“I feel like I’m on an episode of Full House right now,” Jackson giggled.

“If we were, that would make you whiny-brat-bad-ass-wannabe Stephanie then,” Jameson teased, pulling the section of Jackson’s hair that she was French braiding tighter.

“What’s Full House?” Joley questioned from the floor in front of her aunt Jackson, continuing to dress up her Barbie doll.

Jackson finished spraying Joley’s curls with detangler and brushed it quickly before she began working on her braid. “It’s a TV show your mommy and I used to watch when we were younger.”

“Who’s gonna braid your hair, Mommy?” she asked.

“You can try to when Aunt Jacks is done with yours,” Jameson laughed from her spot on the couch. Jackson was seated on the floor on a pillow in front of her, relishing in the feel of her sister playing with her hair, and Joley was in front of her.

A few minutes stole by quietly, save for Joley’s chattering voice to her dolls, as the two older girls continued braiding before Jackson cleared her throat and said, “Have you talked to Mom or Dad lately?”

“Yeah. Yesterday, actually.” Jameson’s voice displayed how uncomfortable she was with the topic of conversation quite clearly. She didn’t agree with how her parents were dealing with Jackson, but Jameson thought herself to be involved enough by letting not only Jackson, but also Taylor live with her. She knew how stubborn her parents and sister all were, but she knew it was more important that her young, scared, and pregnant sister have a place to live where the environment was mentally healthy for both her and the baby than it was to have the approval of their parents. Offering Taylor a place was mostly for Jackson’s stability, and Jameson was glad he had decided to take her up on the offer because it had seemed to improve Jackson’s mood completely.

Jackson’s back straightened a bit, and she forced her now shaking hands to steady so she wouldn’t drop the braid and have to start over. “I guess they still have nothing to say to me then,” she said tersely.

“Just give them time, Jacks,” Jameson said soothingly, securing Jackson’s recently cut-short hair at the bottom with a hair tie. “You know how they are. They’ll come around eventually.”

“Isn’t it enough yet?” she asked miserably, unable to hold her hands steady any longer. Joley’s hair fell limply around her shoulders as Jackson brought her hands up to swipe at her eyes. “Can’t they see how much they’re hurting me? It kills me every night to see Taylor sit here and talk to his mom on the phone even though he’s usually just seen her that morning and know that my parents don’t even care enough to call me or see me in months.”

“Have you ever thought that maybe they’re waiting for you to call them?” Jameson said, trying her best not to sound as if she wasn’t taking sides, because she wasn’t. She was merely trying to help her sister understand what was happening.

“Why?” Jackson answered with annoyance. “That’ll just make me look desperate, and that’s the last thing in the world I want to do right now. If they want nothing to do with me or their grandbaby, that’s their own fault.”

“They love you, Jackson, and you know that as much as I do,” Jameson argued gently. “No matter how upset they get with you, they’ll always love you and they’ll always want to be in your life. I’m sure you can’t expect them to be excited under the circumstances, but I’m not saying that what they’re doing is fair. I just think maybe you need to give them a little more time to get a grip on the situation and cool down. This is the last thing they expected because of how they raised us. Our parents aren’t like Taylor’s…They aren’t so quick to get over their anger and deal with it. I hate being put in the middle, but I feel like I’ve already gotten myself involved enough by asking you to live here, so the three of you need to discuss this yourselves and not through me.”

Jackson inhaled deeply before getting quickly to her feet. “I’m going to go nap before Taylor gets home,” she mumbled, hurrying from the room before her sister could see the tears in her eyes.

Later that evening, Taylor arrived from work and entered the bedroom to find it dark with Jackson’s sleeping form on the bed and her light breathing filling the room. “Jackson?” he said softly, sitting down beside her and kissing her forehead while brushing his fingers over her cheek. “Jacks, wake up. It’s almost seven.”

Jackson awoke, her eyes opening slowly and looking groggily up at him as she pushed herself up with her hands. “Mmm, hey,” she said smiling and kissing his lips. “When’d you get home?”

“Just got here. Jameson said I should come check on you though…is everything okay?” he asked concerned.

“No,” Jackson replied miserably, shaking her head and wrapping her arms around his neck. The strong scent of garlic crept up her nose as she held him close. “How can everything be okay? My parents fucking hate me, Taylor.”

“Baby, you know they don’t hate you,” he said soothingly, running his hand over her braid to smooth down the stray hairs that had crept out.

“I can’t help it,” she said, turning her face into his neck. “I miss them.”

“I know you do, baby,” he said. “Listen, why don’t we go eat dinner, you can have some time to calm down, and then you can call over there?”

Jackson nodded slowly, and forty five minutes later, she found herself on the couch with Taylor at her side. He kept his hand wound around hers as she dialed the number of her parents house with her free hand. She held her breath as the ringing echoed in her ear. “Hello?” Jackson found herself nearly unable to speak at the sound of her mother’s voice.

“Mom?” she whispered, finding her voice.

“Jackson?” Janelle’s voice gave away just a hint of excitement, but her next words rang sharp and curt, covering any emotion she had shown seconds before. “Why are you calling?”

“I…I just…I, uh, wanted to talk to you, Mom,” Jackson stammered in reply to the harsh question.

“Jackson, if there’s something you need to say, then say it. I don’t have time for this right now,” Janelle snapped.

The pain in Jackson’s voice was more than obvious as she said, “You don’t have time for your daughter?”

“Good-bye, Jackson.”

The click of her mother hanging up on her echoed hollowly in her ear. Jackson sat there until she heard the dial tone, disbelief painting her features before the sob dwelling in her throat choked its way out and tears spilled angrily over her cheeks. She punched the ‘off’ button so hard she thought her thumb might completely penetrate the phone in her hand. “I told you,” she exclaimed, wrenching her hand from Taylor’s and bringing them both up to cover her eyes. “God, I fucking told you.”

“Jacks…” Taylor sighed and pulled her closer, cradling her against his chest. “I’m sorry, baby, I didn’t think…”

“It’s not your fault,” she said, uncovering her eyes and looking up at him with a forced smile. “Thanks for at least making me try.”

<< INDEX >>