Cracker Jack

I didn't see any of the Mercers for the rest of the weekend. It wasn't until Monday, when I was walking up to the large brick school building, that I caught sight of Jack again.

He was getting out of the front seat of Evelyn's maroon minivan, which was parked in front of the school. Normally, it would have been utterly pointless to get a ride to school. Our neighborhood was close enough that it was less of a hassle to walk than it was to heat up a vehicle. But I knew that Evelyn was doing all that she could to help him out on his first day. Sure enough, she was soon walking by his side toward the main office. I hadn't really thought of her as incredibly short before, but standing next to Jack, she looked kind of comical.

I had left for school a bit early that day, using any excuse possible to get out of my house. I ground out my morning cigarette on the sidewalk and headed inside, deliberately walking in Jack's wake. I had no idea what it was like to be the new kid, since I'd lived in this shitty neighborhood my entire life, but I figured that it couldn't hurt to see a friendly face.

There were a few hushed voices discussing the new kid as soon as I pushed my way into the building. They must have caught sight of him as he'd walked into the office. I only caught snippets of each conversation, but it was enough to push me to the edge of losing my patience.

"... Evelyn Mercer's kid..."

"...Think he's the next Bobby?"

"...What do you think he did?"

"His name is Jack," I spat at one girl in irritation. She turned to me, shocked that I'd spoken up.

"And how do you know?" She challenged, planting her hands on her hips.

"Because I've already met him."

"Looks like you're more like your brother than everyone thought."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

She rolled her eyes. "Isn't that how it goes with you Groves? You get tangled up with the Mercers and wind up in prison, right along with them?"

My eyes narrowed and my nostrils flared. "Fuck off. You don't know anything."

She shot me a smug grin and then walked away, leaving me seething. That was what I hated most about this place. It didn't matter who else had a memorable past, or what the latest scandal was. Everyone still remembered everything about everyone else.

I shoved someone aside a little too roughly, but my mind was elsewhere. I wasn't focused on what I was doing until I ran into something solid. And tall.

"Watch where you're - oh, hey Jack. Sorry," I mumbled apologetically.

Jack looked down at me with amusement in his bright eyes. He had just set foot outside of the office, and already he'd been attacked. Although it wasn't on purpose, and it was by me.

"Hi, Hayley."

"How are you? Is Bobby scaring you straight yet?"

"Not really. I kind of like him."

I nodded. "Yeah, he's actually a nice guy. Just a little messed up, that's all."

Jack looked sort of unsure about something. I caught on.

"Yes, I know, we're all a little messed up. And I don't just mean you Mercer boys. I mean all of us. Don't let these people make you feel like you're the outcast, okay? They like to pretend that they're better than they really are."

"Something tells me that I should stick by you. You seem to know everything that goes on around here."

I nodded. "You're a smart kid. It's a shame that everyone here has already judged you."

"They... they have?"

"Don't worry about it, Jack. They talk about everyone. Especially someone that captures their attention. And believe me, Evelyn Mercer's latest son in big news."

"I don't get it. I've never been anywhere where a foster home attracts this much attention."

I smiled at him. "That's because it's not a foster home. She'll adopt you as soon as she's able to."

"And what if I don't want to be adopted? I'm only interested in serving my sentence here, turning eighteen, and getting the fuck out. I take care of myself anyways, why should I have to let some old woman put on airs about saving me?"

I started walking again, Jack falling into step beside me. "This is really intriguing for me. I've never been around any of your brothers when they first came here. I only got to know them after they'd been around awhile. I've never heard anyone talk about Evelyn that way. It's going to be fun to see how this turns out for you."

He fell silent. Maybe I'd hit a nerve. This kid really didn't seem to want a family. The pang of pity flared up in my chest again. Everyone wanted a family, even me. Maybe not the one that I'd been stuck with, but I still wanted one. I didn't feel like I belonged anywhere. Wasn't family supposed to be where you would always belong? Didn't Jack feel that desire?

"Have you met anyone else yet?" I asked, trying to change subjects to something that he was more willing to discuss.

He shook his head. "Just you, Bobby, and Jerry. That's really it."

"Until you get the chance to meet Angel, that's really all you need."

"You think? You're not going to introduce me to all of your friends? Who do you hang out with?"

I winced inwardly. "I guess I hang out with you."

He seemed to understand. "That's all you really need," he echoed my words.

Even though we'd struck up an amicable friendship, I knew that we both had a lot to learn about one another. I still didn't believe that Jack was as big of a delinquent as his brothers, so I couldn't quite grasp how he'd been hopeless enough to get Evelyn's attention. In fact, the more I spoke to Jack, the more confused I became.

"So how are things now that Bobby's back?" I questioned.

"A little strange. Evelyn is really happy that he's home, but he doesn't seem to be. He just seems to be waiting for something before he goes again."

"And have you gotten to know Jerry yet?"

"A bit. His girlfriend seems to really hate Bobby, though, so they're not around much now that he's back. Bobby just keeps muttering something about Jerry not being fun anymore. He says Jerry's whipped."

I stopped walking when we reached my locker. "Do you know where your locker is? Or do you need some help?"

He glanced down at a slip of paper in his left hand. "Um," he looked up at the locker numbers in front of him. "I think I should be able to find it."

"Do you need help finding your homeroom? What's your first class? Maybe we'll wind up together."

He handed me his timetable, and I scanned it quickly. I smiled up at him as I handed it back.

"We have homeroom together, but not much else."

He nodded slowly. "That kind of sucks."

"You'll be fine, Jack. Nobody will give you any trouble. They're all scared of you."

"Why would they be scared of me?"

I laughed loudly as I pulled out some books from my locker. "Not only are you a Mercer, you're a new Mercer. Evelyn hasn't had time to whip you into shape. Around here, that's a reason to be afraid."

"I have a lot to learn, don't I?"

"You'll pick it up as you go." I slammed my locker shut and followed Jack so that he could put his things away in his own locker.

"I'm really not used to anyone taking an interest in me, Hayley. This whole thing is kind of backwards."

I waited patiently while he shoved his bag and his jacket into the small locker. "If it matters, I'm not used to taking an interest in anyone. I'm used to being kind of alienated, to be honest."

"You? But why? You're obviously not new here, since Bobby knew your brother."

"It's a long story. I guess sometimes people are scared of me, too. Which is really stupid, when you think about it. Look at the kind of people that go to this school. So many of them have parents that are either dead or in jail, yet they run from other kids with similar stories. I don't get it. People are freaks."

A lopsided smirk landed on Jack's mouth. "I think that might be putting it nicely, to tell you the truth."

"You're alright, you know that?" I smiled as we walked toward our first class.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "You seem to be the only one here that thinks so." As if to confirm his statement, we passed a group of whispering teens who were throwing hostile glances our way.

"I'm the only one around here that knows a lot of things. You'll figure that out soon enough."

Jack nodded. "I think I'm already starting to see that."

I led him inside a classroom and took my usual seat. Jack slid into the empty desk next to me. He was quiet again. He seemed to let the conversation lapse as soon as anyone else was around. It wasn't irritating, just interesting.

I leaned toward him. "Want to grab a quick smoke between classes?"

He looked at me like I'd just given him an early birthday present. "Yes. I didn't get the chance to have one yet today. Evelyn doesn't seem to approve."

"I go for one between every class. Feel free to come anytime."

"I'll be there."

"Good. It'll be nice to have some company for once."