"Jack," Bobby slurred, "You really shouldn't be drivin' in your condition."
Jack smirked, "Bobby you'd kill us both if you were behind the wheel. I'm fine."
"Yea well, I'm not drunk. I could drive." Bobby pointed threateningly.
"We're home." Jack stopped the car abruptly, sending an un-seat belted Bobby into the dash.
Bobby cursed under his breath. Stumbling out of the car. Jack stuffed his hands into his leather jacket pockets and walked briskly to the door. After what seemed like five minutes to Jack Bobby finally found the house keys and unlocked the door.
Jack shivered as he walked in, not because of the temperature, but because the last time he was standing at that door he had been minus a few scars that now spotted his leg and stomach.
"I'm going to bed." Bobby said, hanging his jacket on the peg by the door.
"Night man,' Jack replied as Bobby slowly scuffled up the stairs.
Jack made his way to the kitchen, riffling through the almost bare fridge.
Sofie usually took care of groceries. Angel out of town meant no Sofie. Jack sighed and shut the fridge door.
Staring blankly at the pictures and their respective magnets that littered the front of the machine Jack ran a hand through his hair.
There was a faint thud, followed by another bang.
Jack tensed, he went to the front hall looking out the front door's window he saw nothing. He grabbed a baseball bat that rested in the umbrella holder.
There was a louder thud. Jack walked slowly back towards the kitchen. He followed the faint scuffling sounds to the laundry room door. Taking in air he held the bat, raised, with one hand and swung the door open fiercely with the other.
'Oh my god! Stop," shouted a girl, she had her legs twisted in laundry and her arm stuck between the washing and drying machine. The cold winter air blew in through the open window.
Jack stood starring at her for a moment before shaking his head. He put the bat down and shut the window.
"What are you doing?" He asked, taken aback by the situation.
"I'm stuck, I'm sorry, I tried the door but it was locked and the hide a key isn't there anymore and I needed to get in, it's freezing." The girl said, in one breath.
Jack tilted his head confused. "Who are you?"
By now the girl's arm was untangled, her feet were free and she was straightening her long sleeve, white button up shirt. She was in patched jeans and her red-ringlets fell disheveled to her shoulders. Bright blue eyes focused themselves on Jack.
"I'm Sarah." She walked past Jack into the kitchen.
"And you're Jack." She continued, walking over to the cabinet above the sink and pulling out a box of corn pops.
Jack smirked, amused.
"So you know your name, you know my name and you know where the corn pops are," he leaned against the doorframe, "How?"
"Ask miss Evie," she replied with a coy smirk, popping a handful of pops into her mouth.
Jack's face went somber, his mouth opened to say something but shut just as quickly, furrowing his brow as if in deep thought.
"What?" Sarah asked, suddenly concerned, "Did I say something?"
She looked confused. Setting down the cereal box on the counter she took a few cautious steps towards Jack.
"She's," He started, but stopped himself.
"How do you know her?" He asked suddenly.
"Uh," Sarah shifted standing in the middle of the kitchen now, "I used to live here."
"When?" Jack asked surprised, he'd never heard of her. Granted she was younger than him, but he didn't think by much. "She never told me about you."
"Really?" Sarah asked smiling, "Well she told me a lot about you…and your brothers."
"What'd she say?" Jack asked intrigued, crossing his arms across his chest. He'd almost forgotten the girl he was talking to had just jumped through a window into his house.
"Oh," Sarah started in a teasing tone, "Just funny little stories about when you all were little."
"Great," Jack scoffed.
"I lived with her only for a couple of weeks this past fall," Sarah offered.
Jack nodded, "I was in New York, I didn't really have a phone.
"She told me," Sarah smiled.
"So…"Jack started.
"Yea, so," Sarah paused, "Where is miss Evie?"
Jack's face darkened again.
"What?" Evie asked cautiously, starting to get worried again, "Did something happen? Is she in the hospital? I told her she shouldn't shovel the steps when it snowed by herself, there are plenty of neighborhood kids who would do it for her…"
"She's dead." Jack said, more abrupt than he wanted to.
Sarah just stared at him, the thought not fully registering in her mind.
"She," Jack said more calmly, "Passed away, just before thanksgiving."
"No," Sarah said in an unbelieving tone.
"She was," Jack shifted uncomfortably, " shot, in a convenience store, just before Thanksgiving."
"No." Sarah said again, firmly, "She wasn't"
"Yes," Jack said, starting to get irritated.
"I," Sarah faltered, "I, uhm, I…"
She started walking quickly towards the front door.
"Sarah?!" Jack started after her quickly.
"I don't wan to talk to you," She shouted, "I want to see miss Evie."
"Sarah!" Jack grabbed her arm as she started up the stairs.
"Let go!" She wretched her arm free, swinging her body around to bound up the stairs she stumbled back at the site of a bat in her face. Jack caught her and held her from running back to the kitchen.
"What the fuck is this?" Bobby said, irritated, holding a bat as if to swing at Sarah.
"Bobby," Jack calmly stated, tightly holding the struggling girl in his arms, "Meet Sarah, Sarah meet Bobby. She knew Ma."
"Let," Sarah threw her arms back, pushing hard against Jack, "Me go!"
She sprung free, Jack tossing his arms up in the air, surrendering. Bobby looked cross, examining the situation. He walked the rest of the way down the stairs, placing the bat against the wall.
"What are you doing in my house?"
"It's my house too!" Sarah said defensively.
"She lived here with Ma a couple of weeks this fall." Jack quickly explained to a very confused looking Bobby.
"Where's the hide a key?" Sarah shifted the conversation abruptly.
"Uh," Bobby said, running a hand through his hair, "I got rid of it after Jack was shot."
He moved sloth like towards the kitchen, "I need a drink. You want something?"
Sarah shook her head. Jack shrugged, shaking his head.
"Do you want to sit down?" Jack asked Sarah cautiously.
She moved without a word to the couch. She blinked a few times and her cheeks became damp.
Jack sat next to her, she wiped tears from her face, but soon new ones slid down the side of her face. Jack slowly put his arm around her.
Bobby re-entered, water glass in hand, and sat heavily in the chair across from the couch. Sarah was now nestled against Jack, silently crying.
Bobby gave one look at Jack, the most confused what the fuck is going on look he could muster.
"You really didn't know about Ma?" Jack asked quietly.
Bobby's eyes lit up with understanding.
Sarah just shook her head. "The people I was staying with, well, anyways no one told me."
"It was in the paper." Bobby said.
"I don't normally read the obituaries." Sarah snapped. "I figured someone would call me if anything…I didn't think."
She didn't finish her sentence. Jack rubbed her arm for comfort.
"Who do you live with?" Bobby asked.
"No one," Sarah said, matter of fact-ly, wiping her remaining tears away, "Not any more."
Jack looked at Bobby; concern in his eyes again.
"Anyone looking for yah?" Bobby said, emptying his glass.
"Nope." She said, "Not anymore."
Bobby furrowed his brow, but shook it off.
"You wanna stay here tonight?" He asked.
"Yea." Sarah replied simply.
"Ok," Bobby said getting up, "You can have Angel's room."
Sarah nodded, getting up and starting towards the laundry room.
"Where are you going?" Bobby asked.
"To get my bag."
"Leave it," He said, continuing his walk towards the stairs, "You can get it tomorrow."
Sarah looked from Bobby to Jack, than shrugged and started up after him.
Jack exhaled. A few minutes later Bobby returned downstairs, sans Sarah.
"Get up," He said militarily.
"Bobby what're you doing man?" Jack asked, sighing again as he arose from the comfort of the couch.
"Jerry asleep yet?" Bobby asked sharply.
Jack looked at the clock hanging on the wall. "Yea, why?"
Bobby came back from the depths of the kitchen carrying Sarah's oversized army green duffle. Placing it roughly on the table.
"What're you doing?" Jack asked again.
"Shut up and look through this." Bobby said, tossing Sarah's wallet into Jack's hands. "I wanna know who this girl is."
"Shit," Jack said under his breath.
"What?" Bobby turned sharply, placing the book he'd been leafing through down on the table.
"She's sixteen man."
"Yea," Bobby said grimly, "I thought she was young."
"Other than that it's twenty dollars in cash and a couple pictures. Look at this." Jack said, holding up a wallet sized picture, "It's her with Ma."
Jack put the picture back in the wallet and put the wallet down on the table. Bobby was leafing through another book.
"What's this?" Jack asked, pulling out a green folder hidden between a couple of sweatshirts.
Bobby put the book down and snatched the folder from Jack.
"It's her records." Bobby said, "She's from Detroit."
"Oh man, she was livin' in Florida," Jack added, peering over Bobby's shoulder, "That's a long way to travel."
Bobby frowned.
"Why do you think she left?" Jack asked.
Bobby stuffed the folder back into the bag. "Here's an idea, we'll ask her tomorrow. I'm going back to bed."
Jack nodded. Bobby scuffled through the living room and up the stairs.
Walking back into the kitchen Jack put the corn pops back on the shelf.
