~A.N~

Hey guys, my new Kickin' It story is finally here! Nothing really to say besides the warning of this story being rated Teen for a reason. There will be cursing, action, guns, you name it. But of course, it will also be plenty of kick.

*Also this story falls under the genres of: hurt/comfort, drama, romance and angst as well*

So I hope you all enjoy and reviews of course wouldn't hurt. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Kickin' It or 'Jaded' by Aeromsith, 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting' by Elton John, 'When I'm Gone' by Eminem or any other songs mentioned

Mentally Jaded

One

Old and New

"Alright, we're done." The man said with a laugh as the buzz of the tattoo machine slowly came to a halt. The natural blonde let out a slightly pained exhale as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Pain too much princess?"

The older man questioned with a smirk as he went to her side and wiped off the excess ink. The teenage girl scoffed as her doe brown eyes glanced over at the man. "Not at all, if I wanted to I could have sat through a whole damn body tattoo with no breaks."

The boss laughed again, "I highly doubt it princess, everyone taps out sometime."

"Not me," The blonde answered as she stood up and walked over to the mirror. She turned and kept her face emotionless as she stared at the black ink now forever printed on her left shoulder. Tom Smith grew slightly worried as everything went silent; the only sounds filing their ears were the muffled murmurs of other patrons and buzzing tattoo machines.

"So uh," He stumbled slightly over his words with a stutter, "do you like it prin—"

"God help you if you call me princess one more time Smith." She answered threateningly as she turned towards him and glared while he quickly nodded with a gulp. "Yeah, I like it. I'll let my uncle know how well you did."

A large smile spread across Smith's face as he scratched the back of his bald head with a sigh. "You worried me for a second there Kim, I thought you were pissed." He started wrapping up the new ink with some bandage while Kim ignored his deep rambles of life and money.

As he finished wrapping up the medium sized tattoo, Kim grabbed her phone and keys from the counter, taking an hundred dollar bill out of her pocket.

Once Smith's blue eyes locked on it, his orbs grew into saucers. "Damn, if that's my tip it isn't needed. I told your uncle I would take care of you."

She pushed the bill in his callused hands and headed towards the door, Smith jumping up and grabbing her arm before she could leave. "Hey, hold it." Kim rolled her eyes and turned toward Smith with a frown covering her features. "Are you sure you like it? The black is a maybe a bit too heavy and the white-made greys could be lighter. Darker, heavier and depressing if you look at it in a certain way but that's exactly what you asked for. You still look pissed though,"

Kim pulled her arm from Smith's grip, "I'm pissed at the tattoo Smith, not you." She headed out the door, leaving the man dumbfounded in her wake.

Kim parked her car in the student lot and got out, shaking her head as she looked up at the looming school building.

No one bothered with her; they all knew she was no one to mess with. She pulled down her shirt sleeve to cover the white bandage on her shoulder and walked towards the entrance, preparing herself for the worthless classes to come.

In school she was seventeen, she was a junior.

But one thing she wasn't was that brave eagle her mother told her to be. Her mother told her to be amazing in every way, to be brave and strong.

But in public she was silent, mute.

Her mother wouldn't be proud. Kim quickly headed to her locker and grabbed her things, pulling out her iPod and sticking it on shuffle. But before she could shove in the headphones like she usually would, yells came from behind her and she turned to be meant with every kid in the hall rushing outside.

Ignoring her instincts to avoid the fight and mind her own business, she followed the crowd outside. Pushing her way to the front of the crowd, another junior with dark brown hair meant her eyes.

He was tall, at least a foot taller than her but looked the same age as her and had the darkest chocolate eyes Kim had ever seen. Kim swore she had never saw him before but one thing she couldn't deny was that he was handsome and his tight grey muscle tank top showed off his toned biceps. "Where the hell do you think you are disappearing to new kid? We got some damn things we need to take care of. Every new guy needs to get through the test." The teen looked at Kim for just another second, frozen in his position to leave the scene before it got ugly.

Abruptly he turned and spoke loudly, is voice deep and showing no fear. "My name is Zane." Kim felt goose bumps appear on her arms at Zane's calm demeanor. The senior who was picking on Zane laughed loudly and a few of his broody friends chuckled as well.

Kim looked over to the other side of the circle to see Brett McCloud standing there as the leader of the taunting. Brett was a bulky twenty two year old who had been held back over and over again. The school was too lazy to even care that his name had been repeated on papers over and over again. "Oh I'm sorry Zane, is me speaking too much for your virgin ears?"

Chortles were echoed throughout the crowd but one glare from Frank and Brody, Brett's cocky junior minions, shut everyone up within a second. Kim stepped forward, "Brett leave him alone." Zane didn't flinch as Brett stepped forwards and pushed him aside to reach Kim.

Zane's hands balled into fists as his brown eyes turned to a darkened brown color that could be mistaken as a musty black. Kim could feel Brett's warm breath against her ear as he talked in a low murmur. "Come on blondie, why are you defending someone you don't even know? You didn't do that for me."

The teenage girl went to move away but Brett grabbed her arm roughly.

"You didn't defend do that for me or for your mother. How about your little sister who didn't keep up to her end of the deal? How about their rotting bodies un—" Zane's hand appeared on the shorter man's left shoulder.

"Leave her alone asshole, she didn't do anything to you." Brett roughly yanked his shoulder from Zane's grip, leaving his calloused hand hanging in the air.

"Don't get involved with this girly, I don't think letting your family roll over in their graves is too nice." For some reason once those words left Brett' chapped lips, Zane couldn't hold it in anymore. He didn't know if it was how Kim's entire body froze up still in horror-wrapped memories or if it was his own recollections that caused him to snap but either way his fist found Brett's pretty face and caused him to fall to the ground from the force.

Zane went to give the pretty boy another bruise to think about but was interrupted by Frank's arm's holding him back while Brody grabbed his left. Brett got back to his feet as fast as he could and punched Zane right in the gut, to which he groaned to and struggled to get away as Brett punched his nose.

A crack whispered in the air. "I'm going to kill you kid, dumb asses don't get away from me alive."

"Jackson, Jackson listen to me." His father's hands rubbed his arms up and down Jack's, trying to calm himself down more than his son. The boy held onto his white stuffed dog closely, his tiny forefinger rubbing the yellow nose out of fear. "Some very bad men are going to be here soon and I need you to stay in here and hide. Can you do that for me?"

The young seven year old looked up at his father with curious eyes, noting how his father's form was like a shadow. He couldn't even see his smile or frown, whatever feature was broadcasted on his face.

"You told me yesterday I was the toughest man you knew. Why can't I be out there too?" His father's grip grew suddenly tight on Jack's shoulders.

"No, no son listen to me—"

"Dad—"

"I said no! Do you want to be killed Jackson? Any dumb ass that walks the same path as those men out there dies. No one gets away from them alive if someone disobeys them!"

Shouting was heard as banging commenced from the front door. "Hey, let us in boss. You got some things you owe us!" Jack could hear some drunken laughter as well.

"Stay here, and remember son; I love you and your mom too."

He ducked out of the closet as the banging increased. Jack sat there for a second on his knees for a few seconds, listening closely as the door opened and closed and his father talked to the men. He said something about having the money is his room and his footsteps fading away down the hall.

"I'm brave; I'm the bravest of them all." The child mumbled to himself in a whisper as a sudden strike of thunder hit the house, causing some of the drunken men to whistle. Jack's petite fingers clutched the doorknob as he heard his father's footsteps head back down the hallway, back towards the men waiting.

"I'm the bravest in the nation."

The boy opened the door just as his father walked past the closet, his head snapping around to watch as his son courageously walked out of the closet and into the middle of the room; white doggie pressed against his chest.

All at once everything seemed to freeze as the men stopped laughing, and Jack's father gave his son a stern glare.

"Well," A man in his twenties stepped forwards, a magnum clamped firmly in his hand; "you don't have our money but apparently you had something else this whole time. You didn't tell us you had a young son Ace." Jack's father looked from Jack to the man, his eyes losing their usual glow.

The man was young, so that meant he most likely had faster reflexes than Ace, along with deep brown eyes that were the color of a malevolent purple if you looked at them from the wrong angle. His black shirt was ripped at the bottom, the sleeves ripped off to show his pale skin lined with valiant veins. "You never asked Blaine."

He answered simply as the man across the room let out a true short laugh, some of the other man cocking their pistols with a small snicker. "I never asked?" Blaine questioned incuriously, as he waved the powerful gun around like it was a flag, "Hell, you boys want to know how many times I asked Ace here if he had any kids?"

Everything stayed soundless, the little boy's orbs switching back and forth between his father and the five men in front of him. "I asked him right after his wife died from that terrible 'accident'. I asked him after Christmas, I asked him after his birthday heist." Blaine's tone grew angry as he threw his arms up unexpectedly, his finger cramped from holding the trigger for so long.

He moved so that the gun was aimed at Jack's head, the little boy stopping completely in alarm. Jack moved his dog closer to his face as Ace took a step towards him, but was stopped by the click of Blaine's gun. "I asked you so many fucking times Ace, but every time you lied."

"Come on Blaine, everyone lies. Even our men, our entire damn gang lies about how much money they bring in on a daily basis and we let them crawl by. I let them crawl by because I know what it's like."

"Stop moving towards the kid, or else I'll put a bullet through your skull." Ace halted, the left half of his body acting as a shield in front of Jack.

"You kill me, the whole gang loses point. Cops will get wind and every single one of you will be gone. No legacy to leave behind all because The Blood's second in command, Howard Blaine, shot the leader in cold blood. Shot the leader and buried his son." Jack was shaking, maybe his father was wrong. Maybe he wasn't the bravest in the world. Blaine smirked, his lips twisting upwards in a smile afterwards.

"Who said anything about killing little Jack there?" Ace felt his heart drop to his stomach.

"I will be damned if Jack gets caught in all of this shit, if you think that's going to happen you got another thing coming Blaine."

"You'll be damned? You won't even be here Ace. You'll be down there playing poker with the devil, rolling dice for the bones in your body. While Jack will be up here, a recruit in the gang with good ties. No one would even take notice to your death."

"My men—"

"You don't have any men. They were never yours Ace, when a pointless story about gang lord's 'accidental' killing appears on the news; my gang will laugh. They will laugh about how stupid you were to get caught in the crossfire of a shootout." Jack's dad when quiet, his figure slagging at the lost he was suffering at the moment.

"Jackson, whatever happens, live your life. Don't get wrapped up in this hell—" Blaine suddenly ran forward, throwing Ace against the wall and his gun. The cold metal was pushed against the older man's forehead like an icicle was being shoved into his cranium.

"Say hi for me Ace, I'll make sure they bury you somewhere nice." Jack dropped his stuffed animal as the shot echoed through the house, like a banned roar of thunder.

Jack could only stare as red inflamed his vision, his father's body falling to floor with a thump louder than the storm outside. Blaine turned to Jack, his while teeth the only thing bolder than the crimson covering his top and skin. He crouched down in front of the trembling boy, the men behind him silent as he picked up the now ruby colored dog, playing with its paws for a second.

Then he looked up at Jack, holding out the toy. Jack and Blaine locked eyes, brown clashed against purple. "Go ahead boy, dog is man's best friend." Jack reached out after a second and barely touched the dog when Blaine pulled it back and tossed it over to the dead body of his father, lifting his firearm and pulling the trigger once again.

Jack could only watch as his best friend was shot between the eyes, while at the same time another bullet entered his father.

Blaine's voice echoed in his ears. "Through thick and thin, forever."

Zane could mutely hear voices around him and he could feel the warm ground below him, also a throbbing pain shouted from his stomach and face. He could also feel as black eye forming.

Brett's voice reached his ears, a dull reminder of what had caused him to go back to that terrible place. "Not so tough now are you kid?"

Zane grew pissed off as Brett's foot kicked his side once again, Kim watching helplessly from the sidelines. He saved her from damn Brett, so why couldn't she do anything to save him? Suddenly, a boy pushed his way to the front of the crowd.

He looked about the same age was Zane, but had jet black hair and dark eyes that looked black. He was large, but not as much as Brett. He had a more slender form than Jack, but his eyes told all that he was playful, but wasn't one to be messed with. Kim looked at him for a second more and it struck her that he was in her gym class and always had all of the plastic girls around him like blood-sucking mosquitoes. One flex and Donna Tobin was all over him.

Kim had never talked to him, but with one movement towards the three surrounding Zane, Frank and Brody scattered instantly. The blonde started to think that maybe making him an ally wouldn't be too bad, if he could scare off the two idiots that fast.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Brett? I told you last year that if you messed with one of my friends, you'd be dead." Brett looked up from Zane, his smile disappearing once he saw who it was.

"Jerry Martinez, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Brett answered with fake glee, stepping away from Zane and towards Jerry. Zane slowly started to stand up, holding his side and letting out a groan when he tried to move. The group that had formed around the three slowly wiped out and Kim debated following the crowd.

But her gut told her otherwise as she went to Zane's side and grabbed his arm, carefully helping him stand up. Zane went still at the sudden touch of her hand and he almost flinched away, but her worried eyes stopped him from brushing off her help; welcoming it instead.

As she helped him up, the bottom right side of his shirt was pulled up enough to show off his six-pack but also some deep black ink, her mind went into overdrive of what the tattoo could be as she diverted her eyes.

He stood up just as Brett walked away, Jerry letting out a heavy exhale as he turned back to Zane and Kim. "Thanks for getting him off me back there," Kim mumbled as she let go of his stable arm.

"He was being an asshole. I wasn't going to stand by and watch." Jerry walked over and patted Zane's back, a stressful smile filling his face.

"He didn't exactly say sorry for almost killing you, but he did say he would back off. Man Zane, what the hell? Trying to get kicked out of another school already?"

Zane let out an exhale as he walked home, his mind floating to thoughts about Jerry and the mystery girl who he had defended. She couldn't have had a past like his that was impossible, nothing could be worse than all of the shit he had done in his life ever since his father's death.

He was roped in from the start, and now he was roped in forever with no secret passageway out.

The teen entered his house and locked the door behind him, turning to be meant by flashbacks thrown in his sight like a broken record that played over and over again. He took a step into the room and his eyes locked onto the faded red spot on the white carpet towards the far wall.

Zane was silent as he stared at the dried blood he could never fully get rid of on that spot of the carpet.

Some things never really were forgotten, even the ones everyone tries to ban from their memories.