Just Eat The Ice Cream – Chapter Six: Butterscotch
Jack wanted to die.
Tina's new fling was at her house again. It was three in the morning and he could hear the two of them doing the hanky panky upstairs again. How was he supposed to sleep through that? Did they realize the floor wasn't sound proof?
Groaning, he searched through the shelves in Tina's bathroom for earplugs. He only managed to find a box that had one in it. He took it and slept on his side. Not the best sleep of his life, but better than the night before.
When he woke up he found Tina making breakfast. Yawning, he asked, "Where's Mr. Big?"
His female friend pouted at him for that. "He's taking a shower; he'll be out any minute now."
Jack stole a few of the blueberries she was using to make pancakes and then grabbed a banana. "You want this?" he asked. She said no. "You sure? You really seemed to like his banana last night."
Tina's face went stark red. "You could hear that!?" she asked, covering her mouth in embarrassment.
Frowning, Jack peeled the banana and said, "T, you guys weren't exactly quiet. Of course I could hear you."
Cheeks still ablaze, Tina whispered, "Oh my gosh, Jack, I am so sorry! I didn't know!"
"Look, it's cool," Jack grumbled, chewing the yellow fruit, "I'm just gonna buy some earplugs so I can sleep through it. I don't want you to have to lose your sex life." Again, Tina blushed.
As he walked to work, Jack wasn't entirely sure how he planned to sleep through that. Even with earplugs they were loud. He needed to get good sleep if he wanted to function normally at work. Maybe he had overstayed his welcome at Tina's…
The ice cream shop was murder that day. Saturday again… He wished he had a friend to talk to, or an acquaintance, or somebody other than Bubbles! Fuck- if Jack had to hear her complain about her belly button ring one more time he was gonna lose it!
He took his break right then. "I'm gonna head to the dollar store, so I might be a little longer than ten minutes," he said. She scowled at him for bailing on her, but hey, this was his only chance to get those earplugs.
When he stepped in the store he came face to face with Eric's mother, who glared at him like he was some sort of escaped murderer. He tried to brush off the frostbitten shoulder she gave him and went to get a few things of earplugs.
There were so many types. What the hell was memory foam? Why was it in earplugs?
He just went with some traditional, normal, yellow earplugs. As he went to the register, he grabbed a couple candy bars and stuck them in his pocket. He'd snack on those later.
Getting back to Bubbles, Jack was told that he had been gone almost twenty minutes. Rolling his eyes, he just took his post and catered to all the whiny children who wanted ice cream.
The next day he went through the same thing, and the next day and the next and so on. Nothing ever changed at the ice cream shop. It was always just kids begging their parents' ears off for ice cream and only getting stupid soft serve vanilla. The club was no different. Always just a bunch of drunken idiots going and getting themselves even more wasted while they danced to terrible loud music.
It was finally another Friday, not that Jack was looking forward to it. Jack was honestly just happy to be out of Tina's house. Her 'friend' seemed to be over constantly. And he seemed to constantly want her in bed! Every time he laid eyes on Jack he'd get that angry look in his eyes. It was really frightening. Jack worried for his safety. At one point he caught him searching his bag and when he asked what he was looking for, the man replied 'condoms'. When Jack asked why he had said, "Cuz I wanna know if you've been fucking my girl without me knowing." Let's just say that Jack moved all of his stuff that night.
He couldn't take much more of the stress of being in that house. He was afraid of that guy. He wondered if he was stalking him- he had seen him outside the shop one day, just sitting there, watching him with that angry look for hours. He had nearly called the cops.
Looking at his shaking hands, Jack mumbled to himself, "Maybe now would be a good time to take that free appointment for therapy…" Problem was, he had no way of reaching Pitch. Even if he had known his business number, he didn't have a cell phone to call it with. He'd probably have to scour the internet to find his building. Or pester Nick.
He ended up doing the latter. He used the payphone outside and called up his buddy. "Heya Nick, listen, any idea where Pitch's office is for the therapy? He said I could have one free meeting and I think I need it." As his friend answered, he scribbled down the answer in pen on his hand.
He figured he could call in a day off for tomorrow. It was only Sunday, why the heck not? When he called, his boss approved his request, and Jack was squared away to meet up at Pitch's office- hopefully he'd have some time to see him.
When he got home that night after a ridiculous night at the club, Jack heard the tell-tale sounds of Tina's beau being upstairs. Sighing, he pulled out his new earplugs and went to the guest room to sleep.
He woke up to a terrifying sight- Tina's man standing naked in his doorway. He screamed when he saw him and fell out of the bed. Ripping the yellow nubs out of his ears, Jack shouted, "Dude, what the FUCK!? Are you trying to give me a fucking heart attack!?"
The blue eyed man scowled at him. "Don't you have anywhere else to be, kid? You've been crashin' at my girl's for over a week now," he hissed.
Jack swallowed and lifted himself up to stand. "Uh… I… I'll be out by tomorrow…"
"Good." And with that, the naked man walked to the kitchen. Jack definitely needed this therapy session today.
He found the building without a problem, walking down to the lower level that housed the offices of the multiple shrinks working there. Jack read a little stand up sign on the desk in front. 'If the door to your psychologist is closed, please wait to be treated.' Jack looked at each door- all of them were closed.
So, he sat and waited and read animal magazines. When the first door opened a little Asian girl walked out, thanking the older gentleman inside. Obviously not Pitch's office. He waited for a while longer, reading until nothing sounded interesting anymore. He nearly fell asleep by the time the second door opened.
He raised his head in time to see a tall, skinny red-haired woman leave the room. Sitting there for a while longer still and seeing no one else come out; Jack got up and wandered over to peer inside.
The woman sitting at the desk blinked up at him, and Jack quickly apologized for barging in. He went back to sit and wait.
It took another hour before Jack saw the door furthest to the left open. An older, shorter man came out with a matching woman beside him. Jack smiled when he saw the black haired face that towered over them. He finally found Pitch's office.
When the skinny space man saw him, he quickly smiled. "Jack," he said, walking over to him as he stood from his chair, "Good to see you. Anything I can help you with?"
Jack fiddled his hands together, pinching his left thumb sheepishly. "Um, actually I was hoping we could have that free trial session…" he said shyly. He had never gone to a therapist before; it felt eerily similar to a visit to the doctor. But Pitch smiled warmly and stepped aside so that he could walk into the room.
The room was nicely sized, had a single tiny window way up near the top that just barely lifted above the ground, and had some cute furniture. A pale green couch next to a table with a lamp, covered in blue and green cushions, a big dark brown desk with papers all over it, and a tall black rolling chair. But what really grabbed Jack was the chair off to the side, near the wall and closet. It was the exact style of chair he had always seen on television in therapy scenes!
Squeaking with delight, he rushed to the chair and bounced onto the stippled leather cushioning. Pushing down on it experimentally, Jack couldn't hold back the delighted giggle that rolled up from his throat.
Looking back over to Pitch as he closed the door behind him, Jack said, "You have one of those shrink chairs!"
Pitch smiled and looked at the chair. "Yes," he said, "Seraphina was very happy to see that too." Jack grinned and turned his head back to the chair, just to smile excitedly down at it. He never thought an inanimate object could make him so happy.
He heard a soft sound behind him and then Pitch's crisp British tone saying, "Now. Why did you choose today to come and see me?"
Jack spun around and plopped himself down to lay in the chair. He smiled as he rested his shoulders back on the part that curved up. "Well, I was hoping that maybe I could just get some stuff off my chest. Maybe de-stress a bit," he said. Pitch nodded. Jack sat up a little bit, putting a hand out, and asked, "You're not gonna write any of this down, are you? Or tell anyone?"
Smiling, Pitch said, "Everything my patients tell me is confidential. I'm not legally at freedom to tell anyone anything they don't want me to tell. And if you don't want me to write any of this down, I won't." Jack smiled and laid his head back down. "So, why don't you just start with whatever's upsetting you and we'll go from there?"
Jack exhaled slowly. "Okay… Well… It started about a week ago… My friend Tina's got herself a new boyfriend- she met him online," he said. Pitch just nodded and listened in silence, "I'm really happy for her and all- he really seems to like her… It's just… He really seems to have it in for me…"
"Has it in for you?" Pitch repeated, resting his chin in his hands, looping his fingers together, "What makes you say that?"
"Well, he kind of threatened me… As recently as this morning, actually… And… I saw him… Outside the ice cream shop the other day… He wasn't doing anything, he was just sitting there… watching me…" Jack whispered now, feeling uncomfortable just saying it.
"Did it occur to you to tell someone? Or call for help?" Pitch asked.
Jack raised an arm, keeping his palm flat, "I did. When I saw him outside of work I almost went to the phone we have inside for emergencies and called the cops… But… He left after a while, so I kinda let it go… He's seemed to dislike since he first met me at the clu- uh, at work…"
"He's been to the ice cream shop?" Pitch asked, sounding a little concerned.
"Well…. No…" Jack answered. "I… Have a second job… At the town club… And.. well… Tina took him to that while I was working… And the whole night he gave me dirty looks. Every time I came to their table he'd glare at me… And then.. .After that, he's been at Tina's house a lot recently… Pretty much every night…"
"How do you know?" Pitch asked.
Again, Jack swallowed. "Well, I've kinda been staying at Tina's for a while… I had been staying with my friend Eric before, but his mom kicked me out…" He glanced over at Pitch- he looked worried. "I, uh… Don't really have enough money to afford an apartment of my own right yet… I'm getting closer, pretty soon… Just… Not yet…"
Pitch nodded without a word. It was actually more reassuring than words probably would have been. It actually comforted Jack. Smiling a little now, he continued, "So… He's been over… And.. the first night, I… well… I could hear them… upstairs…" Pitch nodded again, understanding quickly what Jack was getting at. "And, well… The next morning the guy wasn't too happy to find me there… I left as fast as I could that morning…"
Jack rolled his shoulders as he said, "So… Basically every night he's been at her place. Doing… well, you know… And this morning he basically told me to get out… I kinda told him I'd be out by tomorrow, but the problem is… I don't have anywhere else to go, unless I can get a hold of my friends. Eric's out of the question, his mom's sick of me, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to get a hold of Sandy in time… And well, I don't wanna bother Nick any more than I already have… But so far he's looking like my best choice…"
Pitch interrupted him at this point. Jack turned to look at him as he said, "Well, if it's not too bold to offer, I'm sure Sera would be happy to have that slumber party."
Jack blinked as he slowly registered that Pitch was offering to let him stay with him for the night. "Really?" he asked, sitting upright and smiling a little more than was proper.
Smiling warmly, Pitch said, "As long as it isn't for too long, sure. We have enough space, just not an extra room…" Jack flung his legs over the edge of his chair and grinned at the black haired man. "Sera would definitely enjoy making a fort of pillows and boxes."
Jumping up from his chair, Jack thanked him profusely. Pitch just laughed lightly and smiled as Jack shook his hand like a madman.
"Would you like to bring your things over tonight?" he asked, standing up from his chair, "I hope you won't mind all the boxes everywhere. We're still unpacking."
"No, I wouldn't mind at all!" Jack said, smiling happily, "Thanks so much! I really appreciate this!"
Pitch just smiled again. "I'm willing to give you a place to stay until you can make other arrangements," he said. They walked out together, Jack followed Pitch to his car in the lot. "Sera's at home with a babysitter right now, but she'll definitely be happy to see her favorite ice cream man."
Jack just grinned at the idea of seeing the happy little girl. Pitch asked where Tina's house was, and Jack helped him get directions. He hurried inside, gathered up all of his things and then came back out to set his stuff in the back seat. He hopped back into the passenger side seat and smiled brightly at Pitch.
As they drove, Jack said, "I'm not sure how I'll ever be able to repay you for this…"
"It's fine," he replied, "I'm sure you would do the same for a friend." Jack blinked at that. They were friends? He couldn't hold back the smile at hearing that. He had a new friend, yet again another older than him, but a friend nonetheless.
When the car stopped, Jack was a little bit surprised to find such a humble, cute looking house. For some reason he pictured Pitch living in a mansion of sorts. But the grey two story was nice. Very homey.
Jack followed Pitch up the front steps to the door. The tall man held it open for him, and Jack entered hesitantly. As soon as he was inside the doorway, Jack heard the undeniable squeak of Seraphina shouting, "Ice cream man!"
And then his legs were tackled by a tiny child who was too excited to see him. He was glad Pitch was behind him- he had something to fall back on as the child nearly toppled him. He slammed back into his chest with an 'oompf!'
Lifting his eyes up to look at Pitch, he whispered a quiet, "Sorry…" Pitch only smiled and began prying his daughter off of him.
"Sera, sweety, it's not polite to run up to someone like that," he scolded gently.
She let go and said an adorable, "Sorry!" Jack couldn't be mad at her when she was as cute as she was.
Kneeling down to her level, Pitch said, "Sera, Jack is going to be sleeping over for the next two nights, okay? I want you to be nice to him, don't make fun of him, don't ask questions you don't think he wants to answer, and don't pester him if he's doing something."
Nodding with a smile, Seraphina shouted joyfully, "Slumber party!" And she grabbed Jack's hand, yanking him to the couch in the opening room. He set his backpack down and began helping her build the most magnificent pillow and box fort anyone had ever seen.
As they piled boxes and couch cushions on top of each other, Pitch just stood to the side and watched with a smile. If Jack had to guess, he was happy to have a break making his little girl happy.
Seraphina ran upstairs and returned with a very familiar butterfly blanket. They stretched it over the pillars of pillows, placed weights to hold it in place, and began to play a game of castle. Sera wanted to be the magical fairy. She told Jack that he was the Princess that needed to be rescued.
"Well if you're the fairy and I'm the princess who needs to be saved, who's saving me?" he asked, poking her stomach with a smile.
She pointed to her father and shouted, "Daddy! Daddy's always the brave knight who comes to save the day!"
Pitch came into the game with them and he began his role fighting evil dragon hand puppets and sweeping Princess Ice Cream Man off her feet. When he couldn't defeat the dragon, the magical fairy had to grant him special powers and a magical sword. And only with her help did he manage to vanquish the monster and save the beautiful princess.
When Seraphina said he was supposed to kiss the princess to save her both men just laughed and Pitch kissed her forehead instead. She whined unhappily at that. "Daaddyy! I'm the fairy this time! Not the princess! You're supposed to kiss the ice cream man!"
Ruffling her hair, he said, "But you're daddy's little princess. I always have to kiss you!" She pouted unhappily until he gave in and took Jack's hand and placed a quick peck upon it. Jack laughed at the way she whined about how that was cheating.
After their game of castle was over, Jack had an hour before he'd have to head to the club. "I won't be back here until around three in the morning," he told Pitch as they sat, "Will you be okay with leaving the door unlocked?"
Pitch waved his hand. "No, no," he got up and came back, dropping a little silver key into his hand, "This is the spare key. You seem responsible enough to let yourself in. You don't mind sleeping on the couch do you?"
"As long it's not a pillow fort when I come back." Pitch laughed at his joke. Seraphina climbed into her daddy's lap at this point and sat with the two of them, smiling joyfully.
When it was time to leave, she wasn't happy at all. He told her he'd be back later and they could have breakfast together, which cheered her up a little, but she still whined about not getting the sleepover she was promised. When Jack left he heard Pitch telling her that you don't always get what you want.