It was none other than Sunset Shimmer, due to her red and yellow fiery streaked hair, opal jaded eyes, and her kind hearted smile.
“Hey, you’re Sunset Shimmer, right?” Gregory asked. “Mm-hmm,” she replied. “I’m Gregory Bryant,” he said. “My sister and I are also big fans of your band.”
“Aww… that’s so sweet of you,” Sunset said. “By the way, most of the students and I didn’t see you yesterday. What happened?”
“Nothing much, really. I wasn’t just too tired to come in yesterday,” Gregory replied. “Really?” Sunset asked with an unamused look. “Well, you’re tiredness has been going on for weeks during every history class here, so something must be going on.” Seeing her visible unease, Gregory sighed until Sunset stroked his shoulder. “Listen, I understand if you’re upset about something but you really shouldn’t have to be afraid to talk about it. But don’t worry, I won’t judge you or anything.” Gregory knew she was trying to help him feel better in a new life, so he then spoke up.
“Well, things at home weren’t going so well,” Gregory said. “Between my parents’ money issues, me working like a servant, and now my mom’s car being taken away, I got kicked out, along with my 5 year old sister Maisie. It was somehow luck that Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna found us when they did. Now, it looks like me and Maisie will be staying with them for the foreseeable future and until I graduate high school next year.” Sunset was a bit shocked that the poor kid’s had a hard life, and had so much caring love for his sister. “Oh, Greg. I’m so sorry,” Sunset said, giving him a hug to comfort him. “But at least you have two people that care about you now, who happen to be our principal and vice-principal.”
“Thanks, Sunset,” Gregory said, until their teacher, Mrs. Cheerilee came inside, before Gregory was noticed by his teacher who had a slight smile at him.
“Hello there, Mr. Bryant.” Mrs. Cheerilee greeted as she was looking over stacks of papers, “How are you this morning?”
“Well rested, ma’am.” Gregory replied in a casual tone, “I’m really sorry I didn’t come into school yesterday.”
“It’s alright, dear. The principals filled me in on your present situation and I’m sorry things ended the way they did. I’m just pleased to hear that a resolution was able to be found for you and your sister.”
“No need to worry about that. Just glad that’s over with.” Gregory said as he sat at his desk, next to Sunset since he was assigned to that position, “It’s my job now to care for Maisie and make do with what I’ve got.”
“As a teacher, it’s my responsibility to worry about the welfare of my students, just like all the other teachers. You’re no exception, sweetheart.” Mrs. Cheerilee said sweetly as she neatly sorted her stack of papers, until the class came in, “So, ready to learn about the Revolutionary War?”
“More than you can believe, Mrs. Cheerilee,” Gregory said, as Mrs. Cheerilee smiled warmly at his eagerness and began her lesson. Sunset smiled that Gregory was feeling a lot better than before.
Eventually, lunch hour came and Gregory couldn’t even be anymore happier than he already is. Now, he no longer felt the need to spend that much more time catching some rest and a chance to relax due to mental health. Today, it seemed like a really nice and pleasant sunny day that he decided to spend it outside with Celestia’s permission, which she said yes to. Luna also packed him a special lunch and kept it in a small bag: a small club sandwich with ham, cheese, lettuce and tomato. Eating the sandwich, he breathed in and out of his nose as the cool spring breeze blew against his skin. It was totally an absolutely perfect moment for a good day.
’Wow, this… this is… It is just absolutely perfect.’ Gregory thought to himself, ’Nice skies, lunch outside, finally free from all that abuse, I can finally relax, enjoy myself, and breathe right now.’ Yet, one thought lingered at the back of his mind: Celestia. Ever since Wednesday, between her hug and those kisses she’s been giving him, he had a hard time deciding who she was to him. A guardian or something else, but his heart and mind were torn between the two choices. All in all, her warm and caring personality was what drew him to her, like he thought of her he wanted to ask. ’Celestia, I-I honestly don’t know what to make of her. She’s so beautiful yet she acts so much like a mo-‘
His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar sight, one he hadn’t seen since Monday, and somehow never wanted to again. Walking up the street with a look of storming anger in front of the school was his father, Pete. His disheveled dark gray hair and beer-filled posture were unmistakable to him. The second their gazes met, they both paused with a stare down, neither moving a muscle.
“Heh. Well, I never expected to find such an ungrateful brat here.” Pete huffed jealously as Gregory stood up. “Still going to this waste of time?”
“I’m still busting myself to get a diploma so I can be independent when I’m finished 12 grade next year.” Gregory growled, “What do you want, so-called father?” Pete got closer and closer to his son, or what he used to be. His eyes looked bloodshot with a noticeable twitch.
“Oh, you already know the answer to that.” Right off the bat, Gregory knew exactly what he was talking about. After kicking him and Maisie out, he often comes to him during school to shake him down for money like a piggy bank. Every time, he would always do as he demanded. Now, he wasn’t going to put up with it ever again, so he stood up and confronted his dad.
“Look, Dad, the answer is no. I’ve moved on when you kicked me and Maisie out, making me forget about you and your addiction problems, and since I now have a chance to keep myself and my sister safe, I’m not giving you any more money so you could put more of that poisonous junk in your body.” Pete’s face changed from a neutral expression to one of anger. He never liked being told no, even by his son. “Didn’t all that meth or cocaine you bought from selling Mom’s car last you that long? Of course not! So you can forget it!”
The next thing Gregory knew was that he was being held against the statue by his father, and being choked by a very firm grip. The back of his head hurt from the impact, and he partially couldn’t breathe due to his father’s tight grip. Seeing his father hold him up against a statue made of marble quartz and concrete shocked him, not as much when he delivered a backhand to his face.
“All right, you shitty little twerp.” Pete growled, “I know you have some money for me! Give it to me right now or you’ll get worse than hurt! Maybe even murdered!” Monday was the moment where Gregory reached his breaking point with him. Coming to his school, a place where he was thought to be safe to shake him down for cash, that was it. No more would a 17 year old boy like him be treated or bullied that way.
“Screw you!” His words were met with a punch to his face, knocking him to the ground, causing his broken nose to bleed. His face hurt and he struggled to get up as Pete hovered over him. He was angry that his father would stoop to such lows to fuel his higher level. He no longer considered him his father, just another abusive thieving junkie from the Narrows. “I’ve had it with you, Pete! You can go to hell for all I care!”
“Oh, I’ll be meeting you there alright. Because you’re coming with me.” Pete raised a foot over Gregory’s face with the intention to stomp his head in. This was it, his former father was going to either hurt him badly or worse even kill him in a more brutal manner. He closed his eyes and braced for the inevitable. Before he could, he was interrupted by an audible voice.
“Just what in the hell do you think you’re doing?” From the school came Principal Celestia herself, with an angry scowl on her face. Having watched the beginning of the exchange into beatdown from her office, she knew there was going to be trouble before carefully running over to check it out. “Mr. Bryant, why the hell did you hit your own son?”
“Because this brat needs to know his place, ma’am.” Pete snarled in reply. “He always disobeys me time and time again and never gives me the money when I ask of it.”
“Ask of it? You call assaulting your son for drug money ‘asking’?” Her words caught the tweaked out and drunken adult off guard. How did she know about his drug use unless his son ran his mouth? Gregory blinked and smirked at him, knowing he told her.
“That… is none of your goddamn business, lady.” Pete scoffed, “Now, get lost while I teach my son a lesson.” Celestia would not stand for it, not even one bit. Ever since she became pregnant, her motherly instincts still kicked in. Seeing the student that is living under her roof along with his sister being assaulted by their drug and alcohol addicted father set off her anger. No one hurts a student on her watch while she’s still standing.
“That’s just about it!” Celestia blurted out with anger, “Now I’m warning you! If you don’t leave that student alone and remove yourself from the school premises this instant, I’m going into my office right now and then I am going to call the police!”
In his mind, Pete knew that no one tells him what to do, even some stupid pregnant woman. Turning his attention to her, he knocked her to the grass with a swift backhand, causing her to fall on her side. Though her precious cargo didn’t get hurt or worse, the worst she suddenly suffered was a bloody nose. Suddenly, the students gasped at what happened, and they felt scared. She was honestly surprised that he was motioning to follow it up. However, the sight stirred something inside Gregory, started to cause a storm inside his adrenaline.
His anger bubbled to the surface, mixed with a accelerated dash of disgustingly raging hate. It sickened him to his core that his father would even attempt to attack a pregnant woman, even if it was the principal that saved him and Maisie from the rain. As his vision became tinted with red and boiled with anger, Pete was about to selfishly kick Celestia in the stomach, hurting the life yet to be born as she gasped at the sight with fear. Gregory suddenly saw a gun in his pocket, meaning that in his dream or vision from last night, it was real. Pete shot Karen, his own wife and a loving mother to Gregory and Maisie in cold blood! For Gregory, that was the last straw, no more would he tolerate anyone, including his father abusing anyone else that he ever cared about!
Without a thought, he screamed angrily and then charged at his father and tackled him to the ground before the kick could connect. From there, he wasted no time in punching him with a rock for once, and as Pete could strangle him with his hands, he broke his arm, and then started assaulting his face with a huge flurrying amount of punches, all the while shouting a litany of angry screams. It was like a moment of purging for him as both the adrenaline and anger were being expended in his aggressive assault. Even when his father stopped moving, he still kept on landing blow after blow, bloodying his entire face. He then stopped and exhaled heavily.
“THERE ARE NO WORDS! I HAVE HAD IT! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO THREATEN MY PRINCIPAL LIKE THAT!” Gregory snapped. Pete chuckled at his son, “You stupid fucking idiot… Did you really think that was for her? You’re nothing.”
“YOU KILLED MY MOTHER!” Gregory replied, as he exhaled heavily and threw the gun away from them, as the students gasped at what his father did. “WHY, DAD?! WHY?!”
“Because she was too stupid to believe better. So I took her out of her misery,” Pete replied, as Celestia gasped in shock. “It even sounds even stupider when you say it.”
“Like the kind of stupid that was once the father to me and Maisie, but is now a dangerous criminal who doesn’t deserve to live anymore?” Gregory then grabbed the rock, and then after placing his hand on his neck, he prepared to take his father out of his misery, as he got angry again. “Any last words?”
Pete looked up at him, “You think you’re something?”
Gregory remembered the times he would say that to him and then put his hands on his mouth to shut it, “Who the hell cares?”
“Gregory, stop!” Celestia spoke up, “Calm down, it’s over.” As his mind snapped back to reality, he gave Celestia a blank stare bordering on shock. “It’s going to be alright.” Then, his view snapped to the unconscious body of his father, face bloodied and laying on the grass. Processing what he did, he dropped the rock and then looked to his bloodstained hands as the reality sets in. His head suddenly became light as his stomach began to churn as he moaned in exhaustion. Shortly after, he felt faint as his vision became pitch black, collapsing to the ground.
”Are you going to charge him?”
”No, ma’am. This was a clear case of self-defense and in defense of you. Pete Bryant was the first to attack.”
”Thank you, officer. What’ll happen to his father?”
”Seeing as how he was found with a sizable amount of meth, marijuana and cocaine in this bag, he’ll be charged with possession along with assault and murder once he recovers. As for his wife, she’s been found the night she was murdered by her husband in a crime scene and we buried the body in a cemetery ready for a funeral. But, may I ask about your relations to the suspect’s son and daughter?”
”To make a long story short, they were somehow kicked out after his dad sold his mother’s car for drug money. Maisie wanted to go with him because she was scared. We’ve found them at a park in the rain and took them in to live with us. They had nowhere else to go I’m still figuring out what to do with them since the Narrows are no longer safe for them.”
”The Narrows, huh? I see. Very well, that’s all I need to hear for now. Take care, ma’am. I’ll contact you later about any additional details that are found if needed.”
”You too, officer. Thank you.”
His eyes slowly opened, and his vision was still blurry. While his vision refocused, Gregory woke up and saw that that he wasn’t outside laying on the ground but inside the nurse’s office. He laid on a bed, flanked by curtains. Right next to him was Celestia herself, gently stroking the back of his hand. He then saw Luna holding Maisie and comforting her while she was crying on her shoulder. When she noticed his eyes open, hers lit up as she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Gregory, you’re awake,” Celestia whispered as Nurse Redheart, the school nurse walked in the room holding a clipboard. “How is he?”
“Apart from a minor scrape on the back of his head and a bit of a broken bloody nose,” Redheart spoke as she flipped through her notes, “He’s going to be fine. Though he fainted, I doubt any of that caused it.” She then looked to Gregory, still shaken and silent about what happened earlier. “Mr. Bryant, are you alright?” Still, he said nothing, not even a response. He just sat there only acknowledging their presence in silence. “Oh dear, I’m afraid he’s still shaken from that.”
“He did just beat his father senseless, and broke his arm.” Celestia sighed, “If I had to guess, part of the reason was me and the other was him murdering his wife with a gun.”
Nurse Redheart gasped, “How awful!” Celestia nodded while stroking Gregory’s shoulder. “He did nearly injure your unborn child. I think that was also why, since you’re pregnant. He does live in your house from what Luna told me. When you both get home, talk to him. He’ll feel better with an ear to vent to.”
“I will. Thank you, Nurse Redheart,” Celestia said, and then the nurse left the office.
Just as Gregory sighed worriedly, Celestia put a hand on the student’s shoulder. He didn’t flinch or anything. He just hung his head as he stood up before Celestia pulled him over for a hug to calm him down.
“Come on, Gregory. Let’s go home.” Celestia said motherly as he just walked out without so much as a sigh. Throughout the car ride, he didn’t say anything even when Celestia even tried talking to him. His mind was still in deep space over what he did. On one hand, he did what he had to do for him and Celestia yet the knowledge of beating his father into a broken-armed bloody pulp filled himself with painful sadness and a lot of guilt.
Later that night, after a nice relaxing dinner and some relaxation before it was time to turn in, Maisie was already in bed, but Gregory sat in his room looking out the window towards the moonlit sky. Though it was 10:55 in the evening, he couldn’t bring himself to sleep. Quite a bit happened to him today and his active mind allowed him no rest because too much was already on his mind. As his rattled mind continued to work making him still feel guilty, Celestia silently entered the room, gently opening the door wearing a maternity pajama set, consisting a pink two layered shirt, and both a pink, white and purplish blue plaid pants, and robe to keep herself warm since it was nearly a cold night, and a pair of tan slippers.
“Gregory,” Celestia whispered, “why are you still awake? Are you able to sleep?”
“No.” Gregory replied, breaking his silence, “There’s just… so much on my mind.”
“Well, you can talk to me about anything.” she said as she sat down next to her student, “Now, what is troubling you?” With a sigh, Gregory scooched next to his principal and prepared to vent.
“You saw what happened. I guess you really want to know why I did it, huh?”
“Yes.” Celestia cooed with genuine concern, “Don’t hold back, let your feelings out.”
“Because…” Gregory started with a noticeable pull in his voice as tears started to form from his eyes until he started to break down. “I tried to keep my family afloat, only for my father to indulge in his vices! I worked and worked to exhaustion and yet he didn’t even fucking care! NO! All he does is smoke that poison, and sniff all that crack!” As he began to sob, Celestia began to rub his back. It felt good and loving as he never thought before. With a gulp of air, he continued.
“After he punched me to the ground and seeing him hurt you, something inside me just snapped! I couldn’t stand to see him hurt you, especially since you’re… you know! You were so kind to me, giving me and my sister a place to stay when we had nowhere else to go! I just had to defend you from him! It was my fault he hit you!”
The dam of tears had burst and his emotions were released, before he began to cry while bending over to cry into his lap. He was glad that Celestia was alright but deep down, didn’t wish for his father to be locked up or his mother to be killed. He wanted to have done more for him and his mother. Now, he’ll be spending a decade or more behind bars and his mother will be in heaven watching her children grow up. Most of all, attacking him was something he regretted but was necessary, and he wished he could’ve gone back to save his mom before it was too late.
Her motherly instincts kicking in once again, Celestia pulled Gregory into a hug. The warmth of her embrace had a calming aura to it as he lightly wrapped his arms around her. Though it wasn’t the first time he got a hug from her, the effects were the same nonetheless. It made him feel as if everything was going to be alright. She then wrapped both her arms around him and then gently rocked side by side while rubbing his back and shoulder with one hand and the other stroking his hair tenderly.
“Shhhhhh shhhhhh… calm down.” Celestia whispered in a motherly tone, “What’s done is done. I’m safe, you’re safe, I’m here for you now.” Bit by bit, Gregory relaxed as his tears started to dry up. Yet, he didn’t want to leave her arms and the hug they brought. It felt warm, cozy, and just right. It wasn’t long before Celestia decided to break the hug for a moment. “If there’s something I want you to do, please smile no matter what happens. Be happy for yourself. No matter what happens, I’ll be there for you, and your sister.” She then kissed his forehead.
“Celestia… thank you.” Gregory replied in a quiet, gentle and submissive manner, freed from his sadness. “What are you going to do now?” Celestia sat in silence for a brief moment. Pondering, she decided that it was best to not leave him alone for the night.
After getting Gregory underneath her robe as a spare blanket, Celestia decided to keep on with the hug until she was absolutely sure that Gregory was calmed down and relaxed. Feeling the rhythm of her heartbeat was enough to soothe him into a steadily calmer feeling. Instead of tightening his grip on her, he just laid more closely into her. It simply felt too good for him to leave it. Just a simple gesture can hold a lot of meaning to those who receive it and for Gregory... it was sorely needed for him.
It also had a bit of an effect on Celestia herself as she too felt the pull of slumber beginning to take her, since it was late in the evening. Soon, just as Gregory yawned and shut his eyes, she too let out one of her own and fell back on the bed with Gregory still in her embrace and wrapped the blanket over them both. Just before her own eyes shut, she saw the peaceful smile on Gregory's face, something that stirred something inside of her while she kissed him on the forehead and then went to sleep.
Though she had yet to bring her own child into the world, the way she treated Gregory was related to that of how a mother would. She knew she would already be a great mother and still didn’t know what to do with him and Maisie since she’s still with child. All she could do now was wait.
