Chapter I. ROLLING STONE

Now you don't seem so proud.

About having to be scrounging your next meal.

How does it feel?

To be without a home

Like a complete unknown

Like a rolling stone?

Jack Mercer was sitting on his front stoop, blowing smoke rings into the cold Detroit air. The houses around him were all in various states of decay. The streets were dirty and cluttered, and there wasn't a single living thing in sight. The gray and dismal landscape would seem foreboding to most, but Jack had lived there his whole life. He didn't know anything else.

Someone slapped his head down and Jack jumped. As he turned around the scowl on his face intensified at the sight of his brother Bobby.

"Whadda ya doin' out here fairy?" he asked belligerently. Jack swatted his hand away and mumbled, "Nothing."

Bobby smirked as he opened the door to the barely running mustang he'd bought off a buddy a few weeks back. "Typical teenagers", he thought to himself.

"Hey Bobby, how do ya even get that thing to move?" Jack provoked.

"It runs better than your car Jackie. Ya know why that is? Cause any car's better than no car!"

"I dunno man, that's the biggest piece of crap I ever seen. Do they even let you call that a car?"

"Hey fairy shut your fucking mouth! Do you need a ride?" When Jack shook his head Bobby grinned mischievously, "Good, cause you wouldn't be gettin' one anyways. Catch you later lil sis! Don't stay out too late, it's a school night."

As Bobby gunned the ignition he shouted, "Have a happy fucking birthday princess!" and sped off down the street while Jack shouted, "Asshole!"

Several hours later, a black Buick skidded to the curb in front of the Mercer house. A teenage boy with spiked black hair leaned out of the window and yelled, "Jacko! Let's go!"

Jack sighed and putting out his cigarette with the heel of his shoe, hopped over the chain link fence surrounding his front yard and slid into the back seat. When he got in the driver turned around to grin at him. "Happy 18th birthday Jack!"

"Thanks Alan" Jack smiled and the boy riding shot-gun let out an obnoxious whoop and shouted, "18 baby! You ready for your present?"

Jack groaned and complained, "No way Scooter! I thought we were going to see Olli's band at that new place down on Pine Street."

"Hahaha! Don't worry 'bout it. I'm taking care of you. Tonight Jack becomes a man!" Scooter laughed raucously and turned up the radio. Jack slouched into the busted leather seats shaking his head in resignation. He didn't know what his friend had planned, but he knew it was either A. stupid or B. illegal. "Probably both", Jack thought to himself. But he wasn't too worried; as long as Alan was there he knew they wouldn't be doing anything life-threatening.

As they rounded a corner and turned onto 45th street Jack sat up straight and asked, "What are we doing here?"

"This", Scooter supplied, grinning like a chesire cat, "is your birthday present!"

"Welcome to manhood my friend!" Alan grinned.

"Are you guys insane?" Jack asked incredulously. "Chill out man", Alan drawled, "We've got you covered." He shoved a roll of bills into Jack's hand and turned the radio down. "Listen, all you gotta do is pick the one you like best and show her the money. The rest all comes naturally."

Jack glanced dubiously at his two friends, "I dunno man. Why do I get the feeling that this whole thing is gonna come back to bite me in the ass?"

"Quit being such a square bro! Go for it! Me and Alan will be in Token's if you need us."

"Which you won't" supplied Alan.

Jack had a very brief internal struggle before his conscience was silenced by his dick. He smirked at his friends and high-fived them. "All right you retards, don't wait up."

With that he hopped out of the car and with a confidence he didn't feel, sauntered into the strip club. The bouncer stopped him before he'd even got three feet.

"Where do you think you're going boy?" he asked in a monotonous voice. Jack smiled and answered, "Just looking for my brother, it's late and we gotta get home."

"Uh huh, alright let me see some ID." Jack dug his hands in his pockets and pulled out a $20 dollar bill. Handing it to the bouncer he winked and quipped, "Have a wonderful evening."

After about fifteen minutes of generous tipping on Jack's part, a busty blond led Jack towards the back rooms. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't grateful to his delinquent friends for bringing him here. He never would have come by himself. But as the blond started whispering things in his ear that made his teenage body hornier than ever, he was thinking this would be one of the best birthday's ever. Voices from outside suddenly grabbed his attention as he saw figures moving by the back door of the club. Separating himself from the girl he looked out into the alley and saw two girls who couldn't be much older than he was wrestling with a disheveled looking man. The stripper grabbed his arm and said, "Baby leave them alone, you don't want their kind of service."

Jack was about to go back inside to the D-cups that were waiting for him when something caught his eye. The smaller of the two girls looked at him and he froze on the spot. He knew those eyes!

He didn't have time to try to remember who she was; he just knew he needed to help her. Rushing out into the alley he yelled, "Hey! Hey you! Leave them alone!"

The man looked startled for a second, then quickly dropped the girl, running like a bat out of hell. When Jack reached the two girls he bent down and slowly helped her to her feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly. She nodded her head and attempted to stand by herself. When her knees collapsed underneath her weight Jack gripped her under the arms and whispered, "Lean on me."

The girl shivered against the cold and as Jack observed her clothes he realized she and her friend were hookers. He must have made a mistake, he didn't know any hookers. Besides, by the look of these two they'd been through the mill. Jack didn't like to see that look on people. That broken look, that sign of utter hopelessness. It hit too close to home.

But this time Jack's conscience won the mental war and he knew he couldn't just leave her there. So trying to sound polite Jack asked, "Do you want me to give you ride?"

The words had barely escaped Jack's lips when the other girl who'd been hovering a safe distance away took off like a rocket. Jack shouted, "Wait, come back!" but it was no use. The forlorn figure clutching onto him was starting to tremble, so Jack opened the car door and carefully placed her in the back seat. Climbing in after her, he shut the door and turned up the heat. He stared intensely at her for a few moments, her chocolate eyes mesmerizing for reasons he couldn't explain. She seemed soulless and completely void of emotion as her trembling fingers began to undo the zipper on Jack's pants. Jerking away from the shell of a girl he exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

She looked at him bewildered as he pushed her away. "Listen", Jack began nervously, "I...you don't have to do that. I don't want it. I…I just wanna talk."

Jack couldn't explain, but one look at the emaciated girl was enough to kill his sex drive. Nothing turned him off like vulnerability. If it was possible she looked even more confused than before. But her body relaxed at the promise of security. She stared Jack in the eyes, this time holding his gaze. He asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper, "What's your name?"

Her voice was cracked and her tone displayed the meekness of her mentality.

"Emma"

Jack could have sworn his heart stopped beating. He felt like he'd been hit by a ton of bricks. "What?" he asked thunderstruck.

She peered inquisitively at the teenager as if seeing him for the first time. Suddenly she cried out, "Jack?"

The effects of that single word were astronomical. Emma's worn out features lit up in excitement. Her orb-like eyes were glistening with unshed tears. She threw her bony arms around the boy she thought she'd never see again. As the long lost friends embraced, a torrent of memories flooded their brains, opening doors they'd tried to lock long ago.