Of Rage And Love

Ronnie pulled the car onto Jimmy's drive and parked, the two boys quickly climbing out.

"See you in a few, J." Ronnie threw the keys over the car to Jimmy, whose hand shot out to catch them.

"This shouldn't take me too long." He replied after he'd caught them. Ronnie nodded in return and strode away from the house. Jimmy twirled the keys in his fingers as he walked onto the porch, opening the door with his free hand.

"Jimmy." A gruff, irritated-sounding voice called out as soon as he set foot in the hallway.

Jimmy's heart sank and a feeling of dread began to knot and settle in his stomach, crawling up through his chest until he felt like his throat was about to close up. He had thought - hoped, prayed - that he'd get away from Jingletown - far away - before Brad got home.

"Yeah, it's me." He half-sighed, managing to find his voice.

"I've been wanting a word with you." Brad had walked through to the hallway by this point, fixing his step-son with a look.

"I gathered." Jimmy had recovered himself now, and matched his step-father's look.

"Your mother is very upset with you."

"Oh, is she?" Jimmy snorted. Sarcasm was becoming his first defence, it seemed. "That's great. That's really great. Is that why you're on my case today?"

"I'm on your case today because, as per usual, you're proving yourself to be an ungrateful little prick who thinks he's better than everyone else in this town."

"Not everyone." Jimmy allowed a smirk to twist his mouth. "Just the redneck fuckers like you who outnumber the rest of us."

"You're never gonna get any higher up the motherfuckin' food chain, Jimmy. You were born in this shithole and you're gonna wither and die here too." Brad near enough spat at him. "And hopefully someone with sense'll come along an' piss on your grave when you're six feet under."

"Oh yeah? You fucking wait, Brad. I'm getting out of this town tonight, you're the one who's gonna wither and die here and I'm gonna come back just so I can have the fucking pleasure of bein' the one to piss on your grave." Before Brad could respond, Jimmy had moved upstairs and slammed his bedroom door.

Half an hour passed, and Jimmy was throwing clothes into his bag when his mother came and stood in the doorway, a cigarette in her hand. Jimmy's eyes flicked up to look at her and just as quickly fell back to his bag. They didn't say anything, and when he looked up again she had left.

Jimmy almost fell down the stairs, such was his eagerness to get out of the house. His bag was slung over one arm and he dug in his pocket with his free hand to get the car keys. He threw the front door open and flung the bag into the back seat as he got in. He had just put the key in the ignition when his mother came out of the house at considerable speed, banging on the hood as she came to a halt.

Jimmy got out of the car to stand in front of her. She put her hands to his face and then slipped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug.

"I love you." She murmured into the side of his neck.

He reached up to take hold of her wrists, gently removing her arms from around him. As she relented and let her arms fall back to her sides he stroked his thumbs along the backs of her hands and squeezed her wrists just before he let her go.

"I know."

She stayed standing there long after the car was out of sight.