Mystery Boy

Good Enough.

"It's good to see you again, Jacky," Dad greeted as Jacky and I emerged from the bedroom.

Jacky nodded and offered a smile. His smile grew into a grin when Taite came barreling down the hall and threw himself onto Jacky, trying to climb up on his back. Jacky lifted Taite into his arms when Taite slid off of his back. Taite was consent then as Jacky followed Dad into the kitchen where Ina was starting on dinner.

"Airea, get the extra chair from our bedroom," Dad said as he motioned down the hall.

I rolled my eyes playfully and turned to go, ignoring Jacky's subtle look. "I'll be right back," I said with a laugh as I left him alone.

I pushed the chair up to the table and noted that if we needed another one it'd be because Decklan would be home for dinner. I groaned at the thought, which caused Jacky to look at me with raised eyebrows. A question in his eyes.

"Just my grotesque roommate," I told him, ignoring that look that Dad sent my way.

Dad pulled Taite away from Jacky and set him on the floor. "Go wash your hands," Dad told Taite and I, pointing down the hallway.

I followed after Taite with Jacky's hand in my own. I lifted Taite up so he could reached his hands under the faucet as Jacky squirted soap on the little boy's hands and helped him rub the soap into his skin.

Taite raced off without drying his hands and left Jacky and I to wash our own hands. I grinned mischievously as I flicked water at Jacky. His jaw dropped as he tired to hide his grin. Then he flicked water back at me.

"Hey!" I laughed, jumping back as he continued to splash me.

I cupped my hands under the water and then threw it at him, watching as it drenched the shoulder of his shirt. He glared at me and I back up slowly until the back of my legs hit the bathtub.

Jacky jumped forward and wrapped his arms out my shoulders, pulling me against him as I tried to wrangle free. After a moment I slipped under his arm and took off out of the bathroom and down the hall towards the living room. Jacky was racing behind me as I screamed and laughed. I hopped over the back of the couch squealed as Jacky raced around to my side.

Jacky and I danced around the couch, him trying to get to me and me trying to get away from him. Dad yelled from the kitchen and told us to stop rough-housing but I ignored him as I ran away from the couch and into my room.

Jacky tackled me on my bed and I screamed as he pushed my wrists down by my head, straddling my waist and holding me against the mattress.

"Get off!" I yelled between my laughter, trying to free my wrists as I wriggled.

Jacky chuckled and shook his head at me, no.

I glared and stopped fighting underneath him. We just looked at each other for a moment, his blue eyes meeting mine, then his head dipped down and his lips connected with mine gently.

His hands let go of my wrists and I moved my hands so that my fingers could tangle in the hair on the back of his head.

"Mom! Tom! Airea and Jacky are making out on her bed!"

I growled as Jacky dropped his head to my shoulder, hiding his blush as Decklan entered the bedroom. Jacky rolled off and threw himself down onto my bed with his face pressed into my pillow. I sat up and glared at Decklan as he and one of his friends entered the bedroom. Decklan's friend had long blonde hair and I recognized him as Avery, the same boy who picked him up for school everyday.

He nodded to me as a greeting as I got off of my bed and smacked Decklan in the back of his head as he reached behind his bed to grab something.

"Ouch," he growled as he stood up and rubbed the back of his head.

"Do anything like that again and I'll kill you in your sleep," I sneered at him as Jacky stood up beside me, looking Decklan and Avery over with cautious eyes.

The four of us turned and headed back to the kitchen when Dad called us for dinner. I noted that there was another chair around the round table as we all took our seats.

Decklan ended up sitting across from Jacky and I, and as we ate he looked Jacky over.

"Do you have a problem, Decklan?" I asked as I set my fork down on my plate.

Decklan shook his head, his shaggy brown hair flying around his head. "So," he murmured, looking up to Jacky, "You're a junior, aren't you?"

Jacky looked up to Decklan and nodded his head. "Yes."

Decklan nodded. "But you're younger than me though?"

Jacky shrugged. For a moment I was surprised. I hadn't really thought about Decklan and Jacky being of the same species, let alone Jacky being younger since he seemed so much older than my almost step-brother. I knew that Jacky was 16 and Decklan was 17, but I never thought about the two of them together.

"How'd you know that?" I questioned Decklan, "That he's younger than you, I mean," I clarified.

Decklan shrugged and took another bite of his food. Ina picked up the conversation then. "We've lived down the street from him for a few years."

Jacky nodded and swallowed the food that he had in his mouth. "Since I moved from the UK," he said softly.

Dad smiled at him. "What were you?" Dad asked, "Twelve?"

"Thirteen," Jacky said as he nodded.

The table went quiet after that and we all finished eating. Then Dad sent the boys to their rooms and asked Jacky and I to come talk with him and Ina in the living room, although we ended up staying at the kitchen table.

Dad and Ina sat across from us as Jacky and I sat close together, our hands connected under the table.

"So..." my dad trailed off, pushing his hair out of his face.

"Get on with it, Dad," I said, giving him a pointed look.

Dad chuckled and nodded, sharing a light smile with Ina before turning back to Jacky. "How have you been?" Dad asked, his voice dropping an octave.

Just shrugged and offered a smile. The bruise that was on his face had already faded to a sickening yellow and now was leaving his skin all together, except for a few spots around his eye were his father's fist had made harder contact with his cheek bone and eyebrow bone.

Jacky told my Dad that he was doing alright, and they talked softly, Jacky not at all unwilling to explain what had happened recently. Jacky was quiet, usually, but when he was comfortable around someone he found his voice. Though he was never really loud.

After about an hour of talking about random things with my father, Jacky and I stood up from the table. We were headed towards the bedroom when Dad called out.

"Airea, can I talk to you?"

I stopped short and turned to look over my shoulder. "Yeah," I said, surprised, "I guess."

I let go of Jacky's hand as Ina led him down the hall and away from us so that we could talk. "What's up, Dad?" I questioned, standing in front of him and looking into his eyes.

Dad nodded his head. "I like you two together."

I couldn't help but let a smile grace my lips. "Really?" I asked, grabbing onto his arm like he could try to run away before confirming the words.

"You're good for him," Dad spoke, shocking me slightly.

I chuckled. I never thought Dad would say I was good for him, but instead that he was good for me because I was his daughter. It didn't bother be that Dad was looking out for Jacky, and I didn't think that he was looking out for him instead of me, because he knew I could handle myself when it came to boys, but Jacky was a different kind of person.

I smiled at my dad and nodded my head. "Thanks for saying that, Dad," I said honestly.

Dad reached out and cupped my cheek. He nodded. "You're a good person, Air," he said, "You two are good for each other."

I touched his hand before turning and going to find Jacky.
♠ ♠ ♠
I'm sorry that it's kind of sucky, but I don't really have time to work on it. I have so much work to do. Don't get sick and miss three days of school. ...No matter how much you'd rather be sick than be at school.

It backfired for me.