Hi everyone this is my first ever fanfic, been reading everyone else's for a while and only just got the courage to start my own. I have most of the plot line for the story figured out but I hope you guys enjoy reading it. Reviews would be great :)

At the age of seventeen, Brax was the bread winner of his household. Having to take care of his two brothers and mother who unfortunately for Brax had become a drunk since the day his father upped and left all four of them. Hard work wasn't something Brax was unfamiliar with, having to hold down two jobs as well as school; he soon became an independent individual. Brax sat on the couch day dreaming...

"Bwax, Bwax"... Brax was pulled out of his day dream by Casey his younger brother who was tugging at his leg. Brax stared down at his three year old brother and instantly smiled.

"Hy Casey, you ok" brax asked as he picked Casey up and placed him on the couch next to him. Brax stared at his brother and couldn't help but hope that he never would have to face the difficulties he had.

Casey once again pulled brax out of his day dream..., "Bwax" Casey toughed at Brax's shirt...

"Yh Case" Brax answered ruffling Casey's hair.

"Casey is hungry"... Brax laughed lightly as Casey looked up at him with his big brown eyes.

"Come on then big guy, let's get you feed" Brax said as he picked Casey up and headed to the kitchen.

...

Walking the halls of summer bay high school, brax never felt like he fitted in. Regardless of the friends he had made, Brax always felt out of place. Brax knew that the only reason he put any effort into school was based on his determination to make something of himself.

Sitting down at his desk in class, brax prepared himself for another long day...

"Settle down everyone, take your seats... we have a new comer today". Brax looked up to see Mr Jones standing at the front of the class. But what caught his attention was the girl standing next to him.

"Class this is Charlotte"

"I prefer Charlie" she said looking at him briefly

"Right... this is Charlie, she just moved down from the city, now I am sure you will all do your best to make her feel welcome".

Brax carefully studied the tall slender girl that was standing there looking a little too nervous. He instantly noticed her tanned slim legs and her dark wavy hair. But most of all he studied her eyes, her green eyes that harboured light shades of blue in the centre, he noted how beautiful they were but most of all he noticed how they told a different story to her face. Although she seemed to be smiling, her eyes seemed sad almost as if they were screaming for help. He watched on as Charlie took a seat at the desk in front of him. Subconsciously he carried on studying her...

"Brax, BRAX..." brax looked up to see Mr Jones standing in front of him...

"Yh" brax answered...

"Do you know the answered" Mr Jones asked...

"Ermm nah nah, I don't" brax replied, trying to mask the source of his distraction. Brax spent the rest of the hour trying to focus on the class, but failed miserably.

Glad that the school day had finally come to an end Brax walked down the school hallway eager to reach the gates.

"Mr Braxton", Brax turned around to see their principle Mrs Smith standing behind him.

"Yes Miss"

"Have you seen your brother heath today" she asked

"Not since we got to school this morning...why... has he done something wrong". Although Brax asked the question, he knew it was a stupid question to ask. Of course he had done something wrong, when had he ever done anything right.

"Well he may have been at school this morning but he failed to make it to any of his classes". Beth Smith knew a little about Brax's living situation and felt for the boy. She couldn't begin to comprehend how he managed to cope with it all. She would have called their mother about heath not turning up to class but she knew all too well that it would have been a waste of time. Although brax and heath had only joined Summer Bay High School at the end of the previous school year, she could tell that Brax was a very bright kid, she saw determination in him and knew that if he continued to put the effort in he would not only leave school with good HSCs but he also had the ability to make something of himself, Heath on the other hand would need to put in a lot more work, she knew he was smart but unlike his brother he had trouble concentrating and lacked heavily in determination.

Brax looked over apologetically at his principle "I'm really sorry, I promise he will be in all his classes tomorrow".

Had it been any other pupil, Beth would have handed them some sort of punishment, but knowing that this would probably only be more of a burden to brax she decided to let it go... this time anyway.

"That's fine... but next time he will receive some form of punishment".

"There won't be a next time, I promise" Brax replied. He smiled lightly as Beth walked away.

Brax shook his head lightly as he walked out of the school gates rubbing the palm of his hand against the temple of his forehead. He knew that Heath only acted out to get attention, but he wished his younger brother would just for once stop making things ten times harder for him. His mind wondered to his father, the man whom had walked out on them a few weeks after Casey was born. He couldn't help but blame his dad for his current predicament. Instead of hanging out with his friends like a normal teenager he had become a father to two kids over night, and designated carer to his mother who had turned to alcohol and gambling as a way of numbing the pain his father had caused her. He only hoped that he would one day make something of himself and show his father that they didn't need him, and that the only person who had lost out from him leaving them was himself.

...

"Are you kidding me, mum...? MUM" Brax yelled as he saw the state of the house.

"YH, what is it... God cant I get any peace in this house" said Cheryl as she walked out of her room.

"Mum what happened, I cleared this place before school, and how have you got through so much beer already" brax sighed as he looked up at his mum who was clearly drunk.

"Who died and made you boss, it's my money so I can do what I want with it" spat Cheryl before settling down on the couch.

"NO MUM, NO, ITS ACTUALLY MY MONEY AND AM NOT BUSTING MY ASS OFF FOR YOU TO SPEND IT ALL ON BOOSE AND POKIES, WE BARLEY HAVE ENOUGH TO FEED ON AND YOU GO ABOUT SQUANDERING IT ALL".

As Brax was in the middle of shouting at his mother Casey ran out of his room straight towards brax.

"Bwax back, bwax back" Casey sang has he looked up at brax. Brax bent over and picked his little brother up.

"Yh case I'm back, you ok?" Brax asked looking at his brother. Casey rubbed on his stomach and looked at Brax and said "Casey is hungry"... Brax found himself getting angry and frustrated.

"Really mum, REALLY, you have time to drink yourself into a stoop but you can't feed your three year old son" brax spat the words at his mother, anger clearly evident in his voice

"LOOK, I done the hard yak giving him life, WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT" Cheryl slurred her words as she stood up and left the house.

Brax looked on at his mum in disgust as he walked off into the kitchen. "Heath... HEATH" brax shouted for his fifteen year old brother from the kitchen.

"Am coming... give me a sec" heath replied.

A few seconds later heath came out of his room. Although heath was a lot more slender than his brother, he had the gob of a parrot and an attitude that required patience from the people around him.

"Have you eaten?"

"Nah couldn't find anything edible, so figured I would wait for you" Heath stated.

Brax rolled his eyes walking away from heath and searching all the cupboards for anything him and his brothers could eat... after going back and forth he concluded he would have to go get something with some of the money he had made from work that day.

"Hy Casey how would you like some pizza" said Brax as he placed Casey back on the floor.

Casey began nodding rapidly with great emphasis.

"Right heath stay with Case while I go and buy something for us to eat, and don't just leave him and start goofing around, ya hear me"

Heath just rolled his eyes...

"I said did you hear me" Brax asked again. Heath just simply looked at brax and nodded "good, I won't be long" Brax said walking out the front door.

Walking down his street Brax sighed heavily as he looked at all the houses around him before looking back at his own house. Although he lacked in faith, Brax prayed every day that he would one day be free of this place that so many called their home. For him it felt nothing like home, more like a prison cell and each passing day, he felt like it was going to consume him, but prayed he had the strength to overcome his present state and provide a better life for his brothers, and although she was hardly ever around and he wasn't sure if she deserved it, he also wanted to provide a better life for his mother, but most importantly... for himself.