Hey it's an update and it hasn't even been a full month! So this is kind of short, but yay for Jack having a horrible backstory! Also: I just realized I haven't been writing about David Jacobs enough but I really love him so if any of you have any one-shot ideas with plots involved Davey pleeeeasse let me know! Okay, hope you enjoy! 

For the next few days, Jack kept his distance from his friends, including Katherine, though he made sure to hang around her and convincingly play his part of her attentive boyfriend when necessary. Katherine had asked Crutchie if he knew what was going on, since he seemed to be closer to Jack than the other boys, but all he would tell her was that it was normal, and it had happened before. She'd tried to press further, but he evaded any other questions she tried to ask him about it. So, while she and Jack were sitting alone at their lunch table (they wanted some alone time, Jack insisted, though they didn't actually talk to each other), Katherine decided to figure things out, since no one was telling her anything.

"Jack, what are you doing?" The boy looked up at her from his food, which he'd been focusing intently on, and gave her a confused look.

"Um... I'm eating."

"You know what I mean." Jack slowly shook his head, and Katherine could tell he was being serious. How anyone could be so clueless, she didn't know.

"You've barely talked to any of us in three days, Jack. Why are you being so distant?"

"What do you mean?" He scoffed, subtly shifting his gaze so that he wasn't looking straight at her. "I talk to you all the time."

"Yeah, when there are people around. The rest of the time you just walk around not looking at anyone."

"Look," Jack sighed, "it's nothing you have to worry about. Really, it's not important."

"That's a load of crap, Jack Kelly, and you know it. What's going on?"

"I said you don't gotta worry about it then you don't gotta worry about it. It doesn't affect you." His New York accent was thickening, as it usually did when he was upset. Katherine wasn't fazed. She started to say something, but he interrupted her before she could get a word in. "It's personal." He told her defensively, in a firm voice that he hoped would convince her to let it go. It almost worked.

"You can tell me." Katherine's voice was softer, and not as demanding. Jack hesitated.

"It's Snyder." He said quickly, his eyes widening as he realized what he'd just told her.

"Who's Snyder?"

"Snyder is... Okay. So, my folks either died or left by the time I was seven, so I was in the system for about ten years. None of the places I lived were all the great, but the worst was Snyder. I lived with him about five years, and only just got away a year ago." Katherine listened quietly as she realized that Jack was opening up to her, and he didn't seem like the kind of person who did that easily. "It was pretty bad, living with him. He was an alcoholic, and let's face it, he was probably a drug addict to, he just didn't do that any of that around me. Anyway, he did... he did some pretty bad stuff to me, and cleaned up his act any time the social workers came to do an inspection. It finally got so bad that I let Medda-"

"Hold on." Katherine felt bad for interrupting, but she needed clarification. "Miss Medda, the theater teacher?"

"No, the other Medda. Yeah, the theater teacher. So, I finally let Medda get me outta there, I guess she's technically my foster mom, she pays for my apartment and school and stuff like that. And every once in a while Snyder'll write to me and tell me how 'he's changed' and 'he'd love to have me come live with him again' but I know he just wants the money. And anytime he tries to get in contact with me it just... I'm kinda distant, like you said, for a week or two. Most of the boys know about it I guess I forgot to tell you..." Jack trailed off as he finished, and began staring at the table. Katherine looked at him for a few minutes in silence. She put her hand on his, surprising both him and herself, and causing him to look up at her.

"Jack." She said softly. "Thank you for telling me."