There was a soft clearing of the throat on the opposite side of the desk and Avery slowly lifted her eyes from her lap. Mr. Lipinski, the school therapist, was sitting back in his swivel chair behind his desk, looking steadily at her. Avery licked her lips and then swallowed hard, shifting uncomfortably in her seat as it creaked beneath her.
"Do you mind if I ask you a question, Avery?" He asked, breaking the ten-minute silence in the room.
Avery rolled her eyes to the wall to the left of her, studying the dumb painting hanging near her. "You just did," she mumbled lamely under her breath.
"i'm sorry?" Mr. Lipinski leaned forward, asking her to repeat herself.
Avery shook her head and then brought her gaze back to him. "Nothing; go ahead."
"Well, this is our third meeting, Avery, and I've been trying to give you your time and space to start feeling comfortable, but I think it's time that you explain to me why you're living with the Mercers." His voice is smooth and steady, but the way he was approaching the subject made him sound like a condescending teacher, and there was nothing Avery hated more than someone making her feel like she was in the wrong.
She lifted an eyebrow, crossing one leg over the other and sitting up straighter in her chair. She drew confidence from confrontation and loved putting someone in their place. "I overdosed on drugs," she said simply, making sure that she sounded nonchalant about it.
Mr. Lipinski nodded, glancing at the empty legal pad on his desk. Avery waited for him to move towards it and write something down, but he didn't. "Is that a decision you regret making?"
Avery didn't hesitate for a second before answering, "Absolutely not."
Mr. Lipinski's eyebrows twitched, as if they wanted to move upwards, but he managed to control his facial features, like the poorly-paid shrink he was. "Because it brought you to the home of the Mercers."
Avery stared into his eyes, a slow smile spreading across her lips. "Because it felt GOOD to take those pills."
Mr. Lipinski's brow pulls together and he tilts his head to the side. "Was it the first time you were able to escape, to feel no pain? Did it feel good to feel numb?"
"Yeah, actually, it did," Avery snapped, "I don't understand why everyone makes such a big deal out of it; some people are destined to have a shitty life, and if I'm one of those people, I'm okay with it. Just let me do what I need and want to do to deal with it. I have the right to kill in self defense, don't I? I was only defending myself."
"Against yourself." Mr. Lipinski finished and Avery sat back in her chair, feeling almost like she had been slapped across the face.
"No...that's not---it wasn't my fault." She stammered, feeling out of sorts. When had she lost the upper hand?
Mr. Lipinski twisted his mouth, chewing on the inside corner of his lips. "What wasn't your fault? Did someone make you take the pills, Avery?"
Avery's nose wrinkled in confusion. "No...but no one tried to stop me."
"Did you tell anyone? Avery, did you ASK for help?"
"WHY DO YOU KEEP SAYING MY NAME?" Avery demanded, standing up, her hands shaking by her side and a deep flush creeping up behind her ears.
Mr. Lipinski sat back in smug satisfaction, which Avery was pretty sure was inappropriate of a shrink, but she continued to stand fuming over his desk. "Actually," he chuckled and shook his head, "I'll give you a break; saying your name is supposed to make you feel comforted and secure. It's supposed to let your subconscious know that I am here for you, no matter what might come out of your mouth. It's also a good way to keep you in the moment and concentrated."
Avery's heartrate slowed down and she took a step back, feeling the backs of her knees hit against the seat of the chair. Slowly, she lowered herself into the chair and closed her eyes briefly, drawing in a deep breath. "I don't want to talk anymore." She said flatly when she had regained her composure.
When she opened her eyes again, a cold, creepy feeling came over her. Mr. Lipinski was looking at her with a distinguished disturbed look on his face. Then, he suddenly lunged for a pen and started writing on that stupid legal pad. Avery craned her neck to see what he was writing, but of course all the dumb trinkets on the outskirts of his desk guarded the paper.
Finally, Mr. Lipinski stopped scribbling, looked at his watch and stood up with a bright smile on his face. "You made good progress today, Avery; I look forward to seeing you next week." He opened the door to his office and Avery stepped carefully past him and into the hallway, glancing back just as he slammed the door, causing the frosted glass pane to shake in the wood.
The doorbell rang and for a good thirty seconds, no one moved off the couch. The second time the bell rang, Bobby looked with wide eyes at Jack and Avery, waiting for one of them to move. "The door won't answer itself, morons." He growled and Jack rolled his eyes, standing up off the couch and trudging to the door.
"Who are you?" Avery and Bobby heard him say in an annoyed voice.
"Is Avery here?" Avery sat up stick-straight, and just as Bobby was going to ask her what she was doing, she leapt off the couch and practically sprinted into the foyer.
"Chris," she whispered breathlessly, her heart pounding in her ears. Chris's scruffy face lit up in a familiar, little-boy smile and Avery lunged forward, throwing her arms around his neck. Jack stepped away from the door as Chris walked in, lifting Avery off her feet and bringing her with him. "Let's go to my room," Avery said when Chris let go of her, pulling hims towards the stairs and running up them. A moment later, as Jack closed the front door, Avery's bedroom door slammed shut and Jack wandered back into the living room.
"Competition, Jackie---how will you retaliate?" Bobby wiggled his eyebrows and Jack slid his hands into his pockets, resting a shoulder against the archway frame, staring at the television.
He shook his head and told his older brother to shut up. He didn't exactly feel threatened by this Chris guy because he wasn't EXACTLY interested in Avery. He did find himself wondering what this guy was doing showing up at his house, and what his past with Avery was like. For her sake, of course, because bringing in past boyfriends and all could cause a setback in her rehabilitation.
Jack's narrowed eyes studied his older brother carefully. He glanced at his hand of cards and then back at Jerry's confidently innocent face. Jack's eyes flicked to Bobby and then back at Jerry, and then back to his own cards. He drew in a deep breath, about to say the cards he was about to play, and then he saw the flicker of a smile tugging at the corner of Jerry's mouth.
His eyes widening, Jack yelled, "Bullshit!"
Jerry looked at Jack with his own widened eyes, starting to laugh. "What was that, little brother?"
"I said BULLSHIT, motherfucker!" Jack pointed a finger in Jerry's laughing face and Bobby and Angel erupted into their own laughter when Jerry scooped up the hefty pile of cards in the center of the table.
"I ALMOST had you," Jerry chuckled, shaking his head.
"Yeah, yea--almost." Jack smiled at his hand.
Bobby reached across the table and gave Jack a sharp punch on his shoulder. "Ow, what was that for?" Jack yelped, sounding a little more like a girl than he would have liked to.
Bobby fell back into his chair, stretching his legs out again and saying, "motherfucker, Jackie? You really want to disrespect Ma like that? Not in this house." He reprimanded, but he was smirking as he said it.
Jack was just about to play his cards when there was a loud crash above them, causing all four brothers to lift their eyes to the ceiling. "You lying sack of shit!" Avery's high-pitched voice screamed, followed by another loud disturbance.
"You've got to be shitting me--does she ever stop yelling?" Bobby grumbled, throwing his cards on the table and stomping to the stairs. "AVERY!"
"Get the hell out of here right now! Fuck you, Chris!" Bobby watched as Avery shoved Chris towards the stairs, and he caught himself on the banister before she pushed him down the stairs.
"Avery, you can't hide forever. This isn't where you belong." Chris said levelly, stepping back onto the landing upstairs. Bobby winced when he heard the sharp crack of skin against skin when Avery slapped Chris across the face with all the anger and force in her body.
"Don't you dare talk to me like that. YOU were the one who left--you left me all alone, with NO ONE. Do you have any idea what it's been like, Chris? He won't LOOK at me because I resemble her too much. You're a fucking asshole--don't act like I'm the one who did something wrong. YOU left." Avery shoved past him, practically falling down the stairs she moved so fast. "Move, Bobby," she grunted, pushing past him as well and storming through the front door. Bobby moved to the opened door as it swung on its hinges, watching Avery run down the street, her dark hair flying behind her.
When he turned around, Chris was at the bottom of the stairs and Angel was standing at the doorway to the kitchen, with Jerry and Jack behind him at the table, leaning over to see what was going on. "Want to explain yourself, FRIEND?" Bobby smirked, stepping closer to the guy.
Chris's eyes flashed and his jaw set. "It's not really any of your business." He tried to step past Bobby, but he put his hand out, causing the smaller guy to stop.
"Actually, it is; this is my house."
"And that's MY sister that you're keeping held captive here." Chris growled, his eyes narrowing. "you know NOTHING about her---this isn't healthy for her. It may seem like she's doing better for now, but Avery isn't that good. She won't change." On that note, Chris moved around Bobby, who didn't try to stop him this time.
Slowly, Bobby walked back to the kitchen, letting out a breath. "Well," he said, his eyes sliding to Jack. "I guess you don't want to worry about competition--unless they're into incest, or something."
It wasn't until later that night, around midnight or even later, that Avery returned to the house. Evelyn and Bobby were waiting up, sitting on the couch and watching a movie---one that Evelyn had chosen, much to Bobby's silent chagrin. When they heard the door open, Bobby leapt off the couch and stormed into the foyer, fixing Avery with a cold, assusatory stare. "Where have you been?" He demanded.
Avery's eyes narrowed in self-defense. "Excuse me? I was OUT." Her eyes flicked to Evelyn as she entered the foyer and then she hugged her arms around herself, trying to warm up from being in the cold without a jacket. "Sorry," she mumbled, refusing to look at Bobby.
"Sweetheart, why didn't you call one of us?" Evelyn asked softly, stepping forward. Just as she was about to reach a warm hand to Avery's pink cheeks, whipped from the cold wind, Bobby grabbed Avery's jaw between his strong fingers and turned her face towards him.
"Bobby!" Evelyn snapped in surprise as Bobby yanked Avery forward harshly.
Avery pushed against him but Bobby examined her eyes carefully, hardly budging as she hit him. Finally, he let go, practically flinging her away from him, and then turned and started up the stairs. "Night, Ma," he called over his shoulder.
Evelyn looked uncertainly at Avery, who rubbed at her sore jaw. "He was just---"
"Just making sure I hadn't been doing drugs," Avery finished flatly. Her eyes slid over to Evelyn and she just shook her head, "I just wanted to clear my head--i sat at the park for a while, that's all. I didn't know I was under house arrest."
Avery had just laid down in bed, flopping onto her back to stare at the ceiling, when her door opened and shut. She heard Jack cross the room and moved over on the bed to make room for him. Jack sat down on the bed and Avery lifted herself up, raising a hand to touch the side of his face. She kissed him softly and then pulled him down on the bed with her. Jack kissed Avery back for as long as he would allow himself, and then, as she started inching his shirt up his back, Jack pulled away and took hold of Avery's wrists gently. "I'm sorry for what your brother did," he said seriously, moving Avery so that her back was against his chest slightly. Avery didn't say anything back to him because she was too confused; no guy had ever wanted to just HOLD her. She wasn't even sure how to spoon, exactly, and she stayed stiff and rigid until she felt Jack relax into a deep sleep. It wasn't until then that she could let herself mold against him, letting her heartbeat fall into tandem with his. It was nice, Avery realized, to lay against someone and feel his arms around you, to know that he was there for you even in his most vulnerable moment.
A week later, Bobby, Avery and Jack were watching a movie on a late night. A popcorn bowl had been passed around the three of them until it was empty and they were all relaxing in their positions, content to be lazy and just watch the television. Avery was sprawled out on the floor, laying on her stomach, with her arms crossed over a pillow to support her head.
A crude joke was made in the movie and Avery laughed loudly, her back shaking with the motion. Bobby stared at her in shock and slowly his eyes moved to Jack, who was smiling slightly to himself, still staring at the television screen. The joke had passed, but Avery still chuckled to herself on the floor, clearly tickled by the joke, and Bobby felt a strange feeling come over him. He wasn't sure he had heard a more honest sound come from Avery's mouth throughout the weeks they had known each other. And without warning, a smile stretched across his lips as he settled back against the couch cushions, stretching his legs out in front of him on the carpeted floor.