See Jack Run
Chapter 22
"He's gonna come back for me."
"Jackie, honey, you're being irrational."
"Mom, stop saying that! Have you ever had this kind of experience?"
"No, honey, I haven't."
"Then you can't say that I'm being irrational. You don't know what this feels like. He's breathing over my shoulder right now! I can feel it!"
Jack burst into tears. She was standing right over the kitchen table, where Mikey had spreadeagled her so many times. She could feel his hands on her shoulders, preparing to slam her face against the table. He was very methodical: Grab the wrists in one hand, hair in the other.
Hair.
"My hair." Jack whispered, as her tears dried.
"What about your hair, honey?"
But Jack had already left the room.
When he comes back, he'll take my wrists and my hair. Can't cut my wrists off.
The scissors on the desk winked at her, and she took them. She smiled. She had outsmarted him so far. Mom woldn't come up to the room until it was too late. Gerard was out drinking somewhere.
She braided her hair. Thick and black and long. But not for much longer.
Taking the scissors, she brandsihed the braid in line with the blades and in two solid, snips, long black hair lay on the bedroom floor, looking like a dead animal.
Jack one, Mikey zero.
Jack giggled.
"You can't get me now!" She said in a high pitched voice, not her own, and then she laughed out loud. She couldn't stop.
The first time I've laughed in years.
"Oh God! Jackie! What did you do?"
Gerard wasn't out. But it didn't matter. Nothing he could do now.
"I beat him. He's gonna come for me, but I'm ready."
"Your hair! Are you insane?"
"No! That's Mikey! And you! You're crazy too!"
She laughed again, long and loud.
"We're all crazy!"
Gerard's eyes were wide, and he looked horrified, and Jack didn't know why. The situation was really quite comical.
He came over and took the remaining strands.
"It's all gone. Did you do this because of him?"
"Clever me. I'm all ready now."
"He's not coming."
Now it wasn't funny anymore. Jack knew he was coming, probably right outside the door right now....
"Yes he is! He's coming and you know it!"
Stop saying he isn't!
"No, he's not! He's locked up somewhere!"
"No! He's! Not!"
Jack was throwing a tantrum now, and normally her hair would be flying in her face, which would be turning red, but now, the strands were dead and immobile.
"You know, Jackie, I thought you would be okay. But you're not."
"Don't say that! I just need protection!"
"From your thoughts? Fat chance!"
"Everything is gonna be okay!"
"Thaqt's what I thought, until you start screaming that your brother, who is locked up in a mental hospital, is coming back! God, they're gonna put you in the same room! You two can be bunk mates!"
Jack burst into tears again, pulling at the strands. Gerard picked up the braid and put it in the trash. Then he bent down and touched her shoulders.
"You need better help, Jackie."
She kept crying.
He's coming and he's close.
"Jackie, honey, you're being irrational."
"Mom, stop saying that! Have you ever had this kind of experience?"
"No, honey, I haven't."
"Then you can't say that I'm being irrational. You don't know what this feels like. He's breathing over my shoulder right now! I can feel it!"
Jack burst into tears. She was standing right over the kitchen table, where Mikey had spreadeagled her so many times. She could feel his hands on her shoulders, preparing to slam her face against the table. He was very methodical: Grab the wrists in one hand, hair in the other.
Hair.
"My hair." Jack whispered, as her tears dried.
"What about your hair, honey?"
But Jack had already left the room.
When he comes back, he'll take my wrists and my hair. Can't cut my wrists off.
The scissors on the desk winked at her, and she took them. She smiled. She had outsmarted him so far. Mom woldn't come up to the room until it was too late. Gerard was out drinking somewhere.
She braided her hair. Thick and black and long. But not for much longer.
Taking the scissors, she brandsihed the braid in line with the blades and in two solid, snips, long black hair lay on the bedroom floor, looking like a dead animal.
Jack one, Mikey zero.
Jack giggled.
"You can't get me now!" She said in a high pitched voice, not her own, and then she laughed out loud. She couldn't stop.
The first time I've laughed in years.
"Oh God! Jackie! What did you do?"
Gerard wasn't out. But it didn't matter. Nothing he could do now.
"I beat him. He's gonna come for me, but I'm ready."
"Your hair! Are you insane?"
"No! That's Mikey! And you! You're crazy too!"
She laughed again, long and loud.
"We're all crazy!"
Gerard's eyes were wide, and he looked horrified, and Jack didn't know why. The situation was really quite comical.
He came over and took the remaining strands.
"It's all gone. Did you do this because of him?"
"Clever me. I'm all ready now."
"He's not coming."
Now it wasn't funny anymore. Jack knew he was coming, probably right outside the door right now....
"Yes he is! He's coming and you know it!"
Stop saying he isn't!
"No, he's not! He's locked up somewhere!"
"No! He's! Not!"
Jack was throwing a tantrum now, and normally her hair would be flying in her face, which would be turning red, but now, the strands were dead and immobile.
"You know, Jackie, I thought you would be okay. But you're not."
"Don't say that! I just need protection!"
"From your thoughts? Fat chance!"
"Everything is gonna be okay!"
"Thaqt's what I thought, until you start screaming that your brother, who is locked up in a mental hospital, is coming back! God, they're gonna put you in the same room! You two can be bunk mates!"
Jack burst into tears again, pulling at the strands. Gerard picked up the braid and put it in the trash. Then he bent down and touched her shoulders.
"You need better help, Jackie."
She kept crying.
He's coming and he's close.