I wake up to yelling. More spefically Bobby yelling at Angel. "I'm gonna kill him." I mumble and roll out of bed, Jack went down to work on the turkey two hours ago. So he let me sleep. I change into jeans and a short sleeved shirt before walking down the stairs.

"Why do you let him talk to me like me that?" Sofi yells at Angel pointing at Bobby.

"Baby I got this covered." He says before she goes upstairs in a huff. Angel walks into the living room, "That's what I'm talking about man."

"She wasn't your girl until yesterday, she had another man. I'm confused." Bobby says holding a hockey stick.

"She is my girl!"

I roll my eyes, they never fought over important shit. I walk into the kitchen, Jack's checking the turkey squeezing some kind of gravy like juice over it.

"Need help?"

"Nope." He says closing it. He doesn't turn to me.

"What you can't talk to me now?"

"Last night was fine and all but I woke up this morning and," He sighs. "I realized that nothing can happen again."

I nod, "So you're not getting attached?"

He turns around now, "I'm not fooling myself. You being here means nothing, you came here for the funeral. Not for me."

"Well I was worried about you, I wasn't sure how you were doing with all of this."

"It's fine, I'm fine. Plus what's stopping you from leaving again." He crosses his arms. He shakes his head, "I'm gonna go have a cigarette."

He walks away. "Hey where's that bird!" Bobby yells from the living room.

"It's almost done!" I yell back. I jump up on the counter, I used to sit up there when Evie would cook. She said you could see the whole process of cooking from up there.

Jack was always cooking he would cook when he had nothing else to do, he would make him and I dinner all the time. Simple things were his favorite.

--

"I'm gonna make you dinner tonight." Jack whispers in my hair, I just got it dyed I still smelled like the black hair dye.

I wrap my arms around his neck, "You don't have to do that."

"I know but it'll be fun. I haven't cooked for you yet. I'm actually good I promise. I won't try to poison you."

I giggle, "Well if I was worried about you poisoning me we'd be having a very different conversation."

He laughs and kisses me, softly. "Please?"

I smile, "Fine."

--

"Let's eat!" Bobby yells breaking me out of my thoughts.

I jump off the counter and sit at the table next to Angel, my usual spot. Even though he was mad at me he knew to never mess with the sitting arrangement.

"Bobby will you say grace?" I ask standing up. We all join hands.

"

We sit down and start eating, silence settles.

Evie's seat was left open. I stare at it, it wasn't the same.

"Jess, you look so beautiful. You'll make a beautiful bride someday. Mrs. Jack Mercer. Doesn't that have a nice ring to it?" I can almost feel her sitting there asking me this. I look down at my plate. "Jessica Street, you better treat him right." I didn't look from my plate this time. I close my eyes tryingt to phase her out of my head. "Sweetheart I'm watching out for you too. You're family."

I smile slightly at her calling me family.

"Jessica we need to talk." She said, it was the same tone she used the day she talked to me. The day I left.

I stand up quickly, "I can't do this." I say than run up the stairs into Bobby's old room closing the door.

Falling on the bed was my first idea. Maybe I can just leave now. They won't even notice.

I thought this through before slumping against the bed sliding on to the floor. Head in my hands.

There's a knock at the door, I look up for a split second. Angel walks in, "Are you okay?"

"I thought you were mad at me?" I ask.

"I am, but I needed to make sure my little sister is okay."

"I'm fine."

"What was that all about downstairs?"

"Nothing. It's just weird being in this house, so many things happened here. I grew up here. Evie was like my mom."

"It's hard for all us."

"And I'm not saying it is, I just don't know.

"You know I was only mad because you took off like that." He leans against the doorframe. "You were like my little sister, family. The only person I could turn to for things with Sofi. Jack wasn't the only one you left behind when you didn't wanna be here anymore."

"Angel I'm sorry. I know it wasn't fair to anyone." I look down at my hands. "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for me to stay here."

"Maybe, but to late to make that jugement call."

"Look Angel," I start but Bobby walks over.

"We're gonna go get a pick up game."

I sigh, "Nevemind."

--

After the game the guys had to go talk to the lawyer about Evie's affairs. I didn't want to go for that. Than I guess Jerry took them somewhere. All I know is I'm in the back of Bobby's piece of shit car on the way to the bar.

"Attention, I'd like to make a toast to Evelyn Mercer, the best mother four degenerate bastards anyone could ask for." Bobby says raising his glass of Jack. "Pour us another round of whiskey and a glass of warm milk for my little sister here."

He goes to pour me something else, Bobby stops him. "I meant Jackie over here."

"I will drink you under the table."

"Oh god, Bobby is that a challenge?" I ask downing my Jack Daniels.

I was a little more than tipsy by now, and Jack was still going.

"Jack drinks Jack." Jacks chantly teasingly. "Jack likes Jack." He smiles dowing yet another glass. We had moved to a table, it was covered with empty cups.

"Jack likes ass crack and ball sack."

"Jack doesn't like ass crack and ball sack, Jack likes boobs. Jack's gots fans." He slurs. "Jack's gots lots of fans."

I was suddenly sick to my stomach at that thought of Jack getting some from weird groupies. "I might throw up," I say putting the heel of my hand to forehead.

"You okay?" Jerry asks.

"Yeah I'm just totally drunk right now and really don't need to know about Jack's groupies."

They all got silent.

"Hey boys and girl." The owner walks over, "She was a hell of a lady."

"So what do you know about what's going on?" Bobby asks.

"No way, I knew it. You're gonna start this?" Jerry asks.

"She's the only one who ever gave a damn, the least we can do is knock on a few doors." Angel says, arms crossed.

"Y'all do what you gotta do, I'm out." Jerry says grabbing his jacket and walking out.

"You in Jess?" Bobby says.

I look up from my end of the table, "Finding out what mother fucker killed Evie? Of course I'm in."

"So here's what I heard."

--

Bobby opens the trunk of his car, he grabs a gun wrapped in a towel.

"You got your weapon?"

"I flew man." Angel says.

"Well here be careful with my baby." He says handing Angel the gun, wiping it shiny first.

He hands a gas can to Jack.

"We're gonna do the gas thing?" Jacks asks.

"Yeah we're gonna do the gas thing. The only thing that scares people more than getting buried to death is being eaten alive." He grabs shotguns for himself and hands one to me, "Remember how to use this?"

I smirk, "Of course." I pump it.

Bobby is about to close the trunk.

"Wait what do I get?" Jack asks, cigarette in his mouth stopping the trunk.

"Oh you're coming with us? Here," He grabs a crowbar. "Poke em' with that sweetheart."

"Oh thanks." Jacks scoffs.

"Your welcome." He closes the trunk.

We up to the building where you could hear a loud party going on.

"5-0!" Angel yells pumping his gun, turning on his flashlight.

Yelling and scurrying.

"You kids got any drugs or alcohol on you?" Bobby yells at a group.

"Y'all better go before we take urine samples." Angel says sarcastically.

I roll my eyes.

"Come on Jess live a little." Bobby says.

"Fine," I say. We get to a doorway into a hallway, "Y'all better run now! These white cops are crazy!" I yell down the hallway. I walk in front of them. "They killed cornbread, they killed him, he didn't do nothing!"

"Hands up!" Angel yells.

"Detroit police I wanna see your fucking hands up." Bobby says. We get to a room full of kids. Bobby gets to one putting the gun to his neck backing him back in a chair.

"What are you doing? You guys aren't cops."

Bobby pours a little bit of the gas in his lap and hands it to me.

"What are you doing standing up?" I ask pointing my gun to her.

"It's warm here." She says, the broken heat pipe hitting her.

"It's warm here, go sit down over there." I say leading her over to the couch, pouring of the gas in her lap. Than I throw it Angel.

"What the fuck!" She says probably pissed I just got gasoline all over her shoes and jeans.

"What the fuck!" The kid yells in the chair. Bobby stuffs a cloth in his mouth.

"This isn't the talking part. This is the listening part."

Jack lights his cigarette and hands it to Bobby.

"Now I'm gonna light your little bitch ass on fire, watching you run around like a chicken with it's head cut off lighting all your other little friends on fire. Is that what you want?"

I laugh slightly. This totally took me back when we'd mess with kids after me and Jack would get out of school. Causing trouble everywhere we went.

Bobby was always a hot head.

"That thing was conterfeit as a motherfucker." The kid yells. "Why do you think the police haven't arrested anyone?"

Bobby punches him. Jack sighs. All the kids gasp.

"What do you mean?" Bobby asks calmy.

"The police said those people weren't killed until eleven."

"So?" Angel says.

"So they court lights go out at ten."

That it us all like a ton of bricks.

I take a quick look at my phone. "It's 9:57 Bobby."

"Just enough time." Angel says.

"Let's go." Bobby grabs the kid by the shirt and starts dragging him away.

Angel hits him on the head with the gun, "That's for calling my brother a bitch."

"I hope you all have a lovely evening." Jack says sarcastically as we walk out.

--

"10:02, lights are still on." Bobby says, "This is bullshit."

"I know you know something about this homeboy." Angel says still holding the kid.

"Let's pop this punk right here right now." Bobby says walking back over to the kid.

"Take it easy Bobby." I say.

"Shut up Jess."

"They're gonna turn off!" The kid yells over and over again. Than suddenly the lights turned off.

I sighed with relief.

"You got lucky."

"Y'all have been played." The kid laughs.

--

I was crying again, this time on the couch. I'm currently curled up in a ball on the couch. I wanted to talk to Jack make sure he was okay but that wasn't my place anymore. When we got home Bobby mentioned something about a questionable kill.

Shooting.

Paid off witness.

It didn't look good.

Bobby comes down with a blanket under his arm. He lays it over me.

"Thank you." I mumble, clutching it closer to myself.

He sits down, I move to my back and throw my legs over his lap.

"Are you okay?" I ask him, wiping my eyes.

"Yeah," He nods. "For the first time I'm actually fine."

"Good." I say sitting up leaning against the back of couch.

"Are you okay?" He asks me.

"Not really. I mean today revealed something that none of us were ready for."

"We called Jerry he's gonna meet us tomorrow and we're gonna see the tape from the store."

"Okay."

"Do you wanna go? I don't want you to be upset."

I shake my head, "I told you I'm in."

He leans his head against his hand thats propped up on the back of the couch. "I forgot how beautiful you were."

"That was random."

He chuckles, "Yeah I know. Sorry you know I don't have a good filter."

"Yeah, yeah."

Jack walks down the stairs, "Am I interrupting something?"

--

Second chapter, I should probably put a description of Jessica in here.