She had been living in the Mercer house for the past four years. During that time she had gotten closer to each of the brothers.
Jack was her rocker. He was into all the same bands as her and more of a musician than most believed. She knew he had the talent to rip on an electric guitar like Hendrix when he was alone, but the minute anyone including herself began to listen, he froze. If only he had more faith in himself like she did and if only his brothers would support him as well. Jack was also her movie buff buddy. They would go to the newest movies all the time together. They would try to go every Friday night that they could afford it. They would stop by Geno's food truck and get a philly cheese steak on their walk to the theatre, or pop into Bianco's Pizzeria to sit for a slice of the best pepperoni pizza in town.
Jerry was her fellow mother hen. Whenever the boys would think of something to get in trouble about, it was usually the two of them trying to talk the rest of them out of it. He was a mediator amongst the brothers and had helped her learn how to calm each individual down from their tangents. He was also the organizer and planner. When Evelyn was not home, it was Jerry who would try to run the household and keep it together until she came home. He was also a very good cook and had taught Rokki some good recipes, while she also taught him some Southern cuisine. They loved cooking together and coming up with new recipes, especially desserts.
Angel was her partner in crime. Rokki tried to stay out of trouble and generally had a good knack for keeping the Mercer brothers out of it as well. However there were times when she needed to do something devious or a little underhanded and it was Angel she went to. He was always up for a scheme. She learned how to keep control under pressure and skirt around the edges of the law without actually breaking it. He was also her "guard dog", never letting anyone too close to her, due to Bobby's orders.
Then there was Bobby. He was a little older than she was by four years, but he had never reminded her of that fact. He had always treated her as his equal and generally included her in everything he was doing. If there was ever a time that he didn't feel she would benefit or she might be in some major kind of trouble or danger, he kept her at bay. He had made it very clear when she had first moved into the Mercer house that she was now a Mercer and with that being said, she fell under his protection. She couldn't help but laugh at the notion, but at the same instance she appreciated it. He never let her out of his sight, even when she was in school he would drive her there, he would pick her up, and if there was ever a time that he couldn't get her, one of the other brothers had to do it. He was her biggest supporter and protector during the trial against Marcus Sweet for his hit on her mother. She wouldn't have made it through that time period and it was Bobby who assured her that she would not only come out on the other end smelling like roses, but she would have the satisfaction of watching that smug bastard meet his end when he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. It seemed a lifetime ago.
Rokki sighed as she walked back into the kitchen to finish cooking the gravy and to check on the biscuits in the oven. She had already cooked up some sausage, bacon, eggs, and grits. Nostalgia washed over her as she pulled the biscuits out of the oven and turned the burner off that the gravy was on. It was a tradition for her and her mom to cook this kind of breakfast on her birthday. A sad smile crossed her features and a couple of tears fell from her face before she quickly wiped them away upon hearing some footsteps coming down the stairs.
She smiled as Bobby walked up from behind and enveloped her in an embrace at the stove. "Smells good...", he mumbled while kissing the top of her head and stumbling to the table. "Dammit!" he cursed as he set the newspaper down while dropping into the chair.
"Forget somethin?" Rokki's southern drawl came through as she arched an eyebrow while setting the remainder of the meal on the table.
"Happy Birthday, Rokki!" Jack exclaimed as he ran up to his friend and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
"Ah man, don't tell me you forgot her birthday..." Jerry shook his head as he kissed her forehead and wished her a Happy Birthday as well.
"Even I remembered it was her birthday...", Angel smugly boasted after releasing the young woman from a hug.
"Yeah, yeah, you Motherfuckers need to chill with that shit, alright?" Bobby growled, "I've been working my ass off these last few months."
"Robert James Mercer, you will not use that kind of language at my table", Evelyn stated forcibly as she finished kissing both of Rokki's cheeks, "Happy Birthday, my Dear."
"Thanks Ms. Evie", the raven-haired girl smiled as she sat down, "Since you forgot my birthday, how about you say Grace, Bobby?"
"Hn", the young man rolled his eyes as he held out his hands for Angel and Jerry to take. Jack took Jerry's and Rokki took Angel's. Evelyn took the younger of her brood's hands and held them as Bobby began saying Grace.
"Amen", they all said in unison at the end. They enjoyed the homecooked meal over minial conversation, each catching up with each others' week as it was going so far.
"How's it feel to finally be 18?" Angel teased Rokki as he wiggled his eyebrows back at Bobby, who unceremoniously kicked him underneath the table.
"No different than 17, except now I can buy my cigarettes on my own instead of depending on you or Bobby", she said covering her mouth full of bacon.
"You need to quit smoking, it's bad for you", Jerry stated matter of factly as he took in another spoonful of grits.
"And you need to quit telling her what to do... what are you five minutes older than her?" Bobby scoffed as he accepted the gravy from Angel.
"The pot calling the kettle black.." Rokki mumbled as she took a bite of her biscuit.
Jack tried to hide his giggle but failed miserably as his accidentally spit out some of his milk from his mouth.
"Jack...", Evelyn warned, "Jerry has a point my dear. You have too beautiful of a smile to let it be destroyed by something so small..."
"I know Ms. Evie... I don't even smoke that much", Rokki answered honestly, "I can make a pack last at LEAST two weeks..."
"Yeah, Jack goes through a whole pack in two days", Angel stated with his mouth full of eggs, earning a glare from his youngest brother.
The matriarch looked at her youngest son with an arched eyebrow, "Jack... you're not old enough to be smoking cigarettes..."
"Neither was Rokki but you still let her", the young man stated.
"So, what are your plans today?" the matriarch conveniently changed the subject.
"I don't know", the younger woman answered honestly, "I hadn't really given it much thought..."
"Well if you're not too busy later, I'd like to talk to you about something", Bobby interrupted, "Maybe I will even take you shopping to make up for forgetting your birthday."
"Really?" Rokki asked intrigued. Bobby had never offered to take her shopping and the few times that he tagged along with her was hell. She had never heard a man complain so much about being in a department store.
"Ah ah ah ah... Before you run off with her...", Jerry shook his finger as he lifted a bag up from the its place on the floor beside him. Rokki laughed to herself knowing he had managed to sneak it past her earlier.
"What is it?" she asked as she began taking the tissue paper out. She pulled out a dreamcatcher. It was similar to the one that she had in her room except it was in her favorite colors of black and blue. The feathers were even dyed the same colors. She dug further into the bag and found some turquoise jewelry and began to question the meaning of what he was giving her.
"Open everyone elses' presents and it will make sense", Jerry grinned.
"Here...", Jack walked up to her handing his present to her. He had come in from the living room where he must have hidden it at the top of the closet. It was a box wrapped up in black paper. When she opened the box there were several pieces of paper in it. They looked like tickets. Upon further inspection there were tickets to different events and locations in Oklahoma City. There was also a rental car reservation and hotel accomodations. Rokki's eyes shot up at Jack. "Mom and Bobby helped me..."
"Which comes to me, Mom, and Bobby's gift to you", Angel smiled as he handed her two plane tickets out of his coat pocket. "You've been talking about visiting home for a while now..."
"You're shitting me!" Rokki stood up quickly with the tickets in her hand and saw the suitcase that Angel rolled out from underneath the table. It was a simple black bag with wheels and a handle but to the Native Oklahoman it was a chance to remember her roots, to be HOME.
"Wait a minute...", she tried to calm down her beating heart and catch her breathe while trying not to cry all at the same time, "Two tickets?"
"What you think I am going to let you go by yourself?" Bobby laughed, "Besides, after all the overtime I worked to get you those tickets and such, I think I deserve a vacation, and you always said you would take me there someday. Not to mention I don't want you getting the big idea of staying there permenantly."
The young girl couldn't contain herself any more as she launched into the older man's arms and began kissing his face all over. Then she continued her assault on the other brothers as well. When she got to Evelyn, tears began running down her face as she embraced the woman. "Oh Ms. Evie, you have no idea what this means!"
"Oh I think I can fathom it a bit", the older woman smiled at her, "Now you will be in charge of making sure Bobby can stay out of trouble."
"Ma!" Bobby admonished, "I'm a grown ass man, I think I can handle a hole in the wall sort of place."
Rokki couldn't help but chuckle. "Oklahoma is like no other place in the world."
"Oh shit!" Angel cursed as he looked down at his watch, "I got to get going and you should start packing!" He hugged the girl goodbye and wished her Happy Birthday once more before kissing his mother on her cheek and taking off to work.
"Yeah, I need to get to class", Jerry mumbled as he grabbed a bag and kissed Rokki and his mother good bye, "We can't all graduate early..."
"Not my fault that I am smarter than the average bear", Rokki laughed as she hugged Jack good bye as well.
"Well... I think it's time we have that talk and get a schedule going", the older man stated as he began picking up everyone's dishes.
"So... the pretending to forget it was my birthday?" she hinted as she noticed Evelyn conveniently leave the kitchen.
"Now how could I forget such a gorgeous woman's birthday?" Bobby chucked as he opened up his arms for her to walk into.
"You think you're slick", she stated matter of factly as she wrapped her arms around his midsection and placed her head on his chest. "Damn you Robert Mercer."
"What the fuck?" he looked down at her head and had a genuine look of confusion on his face, "After all the trouble I have gone to... you're gonna curse me out?"
"No", she whispered as her eyes met his, "You just can't stop spoiling me, can you?"
The eldest Mercer brother laughed a little to himself, "You know you got me wrapped around your finger, but I got one on you..."
"Oh and what is that?"
"You'd do the same thing for me, if you thought it was something I wanted." He cupped her face gently and placed his forehead on hers. "You never ask for anything and you're always there for me and my brothers."
"You guys were there for me when I needed you most", she honestly answered, "Now, did I hear you right when you said we had to make a schedule?"
Bobby groaned as he noticed she had changed the subject, hanging his head to look at the floor as she walked away. He was hoping that this trip would finally solidify what he had always planned for her. Since the moment she crossed the threshold and became an honorary Mercer, the eldest son had an epiphany. She was kinder than most of the girls that his younger brothers hung around. It impressed him even more that she didn't seem phased by the family dynamics the Mercer boys brought to the table, nor did she try to stand out to him nor Angel, which a lot of the girls that Jerry and Jack hung with did most of the time. Her methods and her mentality was a breathe of fresh air to their house and he noticed that their mother had become aware of it as well. Evelyn smiled more often than usual and loved having another "feminine presence" in the house.
It was her eyes that caught him first. Those eyes that were an Earth brown but held a twinge of green and gold. They also held a wisdom that someone her age shouldn't know. Her raven colored hair haunted his dreams. In the summer it would have just the slightest tint of red and in the winter it was a deep, dark color. It made him think it was dark enough to keep her thoughts from him and keep him guessing as to who she really was. The way she would say his name sent shivers up his spine and he couldn't help but laugh when he heard what she called her "twang" in her accent when she would get excited or angry. Just her touch would calm him down and seemed to call to his inner Beast, letting it know to let go of the anger and to come into the light. Bobby had a temper and had shown it on multiple occassions, but never to her or in front of her.
"Hello?" her voice drew him out of his musings.
"Yeah?" he looked at her.
"The ticket says we leave tonight?" Rokki asked him increduously.
"Yeah. I figured why not get there sooner rather than later?" Bobby chuckled as he walked past her, "What you afraid of the dark?"
"No", the young girl sighed, "Just... I thought I got to be lazy on my birthday."
"Well no go, Princess", he smiled, "I only get two weeks off for my vacation."
"Alrighty then", Rokki said in her "Ace Ventura" voice, "Let's get crackin'."