"It was the type of feeling that can't be explained. The way she moved her lips, drove me insane. Now I'm left here in the wake of something more. She made it hard to leave as she stood by the door in a v-neck tee shirt and nothing more than a single tear rolling down her cheek, whoa." Harley sung as she bopped around the kitchen. Eggs were being fried and pancakes were cooking on the stove as she poured herself a glass of orange juice,
"Don't go away again. I want to be more than a phone call at four AM. Seems like every time you come back home, it's just to steal my heart again." She crooned into the spatula, dropping it immediately as she heard someone clapping behind her. Whipping around, she found Bobby leaning against the wall, smirking. "Oh, don't stop on my account. That was quite the performance." He teased.
"Oh shut-up. Go get Jack and you guys can go eat breakfast. I'm gonna go run for a bit." She said as she plopped down a plate ladled with pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Washing her hands, she pulled her hair into a ponytail and pulled on her hoodie. "You're not gonna eat?" Bobby asked with his mouth full of pancakes and syrup.
"Real nice, but no. I'm a vegetarian. And I'm not eating any of that nasty bacon. I'll eat later, cause I'm not that hungry anyways." She waved him off and slipped on her Chucks. Jack was stumbling down the stairs, scratching his stomach and yawning. He had nothing on but his pajama pants and the cast for his arm. "You're not really going outside, are you?" He asked.
Pulling out a small semi-automatic handgun, she made a face. Then she lifted up the left leg of her sweat pants to reveal an army issued K-Bar. Bobby whistled and chuckled. "I'd hate to be the dumbass that fucks with my Toby. You just gonna jog to the lake?" he asked, spearing another piece of pancake.
"I'm thinking of going out past the lake and towards the park. I'll be back in half an hour." Harley shut the door behind her and pulled her hood on. Taking a breath, she started to run. When things got tough, Harley went for a run. She could run three miles straight, without stopping, before her legs started to quake. She loved the feeling that she was leaving her problems behind, even if it was temporary. And for a while, Harley could forget about time and just be by herself.
That's where Harley found herself at the park right by the lake. It was the dead of winter and every time Harley exhaled, she could see the cloud of hot air that came out. She didn't mind the cold so much. Everything was peaceful. That was until her cell phone rang loudly from her pocket. Scowling, she answered it.
"Hey Toby, you've been out longer than half an hour and I gotta leave for work in ten minutes. You coming home?" Bobby asked. She realized that she had been sitting there for more than just half an hour. Sighing, "Yeah, I'll be there in a little bit. Just leave his medicine schedule on the table and go to work." Harley hung up the phone and pocketed it.
After Bobby and Jack had devoured the breakfast Harley made, they settled in front of the television, watching some pro-wrestler show. Bobby glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost time for him to head to work. He called Harley and told her that he had to leave soon. 'Maybe it's time I set this plan in motion.' Jack thought as he flipped through channels.
"Alright, Fairy. Harley'll be back any minute now. I'm leaving the meds and the schedule with her so you don't do anything stupid. Don't give her any shit 'cause I don't feel like taking care of you in the hospital again. Be good." Bobby ruffled his little brother's hair and shrugged on his heavy jacket, walking out the door right into Harley.
"Oh shit! That was fast." Bobby's eyes were wide and he was clearly surprised that the girl had run so fast in such a short amount of time. Harley rolled her eyes and squeezed past him, heading towards the fridge to grab a bottle of water. Downing the whole thing, she sat on the couch as far from Jack as possible and Bobby noticed this. "Hey Harley, come outside with me for a minute." He motioned for her to follow him, which she did.
Bobby went outside and started up his car, leaving the engine on as he looked at Harley expectantly. Seeing his face, Harley caved. "Okay, I'll tell you. Jesus, fucking hate when you give me that look. He just…he walked in on me changing yesterday when I said I was gonna go sleep." Bobby looked pissed at what she said.
"Don't worry, he didn't see anything except my back tattoo. And he turned around as quickly as possible. But he wanted to apologize for what he said before I left so long ago. And I shut him out." Harley started to fiddle with the drawstrings of her hood, a sign that she was anxious or nervous. Bobby knew all her quirks. She clenched and unclenched her fists when she was mad, she dug her index fingernail into her neck when she knew she had done something wrong (She even had scars from it) , and she fiddled with anything and everything when she was nervous. But he knew that when Harley wanted to get out, she would go for a run. There was no stopping her because it was her way of dealing with things.
"Oh baby girl, you know what I'm gonna tell you. You both were kids and I know you. You never used to be the type to hold grudges. He realized, after you left, what he did. Jackie hated himself for it and he hated what he had become. He changed. He came to me when he wanted to give up drugs. You don't know how much it hurt all of us to hear him screaming or shaking and crying because he wanted a fix. You two used to be so close and don't think I didn't see you always looking at him with that love-like look in your eyes. He needs you and you need to forgive him."
Bobby drew her into a hug and held her close for a few minutes. There were rare moments where Bobby wasn't such a tough guy or "The Michigan Mauler". Harley didn't care. She had Angel, Bobby, and Jerry and that was all that she needed. Pulling away from him, she wiped at her face to get rid of any tears that may have fallen. "Get your ass to work, Bobby. You're gonna be late." She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Hon, I can walk in any time I want. I'm my own boss. Now get your pretty little ass in the house before you freeze out here. This ain't Cali no more." He smirked before climbing in to his car and pulling out of the driveway. She watched as the car grew smaller and smaller in the distance. "I wish I was in Cali. It'd be so much better than here." She muttered before turning around and walking back into the house.
Jack was still sitting there on the couch, watching cartoons. Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends was on and it seemed like Jack was thoroughly interested in it. Harley picked up the schedule and looked at the times. The next time he'd have to take his meds would be a couple of hours from now. This was gonna be awkward.