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Chapter Two
Jack Meadows sat yoga-style in the middle of the living room couch, grasping a game controller. He wore a white sweat-stained tank top and red running shorts. His favorite game, Horror House, played across the large screen. Fully emerged, he ran the maze through the haunted house—a machete in his character's firm grip.
Jack recently moved in with his grandmother. His mother disappeared from his life, and he never knew his father. Granny Girty made it clear that she did not want him in her home. She did not approve of his mother's lifestyle and made a point of telling Jack he was illegitimate. His mother was a lady of the night. He didn't always understand that. He thought she worked overnight cleaning offices. As he grew older, he realized his mother was a professional prostitute.
The truth didn't bother him. He didn't love his mother. He didn't love Granny Girty either, but his mother dumped him with her and left. Her new pimp took her to Las Vegas, where a child would weigh her down.
A gray cat came to sit beside him on the couch. Jack roughly pushed the animal away. It squalled, bringing Granny Girty from the kitchen.
"You leave that cat alone," she yelled, a stale cigarette dangling from her plump lips. "The cats live here, you don't."
Jack snarled at his granny and returned to his game. There were twelve cats living in the house. They crawled over everything and stared at him with their sly green eyes. He included them in his hatred of Granny and his mother. When he was little, he used to pin down ants and roaches. It gave him pleasure to watch them die. After a while, he turned to rats and squirrels. He considered the gray cat maliciously.
Granny returned to the kitchen. The scent of sauerkraut wafted into the living room. Jack grimaced. Granny only knew how to cook sauerkraut. He hated it. He wished he could live somewhere else, but where? He had no family other than his worthless mother and granny.
Jack sank against the couch and thought. His mind brought up the cloudy heart picture Maddox Kelley drew. It amused him that Mr. Willard posted it for the class, and it gave him a wonderful idea.
Maddox Kelley crushed on him. She was hardly a pretty girl like Sailor Kent and Bethany Copley. Her hair was reddish-brown, and she had freckles on her nose and cheeks. He noticed her hand-me-down clothes and faded sneakers. Maddox was a girl desperate for attention, and Jack was going to give it to her.
A satisfied smirk crossed his face. Jack folded his arms behind his head and stretched out on the couch. His thoughts about Maddox turned sexual. He saw her on her knees performing oral sex. Reaching out his hand, he pulled on his shorts' waistband. He liked what he saw.
"What are you up to?" Granny's voice squealed. "Knock that off, you dirty boy."
"Exactly what I'm doing, Granny," Jack answered sarcastically.
A wet dishtowel rapped him across the forehead. Granny Girty stood above him, her cigarette ashes falling into his lap. Grabbing him by the shoulder, she forced him up. The dishtowel connected with his rump.
"Don't let me catch you at that again," the older woman grumbled. "Go eat your sauerkraut. That should get your mind thinking straight."
Jack stumbled into the kitchen and plunged onto an old aluminum chair. A steaming pot sat on the Formica table's center. Granny scooped sauerkraut into a chipped bowl. She slammed it in front of Jack.
"Can't you cook anything else?" he complained. Granny grunted. "I'll barf if I have to eat this crap again."
Granny swatted the back of his head with her dishtowel.
"Ouch!" Jack yelled.
"If you're an example, boy, your father was no good," the old woman grouched.
Jack shoveled sauerkraut into his wide mouth. He chewed, then ejected the mess onto his plate. He received another blow with the dishtowel. Jack shoved his chair backward and rose. He stood three inches above his granny. He could have choked her if he wished. His hands twitched at his sides, but he controlled himself. Instead of acting violently, he slumped into his bedroom. He slammed the door and, settling on his bed, continued what he started in the living room. He reminded himself to only do it privately—away from Granny Girty's suspicious eyes.
Maddox, he thought, his lips forming the name silently. He could make the little slut do whatever he wanted. She was ripe for the picking.
Jack was older than the other students. He was fifteen. He failed eighth grade twice but knew they wouldn't fail him again. At the end of the year, the school would push him to a higher grade. Jack looked more mature. In the mishmash of pubescent kids, no one really noticed. Some matured quickly, while others' growth spurt hadn't occurred yet. He could still fit in, but barely. He was willing to play the game as long as he could take advantage of the younger students.
In his opinion, Maddox was only a stupid twelve-year-old child—a little puppy dog willing to sit up and beg. He could tease her and play the on-and-off-again game. He planned to start the next day at her locker. Jack's long lips quivered into a half-smile. He rarely smiled, if ever.
Satisfied, Jack rolled onto his stomach. Yeah, he'd get to Maddox's locker early. He could see her approach with that silly Sailor Kent she always hung out with. Her eyes would grow large and round. She would stop, place her hand on Sailor's arm and stare. Their heads would bend together, and they would giggle. Silly, stupid, girlish little giggles. Maddox would turn away, but Sailor would pull her back. They would walk up to him together.
"If you're staying here, you're doing your share." Granny Girty stood in his doorway, an obscenely misshapen shadow. "There's dishes to do and trash to take out. Get your ass in gear, boy."
"Ain't your slave," Jack growled from beneath the faded green comforter.
"I ain't yours," Granny countered.
Jack glowered at her but moved into the kitchen. He began filling the sink with hot water and dish soap. The dilapidated dishwasher didn't work. Jack thought maybe he could fix it but couldn't bother. Fixing things meant work, and work was a four-letter word that made his skin itch. Still, he hated doing dishes and lugging out the sauerkraut-stinking trash.
The Wheel of Fortune wheel clinking sound came from the living room. Granny Girty sat in her crooked recliner with a bourbon glass clutched in her hand. A cigarette dangled from her fat lips as she called out letters. Jack had to find a way to get out of her house. He could move in with Maddox if he played his cards right. Her living conditions weren’t much better than his. She lived in the creaky old trailer park at the edge of town. It wasn't far from Granny's house and wasn't much better. Still, Granny didn't live in the Kelley trailer.
"Got those dishes done yet, boy?" Granny yelled during the commercial. "Put the trash out, then I have an errand for you."
Jack gathered the trash and put it at the curb. She waved her debit card beneath his nose when he stood beside Granny's chair. He snatched it.
"Go down to the liquor store. Get me a pack of Marlboros and a jigger of brandy."
Jack remained beside her chair. One day, he would get caught buying liquor and cigarettes. Granny had an arrangement with Mr. Helms at the liquor store. Jack could purchase for her if there were no other customers. He often had to hang around until the store emptied. Mr. Helms would hand him the bag through the back door if it weren't.
"Yes, Granny," he answered reluctantly. He headed toward the door.
"And don't help yourself to any candy or snacks," the old woman growled as he opened the screen door. "I oversee my money."
The screen door slammed. Jack walked toward the liquor store but, after a few blocks, took a shortcut to the trailer park. He stood in the narrow, broken street watching. A bedroom light came on, and Maddox appeared. She pulled her sweater over her head and stood naked in the white light. There wasn't much to look at, but Jack looked anyway. He thought her eyes met his for a moment. He scurried away.
Maddox barely had breasts, just little pokes. Jack was never sure what hid beneath the baggy sweaters she always wore. Now he knew—nothing. That didn't bother him too much. She would grow. He wanted her young and pure and innocent. That way, he could manipulate her and make her do what he wanted. He was more knowledgeable than the average middle schooler.
Jack whistled back to the liquor store. Mr. Helms handed him the bag outside the back door, and he went back to Granny Girty's house. Granny snatched the bag, chastised him for taking so long, and took a swig of brandy. She studied his face, looking for chocolate.
"I didn't steal your two bucks for a Snickers," Jack coolly stated. "Not worth it, Scrooge."
Granny glared at him.
"What took you?" she asked instead. "I expected you back ten minutes ago."
"Had to wait. Helmsey gave me the bag out the backdoor." Without waiting for a reply, he slumped into his room.
"Leave yourself alone, boy." Granny had a habit of opening his door without knocking. "Save it for a woman…or a man. I don't know what you're about yet."
"Yeah, I don't know what I'm about yet either. Could go either way." His face remained flat, impassive. He knew he wanted women, not men, but left Granny guessing. It was more fun that way.
"Little beast." Granny slammed the door. Jack grinned maliciously.
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