Just Me

Chapter Four

School had just gotten out and Jake was walking up his driveway. He punches the code in for the garage and waits for the door to open before sliding inside and walking into his house, closing the garage door behind him. The door shuddered to a close behind as he walked to his bedroom, sliding his backpack off of his shoulder and onto his desk. He then headed into his bathroom and looked into the mirror. His left eye was purple and bruised and his knuckles were red and raw. Grunting, he reached down and pulled off his shirt, revealing his abs that were red from the kick to his gut. He turned sideways to see his back. Right below his shoulder blades was a nasty purple bruise the shape of Mason's fist. He rifled through the drawers and found what he was looking for: a bottle of concealer. Unscrewing the cap, he took the brush and gingerly applied it to his black eye. He looked into the mirror and smiled when he saw that it was almost completely gone except for a faint line of purple just below his eye that was nearly invisible. Reaching down, he grabbed his shirt and pulled it back on over his head. He kept his bad eye closed as he walked back into his room and sat down at his desk, starting on his homework. 

After about an hour or so, he heard the garage door open. He set his pencil down on his desk and stood up with a wide yawn, stretching his arms above his head. He made his way over to his bedroom door and opened it, seeing his mom walking into the kitchen with Hannah in tow. 

"Jakey!" Hannah called out when she saw him. She ran up to him and jumped up, wrapping her arms around his chest and her legs around his waist. Her hands pressed against the bruise on his back and he winced in pain, but kept a smile on his face. When she finally lets go, his mom turns to him as she runs her fingers through her dirty blonde hair. 

"Jake, pull on a bit of a nicer shirt. We don't have to be dressy but I want you to be presentable, preferably not just a t-shirt," she says with a laugh. 

"Ok. As long as I don't have to dress like at the premieres," he replied earnestly.

"No," she chuckled. "Just maybe a polo or button-up." Jake nods and pads back to his room, pulling out a light blue button-up and trading his grey shirt for it. He combs his fingers through his light brown hair and tucks in the shirt before padding back out of his room. "Aw! There's my young man!" Emma coos before licking her fingers and smoothing it down. 

"Mom, stop," he says as he pushes her hands off of him. 

"Fine. I'm just so proud of my little boy!"

"What about me, Mommy?" Hannah whines as she tugs on her shirt. Jake looks at his little sister in her light blue dress and white headband, rolling his eyes with a smile.

"You too," she laughs. 

"What time are they getting here again?" he asks as he checks the clock, 3:42.

"Around 4:45 so we can have time for appetizers," Emma replies.

"Can I help cook?" he asks, his eyes wide with excitement at the idea.

"Yes, of course, sweetheart." She places her hand on his back as she guides him, finding the bruise which makes him wince again. Why, even though the majority of his back is uninjured, do they always seem to find the one bad spot? His mom then started showing him the recipes she'd selected and he helped get the ingredients out and then started measuring them out. After about half an hour, the taco shells were being heated up in the oven while the queso and beef were boiling on the stove. The lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes were all in bowls in the fridge. Jake was pouring some salsa into a bowl and Emma was pouring some chips into another for the queso. With another half an hour until they get to his house, his mom went to take a shower and he took to setting the table for the eight of them. Haz and Lily, Zendaya, and his namesake, Jake Gyllenhaal, were all invited. He then headed back to the kitchen and kept stirring the queso and beef so they wouldn't burn. Soon enough, Emma walks out of the bathroom, her dirty blonde hair tied up in a messy bun above her head. She has a v neck pink blouse, a golden necklace, and earrings, and a pair of dark blue jeans held up with a brown leather belt.