Suddenly Jackson leapt to his feet. “Damn it!” He grabbed my shirts and tossed them back at me and quickly picked up his own.
I sat up with a jerk, feeling like someone had just thrown a bucket of cold water over me. I hesitated just a moment then heard what he must have heard: the garage door opening. We barely had our clothes back on and got seated on the couch when he heard the familiar voices of his parents coming through the kitchen garage door.
“Jackson?” Emily’s voice rang from the kitchen.
“In here with Jocelyn,” he hollered back, picking up our biology books and handing me mine.
“Well, good afternoon, Jocelyn.” Emily entered the family room. “Nice to see you today.”
“You too. How are you?” I fought through the frog in my throat.
“Just finished the grocery shopping.” She made a disgusted face. “Are you two hungry?”
“Starving,” Jackson answered and I nodded.
“All right then, I will start dinner as soon as we get these groceries put away.” She smiled sweetly and turned to leave.
“Can I help you with anything?” I offered.
“You should probably start studying for that biology exam . . . after Jackson puts his tee shirt on right side out.” I could hear Robert snickering from the kitchen doorway. She headed back towards the kitchen but hollered over her shoulder, “Sorry we interrupted.”
Jackson rolled his eyes in the direction of his mother before yanking his shirt back off and righting his tee, but I was flushed red from head to toe.
***
After dinner and the dishes were done, Jackson and I went back to books. We were knee deep in discussing genotypes when my cell started buzzing telling me that Caitlyn was calling.
“Hey what’s up?” she sounded a little too cheery.
“I’m over at Jackson’s studying for our biology test on Monday. Why?” I looked over at Jackson who was drawing little doodles on his study guide.
“I just talked to Jenna and Kyle and we were all thinking of doing something. You guys in?”
“Sure, what did you have in mind?”
“Don’t laugh, but do you remember that old theatre over in Plainfield? Anyway, they’re playing Grease tonight and I’ve never seen it on the big screen. I thought it would be fun.”
“You’re serious?” Jackson glanced up at me and shrugged his shoulders, telling me he could hear our entire conversation and didn’t care either way.
“All right, we’re in. What time?”
“My house at eight, movie starts at nine.”
“We’ll be there.” I hung up the phone and tossed it back on the coffee table. “Did you hear all that?” I placed my hand over his to make him stop playing with his pencil.
“Yes, she talks loud enough.” He finally put the pencil down and sat back on the couch. “I guess we are going to see Grease this evening.”
“Yeah, it’ll be fun.” I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “But before we go I need to run home and grab Caitlyn’s sweatshirt I borrowed and tell my dad where we’re going.”
“Mind if I come with you?” He stacked up his study material on the corner of the table then picked mine up. “I will even carry your books for you, Ms. Jocelyn.” He slightly bowed.
“Why thank you very much, Mr. Jackson.” I curtsied with a mock grin.
***
I left Jackson in the family room talking with my dad while I ran upstairs to swap my things. I quickly touched up my make-up and ran a brush through my hair. I noticed the bruise on my cheek was still there but my fat lip was now hardly noticeable. I grabbed a heavier jacket then ran back downstairs.
I heard the two guys still chatting in the family room so I ducked into the kitchen to grab a Coke to take with me. But when I shut the refrigerator door, I was surprised to see Ethan and Liang walking into the kitchen holding hands.
“Hi Jocelyn, I’m Liang,” she said in an all too perky voice.
“Hi,” I tried to smile at her and picked up my purse and coat off the island.
“Are you and Jackson going to see Grease tonight, too?” she asked, sitting down on one of the bar stools.
I spun around and glared at Ethan who had an evil little smirk on his face. “Cody invited us along,” he happily informed me.
“Why don’t we all ride together?” Liang piped in. “I mean we’re all going to the same place. It seems silly to waste the gas.”
“I don’t think so,” I muttered and glared back at my brother before I leaned over towards her. “And you can do much better than him.”
I stepped into the empty dining room and called Caitlyn back. “Hey, what the hell is going on? Cody invited my brother!”
“Yeah, they just got here and Hilary told me. She already yelled at Cody about it. He said they were playing X-box when she asked him and it put him on the spot,” she explained.
“Great. He and Liang are here and she thinks we should all ride together,” I mocked Liang’s chipper voice.
Despite my sarcasm, Caitlyn giggled. “I’m sorry. What do you want me to do?”
“Nothing.” I paused for a moment fuming. “I’ll talk to ya later.”
I stood in the dark dining room trying to figure out what to do next. The last thing I wanted to do was spend the evening with Ethan. I couldn’t have cared less about Liang and her irritatingly perky attitude, but after everything that had occurred between us lately I wasn’t going to let him win. If he wanted to hang out with my friends, then I wasn’t going to stop him. But I wasn’t going to join them either.
I returned to the family room where the new couple had joined Jackson and our dad. They were all talking lively but it was apparent that Ethan was still being curt with my future husband.
“There you are, we were just wondering where you’d gone off to,” Dad greeted me. “You guys have fun tonight and enjoy the movie.” He stood up expecting to walk the four of us to the front door.
“Sorry, change of plans. We’re not going to the movie,” I announced, and Jackson gave me a confused look.
“Why not?” Dad asked then glanced back over his shoulder at Ethan.
“I’d prefer not to spend my evening with backstabbers and leeches who like to glob onto other people’s friends because they can’t make any friends of their own.” I knew I was being childish but I didn’t care.
I could see Ethan’s ears turning red from across the room. “Cody invited us. He is my friend.” Poor Liang and Jackson looked like they wished they were anywhere else.
“Funny how you immediately knew I was talking about you. Must be the guilt,” I pointed out like a ten year old.
“Little Miss Princess, always has to get her way.” Ethan rose to his feet.
“That’s it . . . enough!” Dad waved his arms between the two of us. “I’ve had it with you two. You guys didn’t act this immature when you were kids! I’m done with this. You two can work it out yourselves.” He stormed out of the room and slammed his office door a few seconds later.
The four of us just stood there starring at the empty doorway he’d exited through. All of us were too stunned for several minutes to say anything.
“See what you did?” Ethan finally spoke and gestured towards the doorway.
“Me?” I swung around and confronted him. “How dare you, you little brat! You started all this. You constantly intrude on my life and my friends just to irritate me. If you’re not happy with the decisions I’ve made, fine. I don’t care. Just butt out of my life!”
“I don’t care if you insist on throwing your life away, but I do think you’re an idiot. You’re going to get knocked up, quit college, and then get divorced. So don’t get mad at me when you’re a washed up drop-out with a house full of snot nosed brats living on welfare before your twenty-five cause I’m gonna laugh when he leaves your boney ass!” Liang’s jaw dropped open along with mine in complete disbelief.
Jackson took several steps towards Ethan and from where I was standing I co
uld see he was struggling to control his temper. Ethan must have seen it too cause he took a step back. “You went too far Ethan. Don’t ever let me hear you speak to her or any other woman that way ever again. You have no idea how hard this has been on your sister. What she has been going through living with the never ending mistreatment from you and your mother. It has been killing her and it is killing me watching her suffer through it. And your father’s right, enough is enough. I love your sister more than you will ever understand and I will no longer stand by and watch you do everything you can think of to make her life miserable.”
“And what are you going to do about it?” Ethan tried to stand his ground. “You gonna take a shot at me?”
“As much as I would love to, no. Only because I respect your sister and your father. But I am going to make your life a living hell if you keep it up. I promise you that.” He took another step towards my brother.
Ethan unintentionally took another step backwards and bumped into the couch. “Get out of my house,” he said flatly through gritted teeth.
“I will leave when I am ready unless your father requests it beforehand.” Jackson turned his back on him and walked back over to me. “So what do you want to do instead?”
“Let’s watch a movie at your house,” I suggested, no longer paying any attention to Ethan and Liang.
“All right,” he smiled and placed a protective arm around my shoulder.
Jackson and I left without another word to the room’s occupants, but I sent my dad and Caitlyn a text telling them where we were going to be.
“I wish you would have hit him,” I said once we were out on the porch.
“You’re forgetting, I am not allowed to. Your brother is still a minor, I’m not. If your parents wanted to retaliate, I could get arrested and my real age would be revealed. That would not be good for either of us,” he said as we walked across the street.
“So what am I supposed to tell my parents eventually? Are we supposed to hide your real age from them forever?”
“I suppose we have to. It is not like we can explain the entire truth to them.” He squeezed my hand gently. “Look how well that worked out for your uncle Nicholas.”
“True. So, how did you manage to enroll in high school?” I was curious.
“Being a lawyer, my dad knows how to find the loop-holes in the system. So, he managed to get me a fake birth certificate and social security card. My brother’s old college roommate is now an administrator at the high school I graduated from in Boston so he did my brother a favor and changed the dates on my old transcripts and forwarded them here,” Jackson explained.
“Unbelievable.” I held his hand as we crossed the street.
“As silly as it sounds, it really wasn’t that difficult. But if someone really did some digging, it wouldn’t be that hard to find the truth.”
“Well then, I guess you’d better behave yourself.” I looked up at him and winked.
Jackson and I spent a romantic evening in front of a roaring fire watching old black and white movies. I received several angry texts from Caitlyn, an apology from Hilary, and one from Jenna saying that I was being childish. I didn’t care. I was exactly where I wanted to be.
CHAPTER 20
Wednesday, December 14, 1878
I EXCUSED MYSELF from my friends who were talking excessively about what they were getting their boyfriends and family for Christmas and how they were going to spend their time off from classes and such. I walked out the door and down the front steps. The cold air brushed against my cheeks, lifting my hair off my shoulders and sending chills through my body. I pulled my caplet closer around me and walked the short distance to the fence at the entrance of the school. I leaned back against an old oak tree and closed my eyes. I was feeling so overwhelmed that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to scream or cry. I honestly felt like doing a little of both.
I had spent the last several days burying myself in my school work and studying for my graduation exam on Friday. It was weighing heavily on my shoulders. I knew I should have started studying for it weeks before, but life always seemed to get in the way. Now that it was upon me, I was in panic mode.
I opened my eyes and glanced around the schoolyard. It was impossible to imagine only having one more school day with my friends. Simply one more day to be a child, an adolescent, carefree and unencumbered by adult responsibilities. I had spent such a large portion of my youth in this building and the surrounding grounds playing games with my friends, talking with my girlfriends, and impatiently waiting to grow up. Now that it was here I was torn between wanting to desperately cling to my adolescence alongside my friends and rushing into my future in Jackson’s arms.
I exhaled deeply and watched my breath glide away in the thick air. The trees were bare and looked lonely and lifeless. I wished I could sit down on the steps but I knew it would be inappropriate for me to do so. I closed my eyes again thinking about how if I was there I wouldn’t think twice about sitting down on the steps. My two worlds could not be more different. I loved the independence I had there, the freedom to express myself, the ability to make my voice heard and to find whatever direction I felt was best for me. Yet still, there was a part of me that hated the insecurity of family there, the lack of trust and faith and the callousness that felt overly consuming of most people. I wanted to believe that I was fortunate and that there was a reason for me to have this gift if only for me to ensure that I raised my children with the same love and security as Robert and Emily had.
Of course if I was there I would be wearing something slightly more practical. Something that was a tad bit warmer than the gown, corset, pantalets, and such that I was currently freezing in. At least there was something positive about the future.
Laurie came down the steps and put her hand on my shoulder. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, I just needed some fresh air.” I smiled up at her. “This test is a bit intimidating.”
“I would imagine so.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “I cannot believe how cold it has turned. We will surely have snow by Christmas.”
“Most likely,” I agreed.
“Would you like to come over to the store and warm up a bit?” she offered.
“That would be wonderful.”
We headed off down the path away from the schoolyard. Their family store was only a couple blocks from our school. The gray skies had opened up just enough to let a few light snowflakes drift down. It suddenly made the moment seem more magical than ordinary.
“I am sorry we have not gotten to spend much time together lately. Jackson and I have spent almost all our time house hunting which is why I am so far behind studying for this exam.” I tried to make small talk.
“I know. Please do not worry about it. I know you have had a lot going on.”
“How is everything with you and Mr. Theodore? Have you started the preparations for your wedding next summer?” I glanced over at her.
“We are doing very well,” she grinned widely. “Our mothers have started making the arrangements. My mother has already started working on my gown. It is so beautiful. I cannot wait for you to see it.” Her voice could hardly contain her excitement as she opened the door to store and the bell overhead chimed loudly.
“Good afternoon,” her father, Henry Cain, walked out of the back room. “Oh, Laurie, what are you doing home so early? Are you feeling all right?”
“I am fine Father. Ms. Jocelyn needed some fresh air so we thought we would walk over here for a moment. She is studying relentlessly for her graduation exam this Friday.”
“I see. Hello, Ms. Timmons.” He walked around the counter and shook my hand. “It is so nice to see you. How is your family?”
“Very well, thank you.”
Laurie and I browsed through the rolls of new fabrics her father just got in. There were some that were absolutely stunning. I could only imagine making beautiful spring gowns out of them. I stood there lost in my thoughts, musing over which patterns would
look best for the various styles when a loud piercing scream broke my train of thought.
“Henry, come quick! There is a snake in the house!” A female voice screeched from their living quarters.
“What?” Her father took off running towards the back of the store with Laurie and me directly behind him.
We found her mother, Molly, standing in the far corner of the family room with their housekeeper, Grace. Both their faces were white with fear. “Quinton, get away from there! I will not tell you again.” Mrs. Cain shouted at her youngest son who was perhaps maybe four or five years old.
Quinton was crouched down on the floor in front of the burner stove. “Ah . . . but Momma,” he complained but failed to relocate.
“What is all the screaming about? You nearly gave me a heart attack.” Mr. Cain scanned the room, seeming to notice nothing out of the ordinary.
“There is a snake in the house, Henry. Over there!” An exasperated Mrs. Cain pointed to where her son was looking. “It has wrapped itself around the base of the stove.” The burner stove sat in the corner of the room on a bricked enclave that reached up to the ceiling and was adorned with a beautiful mantle.
“For lands sake.” Mr. Cain knelt down near his son and stood back up quickly while moving his son out of harm’s way. “I reckon’ it came in because of the cold weather.”
“I don’t care why it’s in our home. I just want it out,” Mrs. Cain said nervously.
“Is it poisonous?” Laurie asked in a weak voice from beside me in the doorway.
“I’m not sure. I cannot tell what kind it is.” Mr. Cain rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment. “Ladies,” he turned back towards the two of us, “would you please run over to Mr. Donaldson’s shop and ask him to come here straight away?”
“Yes, Father.”
I followed Laurie back through the store and across the street to Dimitri’s father’s business. He was a carpenter by trade and made the most beautiful furniture in Northern Chicago. The snow had picked up a little and was now sticking to the ground.
Perception Page 17
