Girl Jacked (3 page)

Still, it was a missing person’s case involving the college. He must have given it a solid going over.

“If Joe–” Jack began.

“I knew it. I just knew it. You don’t care!” She pushed him again. “You don’t give a flying—“

“Shut up! Just shut up for a minute.” Now it was Jack’s turn to be irate. He towered over her when he stood at his full 6’1”. He put his face right down in hers. He wanted to intimidate her. “Now you listen.”

Normally women didn’t tick him off even when they were screeching at him, but this one did.

Jack couldn’t believe it when she stuck her head forward, closer to his. Her lips were quivering, not out of fear but fury. They stared at one another, nose to nose, like two prizefighters waiting for the bell.

He closed his eyes for a second, but he could still feel her glaring at him.

“I need to think. It’s two in the morning, the college is closed, and I just got home. I’m taking a shower.” He turned and walked to the bedroom. “We’ll talk when I’m out.”

Jack forced himself not to slam the door.

He stood under the shower lost in the water. The giant hot water tank was the best thing about the apartment, and it was included in the rent. After it started to run ice cold, he shut the water off and got out. Steam filled the small bathroom. The hot water had created a mini sauna. Jack loved to take long showers and then linger in the mist.

‘You suck!’ Gina and Replacement's words rang in his ears. Twice in short order two girls had screamed that at him.

Problem is they were right. What am I doing?

He vainly stared into the fogged mirror, but nothing stared back. Maybe that was his reflection. Misty. Shifting. Empty.

Jack ran his fingers through his hair and grabbed a pair of shorts and a shirt from the hamper. He hated putting on dirty clothes, but he’d worn them around the house just yesterday and it beat going around in a towel with a girl in the living room.

What about Michelle? Gone? She wasn’t the type to run off. I know she would never leave Aunt Haddie, but… maybe she just went out to California to check it out? She could have a boyfriend and took some time between classes. She had to be twenty-four now.

What if something had happened…

He hated pain and misery. He already had a lifetime of it and way more than his fair share. Thinking that someone else, especially Michelle, might be in danger right now tore him up inside.

Think about something else… anything else.

Mrs. Stevens was pissed. She threatened to have me evicted, not good. I will have to get an “I’m sorry” card, a box of chocolates, and a chocolate cake this time.

It had been a couple of months since his last appeasement present. Jack found food worked best. The time Gina threw the phone through the window it cost him $100 for the window, $30 for the phone and two all-you-can-eat buffet gift cards.

For a naked chick in the hallway, I had better get her a gigantic cake.

What about Gina? She’ll show up tomorrow and get all her stuff. After that… gone. Too many fights.
He hung his head.

Our relationship sucked anyway. We had nothing in common. And it wasn’t as if I hadn’t tried, but it’s a little hard to make a relationship work if the other person is in love with herself.

Why don’t I just kick her out and send her packing? I never can, not with her, not with any of them. They all leave, but I never do.

He stood lingering at the bedroom door not wanting to go back into the living room. He didn’t want to fight anymore.

Jack exhaled and then opened the bedroom door. Replacement rushed forward. She must have been pacing as she waited for him. The second he stepped out, she was right back in his face. The 40 minutes he spent in the shower didn’t seem to have calmed her down at all. If anything, it had the opposite effect. Her whole body was vibrating with anger.

“I have to let Aunt Haddie know. Are you going to help or not?” She planted her foot and stuck her finger right in his face.

He hesitated.

She took that as a sign. “I told her you didn’t care. If you did care about us, you would have come back already. I told her you didn’t give a rat’s ass about her!” She moved forward until he could feel her breath on his face. “I saw the letters with those worthless excuses that after Iraq you had to go straight on to college. You couldn’t come for a visit? Not one holiday or summer? Yeah, right! You’ve probably never even came and paid your respects at his grave. And then to find out that you moved an hour away months ago, and you still haven’t visited or even called! That is low. Really low.” She stood with her feet apart and her hands balled into fists at her sides.

 Jack would never hit a woman, but he found himself struggling to avoid making an exception. He was trying to control his right hand as it twitched at his side, but he couldn’t control the snarl.

 
“Kid, I’m going to help you look for Michelle, but if you say another word about Aunt Haddie or Chandler…”

The front door swung open, and Gina sashayed in. She looked up and then dropped her bags and her drink from the local 24-hour convenience store. Soda went flying as her eyes moved from face to face.

“She's still here!?!”

Jack cocked an eyebrow.

Gina’s disdain turned to outrage. “You… You…” she stammered at Replacement. Gina took three long strides and glared at her.

Jack sighed.
Yeah, this is gonna be good.

“You little slut! That’s my dress!” Gina’s bright red fingernail shook with anger as she jabbed Replacement in the midriff.

Jack took another look at the outfit Replacement wore. He leaned back and realized that the green and white dress did look familiar. Gina raised her hand back, poised to slap, but Replacement swung fast and hard. Jack scooped Replacement aside just in time as the punch swished by Gina’s face. Even though the blow didn’t connect, Gina squealed and grabbed her cheek as if it had. Jack knew that just the thought of something happening to her face was enough to terrify Gina. She shrieked again and staggered backwards, her eyes filled with anger and fear.

Jack shook his head. Gina was a drama queen. He had almost called 911 one day before he realized she had only broken a nail.

If something actually had happened to her face, she would have needed CPR.

“That’s it! Over!” Gina declared. “I mean it. I knew it when I gave you a ride home from that crappy bar.” Her mouth twisted into a snarl. “You are pathetic. Oh, poor baby. You are so sad. Poor Jack! He has mommy issues. I tried to help you, but you…”

Jack had enough. He probably deserved it, but he was tired of listening to her, especially now that she was trying to hit below the belt.

She had called him every name in the book before, but he still couldn’t stand when love or lust turned to hate and disgust. Gina had just turned that corner. She now looked at him with loathing. He could see that she wanted to slice him to ribbons with her words, but he wasn’t the type to just sit there and take it.

Wrapped up in his arms, Replacement strained like a dog on a leash. It was clear that she wanted another chance to pound Gina.

“You want at her girl?” Jack looked down at her. She gave one quick, fierce nod. “Go get her then.” He released Replacement from his arms.

Gina shrieked and ran for the door. Her salvation came from Replacement slipping in the spilled soda. She caught herself by grabbing the doorframe as Gina fled down the hallway.

How Gina can run so fast even in 4” high heels is impressive.

“Bitch!” Replacement shouted at the top of her lungs as she prepared to continue the chase after her fleeing prey.

Jack dashed over, yanked her back into the apartment, and shut the door.

For a little thing, she sure is loud.

“What is wrong with you? Quiet down!” He grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around to look at her. “It’s nearly three in the morning! My landlady is going to take my head off. First, you sneak into my apartment…”

“I didn’t sneak!” Replacement snapped as she tried to adjust her dress.

“Gina let you in?” Jack’s BS detector was a finely tuned machine.

“No… But…”

“But what? Why would you sneak into my apartment and take a shower?” Jack looked at her with one eyebrow raised.

“The apartment was open! It wasn’t locked, and I was waiting for hours in your stupid stairwell. On the way, I got caught in that downpour, and I got soaked. I sat out there freezing. I didn’t think you’d mind,” she huffed, and her eyes fluttered.

“Mind! I don’t even remember you.”

“Well thanks a lot you friggin’ jerk.” She shoved him again.

He had hurt her and felt sorry for a second, but then he made a quick mental list:
Gina’s ticked and took off, my landlady blew a fat gasket, and a minute ago, this kid was naked and screaming in my face.

Still, Jack tried to back pedal; “What I meant is that you changed so much and… you were young and…”

“Whatever!” She held up her hand.

Jack waited for more, but she just stood there staring at him.
Damn
. He looked down at the floor and noticed the spilled soda and bags of food.

“Hungry?” He picked up the bags and took out a loaf of bread and some sliced chicken.

Now it was her turn to stare.

He shrugged, but still made sandwiches for both of them. Then he went and sat on the old green couch.

He looked over.
I should clean up the soda before it turns into a goo-stain. Why didn’t Gina ever get bottles? She always got the paper cups.
Jack smiled.
She likes straws.

“You’re not going after her?” He barely understood Replacement as she chomped a massive bite from her sandwich.

“She’ll go to her ‘friend’s’ house.”
Whoever the hell that is.
“I got a hunch that we’re done.”

“Great.” Replacement shrugged and moved to sit next him. He didn’t argue he just took another bite of his sandwich. “She really flipped out when she came home and found me in the shower. I tried to explain, but she went a little wacko.”

“That explains it,” Jack muttered.

He watched her from the corner of his eye. She looked and acted young for her age, but she still had the same impish grin. It had been so long since he’d last seen her and he thought of how many things had changed since then.

They ate in silence and then sat staring at the wall for a few minutes. It was unusual in that it wasn’t awkward.

Jack got up and suppressed a groan. His back was a little sore from flipping the lumberjack. He threw the paper plates into the trash, looked at the clock: 2:57 am, and then out the window.

It’s snowing.

“You got a ride home or do you want to crash here?” He yawned and stretched.

Replacement lit up as if she had hit the lottery. “The couch is fine!” She bounced up and down with her hands spread out.

“We’ll go out to the college in the morning,” Jack called over his shoulder as he walked into his bedroom and shut the door.

Jack lay in bed for almost an hour, unable to sleep. Worse still, he couldn’t stop thinking about Michelle.

If she isn’t in California, this is not going to be good. The police would have checked the hospitals and morgue...

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply as he tried to force those thoughts from his head.

Think about something else. Think about something good about her.

It wasn’t hard for Jack to remember. He thought about that memory often.

Michelle had been twelve. While other kids were playing and having fun during summer break, she was babysitting, wiping up snot, and changing diapers. As each week passed, Chandler and Jack turned guessing about what she was going to spend the money on into a game. They went from guessing a doll to a dollhouse to finally thinking that she had enough money to buy a pony.

“I’m saving it for something big!” she said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted.”

Nearing the end of the summer, Jack came for a visit and sleep over. When he arrived, the house was dark except for a few candles lit here and there. Chandler pulled Jack outside and told him why.

“Aunt Haddie’s work cut back on her hours this summer. Now she doesn’t have enough money for rent and they shut the electricity off.”

While they were outside talking, they saw Michelle with a flashlight rummaging around Aunt Haddie’s closet in the bedroom.

The next morning Michelle started searching under the couch cushions. She said that everyone should try to look for some spare change anywhere they could. She
suggested
Aunt Haddie check through her old pocketbooks in the closet.

Aunt Haddie returned a few minutes later beaming with a large wad of cash in her hand.

Jack had never forgotten the look on the old woman’s face as she leapt around the kitchen holding up that money. All four of them joined in dancing in a circle with Aunt Haddie calling out; “Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Jesus!”

If you asked Michelle about it today, she’d still tell you an angel put it there.

He tried to concentrate and make a to-do list in his mind, but he lay there feeling trapped at the gates of sleep. With a groan, he pulled the covers back, grabbed his sweatpants, and headed to the kitchen for some water.

He found it spotless. Replacement had cleaned up the spilled soda, and she had given the whole place a quick tidying.

Replacement lay curled up on the couch asleep. She clutched the thin blanket from the back of the sofa tightly around herself.

She looks like a nice kid when she’s sleeping. What did Aunt Haddie call her?

He still couldn’t remember her name. He’d have to find out tomorrow.

He looked back at the clean kitchen and smiled.

The kid is like having one of those little elves around that do the work for you.

He turned and went into the bedroom, returning with the comforter from his own bed.