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Chapter 6

 

 

 

Marie sat in her car a few moments, watching the school apprehensively. Life since the monday after the dance had been like walking on jagged glass. She knew from the observant stares she had gotten from all of her friends, that she was under a close watch. The events that had transpired at the dance would not soon be forgotten. Teddy had made himself into an 'invisible' at Bell Tech as well, after the way he stood up for Josh and Aiden. Marie had tried several times to point out the obvious fact that Tyler had in fact pulled a knife on them, but everyone seemed to have pushed this thought from their minds. It was as if Tyler was completely untouchable. No one really believed their own eyes, they only believed what they knew previously to be true. The second she mentioned it, someone would point out the apparently more obvious fact that Josh and Aiden should not have come out in public expecting to be welcomed. Every time a sickening flame flared up within her at their words, but she had yet to speak up. She got out of her car, throwing her bookbag over her shoulder with a huff. At least she wasn't as bad off as Britney, who had been squeezed out of the ranks completely. Marie took a quick look in her mirror, but did not adjust her hair or makeup, despite their being slightly askew. She wasn't sure she wanted to care any more. Aiden's words kept echoing endlessly in her head, like a mantra. She had been thinking hard on it, remembering the strangely telling smile he had given her. It was harder what she was doing now, it was easier just to let it all go. She had hoped to talk to Jamie about things, be open with him this time...try harder, but he had been absent from school for the past week and a half. She had seen Josh walking alone out to his car several times after school, and she had considered asking him where he was, but she was ashamed for her own actions. Maybe he just won't come anymore, she thought darkly as she started for the school, watching her feet as she crossed the empty parking lot. She did nothing to help the relentless teasing and harsh words that had flown his friend's way since the dance, she wouldn't blame him for being angry with her. She sighed, finally lifting her gaze to watch where she was going. She had come to school very early in hopes of avoiding as much gossip time as possible, and just heading straight to her first class. A block of ice plummeted into her stomach when she saw one lone person sitting on the bench by the school. Britney was watching her, as if she had been waiting. Marie stood frozen for a few moments, frozen in the rift of decision. No one was here, she could be safe...but what on earth would Britney want to talk to her for, it couldn't be good...stop being such a chicken! she thought angrily, a wave of heat washing over her in annoyance. Why was she so timid? She brushed back the flyaway strands of hair blowing against her face in the icy breeze, and felt a little more solid as she walked up to the school with purpose. Marie faltered a little when Britney stood and began to head her off, but she stole herself to continue, and stopped accordingly when the other girl had reached her. Marie looked up at her expectantly, surprised to find the girl's normally sharp expression softened.
"I know we haven't been the best of friends," Britney started quickly, "but, I want to talk to you."
Marie blinked a few times, slightly surprised by her gentle tone. It was as if a different person's voice was being channeled through Britney's vocal chords. Britney raised her eyebrows.
"Oh..." Marie began finally, "okay well...talk then."
Britney chewed her lip, "I was wondering if maybe we could meet sometime after school. I know it's bad for you to be seen with me."
Marie stared at her incredulously. Thoughtful too? When did all these foreign personality traits appear?
"Um, yea sure." she stuttered, crossing her arms to ward off the chilly wind.
"Can I come over your place tonight?"
Marie turned around to see if any new cars had parked, but the lot was empty.
"Yea, around seven?"
Britney nodded solemnly, backing up a little. Marie looked around a little awkwardly, realizing that right in front of school they certainly could not be friendly or open with eachother.
"Well," she said slowly, "I'm gonna go to class. I'll see you tonight."
Britney nodded silently, walking back to her spot on the bench. Marie eyed her curiously, wondering why the girl was still sitting outside on such a cold day, then hurried through the doors, shivering off the chill and rubbing her numbed nose. She stashed her coat in her locker and grabbed her notes, hurrying into class to take a seat, smiling slightly at a girl with glasses and chubby cheeks sitting in the back. She took a seat a few desks away in the corner and took out her sketchbook, staring at it longingly, before cracking it open to doodle before she had to put up her facade once again.

She hurried into the art room with a hopeful grin on her face. This quickly faded the moment she turned the corner however, to find Jamie's usual seat empty, and his canvas bare. The room though, was not unoccupied. A dark haired man, with heavy rimmed glasses and a warm smile adorning his boyish face was grinning at her from behind the teacher's desk. She looked at her feet for a second, as if averting her gaze might make him disappear, looking back up to find his gaze still trained on her.
"You must be Marie." he said standing awkwardly.
She smiled a little, there was no way to describe this man other than dorky. However she found this trait comforting and rather endearing as he hurried over clumsily and extended a hand to her.
"I'm Mr. Wells, the art teacher here...well one of them."
Marie laughed a little in surprise. The man had never been there after hours before, and she hadn't dared step into the room during school when she could have been seen.
"Oh! Oh-hi, um...well I guess you know my name already-but it's nice to meet you."
He nodded enthusiastically, "Oh pleasure is all mine! I hope you don't mind but I've been sort of monitoring the work you've been storing here. Jamie told me you'd been coming after school to work up a portfolio. He asked me to look at your stuff and I have to say...I'm very glad he did!"
She just stared at him incredulously with very flushed cheeks as she followed him towards their usual spot in the back of the room, where a few of her paintings were stacked in the corner. She eyed the model skeleton beside them as she squeezed by and crossed her arms nervously, watching him as he considered the painting in the front of the stack.
"So you're a prospective for the magnet program right? I assume that's what you're getting a portfolio together for..."
"Yes! I'd love to get in..."
"Oh I don't think you need to worry about that." he said with a wide grin and a wink, "However, I thought I might mention the scholarship competition. I think you ought to enter..."
Her jaw dropped involuntarily. She hadn't even considered scholarships an option, she'd just been concerned about getting in to the program at all.
"You have really improved in a short amount of time!"
"Oh-well...thank you! Jamie has been helping me." she said brightly, watching him sort through her canvases excitedly.
He pulled one out carefully, pushing his glasses back up his nose as they fell down.
"I can tell he's had an impression, your figures have improved quite a bit! I was especially impressed with this one...self portrait. It's very illustrative, and the likeness is spot on. It's very brave for someone so young." he said, turning to her with an approving nod, "The panel would love this-if you need help making slides for them or anything, please let me know! Or Jamie-he's fairly experienced as well of course. Jamie told me you have no prior instruction?"
She nodded with raised eyebrows, she hadn't known Jamie was talking to the art teacher about her. The very idea of this boosted her confidence, that he had that much faith in her. He was always complemental during their sessions, but she had thought perhaps he was just being kind, just being a good friend. Then again, he certainly hadn't known her the beginning of the year when he had first seen her sketchbook, despite how much longer it felt.
Mr. Wells nodded with a chuckle, "I can't wait to see what you'll do once you're in the program. This is definitely college level work! Are you planning on a career in art?"
She blinked at him a few times, as if his words were completely foreign to her. She hadn't considered life after school yet. Like she had been planning on being in high school forever. But really, there were only three years left of her time here, then the tiny tidbits of the real world she had been experiencing sparsely would take over her life.
"I...I don't know just yet." she said sheepishly, looking down at her feet again, "I guess I haven't really thought much about it."
He nodded with a warm smile, "It's alright, a lot of students haven't at your age! Maybe considered things, but not really thought about college yet, or life after high school. It seems so far away, but it comes up on you quick!"
He leaned the painting against the others, stepping back to study it with a calculated gaze, then turned back to her, wiping his hands on his paint covered cargo pants.
"You really should think about it. There are a lot of careers in art nowadays that don't lead down the road to starvation." he chuckled, pushing his glasses back up his nose, "Well, it was a pleasure speaking to you, I hope I'll see you next semester in class!"
He shook her hand again, grabbing the coat hanging off his chair and the keys on his desk, then left with an awkward wave. She still had a half grin on her face long after he had exited, as she eyed the painting he had been so pleased with. It didn't look like anything special to her, but then she didn't have so trained an eye. She furrowed her brows at it, as if she could force this perspective , then turned around and headed for the door, turning back once more. She hurried out to the parking lot, her car was usually the only one left in the student lot at this time of day, but there was one other car there as well. Josh's grey honda was sitting in the row across from where her car stood alone, shaded under a bare willow tree. She looked around the lot, searching for its owner. Sure enough, Josh was just walking out the side door of the school, tossing his keys in the air and catching them as he walked leisurely toward it. He spotted her after a long few moments of her staring at him. Seemingly without a moment of thought, he changed course and began heading towards her. She quickly averted her eyes, opening the trunk and throwing her bag in there to busy herself as he walked up.
"Hey." Josh began casually, twirling his keys in his hand as he stopped beside her.
"Oh hey! Um, listen, I'm really sorry about the way everyone's been acting," she said quickly, glad she was finally saying these words to him, despite how useless they may be, "it's just-it's horrible and I hate it..."
"Hey, they're not your responsibility, don't worry about it." he said with an assuring grin.
She watched him for a moment, a little dumbfounded, then closed her trunk and turned to him with a nervous laugh, "Well, it's still terrible..."
"Ah well, can't expect everyone to understand in this backwater town."
She nodded slightly, chewing her lip, still wondering what he had come talk to her for, "How is Aiden?"
Josh grinned brightly at her for a moment, obviously a little shocked she had even asked.
"He's just fine," he replied with a half grin, studying her for a few moments, "thanks for asking."
She nodded with a warm smile, crossing her arms to shield her from the chilled wind as it blew across the grassy hills and bare trees.
"What are you doing for thanksgiving?" Josh asked suddenly.
Marie blinked a few times, raising her eyebrows in surprise. She had almost forgotten it was the following thursday.
"Um...well thanksgiving for me is on friday this year, my dad has to work so we're having it late." she explained regrettably.
Though it wasn't as if thanksgiving really felt like thanksgiving without the food anyway.
"Oh, well, since you're not busy...my mom has a big dinner every year if you wanna come. Jamie will be there too, and you could invite Teddy if you want, there's always plenty of food."
She raised her brows, wondering what she had done to warrant such hospitality. It wasn't as if she had been overly kind to Josh, or even really all that friendly with him. They always talked lightly when he came to retrieve Jamie at the end of the day, but it never went deeper than a few moments of the usual pleasantries.
"Jamie mentioned something about inviting you," he explained with a shrug, "I figured you might not see him till then anyway."
A grin spread slowly across her face, "He wanted to invite me?"
Josh laughed, "Yea, he'd probably kill me for telling you, but he was also probably gonna chicken out anyway. He's never been too good at that stuff. I told him I could teach him, but he wouldn't do it."
She chuckled, "Well, it sounds great, I'd love to come! Where has he been anyway? Is he sick?"
"Oh-er..." he furrowed his brows for a moment, "well he's got a lot going on right now. He said he's going back on monday, but I dunno. You'll definitely see him on thursday though. I'm pretty sure my mom would go to his house and drag him over if he didn't show."
She snickered again, but frowned inwardly at the words he had used. He had a lot going on? What did that mean? Why had Josh not explained? Maybe a family member died...but did that warrant two weeks of absence?
After Josh had explained to her how to reach his house, Marie quickly bade him goodbye, got in her car and turned it on, turning up the heat full blast as she shook off the chill and waited for it to warm up. Thanksgiving dinner at Josh's house...what would that be like? A smile formed on her face at the thought as she put the car in gear. It would be great.

Jamie stepped in the door, closing it quietly and locking it behind him. He exhaled heavily, shivering a little in the wake of the chilled air, rubbing his eyes as he walked over to the couch and collapsed on it, pulling the hood of his hoodie over his head. Another ridiculously long, lovely day at the warehouse. He could barely keep his eyes open as his head hit the cushions. He had taken 16 hour shifts for the past few days in hopes to give his funds one last kick to afford the house bill. He'd paid off the water, heating and electric after one full day without (he'd been a little late). He'd even managed the health insurance, though the other insurances would be a problem. He did not want to think on what he was going to do about the rest, most especially the mortgage. His boss had been generous enough to pay him overtime for the extra hours, he just hoped it would be enough. He'd never had to pay a mortgage before, so he wasn't exactly sure what would happen if he was late, but he wasn't about to test it and find out. If possible anyway. He rolled onto his side, knowing he had to get up and walk to the McCormick's soon, but too exhausted to keep himself from a few moments of relaxation. His father had never been gone so long as to leave him with the house bill. He was a prompt man when it came to such things. He left and normally returned before the bills needed to be paid. Jamie's eyes snapped open, what if something had happened? He sat up quickly, brows furrowed. Why hadn't he thought of that sooner? He got up restlessly, and was about to hurry down the hall to his father's room when the doorbell rang. He stood very still for a moment, who on earth would be visiting so late? He stood at the door for a few prolonged seconds before hesitantly reaching for the cold door handle and twisting it slowly. He peered through the crack to see who it was, squinting slightly in the chilled wind that burst through the crack, and sighed heavily before opening the door all the way.
"Jamie," the man said warmly, stepping inside and grinning, causing little crows feet to sprout at the corners of his amber eyes and his orange goatee to swallow his entire top lip , "how are you doing?"
"Hey Uncle Ryan," he said quietly, embracing the tall man in a quick hug, "what are you doing all the way out here?"
His uncle lived about forty miles away, and although it was not rare as of late for the man to visit, it was an occasion that needed reasoning.
"I got a call from your neighbor," he replied, stepping a little further inside and shrugging off his heavy wool jacket, "said she was worried about you."
"Why would she be worried." he stated, turning and walking towards the living room to avoid his uncle's gaze.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, eyes on the ground. He still had his shoes on, he still had to go get Jenna...
"I should think that would be obvious." Ryan said, looking around the room as he stepped further inside, scratching his thick head of dark red hair.
Jamie said nothing as his Uncle headed into the kitchen, hand gripping his jacket tightly. Jamie chewed on his lip.
"You want me to take that for you?" he said quickly, hoping to divert his uncle's attention.
Ryan put it on a chair in the living room and gave him a stern look, furrowing his heavy brows, amber eyes catching on the pile of bills. Jamie cursed inwardly, hurriedly going to gather them up, but his Uncle took them before he could.
"What...christ how many-how long has he been gone Jamie?!" he exclaimed, sifting through them with an intense frown.
"It's fine," he said quickly, taking them from him, "I've got them covered..."
His Uncle shook his head disbelievingly, "I DOUBT that. You couldn't make enough money to pay all those! Unless you've got a job with a degree. You're still in school, no part time job could pay that..."
Jamie opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to muster up an explanation that would not gain him more trouble. His Uncle leaned forward, examining him closely, obviously this had only roused more suspicion.
"You look tired...you certainly work late enough, how many hours have you been working?" he asked suspiciously.
"Uh-e-enough..." he stuttered, putting the bills back on the table slowly, "I can pay this..."
"Jamie, this house is expensive. I know that, if you really think you can afford this then you must be doing something I don't know about. I highly doubt you would be selling drugs, so it must be something else..."
His Uncle went into the kitchen and started opening cabinets, expression growing more stern the more he opened. There was enough food for a few days, Jamie had hoped to conserve as much as possible to save...he certainly wasn't expecting anyone to be inspecting.
"I- need to go get Jenna." he said suddenly, wanting to leave the house as quickly as possible.
He started for the door but his Uncle stopped him, "No you don't. I was just over there, Jenna was sound asleep..."
"Wha-"
"There's hardly anything in these cabinets..."
"I just have to go to the sto-"
"How long has your father been gone, answer me."
Jamie crossed his arms, chewing his lip harder, "I dunno...a few weeks..."
"About a month. Bills don't lie. Now, how many hours have you been working."
Jamie winced a little, avoiding his gaze, "...six."
"Please don't lie to me."
"teen...sixteen," he said rubbing his eyes frustratedly, "I'm making enough, it's fine I ha-"
His Uncle's eyes widened and his brows furrowed deeper, "You haven't been going to school?!"
"Just for a few days! I haven't taken off all year!"
"Just a few days? How am I supposed to believe that..."
"Okay a week...alright two-but I'm going back on monday so don't-"
Ryan exhaled heavily, messaging the bridge of his nose, "Just please tell me you didn't quit."
"No." Jamie said firmly, closing his eyes.
All he wanted to do was just go to sleep, and avoid this heavy conversation.
"Why don't I take Jenna for a while. You can't afford to take care of yourself, her and this house, and I'd say you're doing a much better job taking care of her than yourself..."
Jamie's eyes snapped open and whipped up to meet his Uncle's gaze.
"No! Sh-she's got school, and we're doing fine you don't need to do that, I can take care of her!"
"I know you can Jamie. You're doing a better job than your father is, but you can't afford everything else. I can't pay for that mortgage, and I don't have enough room for both of you...but I can take Jenna for a while. Then at least I'll know you're-."
"Don't do that," he interrupted quietly, "please don't."
The room fell heavy with silence. Jamie was staring hard at his feet, a deep frown on his face as he held back the rising lump in his throat. He couldn't let that happen, what if Jenna thought he'd abandoned her? Given her up for an easier life...she was happy here, happy with her school, they still had a family.
"Do you know how to get in contact with him?" Ryan said with a heavy sigh after a long period of silence.
Jamie plucked at his sleeves, racking his brain for some sort of believable lie. There really was no use. His uncle would have him call, and after a wrong number, or a no answer, he would be caught.
"Please don't take her." he repeated, voice wavering slightly.
He could feel Ryan's stare on him for a few moments as he seemed to calculate the situation. Jamie's heart was racing in hopes that he would take the pleading tone in Jamie's voice to heart. He couldn't bare the thought of Jenna being taken away from what little immediate family they had left, not even for a short while.
"Alright," Ryan consented almost inaudibly, "but I'm coming back here in a few weeks time. And if he's not back...well, it's time to end this Jamie, it's been going on too long."
Jamie did not respond, he was relieved at his words, but also stricken by them. His father had a few weeks to return, and what if he didn't? Would Ryan call the police on him? What if something really had happened to his father? He glanced at his uncle, who was still standing with his eyes trained on the old piano, thick brows furrowed in deep thought. His uncle hadn't the room or money to take both of them. They would be separated. He shut out the thought immediately. No, that won't happen, he'll come back, he'll be back soon, he thought quickly, still rooted to the spot. Ryan moved then, snapping Jamie back to reality. He was shoving a hand into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. Jamie was about to protest when Ryan held up a steady hand to silence him, then flipped it open. It looked rather full. He yanked out a folded, pearly white envelope from its depths and held it out to Jamie with a melancholy smile.
"Please don't skip school anymore alright?" he said quietly.
Jamie watched him for a few long moments before nodding and taking the envelope hesitantly. He opened it up to find a large wad of hundreds. He stared at it, jaw slack, not quite sure he believed it.
"There's a thousand in there. I know it won't cover the cost of the mortgage...but just use what you can." he said, throwing his coat back on, "And for god's sake buy food FIRST. Worry about the bills after."
Jamie blinked a few times, still staring into the envelope.
"But-you can't...you don't have to-"
"You have no choice in the matter," he said, coming over and giving him a warm hug before heading through the living room for the door, "I'll be back in a few weeks."
He was opening the door before Jamie finally snapped out of it, "Wait! U-Uncle Ryan...thank you, thank you so much..."
Ryan smiled, waving a hand in dismissal, then departed, closing the door with an icy gust of wind in his wake. Jamie stood there watching for a few more minutes, as if expecting the door to swing open again, then opened the envelope and very carefully withdrew the money, as if expecting it to burst in flames at any moment. He spread them out and counted, one, two, three, four...ten...ten one hundred dollar bills. His hands shook a little as he shoved the money back in and hurried to his room. He placed the envelope beside the envelope he kept for groceries, which carried a pathetic six dollars, then closed the drawer slowly, eyes glazing over. He laughed very suddenly, a strange bubble of happiness welling in him. That was the last thousand he needed for the mortgage. He could use whatever he didn't have from this weeks pay, then the rest could go towards food...and the car...and the insurances. Food first, he thought firmly, walking out of his room and to the door, wondering if Jenna was still sound asleep.

Marie stepped out of her car and chewed her lip in the chilly air as she looked apprehensively at the extremely tiny house. Thursday had come all too slowly. She had been hoping that Jamie would in fact be back on monday, but her hopes had been squashed. She had begun to think she wouldn't see him again, and part of her didn't believe he was even going to be there today. The week had been full of disappointments, for the meeting with Britney had fallen through as well. Britney had not shown up, without explanation or even a word of apology. Though this was also a bit of a relief, she had also been very curious as to what the girl had wanted to tell her, especially in her seemingly new state of mind. Some things never changed. She felt strangely nervous as she hurried up the cracked little sidewalk to the front door. It was just beginning to get darker outside, and so the chill was even more biting. She peaked in the small window just above eye level as she passed, and stopped abruptly when Jamie walked into view. He was setting up the places at a large table squeezed into a very small living room. She hadn't seen him in over two weeks, she felt like she had almost forgotten what he looked like at this point. Despite how silly that was. She left the window with a grin, walking up to the front door, goose-bumps gone. She rang the doorbell once and heard Jamie's voice call from the other side "I'll get it!" She couldn't resist one last second of fixing up her hair before he opened the door. He said nothing at first when he saw her, but gave her a very confused and curious expression. She merely giggled at him.
"Surprise?" she said happily.
A half-grin formed on his face.
"Marie! I-well...I didn't know you were...oh right come in! It's freezing outside..."
He backed away from the doorway, motioning for her to come in, all the while staring at her as if she were glowing. She couldn't stop the flush from rising in her cheeks as she stood a few feet away, waiting for further instruction. Once Jamie had closed the door, he turned back to face her and they stared at each other wordlessly for a few moments, Jamie still looking a little stunned. She wouldn't have expected it either if she were in his position. Marie's lips were parted, ready to say all the things she had been thinking over for the past 2 and a half weeks of his absence. She felt like she hadn't seen him in years, and based on his reaction, he felt the same. A voice called from the kitchen then, interrupting their strange moment.
"Jamie! Are you done with the table ye- oh!" a tall middle aged woman in an apron walked into the room, cheeks flushed, "Oh you must be Marie!"
The woman embraced her as if she were the closest of family, "Oh it's nice to meet you honey, I'm Angelica-"
"Also known as mom!" Josh said happily as he walked out into the living room.
Looking at the two of them together, Marie could easily tell they were mother and son. Josh looked just like her, save for a bit taller and thinner, and shorter hair. They had the same long nose, the same oval face, they were even sporting matching thanksgiving sweaters. Marie could not contain the giggle that escaped her upon noticing this. Angelica roped an arm around her son and patted him on the back endearingly.
"Shouldn't you be getting Aiden?"
"His parents are driving him over." Josh said, grin faded slightly.
Angelica gave a stern look, "Well as long as they don't come in...Oh Marie honey, let me take your coat!"
She slid out of her warm wool jacket and folded it over Angelica's extended arm with a quiet thank-you. Josh flashed a sly grin at Jamie before he left the room as well, and she and Jamie were left alone in the cramped living room again. Jamie just shook his head with a grin and walked over to the table, placing the forks he still had in his hand in their respective places. Marie hurried over too, anxious to be in his presence again. She was about to say something when a high pitched squealing voice caught her attention. Jenna was running from the hallway, bolting around the couch crowded to one side of the room as Josh ran after her. She stopped on the other side, turning to grin wickedly at Josh. She darted back down the hall with a squeal, Josh close in toe.
"Hey! Not so loud!" he called after them with a small grin.
After placing the last fork, he stood back hands on hips to admire his handy work.
"First boy I've met in a while who knows how to set a table properly." Marie joked, crossing her arms and giving him a coy grin.
He cocked an eyebrow at her, "How did you know about this little get together anyway?"
She uncrossed her arms and walked a little closer, "Josh invited me."
"He did? What has he been taking over for me in the art room?"
Marie took a seat at the end of the long table, "He said you were too chicken to ask."
She couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as a flush rose in Jamie's cheaks, "Did he...excuse me I need to have a word with him..."
Marie laughed, "Wait a minute!"
He turned back around, but seemed to avoid her gaze by watching his feet, tucking his hands in his pockets.
"You told Mr. Wells about me." she said, smile widening.
His head shot back up to catch her gaze once again, obviously surprised by the content of that sentence.
"Yea, I did. Did he talk to you about scholarships?"
She nodded enthusiastically, "He said I had nothing to worry about!"
Jamie laughed, "I tell you that all the time. I figured it wasn't getting through."
She ducked her head, cheeks growing slightly hot, "I guess I didn't believe you."
"Don't feel too bad about it," Josh interrupted as he walked leisurely by, "we all have the same problem. I'm sure he's used to it by now."
The doorbell rang just then, and Josh and Jamie both started for it, but Josh sped up like it was a race, calling out triumphantly, "I got it!" as he grabbed hold of the door handle. He flung open the door, and grinned so wide Marie was sure he'd pull a muscle. Aiden was standing in the doorway, freckled nose reddened from the cold air. Josh peeked out the door warily before embracing him for a few moments, pulling him in from the blistery air into the warm interior.
"I'm glad you could come." Josh said, pulling back to kiss him lightly before letting him go to greet the others.
"Is that Aiden?!" cried Angelica as she hurried out from the kitchen, practically knocking him over with such a forceful hug, "Oh it's been too long! How have you been sweety!"
Aiden just giggled, Marie suspected he may have been constricted of air, for he didn't answer her until she finally let go.
"Not much really..."
"Oh nonsense! It seems like I haven't seen you in AGES! Something interesting must have happened since then!"
"More like months mom." Josh snickered.
"You react like that every time you see him." Jamie teased, walking over to the group and greeting Aiden as well, though in a less intimate manner of course. Marie hurried over as well, wondering what interesting encounter she may have with him again. Though she had only met with him once, she was almost certain he was one of those interesting people that would surprise you every time they spoke. Not to mention the fact that she had a strange urge to ask him more questions. Aiden's gaze locked on her when she stepped into view, and a small grin spread across his boyish face.
"Hi Marie!" he said brightly, "Where is Teddy today?"
She flinched a little at the mention of his name. Unsure why this caused such a reaction in her, she quickly covered this momentary lapse with a wide smile, "Oh he's with family today."
Aiden nodded slowly, and was about to say something when Jenny squealed happily and ran up to him, latching on to his legs in greeting. Marie was slightly surprised by how familial they all were with each other. If she hadn't known them, she may have thought they were all closely related.
"Now that everyone's here, everyone grab a plate!" Angelica exclaimed jovially, "the food's all ready and in the kitchen!"
They all gathered round the table to grab their respective plates, Jamie grabbing his and what Marie assumed was Jenna's. Marie took the plate from the end of the table, last in line behind the boys while Josh's mom grabbed things for the table. The kitchen was small, and extremely crowded with the four of them crammed in. Aiden was first, and seemingly taking a purposefully long time as he grinned playfully at Josh, who was grumbling impatiently behind Jamie. Angelica popped her head in the archway, "Oh I'm sorry about the sweet potato casserole kids! I ran out of sweet potatoes last minute!"
Josh had a horrified expression on his face as he looked back at her, "No! You're kidding?!"
Jamie turned around to face them, an innocent expression on his face as he peered down at his full helping of sweet potatoes, "Oh..."
Josh scoffed at him, "You took it all!"
Jamie shrugged, "You want some?"
"No, you keep that!" Angelica said sternly, "Josh honey you can deal without your sweet potatoes..."
Josh turned his scoff on her intensified, "What??!? NO I CAN'T!"
Marie tried to hold back her giggles as Josh's mother gave him an exasperated expression, shoulders shaking a little as she covered her mouth with one hand.
"Oh actually Jamie, why don't you share a bit with Marie? She's never had my specialty before." she said warmly, patting her on the back.
Jamie nodded, flashing her a small smile before returning to the line of food before them.
"What?! What about me!" Josh exclaimed pouting intensely.
Aiden emerged from the end of the assembly line with a small boyish grin, "I'll share with you."
Josh grinned happily, "Someone loves me!"
Jamie followed behind Aiden, two plates of food in his hands, whispering to Marie as he passed, "Such a drama queen."
"I heard that!" Josh said with a half smile, as he piled his plate full of food as if he hadn't eaten in weeks.
Marie was last to approach the gathering of food, studying each dish for a moment before taking a bit of each. She was getting the last bit of mashed red potatoes when Jamie hurried in and went to the fridge.
"Forgot drinks," he said with a grin, "what would you like?"
She smiled warmly, "Thanks! I'm not sure yet though, I'll have a look when I put my food down."
He nodded, then pulled out a pitcher of a dark purple liquid, and poured it into a small sip cup, then placed it back in the fridge and hurried back out to the living room. She spotted him placing the cup in front of Jenna as she was walking out, plate filled with all the makings of a perfect thanksgiving. She was particularly excited to try Mrs. Fenton's strange type of stuffing, which seemed to smell slightly citrusy. When she passed through the archway and lifted her gaze to the table, she raised her eyebrows in surprise. Jamie had his fork wedged on Josh's knife over his plate, obviously stopping him from a surprise attack on his sweet potatoes. Josh had a thoroughly innocent look on his face. Jamie had an eyebrow raised at him knowingly, "No you don't."
This warranted a slightly more than brief chuckle from everyone at the table, as Josh put down his fork defeated, narrowing his eyes and wrinkling his nose as Jamie took his seat. Marie sat in her chair, smiling when she saw Aiden pushing some sweet potato casserole onto Josh's plate.
"Well Marie," Angelica said as she sat down with her own plate of food, and scooted up to the table, "I hear you're an artist as well?"
Marie flushed slightly, bowing her head and digging in to her food.
"Well, Jamie has been helping me after school..." she replied evasively.
"She's very good." Jamie said firmly, smiling at her, "Mr. Wells approached her about scholarships!"
"Oh! That's exciting!"
Marie flushed a little more. She wasn't sure why she was so shy about her art, though she supposed it could be the fact that she had never showed anyone save Jamie before.
"Yea..."
"You know I still have some of Jamie's older paintings-"
"Oh god." Jamie said chuckling, "She doesn't want to see those..."
"Of course she does they're lovely!" she replied adamantly.
"Yes I would..."
Conversation at the dinner table was easy, and always light. Josh and his mother both had the same sense of humor as well, and together they made a rather hilarious duo. Josh was still complaining about not getting his share of sweet potatoes by the time dinner was done. But Jenna quickly suppressed this as she hurried over and yanked on him to play with her.
"Don't run around too much or you'll get sick!" Jamie said as he started carrying dirty dishes to the kitchen.
"I can't Jenna I gotta clean up too..."
She pouted intensely, crossing her arms with a huff, "I wanna play!"
Josh got out of his chair and shrugged apologetically, "Sorry kiddo!"
She hmphed as she walked over to the couch and sat on it defiantly, arms still crossed. Marie grabbed her own plate and a few other dishes and went to the kitchen as well, catching the small part of a hushed conversation between Josh and Jamie as he piled the dishes in the sink.
"Jenna's getting grumpy already," Josh started, tossing a few utensils in, "maybe I should take you guys home..."
"No, she'll be alright. She'd be better off around more people anyway..."
They stopped chatting then, parting ways to gather more dishes for cleaning. Marie furrowed her brows thoughtfully as she dropped her dishes in the sink. Angelica came up behind her with a large handful of them.
"You go sit down honey, you too Aiden, I'll take care of these!"
Marie was about to protest, but the older woman shooed them out of the kitchen before she could. Marie and Aiden looked at each other for a moment before shrugging with small chuckles. They both turned to walk around the table, Marie stopping to examine some of the family photo frames littering the walls. Her mouth fell agape when she saw several photos of a familiar little auburn haired boy. She leaned forward to look at them, staring into the very thing she had been missing when she had visited Jamie's house. Why were there so many childhood family photos here, and none at Jamie's own house? She drank them in like they were a precious rarity, smiling and chuckling at a few of them. One was a photo of Josh and Jamie as children, playing with legos on a blanket in the grass. A small half grin formed on her face, as her eyes scanned over a few of Josh and his mother at various holidays, birthdays and random occasions, and a few other relatives or friends she didn't recognize. She stopped on a few of Jamie and Jenna, one of them at christmas, sitting on the same old beaten up couch sitting in Josh's living room, Josh and Aiden standing behind. She furrowed her brows as she came upon a rather small photo, stopping her search, squinting at it slightly. Her curiosity was suddenly flared upon seeing this photo. This was the thing she had been so curious about, Jamie's family. She recognized a miniature Jamie in the center, hair being ruffled by a taller boy, about eighteen or so, with dirty blond short hair, and a small grin on his handsome face. Beside him, one hand resting on the taller boy's shoulder, was a very tall man, with dark reddish brown hair, with very similar features to the boy beside him. He had a fatherly look about him, with crows feet resting at the corner's of his eyes, and glasses settled comfortably on his straight nose. Most interesting of all Marie found, was the small woman to his left. She was strikingly beautiful, with long black hair, and piercing green eyes, and very obviously pregnant. Marie could not mistaken the fact that this woman was Jamie's mother, they shared many features, most especially their smiles. Marie instantly felt like she knew this woman, just by knowing Jamie. She couldn't help but imagine that they were very similar in nature. She peered to her left, noting the fact that Aiden had joined her in examining this large frame of photos. His eyes were trained on the far right of the frame, and he smiled as he nodded toward it slightly. It was a wedding photo, of Jamie's parents having, what Marie assumed, was their first marital kiss at the altar. She smiled slightly, though she felt a pang of sadness at this photo, for their happiness had obviously ended abruptly.
"Why does Josh's mom have all these photos, and Jamie doesn't?" she asked him suddenly.
She wasn't sure why she had asked him, surely he wouldn't know. Then again he was very close to Jamie's best friend...Aiden just smiled and shrugged.
"Why don't you ask Jamie?"
She chewed her lip, slightly annoyed at the truthfulness of this sentence. She was about to voice this when there was a loud commotion in the kitchen, accompanied by a good bit of laughing. Jamie walked in the room a few moments later, water all over his shirt.
"Josh thought I needed a shower."
Marie giggled, "Thought I smelled something."
Jamie raised an eyebrow at her, "Well, I think I'm gonna take Jenna home, she's not feeling well..."
Marie furrowed her brows and looked over to the couch, Jenna was still sitting there, arms still crossed, though her posture was a little less stiff.
"I could give you a ride." she offered immediately.
Angelica came out of the kitchen too, holding a mug of something steaming, and walked over to the couch. She knelt down in front of Jenna with a warm smile. Jenna however just turned away, arms still crossed. Marie frowned slightly, then repeated more firmly, "I'll take you guys home."
Jamie nodded gratefully, then went over to the couch as well and knelt down with one hand on Jenna's knee. Marie couldn't hear what he was saying, he was talking very quietly, but whatever he had said seemed to work. She slowly loosened her grip on herself and reached out for him to pick her up. He did so, turning to Mrs. Fenton.
"Thanks for dinner, and everything..."
"You don't need to thank me honey!" she said, embracing them both and planting a kiss on his cheek, "As far as I'm concerned you're both family."
Jamie smiled widely, ducking his head for a moment before looking back at her and nodding appreciatively. Josh came out of the kitchen, shirt sopping wet as well.
"I heard sentimental family talk, does that mean you're leaving?"
Jamie nodded a little regrettably, "Yea, I think it's time."
He nodded solemnly, "You need a ride or..."
"Marie is gonna drive us."
"Oh, Marie is leaving too then?" Angelica said, turning and walking over to her, "Oh do come back next time! It was a pleasure!"
She wrapped Marie in a bone crushing hug, pulling back only as soon as she was seemingly deprived of air. Marie exhaled deeply when she let go, thanking her for the food, and thanking Josh for inviting her. She bade Aiden goodbye as well, and it was a good fifteen more minutes before they were finally walking out the door, coats, or hoodies retrieved, and sent home with many many delicious leftovers. Jenna was completely silent as Jamie sat her in the back seat, strapped her in and got in the front, looking back to check on her as Marie pulled out of the small gravel driveway.
"This is a nice car." Jamie said conversationally, running his hands over the cool leather interior.
"It was a gift from my grandparents." Marie replied, looking both ways as she came to the four way stop beside Josh's house.
"You remember where my house is?" he asked quickly.
She nodded smiling, "Yes, I remember."
They fell silent, Jamie watching out the dark window at the trees as they whizzed by, face illuminated a soft blue from the glowing speedometer and display in the console. She stole a few glances at him as they drove, mind abuzz with questions she wanted to ask him. She glance in her rear view mirror, pleased to see Jenna seemed to be sound asleep.
"She seemed very upset." Marie began slowly, startling Jamie from his thoughts in the silence.
He merely shifted position, "Eh-yea, she was a little sleepy I think."
She chewed her lip again, wondering what other attempt she could make to lead into this conversation.
"So, I was looking at the photos in the living room."
She saw him stiffen as he turned away, watching out the window stubbornly.
"I recognized your mother, she looks just like you." she pressed on awkwardly, "I guessed your father, but there was another person-"
"My brother." Jamie said shortly.
The tone in his voice almost discouraged her from continuing, but her curiosity fueled her into dangerous territory anyway, and she plowed ahead, "I didn't know you had a brother."
"In the purely genetic sense." he replied again, voice low.
Marie blinked a few times in surprise, she'd never heard Jamie refer to someone with such a tone in his voice. She was almost under the impression that he disliked no one.
"He doesn't live with you...you're not close?"
Jamie shifted again, crossing his arms a little defensively, "No. He left a long time ago."
"Oh..."
She could not build up the courage to press him any further, feeling as if it would warrant an outburst if she did. This however, did not mean she could not question him on other matters.
"What about your dad?"
"What about him?" he said curtly.
She shrugged innocently, "Well...he wasn't here tonight...you weren't at home. Was he working?"
"I don't know." he replied simply, still glaring out the window.
She sighed exasperated, "What's the big deal? Why don't you talk about them? Are they convicts or something? You know I don't care..."
"Why are you so curious?" he said heatedly, still avoiding her gaze.
"Because of this!" she exclaimed, "The way you react! You're so strange when you talk about it, like a different person...and you're my friend...I just want to know."
"You just need to know everything."
She huffed, sitting back in her seat. She jumped a little, a bright light suddenly blinking in the corner of her eyes, buzzing vibrating her seat. She reached in her purse blindly, eyes still trained on the road and pulled out her cell phone. She glanced quickly at the screen, phone still vibrating in her hand. It was Britney. She put the phone back roughly, more annoyed than ever as a tense silence fell over them. This lasted the remainder of the time, until they pulled up to Jamie's driveway. Jenna yawned groggily in the back, jarred awake by the bumpy gravel as Marie pulled in. She put the car in park and stared at the trees in front of her, only they weren't trees, it was a car. She raised her eyebrows in surprise and looked over to Jamie, who had a slightly worried expression on his face. Jenna however, seemed to liven up immediately.
"I knew Daddy would be home! I knew it!" she exclaimed happily, banging on the back of Jamie's chair to get out. Jamie ignored her for a good few minutes, still looking at the car, before he finally reached over and opened the door, pulling his hood over his head.
"I'm sorry." he said simply, turning to her.
She smiled slightly, "It's okay...I shouldn't be so nosey."
He attempted a smile, but it only came out as a grimace, "Thanks for the ride."
She nodded slightly, waving goodbye to Jenna as she hopped out of the car and hurried for the door. Jamie lagged behind quite a bit, turning back to wave at Marie again before walking around and up the steps slowly. She watched him until he went in the door, then backed out of the driveway, trying to quell her curiosity again as she drove home. She might as well give up, he obviously meant for it to stay a mystery. She sighed heavily at this thought, being respectful and keeping her nose out of people's business, that was not in her nature.