Disclaimer: Don't own= don't sue.

Author's Note: So in the first season of House of Anubis, Jerome told Mara that he had been in boarding schools since he was 5, if any of you guys remember that. I love Jerome, so this was the perfect opportunity to write a one-shot about him. This is my first House of Anubis fan fiction. Hope you like it! :D

A Fresh Plate of Cookies

Why were they getting rid of me? What did I do? I hadn't stolen any cookies from the cookie jar or gotten muddy in the backyard lately, so why were they dropping me off… Here?

"You're going to kindergarten here. It's like staying at Grandmum's, except you'll go to school, too," Mum said softly as she picked me up out of the car. "Get your schoolbag."

I picked up my overstuffed school bag and slung it over my shoulder. It hurt… It was heavy.

I looked up at the larger-than-life building in front of me. Was it a castle? It certainly wasn't Grandmum's house… Was Grandmum there? I supposed she had moved, and was waiting for me inside with lunch and a fresh plate of cookies.

I grew more excited at the thought of staying with Grandmum. Would she teach me things, too? I loved staying at Grandmum's…

Mum and Dad stood near the trunk, talking quietly. Mum had a worried look on her face.

"It's the best thing," Dad said, just loud enough for me to hear. He was right; it would be the best thing! Staying at Grandmum's house, having her teach me instead of going to school… Would there be other kids there?

Dad hoisted my suitcase out of the trunk, and Mum took the other two bags. Did I need this much stuff to stay at Grandmum's house?

They each held one of my hands as I walked up the steps to Grandmum's new house. Why were they holding my hands? They knew I would be safe at Grandmum's house…

I looked up at the big sign. Rockefeller Primary School for Boys, it said. I knew because the letters looked familiar, and I had heard Mum and Dad talking about it a lot lately.

I thought this was Grandmum's house…?

Dad let go of my hand and opened the big wooden door. The entrance hall was big… Bigger than any room I had ever seen. It looked almost like a sky, except a sky of white and tan. It was loud, too. There were lots of other kids and parents in the entrance hall. Some looked like they might be… Big kids…

"Mum," I whimpered, looking up at Mum. "Where's… where's Grandmum?"

Mum looked down at me. "Jerome, what are you talking about?"

My eyes widened. This obviously wasn't Grandmum's house. My heart sank, and I felt like crying… But I didn't, only because I'd heard from my brother that big kids beat up kids who cry. And I didn't want to be beat up because it would hurt.

"Then… Where am I? Why am I staying here? You said that this was Grandmum's…" I said, tugging on her shirt.

"Jerome, you're going to school here," Dad said, bending down to my height. I looked at Mum. She looked weird. It looked like she was about to…cry? But mummies don't cry.

"I don't want to go to school here!" I said feistily. "I want to go to Grandmum's! I want her to teach me, and give me cookies, and…"

"Jerome, quiet down. We're going to take you to your house, and then we'll take you to your first day of kindergarten, okay?" Dad said sternly, but with a soft effect.

"My house?" My house was here? With my racecar bed and the playset in the back? And my dog? Would Dottie be here?

"Yes, your room. After we wait in line," Dad said. He stood back up and didn't say another word.

Finally we got to the front of the line. Mum and Dad did some talking and some writing and gave the lady at the desk some papers. She didn't look anything like Grandmum. In fact, she didn't look very nice at all.

"Let's go set your things up in the house," Dad said, leading me outside again. I saw a neat line of houses. They looked like my sister's dollhouses, but much bigger, and many more.

Mum and Dad held my hands again as we walked to the house in the middle down a neat sidewalk. This wasn't my house… Now I knew Grandmum wouldn't be inside with a fresh plate of cookies.

Dad opened the door of the house and led us inside. The house was clean and colorful and it didn't look like our house. It looked like… my preschool. A strange lady came out of one room and introduced herself to me as Miss Smith, the "housemother." Housemother? I had a mother already…

Dad led me up the stairs to what was supposed to be my room. It was big and green… It wasn't red with racecar stripes or a racecar bed. There were no racecars at all.

Mum got to work and started to take my things out of suitcases and the boxes that were already there.

I was confused, so I didn't say anything. Even though I was full of questions, I decided to go with what I knew: my parents were leaving me in a strange place to go to school without Grandmum or my racecar bed in a big house with a "housemother."

And that was that.

My parents talked to me a little bit more and said things that I didn't care to remember or understand. Suddenly I didn't like them anymore. I gave them a forced hug and kiss. Mum held on tight, but I didn't.

I watched them walk away and wave until they were out of sight.

They didn't even walk me to my first day of kindergarten.

:'(

On the bright side, review!