Wherever You Are

Nineteen: Bloody Knuckles for Christmas

---

"Can we have the neighbors over for Christmas dinner?" I asked my mother, as I looked out the window at the empty corn fields covered in puffs of snow. Jack had told me that he and his father never celebrated Christmas due to how expensive it was. Jack said they needed every penny they earned for the winter due to not making a profit then with not being able to grow crops. Hence, they couldn't buy anything except the necessities.

"Who do you mean Charlotte? There are many more houses like ours being built nearby but no one lives in them yet," my mom replied, as she was seated in the living room watching one of her reality shows.

"Jack and Mr. Nethers on the farm on the other side of that corn field, that's who I mean. They don't have enough money to eat a Christmas dinner, so I thought they could come here," I replied with a smile, watching as she turned to me and started laughing.

"Hun, they're not welcome in our home. I thought that was obvious!" she laughed, facing the television again and continuing to watch her show. Bewildered, I didn't know if she was being sarcastic or not, for how could someone be so mean?

"Mother, they're the same as us and they deserve to be treated nicely. I think it would be very thoughtful to invite them, I mean we surely have enough food," I told her again, standing in front of her screen and making her bagged eyes fall to mine.

"Charlotte, they are poor. Do you know what kind of reputation that gives us if we are inviting poor dwellers into our home?" she asked me, making me shake my head as I didn't understand. "It makes us look poor as well and we are most definitely not poor! In fact, once all these other houses around us are completely built, we will be the richest house on the block. I can just tell!" she ended with excitement. "Now get out of the way, I have missed enough of this show already!" she spat, herding me out of the living room like a cow who strayed from its pen...

"Charlotte! What a nice surprise to see you again!" Jane's voice screeched, throwing me from my memory. Coming down the stairs with Jack, I saw Jane taking off her coat to hang on the rack nearby. Her face was even more distorted than before, as lipstick as red as blood coated her lips and blue eye shadow was coated in places I'm not sure if she meant to have it or not.

I looked to Jack, talking in silence as he knew I was asking about why she wasn't bringing up what she was before. When we watched her talking from the window in Jack's apartment she seemed to want me arrested as soon as she saw me, but now it's like she completely forgot. It's almost like she replaced me in some way, which maybe was her plan all along...

"Oh Jane, hello," I said, as we hit the last step and landed on the floor with her. Smiling, her pearl white teeth were shown, which sparkled just as much as her sequined knee length, white dress did.

"Glad you could make it for the holiday," she said cheerfully, calling over Luke who came to her side within the instant. "Lukey Boo can you get me some wine?" she asked him, making him nod and do as told like some sort of dog. Lukey Boo? I thought, trying not to laugh over the terrible nickname she had for him. 

"Luke is always so helpful. When you disappeared the whole family was devastated, so I knew I had to step in. That's why I'm here, I gave them all the love I would have to my own family, and they accepted me into yours!" Jane smiled again, making me look to Jack in confusion. I didn't really get what she was trying to get at. "Hence, you completely abandoning this wonderful family for some stranger was actually a win for me, so thank you!" she added at the end, making me tense up.

"Excuse me?" I asked angrily, stepping closer to her and about to curse her out for everything and anything that I could possibly think of. Before I could do so, however, Jack pulled me back into his arms which I knew meant to stop.

"Your little boyfriend here has better manners than you, and he's poor," she said with a snide smile, laughing as she took a step back. "Your mother told me that he used to live in that abandoned old farmhouse down the road? And that you used to beg and plead for her to have him over for Christmas dinner because he couldn't afford a real meal with no profit coming in. It's hilarious how you ran away for such a poor, weak man who could give you nothing like Luke and this family could," she ended, making the anger in me burst completely, as I pushed Jack out of the way and swung at Jane with all my might. 

Over and over again I hit her, my hair flinging around like some mad woman as I punched her as many times as my already bloody knuckles could count. I felt no pain, however, yet let it all out as her screams echoed throughout the house.

"Charlotte, stop!" I heard Jack yell, pulling me off of Jane. "We have to go, we can't stay now," he said, looking to my bloodied hands and grabbing my coat from the nearby rack we placed them earlier.

"Oh my goodness, Jane!" I heard my mom screech out, making me look down to her and see her completely torn apart on the floor. I felt guilty in a sense for hurting someone, but I most definitely was glad I did. Not that violence solved any problems, but she messed with my Jack and that's definitely cause for punishment. "Charlotte, what did you do?" I then heard Luke shout out, making Jack grab his jacket as well and pull it on.

"I'm sorry, I have to go," I said, making my mom, Luke, and soon my dad from the other room turn their heads to me. "I love you because I have to, but this is not my home," I said once more, before opening the front door fast and leaving with Jack...