Carnations for Emily

Chapter 3: Jack of all trades.

After talking with Cole well into the night about his childhood friend Emily, Jack threw on his black blazer and started to head towards the coffee shops exit.

Before he got out the door Cole reached out to him.
"Hey kid, er... Jack, feel free to keep coming back here anytime.
Your story is pretty interesting so far.
I wouldn't mind hearing more.
You actually look visibly calmer than before too."
"Yeah, I think I will.
Sounds nice." Jack said.
"Uh, while you can come in when ever, I'd take it you'd want to wait till all the other customers have gone home before you want to talk.
Am I right?" Cole asked.
Jack gave a weak smile.
"You're right to assume as such.
I don't think any New York citizens would want to hear a story about a young love sick fool."
Cole chuckled a little at that.
"Alright, be careful going home then kid and have a good night."
Jack nodded to him and stepped out into the darkness of the city.

Alone again, wandering the cold streets and making his way home, Jack began to think.
"It's not safe for me to think.
Then again, I guess it's not really safe for me to be alone either, huh?"
Jack mumbled to himself.
"No, but when are you ever truly alone?"
The familiar voice to him sent a chill down Jacks spine.
"After all, I'm here.
I'm always here, ever since you and I met."
The voice rang softly and calmly in his mind.
Jack grew aggravated and scoffed.
"You're the reason I'm here.
The reason why WE'RE here."
The voice continued to talk.
"Ha! If it wasn't for me you wouldn't have lived your life the way you have so far. Ya know?"
Growing frustrated, Jack had made it back to his apartment complex and into his own humble abode.

Swinging the door open, a cold dark, one bedroom apartment was all there was to see.
Breathing a sorrowful sigh, Jack stepped inside and turned on the lights.
Making his way over to the heater in the small living room, he turned it on and suddenly the warmth made the place feel more homely.
"You can't ignore me Jackie."
The voice continued on.
Jack didn't want to hear it.
His depression was getting the better of him tonight and the voice, the trickster he had created.
His alter ego.
The Jack of All Trades.
Joker.
Wasn't willing to leave him be.
"Can't you just leave me alone tonight?" Jack pleaded.
"I don't know why you continue to fight me." Joker exclaimed.
"For a good five years you let me take control.
I even got you here to the city.
But one false move, a few broken bodies and suddenly that bitch of a therapist convinced you to come back out and take control again."
Joker complained.
Jack tried to ignore him.
"I'm bored Jackie, you don't let me out anymore." Joker, with the same looks as Jack but Crimson red hair, ghost white skin, tattered clothes and blood red eyes, had appeared and sat down next to Jack.
"Hmph." Jack was trying not to listen or give him attention by turning on the tv in hopes of drowning out Joker.
Try as he might though, you can't run from what's inside your head...
And Jack knew that.
"You know Jackie, you may have control now, but its only a matter of time til you slip.
You'll need me.
You always do."
As soon as Jack started to say "Go away" Joker had faded away into the shadows of Jacks house.
Leaving Jack alone once more.
"I feel like I'm losing my mind..." Jack whispered to himself.
"I want to go back home...
I want to see Emily again.
But...
I can't.
Not while Joker is still inside..."
Jack placed a hand over the center of his being feeling his heart beat away softly, quietly.

After a few more hours of the tv spouting nonsense Jack grabbed his phone from the table in front of him and checked the time.
"3:00 am.
I guess I oughta go to bed."
Then Jack dragged himself off the couch and to his bedroom.

He laid in bed that night tossing and turning.
Joker taunting him.
The two personas in another Tug-o-War fight for control in Jacks nightmares...

Jack didn't get much sleep...

The next morning Jack awoke to what his slumbering mind thought was Emily singing. Til he quickly realized it was just his phone playing "Little Lion Man" covered by Tonight Alive.

"Bummer." He mumbled.
Jack leaned up, took a few moments to rub the sleep from his tired eyes and eventually got out of bed.

Zombie shuffling his way over to the closet, Jack picked out his clothes for the day, threw on his blazer, grabbed his guitar case from behind the bedroom door and entered the kitchen.
Leaning the case next to the counter, Jack made some breakfast.
He made toast.
...But burnt the eggs.
He never got the hang of them.
When he was younger his mom taught him how but he just wasn't a great cook like she was.
"Whatever." Jack thought.
"So Jackie, what's the plan for today?" Joker had appeared sitting on the counter.
Jack had hoped for a peaceful morning to himself.
His therapist told him to avoid Joker, ignore him.
That eventually Joker should disappear entirely from Jacks mind...

To Jack, every time he sees, hears or speaks to Joker he feels like a little piece of his sanity breaks and the longer he's forced to deal with Joker the less sane he feels.
Jack fears that eventually his sanity will break and that when it does Joker will take control once again...

"Same as always.
Hitting the streets and trying to earn some money for our talent."
Jack then panicked when he said "our".
"I-I mean my. My talent."
He corrected.
"Aw Jackie, I'm telling ya we should just go gamble.
You know I have a crazy amount of luck."
Joker wasn't wrong.
For some strange reason while he was created from Jacks conscious durning a dangerous situation, Joker has always had an insane string of luck.
Going so far as to miraculously dodge a bullet once or twice somehow.

Jack replied in a tired tone.
"Go away Joker, I don't want to talk right now."
"Whatever Jackie." Then Joker disappeared back into Jacks mind.

Finishing his food then washing his plate, Jack picked back up his guitar case then left the apartment.
Once again wandering the streets but in the day this time, Jack was looking for a place to set up for the day and play his heart out for the people of New York.
He decided to head to Central Park today.
Walking around the park Jack found a nice place to sit down by a tree.
He sat his case down and opened it up.
Inside laid a chair small enough to fit inside but sturdy enough for Jack to sit.
Along with a guitar he bought back home with Emily.
Setting everything up, Jack began to play a few acoustic covers of some of his favorite songs as well as a few of Emily's favorites.

Passerby occasionally dropped a few dollars into the case, Jack nodded to them with gratitude in his eyes, happy that people enjoy the music.
A few gathered around and listed off a few songs and he played each one.
When the fun was said and done Jack packed his things and checked what he had earned.
Proud of what he got Jack tossed the case over his back and started making his trip around town for fun.

As Jack walked around the city he put his earbuds in and put on some music.
This tends to keep himself calm in this scenario and it also keeps Joker at bay for it makes Jacks mind clear and positive.

"Hmm..." Jack began to think to himself.
He pulled out a piece of paper from his case and began to write something down.

A new song he'd been wanting to write out for a while...

Chapter 3: End.

"Maybe she'll like it." -Jack