A/N: Sorry for the late as update. 

The long and short of it is that work is busy and my inspiration has been simmering at zero for a long while now. So I've just been chipping away at chapters word by word. 

Hope you enjoy.

"Keelan, how could you go out and do that? We never raised you in that way. To raise a hand in anger, that is unacceptable. On top of your summer schooling and the peer program that you WILL be attending you're also grounded for the entire summer." Jesus, if I had known my punishment for getting into a fight with Brock was going to be so harsh I wouldn't have done it. Who am I kidding? I would have done it, but in a quieter area.

"Mom it's not like I planned on fighting, Brock was making fun of Cor and Nat for taking in an unwanted kid so I had to do something." Mom groaned, she knew what I was talking about. A lot of the well established families in Spring Canyon looked down on my parents for their decision to adopt me, it was like a stain on their family.

I had no doubt that my parents and siblings loved me as much as they could, but no amount of love could kill the opinions of others. The small town too didn't help rumors, if anything it intensified them.

From the moment I stepped foot in their front door, the Poller's were welcoming. They were like the family I'd never had and for the first time could offer me two things that I had craved the most, love and affection.

"Mom, Brock has been asking for that fight for ages. He's been getting in my face at school and he started getting at Corlan to." I exhaled a relieved breath when Nat stepped in to defend me, sure, I knew fighting was 'bad' but I wasn't going to stand by and watch some self entitled jock bad mouth my family...even if we were team mates.

"Natalia, please don't defend violence. There are other ways of resolving an issue, did you think of that Keelan?" Mom was always the more serious of parents, she wanted our family to be well liked in the community because we were different. Corlan and Natalia were their biological children but neither fit in any of the well off social groups like other wealthy kids did. I on the other hand 'looked' the part but didn't really act like it, that's what kids at school said at least.

They always wondered why I stuck up for my dorky, nerdy, ugly siblings. I never thought of them in such a way but peers had a way of picking at the stupid, mundane things about a persons appearance.

"So long as you've learned your lesson Keelan? No more fighting, you will also attend the mentoring program. Whatever has been assigned to you as punishment by your principal is what you will be doing, understood?" Again, it was mom doing all the talking, I just stood there nodding at everything she had to say. Sure, I was going to listen but I wasn't happy about being this harshly punished for standing up to Brock and his stupid friends.

"Good, go and wash up, dinner is almost ready and all three of you still have homework and chores to do. I love you." Mom gave me a quick hug before pushing me away towards Nat and Cor, all three of us went upstairs to do whatever until we were called back down for dinner.

"Sorry you got in that much trouble for us Kee, Brock and his stupid opinions weren't worth that much trouble." Nat and Corlan gave me a smile as they stopped at their own bedroom doors, I just gave a smile and shrugged. Life was life and it seemed I was always handed the worse end of the deal.

"It's fine Nat, I would have done it anyway. Brock is such a douche when he wants to be..." I died off, wanting to expose his secret. But it wasn't something for me to tell the world, too bad Brock was too much of a wimp to come out to his parents, family and friends. I think, aside from his boyfriend that I was the only other person that knew about his sexual tendencies.

Not that I judged him for being gay, I judged him for being a douche.

Going to my room, I closed the door behind me and stood there for a few moments soaking everything in. Though I was adopted, this was undoubtedly my family and they loved me as much as I loved them. But part of me couldn't help but feel that I didn't belong, that I would have been better off with one of my parents family.

The hand that fate had dealt me so far hadn't been a kind one, the kindest thing was the Poller's adopting and welcoming me into their family.I looked around at my room, it was decorated with everything that was essentially 'me' but at the same time was not me.

Sometimes I felt like it was a manufactured me, the kind that mom and dad had pushed me towards being. I was in the football and baseball teams, I ran track, I did well in school and had top marks but it all felt like it was someone else. My trophies, my photographs, ribbons and sporting gear decorated the room like a real guys room should be.

But I wasn't sure if it was me.

Shaking my head, I went over to the desk and flicked the lamp on to start studying. We lived in a quiet, dead end cul-de-sac. All the houses were cookie cutter type places, they looked similar on the outside and more or less had the same interior plan. My friend lived next door, Callum Arnold and I had been friends for as long as I could remember.

He snuck through a hole in the fence one day not long after I had arrived 'home' and we had more or less been friends since then.

Sinking myself into my homework I kind of forgot about the dull thump around my left eye, but the longer I tried to focus the more it made itself known. I had been in a few fist fights in the past...mostly with Callum, but none hurt as much as this one did. My left eye was already starting to swell closed, which was annoying but aside from putting ice on it I kind of had to live through it.

"Here son, thought you could use something cold for your eye." Dad came in after a quick knock, he extended the bag of frozen pea's towards me.

"Thanks dad," I knew he was here to talk, he sat at the end of my bed as soon as I'd taken the pea's from him. He didn't look as ticked off as mom had, in fact he looked a bit amused and proud too.

"I hope his eye is swollen worse than yours, looks like he got you good though." I shrugged my shoulders, I knew dad would be okay with what I'd done...away from mom's ever listening ears at least. To keep the peace he agreed with her, but he was always ducking into our rooms to give us quiet encouragement for the things we did 'wrong.'

"Thanks dad,I just...I hate when he brings up the fact I'm adopted. Everyone knows I am but no one really cares, you know? Next time he'll probably tell everyone why I'm adopted." The memories of my biological parents arguing flooded my mind, worry set deep within me that Brock would stoop that low to expose me as the child of a murderer.

"We are your family now Keelan, not that man...mostly not that man that took everything away from you. Your mom will always be your biological mom first, but I'm your dad and mom is your mom now and I hope you know that we love you like you were our own. In a lot of ways you are ours." I'd heard this so many times before, there were a few times where I'd fallen into a dark spell and the only thing that had pulled me out were my parents love for me.

"I know dad, I know that I'm part of this family as much as Cor and Nat. I know that you and mom love me as much as I love you both." There was more that I wanted to say, that my past was holding me back. That it weighed me down so much at times that I questioned myself and my existence.

"Good, dinner is supposed to be ready in five minutes. Pop those back in the freezer when you come down, okay?" I nodded, dad ruffled my hair before exiting my room.

Man alive but he was a cool dad, he was the best I'd ever had and the only one I wanted.

"Dinner is ready Kee, come on! It's my favourite tonight!" Corlan was always the first down to the dinner table whenever we had pasta bake. I don't know what it was about ground beef and pasta in tomato sauce but it got Corlan all excited.

I laughed, taking the pea's with me. Nat waited for me at my door, we both laughed loudly as we watched Corlan race for the stairs to take him down to the kitchen. "I swear he's a kid at Christmas whenever mom makes pasta bake." Nat muttered as we both walked down to dinner.

A lot of my team mates couldn't understand how I didn't find Nat attractive, she was good looking. A lot of girls hated her for her natural beauty, a lot of guys wanted to be with her. But being two months older than her I felt it was my duty to keep all the scum away from her, she hated it about as much as she loved it.

I could never look at Natalie like she was a piece of meat because she was my sister and I'd do anything to make sure she was safe and happy.