7. Jake
“It’s good to have you home, son.”
I glance across the table decorated for the holidays at Hank McKenzie and dip my head. “It’s good to be here, Mr. McKenzie.”
I still marvel at the way he took me in when he’d had every right to turn his back on me that night. This man, this family, changed my life in so many ways and I’ll never be able to repay it. When I’m not at College, my home is here. I have my own room, my own space, and people who love me like I’m one of their own.
“Jake, how many times do we have to tell you, it’s Hank and Vivian.”
I scratch my neck, feeling awkward as I glance at Hunter for some help. He smirks and shoves more turkey into his mouth. “Yeah, sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for, son. Now, tell me about school. How are you finding it?”
“Good, I’m enjoying the legislation and corporate stuff a lot.”
Hank nods, as he eats, his focus on me, showing me that he really cares. His question isn’t just one to fill the time. “You think you might want to go into co rporate law? We can always use another smart mind in the office.”
Honestly, I’m not sure what I want to do, but I’m leaning towards corporate, and working for Hank would be a dream. “That’d be an honor, sir.”
Hunter groans. “Jake, stop with that shit, call them Hank and Vivian, for fuck’s sake.”
“Hunter McKenzie, watch your language at my table.”
I smirk at my best friend as he hangs his head at the reprimand from his mom. Vivian is a sweet woman, but she has a core of steel running through her and everyone I know adores her, but most especially her husband. I watch as Hank lays his hand over hers and links their fingers before bringing them to his lips.
“Tell me more about your classes, Jake?”
My shoulders relax a little as I tell him about my classes and we discuss a few of my professors. Dinner is a relaxed affair considering Vivian and Hank McKenzie are two of the richest people in the United States. You wouldn’t know it, dinner isn’t catered for, or filled with unnecessary talk of work or politics, or pompous guests milling around. It’s fun, food, and family, something I can hardly remember having.
Even before the day that changed my whole life, my family was nothing like this. My mom worked every hour of the day to keep a roof over our heads. My father, or sperm donor should I say, left before I was six. Then tragedy struck six years later and everything fell apart and it was all my fault.
The pecan pie in my mouth turns to dust as I allow the memory to break through the wall I normally keep erected, but I choke it down, knowing that Vivian only made it because it’s my favorite. Reliving those memories always leads me down a dark path. It’s why I never let myself go there, but for some reason this weekend they’ve crept up on me.
Instead, I try and think about the night Hank saved my life.
“Hey, wanna watch the game in the den? ”
I look up to see Hunter watching me with a careful look on his face. He knows me better than anyone and he can see me walking down that path that leads to destruction and guilt. “Sure, sounds good, but let me help your mom clean up first.”
“You boys go catch up. I’ll clean up dinner with Cassie.”
“Gee, Dad, thanks for volunteering me.”
Cassie rolls her eyes as she begins to collect plates from the table. Cas is a few years older than Hunter and I, and she just started working in the family business. She’s cool, but being around her is a reminder of what I lost, so I tend to avoid her when I’m here.
“Can’t a dad find an excuse to spend time with his favorite daughter?”
“I’m your only daughter.”
I watch Hank kiss his daughter on the cheek with so much affection, and it makes me think of my Cherry Blossom. After our discussion about books, she’s put some distance between us. She hasn’t been overtly cold with me, just unavailable and I don’t like it.
I was so close to kissing her that night, to throwing caution to the wind and saying fuck it. I don’t want to be her friend, I want to be her everything. I want to consume her, to kiss every inch of her body, and watch her eyes go dark when she comes with my name on her lips.
What stopped me was the thought that more than any of those, I wanted to lie with her in my arms all night. Sex was one thing but I want to protect this girl. I want to be the person who makes her smile, who lets her cry over her father and be herself in every way, and that shit was scary.
“What the fuck’s going on with you?”
I glance up from the black leather couch I’d flopped down on to see Hunter watching me. This den has become our haven, the place we come to when we want to be left alone and just hang out. Hunter has been my best friend since the day we met. I’d gone looking for a fight, the chip on my shoulder so big it was crushing me. I’d seen his wealth and privilege and decided I hated him, but it was never him I hated, it was myself, and still is to some extent. When Hunter had bumped my shoulder on th e way to our first class, I’d thrown down with him, causing a fight that had left us both bloody.
We’d both been hauled in front of the Principal, me still spitting fury and anger from every pore. I’d been ready to see my scholarship ripped away, to be thrown out of the prestigious school where I’d never belonged. My future lay before me, leading in only two directions, prison or dead and, in that moment, I’d realized I just didn’t care. Life in the system was worse than I ever imagined, but it was the loneliness for me, the sense of having no place to call home and nobody to give a shit if I lived or died.
Then Hunter had done something I hadn’t expected. He’d taken the blame. He said he’d started the fight when we both knew it was me. My mind drifts back to that day; the day my life changed direction.
“Why the fuck did you do that? I don’t need no fucking charity, rich boy.”
“Fuck you, asshole. I didn’t do it for you.”
“Then why?”
“What the fuck do you care?”
“Because I don’t want no help from the likes of you.”
“Get fucked. You don’t know me.”
“I know you hit like a pussy.”
“Yeah, tell that to your broken nose, pretty boy.”
“I’ve had worse.”
“Then maybe you should learn not to be a cocky cunt.”
“So why did you lie?” I didn’t even know why this was bothering me, but it was. I needed to know, so I could figure out my next move.
“Honestly, I just didn’t want to lose sleep tonight thinking of poor orphan Annie losing her scholarship.”
An involuntary laugh burst out of me at that comment. “You’re a real asshole making fun of an orphan.”
“Yeah, well, like I said, you don’t know me.”
He was right, I didn’t know him, but for some reason, I felt a kinship with this boy. He’d fought me hard but he’d also stood up for me when my future was on the line. “Well, thanks. This place is my ticket out of my shit life.”
“Whatever.”
Hunter turned to leave and I moved to head back to the group home that made a mockery of the word ‘home’.
“Hey, you like hockey?”
I shrugged, not wanting him to see any kind of weakness or give the impression I cared too much when the opposite was true. “Sure, it’s okay.”
A lie, I loved hockey, football, soccer, tennis, all sports, really. Not for the sport but from the sense of team camaraderie that jumped off the screen.
“I have tickets for the game this weekend. Wanna go with me?”
I wanted it more than my next breath, but I held my emotions in check, not trusting this feeling or the hand of friendship Hunter McKenzie was offering. He wasn’t just a rich kid, he was the rich kid. Everyone wanted to be his friend, to say they knew him, and yet he kept to himself.
“Sure, why not?”
Hunter shook his head and smirked. “You’re alright, Jake.”
The lesson I learned that day was that you may never know where the lifeline would come from, or if it would, but for me, it had been the friendship he offered.
“Jake, are you even listening to me?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Bullshit, but whatever.”
That was the other thing about Hunter, he let me have my space and never pushed me to open up about my past. Calling Hank the night I’d been arrested had been a stupid move. At that time, I’d only been his son’s punk friend, but even then he’d been kind and shown me respect.
To this day, I don’t know why he was my first call from jail, but it had saved my life. Hank had driven down to the station and had his best attorney represent me. The prosecution wanted to make an example of me, and the k id I’d been with that night had money and power on his side.
I’d taken all the blame for what we did, making the attorney’s job harder, but Hank hadn’t given up. He’d stood by me, offering me a home, a family, and given me back my self-worth and all he’d wanted in return was a promise that I’d work hard to become that man he knew I could be.
I’d made that promise and he kept fighting until I was released into his and Vivian’s care. He’d believed in me when nobody else did, including myself, and I’d spent every waking hour since showing him he’d been right to believe.
“Do you think your dad meant what he said about working for Lungo Tech?”
Hunter propped his legs onto the coffee table and rubbed his abs as he winced in pain. Hunter had broken his femur skiing a black diamond slope. “You know Dad, he never says shit he doesn’t mean.”
I nod, knowing there and then I was going to pursue corporate law and legislation as my specialty. I would be the best damn attorney he’d ever seen and make good on the promise I’d made him.
“You good, Jake? I know you’ve had some shit to handle with me away. This damn leg is a gonna need another operation by the looks of it, so I might be doing online from here for a bit longer.”
“Yeah, it’s all good. You know I hate this time of year.”
“You visit them yet?”
I nodded. “Yeah, went before I came here.” Every year on Thanksgiving I’d visit my mom’s and my baby sister’s graves and lay flowers down. I couldn’t go more often, the crushing weight of losing them was always so fresh after I visited that I had to limit it or I’d lose myself.
“It wasn’t your fault, Jake.”
“Wasn’t it? It was my fault Tiffany got a hold of the matches.”
“You were twelve years old, and you got her out. You saved your entire block from burning down.”
“It doesn’t matter though does it. She still died from the smoke she inhaled. I should ha ve been watching her better. My mom trusted me and I let her down. I killed them both.”
“Again, you were twelve years old and your little sister wasn’t your responsibility. She was your mom’s.”
“Mom had to work.”
“Come on, Jake, you know she wasn’t working. She was out with her boyfriend getting wasted.”
I shake my head, hating that he’s right and hating the resentment I felt towards my mom for what happened. She’d never forgiven me, and was gone six months later from a drug overdose.
“It doesn’t matter, Hunter. They’re gone and it’s done. I just have to make sure I don’t let your family down.”
“You won’t, Jake.”
“How do you know?”
“Because you’re my best friend and I know you.”
“Yeah, I guess you do. I’m gonna be the best damn lawyer your dad ever had.”
“We’re gonna fucking kill it, Jake.”
“Dream team, bro.”
We bump knuckles then settle down to watch the game.
I should have told him about Cherry then, but for some reason, I wanted to keep her all to myself for just a little bit longer. She was mine and I wasn’t ready to share her with anyone, even the people who’d saved me.