Are We Demented Or Am I Disturbed
Regeneration
Jaelyn sat on the couch, popcorn and remote in hand. She switched on the Nightmare Before Christmas.
"Remember the last time we had the house to ourselves?" Jaelyn asked as Joey sat beside her. He laughed.
"We smoked so much weed that night. I swear that shirt still smells like it."
"And then Linz came over, and you practically fucked her." Joey paused.
"I don't remember that."
"neither do I... Linz showed me the video."
"She taped us?"
"No. I guess JimmyJim and Theron came over and taped us through the windows... You should watch it sometime... It's funny as hell..."
"Remind me to tape them when they're wasted."
"You're wasted when they are."
"Remind me to hire someone to tape us when we're wasted." Jaelyn laughed and went back to the movie.
Twenty minutes later, her phone rang.
"Fuck..." Jaelyn mumbled and answered it.
"Jaelyn Way."
"Hey Jaelyn. It's Chris."
"Oh. Hey. What's up?"
"Who is it?" Joey asked.
"My brother." Joey nodded.
"Not much..." Chris said. "Lyz called... told me you were off being a whore..." Jaelyn rolled her eyes and left the room.
"No. I moved in with my ex-boyfriend, and now I'm staying with a friend."
"Who?"
"Tom Morvino and Joey Armstrong."
"Oh... Hey, are you taking care of yourself?"
"Yeah, I"m fine. Joey's taking care of me."
"No, I mean... have you been eating? You tend to go semi-anorexic..."
"Yeah. Yeah, Chris, I'm good."
"What happened with you and Tom?"
"Um... THings didn't work out. Seriously, everything's okay."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"You know, you can come live with me."
"In Boston?"
"Yeah." Jaelyn paused.
"Thanks, but I'm good here."
"I think you should move here."
"No. Seriously, Chris-"
"Obviously everything is not fine, since you've been moving from guy's house to guy's house-"
"I moved here because Tom fucking hit me!"
"So you moved to another guy's house."
"Joey is my best friend. This is the only fucking place I feel safe!" Chris paused.
"Wait... Tom abused you?"
"Yeah. I don't want to talk about it."
"Then you should move to Boston with me! You'll be further away-"
"No. Oakland is fine. I'll be okay, Chris."
"You know, I could sue Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong-"
"Why are you being such a dick?"
"Oh let's think. My baby sister is off fucking around and getting abused-"
"I fucking left him!"
"What?"
"I fucking left Tom." Chris paused again.
"Oh."
"Yeah. Now that you're done being a dick, is there anything else?"
"Um... Reneé left me..."
"Not surprising. Listen, I have to go. I'll talk to you later."
"Okay. I'm sorry, Jaelyn." She sighed.
"It's okay. Bye, Chris."
"Bye." She hung up and went back into the lounge.
"What did he want?" Joey asked as she lay on the couch, resting her legs across his lap.
"He was really being a dick... unlick him... He tried to get me to move back to Boston."
"What?"
"Yeah... I'm not going to, though... I spent too much fucking time there..."
"You lived there?"
"Yeah... A suburb... Six years, after we moved from Australia."
"You're Australian?"
"Technically. My parents are from the States. I'm an American citizen. We left a little after my first birthday."
"So you don't remember it?"
"No. Not really."
"What about your brother?"
"He was born in Connecticut... He moved out a little after we moved to Missouri..."
"Your parents must like moving." Jaelyn smiled bitterly.
"Once they get sick of something, they kick it out of their lives. I guess they were bored..."
"Where have you lived?"
"I've known you two years, and I've never told you all this?"
"Probably, but I forgot."
"Australia, Boston, Manhattan, MIssouri, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Oakland.
"Why did you move here?" She shrugged.
"I blame Dad for that one... He was a huge Green Day fan."
"Oh yeah... He fainted when he met Dad." They both laughed.
"I remember that..." Jaelyn said. "We had to dump ice water on him..." There was a pause.
"Do you miss him?" Joey asked.
"Yeah... I mean... He was always there when Mom was drunk... He actually cared... He wouldn't have let me move in with Tom..." Jaelyn trailed off. Joey gently rubbed her leg, and she smiled gratefully.
"So how long did you live in each place?"
"Australia: a year, Boston: six years, Manhattan: two years, Missouri: two years, Sacramento: nine months, San Francisco: three months, and Oakland: four years. Whenever Dad and Lyz fought and she threatened to leave, Dad would offer to move, and everything would be better for a while... And as soon as we got settled, she'd start again... She'll never be happy..."
There was a knock at the door. Joey frowned.
"Are you expecting someone?" Joey asked.
"Dude, it's your house... Are you?"
"No... I'll get it."
"No, it's okay. I got it." Jaelyn got up and went to the front door. She opened it to reveal Tom, a gun in hand. Her eyes widened.
"Shit," she whispered. SHe tried to shut the door, but he shoved it open.
"Hello, Jaelyn," he said.
"Joey..." she whispered.
"Don't even think about screaming..." he stepped closer.
"You didn't think I'd find you, did you? Well I did. You'll never run away from me. You'll never escape me, and you know it."
"Remember the last time we had the house to ourselves?" Jaelyn asked as Joey sat beside her. He laughed.
"We smoked so much weed that night. I swear that shirt still smells like it."
"And then Linz came over, and you practically fucked her." Joey paused.
"I don't remember that."
"neither do I... Linz showed me the video."
"She taped us?"
"No. I guess JimmyJim and Theron came over and taped us through the windows... You should watch it sometime... It's funny as hell..."
"Remind me to tape them when they're wasted."
"You're wasted when they are."
"Remind me to hire someone to tape us when we're wasted." Jaelyn laughed and went back to the movie.
Twenty minutes later, her phone rang.
"Fuck..." Jaelyn mumbled and answered it.
"Jaelyn Way."
"Hey Jaelyn. It's Chris."
"Oh. Hey. What's up?"
"Who is it?" Joey asked.
"My brother." Joey nodded.
"Not much..." Chris said. "Lyz called... told me you were off being a whore..." Jaelyn rolled her eyes and left the room.
"No. I moved in with my ex-boyfriend, and now I'm staying with a friend."
"Who?"
"Tom Morvino and Joey Armstrong."
"Oh... Hey, are you taking care of yourself?"
"Yeah, I"m fine. Joey's taking care of me."
"No, I mean... have you been eating? You tend to go semi-anorexic..."
"Yeah. Yeah, Chris, I'm good."
"What happened with you and Tom?"
"Um... THings didn't work out. Seriously, everything's okay."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"You know, you can come live with me."
"In Boston?"
"Yeah." Jaelyn paused.
"Thanks, but I'm good here."
"I think you should move here."
"No. Seriously, Chris-"
"Obviously everything is not fine, since you've been moving from guy's house to guy's house-"
"I moved here because Tom fucking hit me!"
"So you moved to another guy's house."
"Joey is my best friend. This is the only fucking place I feel safe!" Chris paused.
"Wait... Tom abused you?"
"Yeah. I don't want to talk about it."
"Then you should move to Boston with me! You'll be further away-"
"No. Oakland is fine. I'll be okay, Chris."
"You know, I could sue Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong-"
"Why are you being such a dick?"
"Oh let's think. My baby sister is off fucking around and getting abused-"
"I fucking left him!"
"What?"
"I fucking left Tom." Chris paused again.
"Oh."
"Yeah. Now that you're done being a dick, is there anything else?"
"Um... Reneé left me..."
"Not surprising. Listen, I have to go. I'll talk to you later."
"Okay. I'm sorry, Jaelyn." She sighed.
"It's okay. Bye, Chris."
"Bye." She hung up and went back into the lounge.
"What did he want?" Joey asked as she lay on the couch, resting her legs across his lap.
"He was really being a dick... unlick him... He tried to get me to move back to Boston."
"What?"
"Yeah... I'm not going to, though... I spent too much fucking time there..."
"You lived there?"
"Yeah... A suburb... Six years, after we moved from Australia."
"You're Australian?"
"Technically. My parents are from the States. I'm an American citizen. We left a little after my first birthday."
"So you don't remember it?"
"No. Not really."
"What about your brother?"
"He was born in Connecticut... He moved out a little after we moved to Missouri..."
"Your parents must like moving." Jaelyn smiled bitterly.
"Once they get sick of something, they kick it out of their lives. I guess they were bored..."
"Where have you lived?"
"I've known you two years, and I've never told you all this?"
"Probably, but I forgot."
"Australia, Boston, Manhattan, MIssouri, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Oakland.
"Why did you move here?" She shrugged.
"I blame Dad for that one... He was a huge Green Day fan."
"Oh yeah... He fainted when he met Dad." They both laughed.
"I remember that..." Jaelyn said. "We had to dump ice water on him..." There was a pause.
"Do you miss him?" Joey asked.
"Yeah... I mean... He was always there when Mom was drunk... He actually cared... He wouldn't have let me move in with Tom..." Jaelyn trailed off. Joey gently rubbed her leg, and she smiled gratefully.
"So how long did you live in each place?"
"Australia: a year, Boston: six years, Manhattan: two years, Missouri: two years, Sacramento: nine months, San Francisco: three months, and Oakland: four years. Whenever Dad and Lyz fought and she threatened to leave, Dad would offer to move, and everything would be better for a while... And as soon as we got settled, she'd start again... She'll never be happy..."
There was a knock at the door. Joey frowned.
"Are you expecting someone?" Joey asked.
"Dude, it's your house... Are you?"
"No... I'll get it."
"No, it's okay. I got it." Jaelyn got up and went to the front door. She opened it to reveal Tom, a gun in hand. Her eyes widened.
"Shit," she whispered. SHe tried to shut the door, but he shoved it open.
"Hello, Jaelyn," he said.
"Joey..." she whispered.
"Don't even think about screaming..." he stepped closer.
"You didn't think I'd find you, did you? Well I did. You'll never run away from me. You'll never escape me, and you know it."