Chapter 2- Christmas Cheer
Mercer House-
"Nice of you to join us little brother. Merry Christmas, you asshole!" Bobby said watching Jack sulk down the stairs.
Jack came down the stairs in long john's and no shirt. He then hugged both his brothers.
"Were you playing the 'guitar' again?" Angel asked laughing with Bobby.
"Fuck you guys," Jack said groggily walking into the kitchen.
"That's the Christmas spirit Jack-o. You might wanna put some clothes on," Bobby said after hearing the door bell ring.
"Why? You jealous?" he said then he started to drink out of the milk carton.
"Merry Christmas Bobby, Merry Christmas Angel," Jerry and Camille said.
Angel walked over to hug his nieces.
"Come on in Nicole," Camille called for her as Nicole tried to close the car door.
"Oh, hey Nicole, Merry Christmas," Bobby and Angel said.
"Merry Christmas, where's Jack?" she asked.
"He's in the kitchen. You should go say hi," Angel said grinning.
Nikki walked into the kitchen. She saw Jack's back as he was sitting down at the table scratching his lap and drinking milk out of the carton.
"What's up?" she asked him.
"What?" he turned around, "Nicole, I mean Nikki, hey," he said stumbling over the chair.
She laughed a little bit before saying, "I'll be in the living room."
'Shit,' he thought to himself.
He was standing there half naked when Nikki came into the kitchen. 'She must think I'm a loser.' So he walked upstairs to change.
"Hey Jacky, did you say hi to Nicole?" Angel asked him while Jack was going down the stairs.
Jack just looked away from Angel to find Nikki. She was sitting on the floor next to Jerry's girls.
"Merry Christmas Uncle Jack!" the girls said in unison.
He said Merry Christmas to them then Nikki grabbed him to go outside with her.
"Merry Christmas Jack, I got this for you," Nikki said handing him a little gifted wrapped box form her pocket.
He was surprised that she had gotten him a present. He felt stupid that he didn't get her anything. He opened it and there was a pack of cigarettes.
He smiled, "You didn't have to get me these."
"Of course I did. I owe you one," Nikki said holding her hand out for one.
"Of course," he said giving her one and lighting it.
"Thanks, again," she said.
"No problem," he said blushing but not letting her see.
'Come on Jack, think of something to say to her,' he thought to himself.
"I'm sorry I didn't get you anything it's just…" he began to say until Nikki's cell phone rang.
"Hello," she said to the person on the phone, "Hey baby, how you doin'?"
He looked over at her with disappointment. She looked at him and said, "That's ok, I don't need anything," and then she stomped out her cigarette and went inside.
'Of course she has a boyfriend,' he thought.
He took his cigarette and threw it onto the snow then he walked back into the house. Nikki was still on the phone so to avoid her conversation with her boyfriend he went upstairs to his room. He picked up his guitar and started to play.
"Nicole
I love your soul,
You make me whole
You have a heart of gold…"
"Aw, looks like someone's in love," Bobby snickered.
"Leave me alone man," Jack said not looking up from his guitar.
"Jacky, is that anyway to talk to your older brother? I can make it happen Jacky. All you gotta do is fix yourself up and maybe, just maybe, Nicole might go for it," he said picking up Jack's guitar and placing it on the floor.
"Hey what the…"
"Breakfast is ready," Bobby said.
"Who was that on the phone Nicole?" Camille asked her while they all ate breakfast.
Jack looked over to her to find out if she would say it was her boyfriend.
"No one, just a friend Aunt Camille," she said not looking up.
"Good because you are too young to be talking to those boys that hang around your school," she said.
"Yes ma'ma."
Jack didn't understand. Was Nikki in high school still? Bobby looked over at Jack knowing he probably figured that out by now. After breakfast Jack decided to approach Jerry who was sitting in the living room with Angel, Bobby, and the girls watching hockey. Camille, Nikki, and Sophie were in the kitchen cleaning up.
"Jerry?" Jack asked him, afraid to ask the question.
"Yeah, what's up little brother?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure what is it?" Jerry asked as he and Jack walked over to the front door. Bobby got up and joined them.
"How old is Nikki?" Jack finally asked.
"Old enough for you to go to jail," he said chuckling.
Bobby looked to see the frustration on his brother's face. Jack walked back into the living room to play with the girls.
"What was that all about?" Jerry asked Bobby.
"He's just got a little crush on your niece, how old is she anyway?" Bobby asked.
Jerry replied, "Sixteen."