I will survive (open)

This takes place at the beginning of Season 2, just before Isaac was turned

It was a warm morning in Beacon Hills with the birds singing their usual tunes as Isaac was on his front lawn wearing shorts and a plain white T, busy with trying to fix the lawn mower. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he stood up and wiped at his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand. The skin around his right eye had turned a dark shade of blue and his back still hurt from the beating his dad gave him the night before for dropping a plate while doing the dishes.

The teenager was starting to get worried now as his father was due back home in two hours and he hadn't even started on his chore since he couldn't get the lawn mower to work. If his father were to come home and the grass wasn't short enough for his liking, Isaac didn't even want to know what he'd do to him.

"Just work already you stupid thing!", Isaac cursed and gave the machine a kick.

Lydia, found herself walking through town, texting aimlessly, on her way to Jackson's house. Normally she didn't walk. She took her car. But there was something about today, that made her want to walk her way through town.

As she walked up, she suddenly looked up, surprised to see a rather awkward looking boy-around her age- frustrated with his lawn mower. He has a very distinct black eye. Dispite this, Lydia seemed to recognize him from school. He kept to himself, but Lydia Martin knew everyone. Even Isaac Lahey.

When she looked around, she noticed Jackson wasn't home. He was probably out at the gym or just driving around. He'd be back soon. Slowly, Lydia, against her better judgement, walked towards Isaac cautiously.

She gave a small shriek and jump when he cursed and kicked the lawn mower, making her notice his presence.

After kicking the lawn mower, Isaac heard a shriek coming from the street and looked over in that direction, trying to find the source of the sound. His confused frown changed into an expression of surprise when he recognized Lydia Martin. Lydia Martin - the most popular girl at school who was together with that douchebag Jackson Whittemore, who never missed a chance to put him down in some way. She was also the first girl he was brave enough to ask out, only to be told to came back when his bike had an engine and not a chain. She was obviously vain and very superficial, but Isaac couldn't help but still think of her as the most beautiful girl at school.

"Sorry, this thing just won't work!", he called over to her, raising his hand in a half-wave. He rubs at his white t-shirt that's already stained with oil and scratches his head.

"You wouldn't know how to fix one of these by any chance, would you?", he asked, but then laughed because imagining Lydia Martin with grease on her designer clothes and tools in her hands was just too funny. That image was quickly replaced by one of his infuriated father coming at him though and Isaac felt his heart beat faster knowing that he was about to panick if he couldn't fix this soon enough.

"I might be able to..." Lydia said, looking at him. She vaguely remembered him once asking her out. She'd rejected him harshly. She also knew that Jackson was an asshole to him. Then again, Jackson was an asshole to everyone.

She slowly walked over and looked at the lawn mower. She leaned over and did something with the engine, that made it jump-start. She smiled. If the whole, fields medal thing didn't work out, she could always be an engineer. Ha. Yeah right. She was too smart for that. She turned to him, smiling.

"There...all better." She could see the look of awe on his face. She shrugged at him. As she looked and looked at him, she couldn't help think he looked like a scared little boy. She almost wanted to cradle him in her arms. Almost. "You ok? You keep smiling then panicking..."

Why did she care? She couldn't even answer that.

Isaac had actually meant his words to be a joke and he expected Lydia to make some condescending remark about him not being good enough for her or something like that. So it was an understatement to say he was surprised to see her walking over to him and even bending down and performe some sort of trick on that sorry excuse for a lawn mower. And not just that, she even triumphed over the stupid thing, making it come to life with a roar like that of a wild lion.

"How did you do that?", he said, finally closing his mouth which had been standing open in amazement. His bewildered expression turned into an awkward downward glance when he noticed the queen bee looking at his black eye though.

"I'm just a bit nervous. My dad will be home soon and he'll get mad if I haven't finished the lawn by then!", he ecplained, making an effort to make it sound harmless, like any other chore-related fights between father and son.

Lydia shrugged when he asked her how she'd fixed the Lawn mower, because she'd never admit to reading about engines and quantum physics in her free time. She saw he was hiding his black eye and realized his father was probably beating him.

"Well, if you go in straight lines you'll be done faster than if you go in circles, like you had been." She stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She felt bad for him. He was just a poor kid who was abused and bullied at school. Not like she would ever,normally, show an ounce of empathy. But, it wouldn't kill her to be nice to him, she supposed. "Word of Advice...cucumber and cold water bring down swelling and bruising."

She smiled weakly at him, he was awkward looking but attractive enough. She wondered what would've happened if she hadn't turned him down 2 years ago.

Isaac could see that Lydia was determined to maintain her cool air, keeping up her reputation. He wouldn't be surprised if she'd look around to make sure nobody would see her talking to him or that she'd deny ever having seen him were womeone to mention the subject at school. No cool kid would ever want to be seen with such a lone freak as Isaac Lahey.

"Oh, well thanks for the tip.", he said with a soft smile, making his clear blue eyes shine which didn't happen very often because he usually didn't have anything to smile about. The tender expression quickly turned into one of awkwardness again when Lydia mentioned how to get rid of his black eye.

"Oh that! I got it during Lacrosse practice!", he lied with a nervous smile and cursed himself for forgetting his sunglasses on the kitchen counter. He'd actually wanted to wear them outside not only to avoid the bright sunlight but also suspicious glances from neighbours or anyone else.

She saw the tender expression in his eyes and how it changed. So, Lydia smiled at him, almost hearing him cursing himself for letting her see the black eye. She wasn't stupid, far from it actually. And her being at every Lacrosse practice, to support Jackson, she knew that he barely got onto the field, let alone enough to gain a black eye form it.

"Of course..." She said, quickly looking around to make sure that Jackson hadn't gotten home yet. She didn't want him to see her talking to Isaac. When she turned back to him, she smiled wide at him.

If she hadn't turned him down, maybe her life would be different. Maybe she'd be dating him, and he'd treat her better than Jackson did. But that possibility was gone now. And she loved Jackson, despite all his imperfections and flaws. But if that ever backfired, Isaac could be a good pair... he was on the lacrosse team after all. "So, do you enjoy Lacrosse?"

She was surprised at herself for even continuing this conversation, but she really wanted someone to speak to, and since Jackson wasn't around, he'd have to do.

Isaac didn't miss the lack of conviction in Lydia's voice when she commented his explanation for how he'd gotten his bruise. Jackson had seen many of his bruises before though and he's also seen Mr.Lahey shove his son around, yell at him or be otherwise aggressive and he'd never said anything to anyone. So Isaac was positive that his girlfriend wouldn't mention his black eye to anyone either since both of them probably didn't care.

"Well, I...", Isaac began to answer Lydia's question, but was interrupted by his father pulling into the driveway. The student's eyes widened in horror at seeing his dad return home early and he could feel his heartbeat in his throat.

"Isaac!", his father yelled as he stepped out of the car, but then composed himself when he saw that he wasn't alone with his son.

"Hello young lady! Isaac, didn't I give you a chore to do?", Mr.Lahey said when he'd walked up to the two teenagers and grabbed his son's arm, squeezing it tightly but maintaining a friendly smile for Lydia's sake.

"I'm...I'm sorry dad, the lawn mower was broken, but I was just about to start, I swear!", Isaac said and glanced over at Lydia awkwardly, feeling embarassed.
"You better do it quickly then! Miss!", his father said, the last word directed at Lydia with a gesture as if he was tipping at an invisible hat, before he walked inside, making Isaac exhale loudly. He knew he'd probably get a beating later, but he was just glad his dad let him be for now.

Lydia Stared at Mr. Lahey, intimidated by him, even though she knew how to hide it well. When he went inside, Lydia turned to Isaac.

"I'm sorry, i shouldn't be distracting you from your chores..." She said, her voice full of guilt. He'd probably get a beating because of her. Even if she had helped with the Lawn mower. Yet she didn't wanna leave, leave him alone that is, because she knew that when she did, He'd get a proper beating. The guilt was drowning her. "If you ever.... If you ever want someone to talk to about your dad, or something or anything... you can text me or something, yeah? I... I wont tell anyone."

She wanted to help him out. Now that she was the only one who knew, because she knew he'd never really tell anyone, She felt sort of responsible for helping him.

She took a step back. "Go on then, mow away..." She whispered, smiling at him, regaining her confident composure.

Isaac noticed the slightly scared expression on Lydia's face when she looked at his father and felt even more uncomdortable. And then the next thing she said to him made it obvious she'd figured out that his dad was beating him, but Isaac wanted to keep going as if nothing was happening and everything was alright.

"Well, that's surprisingly nice of you, but I'm fine, honestly. Like I said, I got the black eye from practice.", he insisted and looked over at the other side of the street as Jackson's expensive car pulled into his driveway.

"Your boyfriend's home, I'm sure he won't like seeing you talk to me!", he said with a nod at the Whittemore's house.

Lydia quickly turned and saw Jackson. She sighed and turned to Isaac. "Well, it was nice talking to you. Please... i meant what i said ok?"

She felt horrible for leaving him like that, but she didn't want to upset Jackson. She couldn't afford losing Jackson, not now. Not after everything that had happened in this strange town. She started walking across the street towards Jackson, and greeted him with a small kiss and a smile. Jackson just wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her inside.

Before she got inside, she caught a glimpse of Isaac's dad, gripping his arm and pulling him inside angrily. Guilt flooded her again. She wanted to help, but didn't know how.

For now, she turned towards Jackson and just continued their usual chatter and kissing, as if nothing had happened.

The next morning

Isaac stood in his bedroom in front of the full lenghth mirror, only wearing a pair of boxers. His body looked like a battlefield, his ribs and stomach deeply bruised from when his father had kicked him while he'd been lying on the floor. Most of his face was also black and blue and there was still dried blood on his nose and his mouth. The student hadn't seen his father in such a rage for quite a while and there was no way he could go to school looking like this.

With hot tears stinging in his eyes, he moved his fingertips over his chest and down to his ribs, cringing in pain when he touched his side. He'd felt this kind of pain before, the last time his father had broken one of his ribs and he knew that he had to go to the hospital to get it checked because a broken rib could also mean inner bleedings or it could even lead to punctured lungs. He just couldn't go like this, he had no idea what he would tell the doctors if they saw him this way.

All day, Lydia looked for Isaac. She'd been distracted since she got there, wanting to make sure Isaac was ok. When she didn't see him sitting in Chemistry class she got worried, but dismissed it. However, when she got to Lacrosse practice and he wasn't there, she panicked. She walked up to Jackson and gave him some lame excuse as to why she wasn't gonna stay, before quickly jumping in her car and heading to Isaac's house.

She was speeding, and she didn't even care. She just wanted to make sure he was ok. She quickly parked, noticing Isaac's fathers car gone. Good she thought silently. That means he's home alone. She got out of her car, looked around and then stormed up to the door and knocked. "Isaac! I know you're in there! Please open the door!"

She was worried sick and she didn't even know why. What if all this was her fault?

Isaac was still assessing all the damage his father had done the night before, when he heard a loud banging on the door, followed by - Lydia Martin's voice? What was she doing here, at his house? The teenager quickly put on a pair of jeans and a large hoodie and walked down the stairs, wincing in pain with every step that he took. He came to a halt right behind the front door, not opening it since Lydia would see his injuries right away.

"Hi Lydia! I can't open the door, because I'm...sick, with something very contagious so you better stay away!", Isaac made up quickly and hoped he'd get rid of his classmate.

Lydia rolled her eyes. She knew he wasn't sick. "Isaac thats a total lie! Just open the door before i pick the lock."

Lydia was nervous to see him. She was scared of how he'd look. She was guilty because she felt like if she hadn't stopped to talk to him yesterday, he wouldn't have gotten beat so badly. She also felt responsible. She didn't know much about Isaac, but she was the only one who knew about his dad. Well, the only one who knew and cared even in the slightest way.

"Isaac." She said sternly, hoping he'd give in.

Isaac could just imagine what it had to look like, Lydia standing outside his house and banging on the door. Some of the neighbours had already gotten suspicious before and he didn't want this to happen again. He sighed, feeling his heart beat faster as he was nervous about how the girl would react once she saw him like this.

"Fine, have it your way! Just hold on a second.", he said and took another deep breath before opening the door, turning his back on Lydia straight away, hiding his battered face for a bit longer.

When Isaac opened the door, he turned his back to her. She rolled her eyes at his feeble attempt to hide his injuries and stepped into the house, before closing the door behind her. She gently touched his back. "Isaac... Look at me?"

She didn't want to push him, but she felt so guilty for letting his dad hurt him, for distracting him giving his dad yet another 'reason' to hurt him. She felt responsible for him. She'd never admit it to anyone, but Lydia had a heart, and it killed her to know this.

She'd do anything to help him, anything she could.

His whole body was tense, feeling Lydia behind him and he twitched when she touched his back as his father didn't let this part of his body be either. Isaac felt new tears fill up his eyes when he heard how gently she talked to him.

He took a deep breath, letting his head hang before he turned around, so Lydia couldn't see his face at first. Then he finally raised his head, looking down at her through his clear blue eyes, a colored that stood out even more now due to the black and blue bruised that rimmed his eyes and covored all of his face. He'd been too weak to wash off the dried blood as well and he had to look like something out of a horror movie or a PSA.

Lydia gasped silently, tears filling her eyes. She slowly reached her hand over to barely graze his cheek. His blue eyes, pooled with tears resembled the ocean. She weakly whispered "This is my fault... he wouldn't have hurt you as much... you would've just mowed the lawn and been fine..."

She analysed him slowly, taking in every detail of his battered face. "Lets get you cleaned up ok? Lets get you cleaned up..."

She gently grabbed his hand and whispered. "Where's the bathroom?"

He made a grimace when Lydia touched his cheek, everythin sore from his father's fists and some of the tears in his eyes spilled over and slowly ran down his face. Isaac frowned and shook his head at her words. She actually felt guilty for what happened to him, even though she'd helped him fix that stupid lawn mower? He'd actually thought she'd come over to tell him how stupid he was for letting his father treat him this way.

"If you hadn't been there, the lawn mower would still be broken and my dad would have beaten me anyway.", he simply stated, admitting for the first time to what his father did to him.

"It's...it's up the stairs and the first on the right.", he then said without much discussion and slowly walked up the stairs so Lydia could follow him.

Lydia sighed as the tear ran down his face. She still felt guilty for what happened, despite what he said. She hated that he was being treated this way by anyone, let alone his father. She wasn't supposed to care, but she did.

She followed him up the stairs and when they get there, she pulls the first aid kit she brought out of her purse. "Sit down...." she whispered weakly, getting the cotton swabs and bruise cream out of the kit. She wanted to help him. "I told you whenever, you need anything you call me do you understand?"

She looked at him sternly, but gently.

Isaac felt as if he was a robot, moving mechanically and not really thinking about it. He sat down on the toilet when he entered the bathroom together with Lydia and just stared off into space. He had his arms wrapped around his hoodie-clad stomach, which was still hurting where his dad had kicked him over and over again.

He looked up at the girl, licking over his bloodied lip which tasted like metal. Sitting here with her reminded the teenager of how his mother would put a plaster on his scratched knee when he'd fall, back when he was still a happy boy and she could make everything better this easily.

"But why? You don't even know me, why are you so nice to me? I don't understand.", Isaac said, his voice sounding shaky as he was confused about Lydia and why she wanted to help him.

Lydia sighed. She didn't know. I guess she just liked the idea of helping someone, not being useless or pretending to be. She gently disinfected his face with the cotton swab full of alcohol. She did it as gently as she could. But in the end he still made the same pained face.

"Isaac, no one deserves this ok? Let alone you." She whispered weakly and goes back to the first aid kit, avoiding his eyes. "You're a good guy"

Isaac gritted his teeth as he felt the burn from the alcohol Lydia was dabbing onto his bruises. After years full of beatings from his dad, the boy had become used to the pain, pretending he didn't feel it anymore, like he was somewhere else.

"How would you know what I deserve? You don't really know me, I'm just useless. Everyone at school thinks so too.", Isaac says. His father had told him so many times how useless and worthless he was and that he didn't deserve any better, that he'd started to believe it.

In the first years of his father's abuse, Isaac had had a strong will to survive, trying to protect himself and avoid his dad's beatings. But recently he just couldn't see the point anymore, he'd get hit no matter what he did and he'd always be miserable. H'ed already had a rasor blade up to his wrist just a few days ago, he'd just still been too scared to go through with it.