"Hey Jack, you okay?"
Jacks head snaps up. Did he doze off again? "Yeah Crutchie, I'm okay. Spaced out I guess," He says with his signature Jack Kelly smile.
"Thinking of the girlfriend?" His best friend asked teasingly. Crutchie sat down next to Jack on the steps leading to the school building. "When does she come back from her trip to France?"
Jack thought a moment. "I think she's back on the tenth?" He said.
"September tenth?"
"October," Jack frowned. "We only get to talk at night, too, her mom wants her to 'experience the outside world'."
"You would make the same rule, Jackie boy," Crutchie said, lightly punching his adoptive brother's arm.
"I know, and I'm happy for her." He sighed. "I just wish I could see her."
Crutchie laughed. "Of course you do, but just think 'bout it! Shes gonna have all sorts of fun stories for you when she gets back!"
"Yeah, in a month and a half."
Crutchie sighed. "Yeah, in a month and a half, but you get to talk at night at least!"
"Her nights." Jack sighed. "Why couldn't she do this earlier in the summer?"
"Because her birthday is at the start of school?"
"It's just not fair, Crutch."
Crutchie laughed. "Sure it isn't, big man. You'll do it, though. Hey, class is boutta start. Help a crip out?" Crutchie extended his hand for Jack to help him to get up from the ground.
Jack stood up and grabbed Crutchie's hand, helping the younger boy up. He passed Crutchie his crutch.
"Math class." Crutchie sighed.
"Ah, don't stress about math. Davis just has you do your assignment from yesterday." Jack said, walking with Crutchie to his class, swapping information with his friend about the classes they have been to that the other hasn't yet.
Jack and Crutchie sat outside the school, waiting for their adoptive mother to come and pick them up. She ran the theater nearby and was normally a bit late. Today was no different. Medda Larkin always tried to be there on time, though she ended up about fifteen minutes late at the earliest.
The boys started making a game of it by making bets to see how late she would be. Once they think they've found a pattern, Medda always managed to throw them off their game by showing up early, or being an hour late and sending a friend to come and pick the boys up.
Today, Medda was only twenty minutes late. "Ha! I win today," Crutchie said.
"Ay, that's okay. I didn't say what I was playing for this time," Jack grinned, and helped his friend up off the stairs they sat on.
"Dirty, Jack Kelly," Crutchie said. "I oughta start paying more attention."
"You sure do." Jack started walking towards Medda's car, Crutchie in tow.
Medda smiled, seeing the two. She unlocked the car doors. The boys opened the doors, Jack sitting in front seat.
"Hey Medda," Jack said. "Thanks for the ride."
"Oh, you say that every day!" Medda said. "You do know, the car ride is my favorite part of the day. Tell me, how was school, boys?"
Crutchie began explaining how he was sure he turned in his History assignment, but he has a zero on it, and how he feels that teacher is out to get him. Jack and Medda listened intently. According to Crutchie, the teacher is so horrible, none of his classmates ever get good grades anyway.
"She seems to be out to get you!" Medda exclaimed.
"She is! She never liked me!" Crutchie said.
"Only one year left bud," Jack chimed in.
"Thank god."
The rest of the car ride went on like this. Finally, they got to their home. It was a fairly large, yellow home two stories high, with room for more than the three of them. On the outside, there were a ton of plants. Trees, bushes, flowers, you name it, they have it in their front yard, with a garden in the back as well. Medda paid some of the neighborhood boys good money to take care of the plants, and the fruit and vegetable garden out back. The house had a lot of windows, with the window frames painted white and had white columns in the front holding up a piece of the roof that overhung over the doorway.
The inside of the house was much less elegant. Medda liked to go crazy with the decoration. There was a wall in the living room that hung pride flags. The woman loved colors, and allowed Jack to paint on the walls. He did such a wonderful job and loved it so much. He would paint beautiful murals on any surface she allowed him to- which was about everywhere. She loved to flaunt his art and to tell everyone that her son did that. Medda also would slip a little extra into his allowance when he painted on the walls for her, or when he helped paint sets for the theatre.
The three entered the home, and everyone split off to do their own thing. Crutchie went to do some reading, Medda to practice for her next performance later in the day, and Jack to call his girlfriend, Amelia.
Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Drrrrrr- "Hello?"
"Amelia?" Jack asked, sitting down on his desk chair, kicking his feet up on the top of the desk.
"Hey, Jack."
"How's France?"
"Umm... I mean, it's fine. Nothing special, though."
"Nothin special?" Jack exclaimed. "It's France! I've never been outta New York!" He threw his free hand around in the air as he spoke.
"Really?" Jack heard on the other line, sounding almost disgusted.
"I've told ya that before, Ame."
"Oh." The line fell dead a moment. "Anyways. Whats Jeremy up to?"
"Jeremy?" Jack asked.
"Jock Jeremy."
"Oh... I don't know, he wasn't at school today. Probably ran off with Kaitlyn for the day."
"What?"
"I said he pro-"
"No, don't repeat it, I heard you, idiot."
"Sorry, hun."
Silence from the other end.
"Well, I guess I better head off," Jack said, taking his legs off the desk and spinning in his chair.
"Whatever." And, just like that, Amelia hung up.
"Hows miss 'Queen of the World'?" Crutchie said and knocked on Jack's bedroom door, which was already partially open as is. With Jack's wave, Crutchie hobbled on over to his brother's bed and plopped down, setting his crutch behind him.
"She's bored of France," Jack said.
"Bored? Of France?"
"I know! Unbelievable, right?"
Crutchie sighed. "I don't get 'er. I don't get you for liking 'er."
"She's so perfect for me, though!" Jack exclaimed. "Beautiful, smart Amelia."
"You forgot 'bad news'."
"Bad news for any girl with a crush on good ol' Jackie boy," Jack said, holding two thumbs up, grinning.
"Believe me, there isn't any girl out there who'd fall for that," Crutchie said, earning a light punch on the shoulder from Jack.
"Yeah? And what do you have a girl would fall for?"
"Personality!"
"Oh, definitely got personality. Not a good one, though!" Jack teased.
"Oh shut up." Crutchie laughed. "What classes you got tomorrow?"
"Gym, History, and English," he explained.
"Wednesdays are easy for you. I've got Science, Math, English, Government, and History."
"Well, that's your fault for loading your schedule that way."
"Ay, shut up."
"Boys?" Medda called as she walked up the stairs, eventually ending in Jack's doorway. "I've got my next show in about an hour, I'll be heading up soon. Dinner is in the fridge; all you gotta do is heat it up. I'll be back late tonight."
Jack stood up to give Medda a hug. After, Medda walked over to Crutchie and gave him a hug where he was. "I'll see you boys tomorrow, alright?"
"See ya, Medda!"
"See you tomorrow!"
The older woman left, leaving the two boys home alone. "What time do you want to get dinner?" questioned Jack.
"Six?" Crutchie said. "I'm good whenever."
"Alright. Movie tonight? Or do you gotta do homework?" Jack asked.
"Got homework tonight. Gotta read some dumb book." Crutchie said. "Y'know, one of these days, you should do your homework, y'know, at home."
"C's get degrees my friend, and until I get a D, I won't stress whatsoever," Jack said, sitting back down on the bed.
"Yeah, whatever," Crutchie said and stood up. He made his way to the door. "I'll work on the book before dinner, and maybe I'll have time for other stuff after."
"Sounds good, my man. I'll be here," Jack said, standing again to head to his art desk. Crutchie left to go work on reading. Jack began doing some sort of cheesy art of him and Amelia to send her a picture of.