jaxson v.1

12 2 0
                                        

After Keaton had ran outside and I heard his quick footsteps hurry down the stairs, I went to go find Athena and Juliette. I walked down by their bedroom and found them sitting in front of Jasmyn's crib. They had dolls in their hands, making up some game as they went. I leaned in the doorway and watched them
play around until Juliette noticed me and smiled, followed by a giggle from Athena.

"Jaxson! Come play!" Athena exclaimed.
"I'm a better observer. Homework done?" I asked.
"Yes," they said in union.
I smiled, and they went back to playing. Juliette was seven and Athena was six, but Jasmyn was only about six months. They played for maybe twenty minutes when I heard the door open and slam shut, making both girls look at me for help.

"Okay, okay. Let's go," I said.

Juliette and Athena dropped their dolls as I hurried over and picked up a sleeping Jasmyn and hurried into my room, both girls following. I put Jasmyn in the crib I bought two months ago for her and told Athena and Juliette to sit down next to my bed. I gave them both headphones, but they stared at me with their puppy dog eyes.

"Stay here and don't come out until I say it's okay. No matter what you hear, okay?" I instructed.

They nodded their heads as I slipped the headphones over their heads and hurried out my bedroom, shutting the door behind me. I walked out into the kitchen to see my mother dropping her purse and bags onto the floor, holding a bottle covered inside a brown bag in the other hand. I stood there and waited for her to notice me, even though it took a bit.

"Jason! You scared the hell outta me," she exclaimed.
I didn't even have the energy to correct her. "Where have you been?"
"Out." Was all she said before she began to wobble away, but almost falling. I caught her before she hit the ground, but she just laughed. "Where my kids?"
"Asleep," I lied.
"Psh. It's too early for 'em to be sleepin'," she slurred.
She began walking to my bedroom door, but I got in front of her before she opened it.
"Let them sleep, please," I begged.
She raised an eyebrow and gave a look."You're gonna stop me from seeing my own damn kids? Who the fuck do you think you are?!" She exclaimed.

She tried pushing me away from the door, but I wasn't going to let her past. I knew what she was capable of towards me, I didn't want to imagine what she would be like towards the girls.She raised her hand to hit me but I grabbed her hand before she did, but as I grabbed one hand, she turned and punched me upside the head with her other hand.

I took the first one without fighting back, but she kept hitting and hitting as I pushed her farther and farther away from the door. I pushed her away from the door and back into the kitchen, to which she grabbed a pan off the kitchen counter and whacked me upside the head with it. I grabbed my head in pain and leaned back on the closest wall, to which my mom dropped on the ground and stared at me. After a second, she walked right by me and headed into her bedroom, and slammed the door shut. 

I strutted into the bathroom to see how bad the damage was, and it wasn't as bad as I thought. There was blood dripping from my head from my right side of my forehead, down to my cheek. I cleaned it up with some water and threw some cream on it before smacking a large band-aid on it, hoping that would suffice.

I sighed and went back to my room, shutting the door behind me. I just walked right over to my bed and threw myself down, staring at the ceiling. After a second, I felt pressure sink in the bed, and Juliette and Athena popped their heads up. Athena sat next to my right shoulder and Juliette slightly poked my wound, causing it to hurt. 

"What happen?" Juliette asked.
I sighed. "When mommy comes home talking and walking funny, just get in bed and act like you're sleeping."

I saw the girls give each other looks but not saying anything. Eventually, I felt them lay down on both sides of me, and soon enough, I heard their soft breathing and slight snoring. And eventually, I knocked out with them.

After hours of knocking out for a bit, I fluttered my eyes open to a room of complete darkness. But from outside my room, I could hear voices and music. I carefully pushed myself up, not wanting to wake the girls, and walked to the door and opened it.

 I walked out and tried to see what was happening, and by the time I walked into the living area, I saw my mother sitting at a table with cards in one hand, surrounded by four other men with cards in their hands, and blunts in the other. The table had white lines on it with bottles on the counters, my mom probably didn't know half these men.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked while stepping out, everyone looked at me but said nothing.
"These are my new friends, Jayden! We're just havin' fun," my mom slurred out.
"My name is not Jason, or Jasmine, or Jayden, or Jaylon. It's fucking Jaxson," I hissed out. She just laughed, I looked towards all of her 'friends' and glared. "And you all better get out before I call the cops."
"For what?! Partyin? Don't be sucha downer! Parties are illegal," An older man slurred.
"No, but crack is. Not to mention there's three little girls in the next room- one's seven, one's six, and the other is six months. Pretty god damn sure that's endangering the welfair of a child," I snapped.
"Wow! Someone's been watching come crime shows, haven't ya, son?" A man across from my mom laughed.
I rolled my eyes and went over to the housephone on the counter, holding it in my hand, ready to dial. "My best friend's dad is a police officer, I have his number on speed dial. Either get your shit and go or I call." They all slowly stood up but didn't head for the door. "One, two..." I started.

Before I finished saying 'two' they all hurried and grabbed their things and made it for the door. My mom tried to get them to stay, and while she did that, I grabbed a card from the counter and swept all the left over powder into a magazine and tossed it down the sink, risning the cold water after it. I heard the door slam shut and my mother stood there with the most angriest look on her face.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" She hollared, I watched her face burn a bright red.
"You wanna do dumb shit like that?! Fine. But you're NOT doing it with my little sisters in the house. You may not care about them, but I sure do," I yelled back.
"Fine! Then take your precious little sisters and take them somewhere else for the night! A hotel! An alleyway! I don't care!" She screamed. 
"Don't have to tell me twice," I muttered back.

I hurried into my bedroom and saw Athena sat up on the bed with red eyes from crying and Juliette talking down Jasmyn. I grabbed any toys and stuffed animals and bottles that I had left in my bedroom for them and tossed them in the nearest bag I had on my floor. I zipped it up and tossed it over my shoulder, then threw in some clothes for myself in another bag. I put that bag over my back and walked over to the girls who were trembling.

"Okay. We're going to go somewhere for the night," I cooed in a soft voice.
"Where?" Juliette asked.
"A friends house. It'll be safer then here," I responded.

Nobody said anything after that. I went up and wrapped Jasmyn in her blanket and cradled her in my left arm while I held Athena's hand in my unused hand. Athena held onto Juliette with her other hand, and I pulled them out of the door and out of the apartment. 

My mother screamed things at us as we passed but I didn't pay attention to what she slurred out. By the time we got to the parkinglot, I put Jasmyn in her car seat in the back, put Athena in the middle, and Juliette on the other side. And with that, I tossed my stuff into the passengers seat, took out my phone, and called out the one person I could think of at the time besides Keaton.

After four rings, a raspy voice came on the phone. "Hello?"
"Luci, I need your help. It's an emergency," I said as I started up my car.
There was a rustling. "What happened? Are you alright?" She asked.
I came up with a quick lie. "Someone broke into the apartment complex and raided my house. My mom sent me and the girls out but I don't know where to take them where they'll feel safe. Your house avaliable?"
"Shit, uh... My parents are asleep but they're leaving at like four in the morning to go see my aunt in Jersey. I can sneak you in but you have to be quiet," Lucianna whispered.
"Yeah that's fine. Thanks, Luc, I owe you one big time," I responded, then, Luci hung up.

We drove down some streets and highways in silence, before Athena broke it.

"Why'd you lie?" She asked, her voice cracking.
"Nobody can know about what goes on at home, okay? That's our secret. Don't tell anyone until I say it's safe to," I blurted out.
"When will it be safe?" Juliette asked.
I sighed. "Soon. Hopefully, soon."

the a teamWhere stories live. Discover now