Chapter 2

I sighed in relief when my house came into view, I mean it wasn't much but it was home and I loved it. Well to me it wasn't much, but to others it was a lot more then what they had. It was really beautiful and I had drawn it several times. It was practically made out of glass. It was creepy sometimes, like on stormy nights, or when you just finished watching a killer horror movie.

I reached into my pocket and grabbed the house key to unlock the door, and stepped inside placing the key in the bowl on the stand next to the door. The house was pretty dark. With a small clap the lights turned on.

It still amazes me that my mom does all that hard work, getting yelled at and ordered around by big corporate perverts all for this. She's a pretty amazing mother, that's why if anyone hurts her, I'll kill them. I know no one was home, the lights are out, the garage is locked, and the place is completely silent. Then why is it that it felt like someone was then? I shrugged it off; if someone was here I'd know right? I walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge, I frowned, there was nothing to eat, and I need to go grocery shopping soon, like tomorrow or something. I closed the fridge door.

Grabbing my bag, I walked down the hall stopping at the phone, there were two new messages. I clicked the little button that tells me who called.

"You have two new messages. Message one, received at 11:30 am. Message one: Hey Jeri its mom, I'm calling to say that I won't be coming home for a few more days, something came up at work, so there's money in the cupboard that should tie you over till I get back, I'm really sorry. I love you, bye…End of New message." I smiled a little, home alone for a few more days didn't sound so bad.

"Message two, received at 2:30pm. Message two: Hey Ms. Dolton. (there was the sound of whispering in the background) …." as the message continued, I wanted to kill who sent it, how dare they do that to my mother, she was no slut. The voice of the message was very familiar, I guess I know what Justin was doing while his brother…you know…before it finished I deleted all messages. I was seething, and disgusted at the display of crude language, and nasty noises. I turned away from the thing and headed upstairs to my room. To my sanctuary. As I reached the top landing I heard something. I strained to listen. It was whispering, and something that sounded really animalistic.

As quietly as I could I walked closer towards the noises, it almost sounded like sex. Not that I had any mind you, but I had seen tones of movies with scenes. But who the fuck was doing this in my house? Mom wasn't home, so it wasn't her, that and she would never do that in the house, while I was here. Fritz totally wasn't because he was dating my mom. And I know no one else with access to the house. It was coming from the master bed room. Did I want to do this? I chewed my lip, yes, yes I did. But when I opened it I wish I hadn't.

There in the bed, was Fritz and this ditzy blonde chick, now this is just, shock. I didn't want to see his ass, but damn, the guy a fucking forest growing there. I just about gagged, and then my eyes narrowed. That goddamn bastard, he's in bed with another woman that isn't my mother!! I turned around, and walked to my room, grabbed my baseball bat, and walked back towards the master room.

My grip tightened on the bat. That bastard, I swore if he hurt my mother I'd…well technically he wasn't hurting her, because she wasn't here, but when I tell her this she will be. I walked right up towards the bed, they hadn't even noticed me, and I raised the bat and brought it down.

"What the fuck..?!!" cried out Fritz as he stopped humping the damn bratz doll. I give him my deadliest glare I could muster. "Jericho what…" he never got to finish as I slammed the bat against his back again. By then the Bratz doll was screaming.

"Ow, what the hell Jericho…" he said as he scrambled from the bed. I looked at the doll, and glared at her.

"Get out of my house!" she nodded and scrambled out of the bed, quickly grabbing her clothes off the floor, and darting out the bedroom door, I never took my eyes off Fritz but I could hear her bumping into the walls. Not once did I think to wonder where this anger was coming from. Maybe I had a bad temper. Maybe it was genetic or something, though my mother didn't have anger problems, maybe I got it from my father, who ever the fuck he was.

"You...how dare you, do this" I hissed, I was beyond angry, I was raging mad.

"Didn't you even think of what this would do to my mother" I said as I slammed the bad against his leg, it collapsed, and his knee hit the ground hard. I didn't care when he cried out. I didn't care about him period, only my mother.

"People like you shouldn't be alive, people like you hurt others with your actions. People like you have no respect for the women your dating…oh did you forget you were dating my mother! I certainly didn't, I knew there was something off with you from the start, I should have driven you away the moment I saw you, but no she actually looked happy with you, I hadn't seen her smile like that ever!" with each sentence, with each amount of anger, with each amount of sadness, I hit him. I wasn't aware I was crying, till I realised what I was doing. The bat was raised above my head, and I was looking into the scared eyes of Fritz who layed on the floor bruises beginning to form, his lip was cut, there was a cut above his eye, and his nose was gushing blood. I was frozen, what had I done.

The bat fell from my hands and landed on the floor with aloud bang. His whimpers filled my ears, and his tears burned my eyes. WHAT THE FUCK HAD I DONE!! I lost myself completely, I bowed my head. And in the tiniest whisper I told him to leave, when he didn't leave I shouted at him, to get the fuck out of my house. He was moving as fast as he could, which was slow; maybe I had broken something. Soon I was standing in the master bed room alone.

"YOU FUCKING PSYCO" reached my ears before there was the sound of a door slamming. Maybe I was a Psycho, I mean that would explain the weird bouts of anger I've been having; it's like Male PMS, minus the bloating, the cramps, the back aches, and sore feet. That just leaves the mad mood swings. And I've having a lot of those the past few weeks. Damn, what if I was one of those Hermaphrodites and my mom wanted a boy, and now my pancreas is leaking estrogen into my system, and then the next thing you know, I'll have boobs or something. Oh god I hoped not, but it certainly would explain the mood swings.

I sighed and ran a hand down my face, great. He'll probably call the cops. Why am I so stupid!! I probably deserve it; I did beat the crap out of him for cheating on my mom, and doing the naughty in her house and bed. No wait I don't, he deserved everything I dished out on him. Serves him right! I walked to my room, it was just like every boys room, messy, but not super-it's-a-war-zone-messy, just you're run of the mill Martha-Stewart-messy. Dammit, I need some serious relief right now. I threw my pack into the corner of my room, and walked into the adjoining room. This was my home, well, in my home. God that made no sense. Anyway I painted here, everyday for a few hours. On weekends I spend all day, and sometimes I don't, I just read on those sometime days.

Grabbing my Acrylic and water based paints, a new canvas, some well used buffalo hair paintbrushes. I was ready to start my release. I bet you were all thinking something different right? Like the other perverted term for release, right? Wrong, I'm not one of those guys, sorry to burst your bubble. What was I feeling, much less how would I release all of it into a picture. I close my eyes, and just sit there, letting every emotion swirling inside me come to the surface. Sadness, Anger, confusion. I let it paint a picture in my head, and when I was done, I opened my eyes and I began, losing myself in the painting, each brush stroke releasing a small amount of emotion. I was focused I didn't know hours had past. Five to be exact. The phone had startled me, I groaned when I saw a red brush stroke going over my persons face. I'll have to fix that later.

I got up, walked the short distance from my painting room, to the phone. Picking it up, I wasn't prepared for what was on the other line. You guessed it the coppers. The modern day cowboys.

"Jericho Dolton?" came the familiar voice, oh it was Officer Lane. Officer Richard Lane, been on the force for twenty years, divorced once. His ex had the kids, and lived in the city. And he had this major crush on my mom. I didn't mind him, he was an okay guy.

"Officer Lane. How are you doing?" I said, maybe he'll forget the question why he's calling, I mean Fritz wouldn't really rat me out would he? But he could be calling for a totally different reason, like if my mom was dead…..

"Oh my god, please tell me your not calling me to say my mom was killed in a plane crash or something...PLEASE!!" I said almost hysterically into the phone.

"Whoa, hold your horses there cowboy! Your mother's fine." he said. I sighed with relief.

"Thank god!" I said placing my back against the wall. "So why are you calling, you didn't just call to say hi right?" I waited patiently for him to answer.

"Yha you're correct. Fritz came by earlier today, someone did a number on him, he said it was you. But I'd like to think you didn't do it, you're a good kid. But I have to ask anyway, did you beat the shit out of Fritz?" he said. I froze, um, well I didn't want to lie and I really didn't want to tell the truth. But maybe that saying the truth will set me free, will actually mean me not getting arrested.

"Umm…yha I did, but I have a totally good reason for doing it, I wouldn't have done it if I didn't" I said into the phone, sigh was heard on the end.

"Tell me your reason, and it better be a damn good one." he said.

"He was cheating on my mom, I caught him banging Barbie in my moms bed" I said, all was quiet on the other end, I wonder what he's thinking. Hopefully he's thinking about taking a few hit's a Fritz too.

"He really did that?" He sounded quite, I don't know, constipated I guess, his voice was all tight and shit.

"Yha" I said hatefully into the phone.

"That bastard" there was a short pause "okay, listen Jericho, I'm not going to book yha, because no one does that to your mama, so here's what I'm going to do, I'm going to file it as a false accusation, and he'll be hold up in lock up for the next night or so." he said. I grinned.

"Sounds great, though he should be on death row." I said, there was a light chuckle on the other end. "Um, I have a question"

"Shoot"

"Why don't you just ask my mom out, I mean your practically in love with her" I said. It was silent, if I could see him, I bet he was blushing like a rip tomato.

"Where did you hear that kid" he was nervous. Oh this was awesome.

"I'm not a kid, I'm eighteen, and I'm not stupid. Everyone can tell you like her, by the looks you give her, the light flirtation, and the way you give her the respect she deserves" I said.

"Everyone?"

"Yep" okay that was a small lie, everybody didn't notice just some, and it wasn't a lot. I for one noticed. But he doesn't need to do that. "So stop, pussy footing around, and ask her out" I said.

"Oi, stop with the crude language, you know your mother hates it" he said. "And maybe I will ask her out, anyway you take care, and lock your doors" he said. I rolled my eyes.

"Aye aye captain. Bye" I said as I hung up the phone, I think I just scored my mom a date with Mr. Chivalry himself. I looked back towards the stairs, and then to the living room. I've been cooped up to long, and its night, the winds blowing and the trees are scrapping against the windows. You know what that means…..SCARY MOVIE!! But what to watch I wondered as I stood in front of the DVD rack. I had a mountain of DVD's, I had enough to open my own store. I might do that one day. Naw, to boring, not enough pay. I'll just sell my art.

"ah-ha" I said plucking Perfect Blue, it was some Japanese movie. Never watched it in my life, so I don't know if it was really scary, but I hope it was significantly enough, that it could get a jump out of me. On my way to the DVD player, I paused looking out the window.

Something just freaking moved, I hope its nothing dangerous, but that feeling that it was, was creeping up on me again….