La Crêperie

JACKSON | APRIL 18TH-19TH, 2010

Jackson always found love to be a stupid concept. However, Paris was full of it.

Jackson lifts his brown and bulky backpack over his shoulders and follows his father through the flood of people in the airport. Eyes down on his white Nike shoes, he nearly bumps into a round hole near the automatic doors. Jackson gave his little brother Andy a little shove, as the young boy's small hands reached for Jackson's.

Jackson could already see smiles on people's faces all over the airport as he guided his brother through the crowd. Too many people embracing one another - and when Jackson exited the airport building, it was even more rosey. A boy was holding a cardboard sign with "I MISSED YOU" in black bubble letters. A bare rose was taped to it, and the girl in front of him had her hands covering her smile. Jackson couldn't understand why anyone would be so passionate about someone else; how someone could devote themselves to another being. And how could they be happy about it?

Andy decided to use his innocence to read Jackson's mind. "You don't like that," his voice squeaked.

Jackson's face crinkles up as he turns down to see his brother looking up at him. Holding his anger, he replied, "No one does Andy, it's okay."

It was around 9 PM, and nearly every street was well-lit with golden lights and tons of chatter could be audible like it was daytime.

Jackson could tell that his father wasn't liking the change either. He called for the taxi while standing in front of Jackson and Andy, and he instructed Jackson to put their bags in the car trunk.

A black taxi rolled over, and Jackson picked up two suitcases and propped them into the trunk, while Andy opened the heavy black doors, and crawled inside the dark leather seats as if he was disappearing into a tunnel.

Jackson closed the trunk after all suitcases were situated, and he and his father sat inside the backseat next to Andy and sunk into the comfortable leather.

"Paris is nothing like Colorado," Jackson's father started, "it's rather quite lusty at this time."

Jackson watched the city lights from the window, seeing his reflection in it as well.

"Jackson, Andy, I know this is an awkward change-"

"An awkward change, Dad? Colorado was awful, but here is way too..."

"Rosey, I know. I didn't want to come here. It's your mother who said this would be good for you."

Andy looked down at his blue sneakers and didn't say anything. Father stroked through Andy's fluffy auburn hair while Jackson kept staring out the window into the sleepless night.

Jackson didn't like that statement too much, but he was glad that he was nowhere near Colorado anymore. "Why are you still talking about mom?"

"Jackson, don't make a scene. It's not like your mother is now dead. And this is better for you as well. Weren't those kids picking on you, just because you were special?"

Jackson looked up and saw the taxi driver avert his eyes from them. Andy leaned against Jackson's torso.

"Since when did you want to talk about Mom, Dad?" Jackson wanted to avoid this topic completely, his arm going around Andy's shoulder.

At this point, Jackson stopped listening to him give a speech about Mom and watched the night sky. He didn't want to discuss with his father about the divorce; he didn't expect that his dad would want to, either. He didn't want to discuss the bullying, either. At least not in front of Andy.

These specific three kids in his old school had started bullying him since the sixth grade - Kendall, Daniel, and Felix - Jackson always had at least two of them in each of his classes. And in his last period, science, he had all three of them. They would constantly steal his sketchbook and look at all of his drawings and insights.