The song in this chapter, the lyrics were made by me and while writing them I thought of the beat to Maroon 5's song "Secrets" if you listen to that song, my lyrics go with it. Hopefully you like this chapter, I worked on it all day, so please tell me what you think! R&R
Chapter 8- Everyone Has a Secret, But Can They Keep It?
Mercer House-
Bobby watched from the living room window as his little brother searched frantically through the mailbox.
"What is he doin?" Angel asked Bobby who had just woken up.
"Lookin through the mail again," Bobby laughed.
"Doesn't he know that she's probably not comin back?" Angel asked wrapping his robe tighter around him.
Jack walked back inside the house and threw all the bills and sweepstake mail to Bobby.
"No love letters today?" Bobby joked.
Jack sank his head low into his chest and sulked upstairs. Krystal had been gone for week already and no one had heard from her.
"You think she's comin back?" Angel asked Bobby who had turned on a hockey game.
"Who knows what Red's gunna do? She's always out doin something, or someone," Bobby chuckled but Angel felt a little remorse for Jack so he just walked away from Bobby's rude comment.
"So you don't care if she comes back?" Angel yelled from the kitchen.
"Why? Should I?"
"Well cause didn't you two have a little rondevu last week?" Angel chuckled lightly.
"Yeah well, it was only a matter of time," Bobby joked cockily.
"Whatever man, watch her show up and profess her undying love for you. What would you do then?" Angel asked making himself microwavable waffles.
"Only thing Red likes to do is fuck wit guys head," Bobby replied after shouting at his team for losing.
Jack was upstairs writing at his desk. He had written Krystal twenty letters since she had left a week ago. He wrote two a day, one after he checked the mail box and one before he went to bed. Most of them stated how much he missed her and how he forgave her for being with Bobby. He knew her address in Brooklyn, but he didn't have the heart to send any of them. Staring at all the sealed up envelopes, he threw them into his trash can and screamed angry cries into his balled up fists.
"Yak, is everything ok?" Sofi asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, I just banged my knee against my desk," he said forcing a normal voice to escape his lips instead of the painful one that might have surfaced.
"Ok, well if you need anything…"she said making her way downstairs.
Jack took a good look at his latest letter and began to write. It read:
Krystal,
I know you told me to wait for you and I know it's only been a week, but it feels more like a year. It's getting harder and harder to wait. I don't want to sound like a love sick puppy but in a way I think I am. What I want to tell you right now it is I lov…
"Jack!" Bobby yelled as he pounded his heavy fist against Jack's door.
Jack scrambled around trying to hide his letter and the other ones that were in his trash can.
"Jack," Bobby said opening the door, "What the hell are you doin?"
Jack shoved the letter under a bunch of sheet music he had wrote, "Nothing, what's up?"
"Breakfast's ready," Bobby said suspiciously turning around to exit.
He turned back quickly to see Jack grab the music and threw it all away.
"Coming," Jack sighed.
Bobby, Angel, Jack, and Sofi sat at the table eating microwavable waffles and sausage.
"How come you didn't make homemade waffles?" Bobby sneered, "This tastes like shit."
Sofi slammed her napkin and fork down and stood up, "You didn't buy any batter for me to make homemade waffles! You know what Bobby!" she said continuing to curse at him in Spanish.
"Sofi, baby please," Angel begged.
"No!" she yelled.
Bobby spoke but you couldn't hear him over Sofi's yelling.
"Why do you have do that?" Angel groaned, "Sofi!" Angel yelled after she ran upstairs.
Jack didn't notice anything around him, almost like he was enclosed in an air sealed bubble.
"Jack?" Bobby called, "Jack!"
"What," he asked caught of guard.
Jack took his plate of half eaten waffles into the kitchen to be washed and then the phone rang, "Hello?" he answered.
"Hey man, can you come down to the studio?" Chris, the drummer of the band Jack was in, said.
"Now?"
"Yeah, why you busy?"
"No, I can go now," Jack said depressed.
He hung up the phone and went to tell Bobby that he was leaving.
"Where you goin?" Bobby asked him as he grabbed is coat.
"I need to meet with the band," Jack said blankly.
"So you gunna ask to take my car?" Bobby grunted.
"Can I please borrow your car?" Jack pleaded while he zippered his coat.
"What ever, just be back here before dinner. I think La Vida Loca's gunna make us all Swanson dinners, she works so hard?" Bobby chuckled.
"Bobby!" Sofi yelled angrily.
Jack chuckled nonchalantly as he walked out the front door with his guitar. Bobby flipped through various channels looking for another hockey game because he was bored out of his mind. Being suspended from playing hockey was annoying him, but there was nothing he could do about it.
The phone rang, "Get it," Angel yelled from upstairs.
Bobby moaned painfully as he got up from the couch, "Hello?"
"Bobby?" the voice asked.
"Yeah?"
"Can I talk to Jack?"
"Who is this?" he thought about it for a second, "Red? Get outta here!" Bobby joked.
"Can I talk to Jack," she urged.
"Now is that any way to talk to me?"
"Bobby, just put Jack on the damn phone," Krystal said impatiently.
"What do you say?" Bobby asked taunting her.
"You're such an asshole you know that?" she yelled.
Bobby chuckled and wiped his mouth with his free hand and whispered teasingly, "I know, that's what you said last week after ripping my clothes off."
Bobby's husky voice reminded Krystal of the night they almost spent together. They were both drunk enough to rush into things, but not drunk enough to forget. Krystal wasn't sure if she wanted to forget, even though she was pretty drunk that night, she remembered wanting to go further. She remembered feeling safe in Bobby's arms and she wished she could feel that now as she watched her father's health slowly deteriorate.
"Bobby, please," she pleaded.
"How's your dad?" Bobby asked.
"He's not doin to well. Is Jack even there?"
"Look, I know you might not think much of me right now but I've been thinking bout you," Bobby said trying to direct her attention off of Jack.
Krystal sighed, "Bobby, just tell Jack I called. Can you do that for me? Please?"
"Just remember I'm here Red, if you need me, I'm here," Bobby said and then he heard her hang up.
Angel ran downstairs to grab a sandwich out of the refrigerator, "Was that a bill collector? I was supposed to call them back."
"No, it was a wrong number," Bobby said finally hanging up the phone.
Bam Bam Record Studios-
"What's up Jack?" Chris asked him."Nothing much," Jack sighed.
"What's up man, you look a little down," Domer, the bass guitarist, said.
"I know that look," Ted their manager said taking Jack's guitar away from him.
They all looked around at each other and said in unison, "The look of love!" as Domer and Ted struck a high cord on their guitars.
"Shut up," Jack chuckled as he grabbed his guitar back from Ted.
"Alright come on you guys get in there, make some music! You got something new right Jack?" Ted shouted as the band entered the recording room.
"Yeah," Jack mumbled.
Chris stopped Jack before they entered, "Use that."
"Use what?" Jack asked.
"Your heart man."
Jack thought about what Chris said as he placed his headphones on his head.
"Ready?" Ted asked from the speaker.
Jack nodded and waited until Chris and Domer finished their solos so he could begin.
(Slow melody plays)
"The days grow longer
My hunger's stronger,
For you…"
"No time to waste now
Trying to figure out,
You…"
Chorus-
"You know that I love you,
When can I show you?
Now?
I think you don't know how
How much I love you,
Now…Now, Now, Now…"
"Please say you will stay
No don't go away,
Today…"
"Tell me you feel the same
It'll take away all my pain,
Today…"
Chorus-
"You know that I love you,
When can I show you?
Now?
I think you don't know how
How much I love you,
Now… Now, Now, Now…"
Ted and some of the technical people working the sound stood up and clapped.
"That was brilliant!" Ted yelled over the speaker.
Jack removed his headphones and walked out of the room.
Greg, one of the sound guys, replayed the song. Jack's voice rang out from the speakers sounding like a million dollar song. The other band members nodded their heads in approval as the soft ballad filled the room with joyful laugher.
"This is going to be a hit!" Ted shouted.
"You did it," Chris said elbowing Jack in his ribs.
Jack listened to the lyrics thinking it would've been the perfect backdrop for the night he spent with Krystal. He wished that she was there listening to it with him or better yet he wanted to sing it to her in front of her fireplace.
"Jack?" Domer asked lightly punching him in the arm.
"What?" he asked still in his fantasy world.
"It sounds great, the vocals are great."
"Thanks."
Jack had made the song the night after he slept over Krystal's house. Music was always his only way of deeply expressing his feelings without getting picked on by his brothers or anyone else. He almost threw the lyrics away that afternoon but decided to try them with the band. It had been a hit with the band and the manager but for some reason he didn't feel like celebrating with the rest of them.
"Ok, we'll work on the tempo and the vocals need to be brought out, the drum over rides it, but other than that, sounds like a hit!" Ted babbled.
"Great," Chris smiled.
"See you guys back here tomorrow," Ted said shaking all of their hands.
Mercer house-
"Where did you go?' Angel asked Jack who was passing him on the staircase."Band rehearsal," Jack muttered dragging his heavy guitar case on the floor.
"Jack!" Bobby called.
"What?" he shouted from his room.
"Someone called for you," Bobby smirked.
Jack ran downstairs into the living room, almost tripping over the carpet, "Who?"
Bobby looked behind him from the couch, "Just Domer, a couple of minutes ago," he smiled.