J.O.S, chapter 3
"Get your suitcase," Jimmy yelled. Emily blinked, their mother looking shocked.
"Go on!" Jimmy called, gesturing towards the door. Emily nodded and took off inside the house.
"Jimmy... Jimmy you can't take her away from me," Mary said. Jimmy stepped out of the car.
"I have to... I love you... But I don't think she's safe here... Actually, I KNOW she's not safe here," he said. Emily ran out of the house with her emergency suitcase in hand. Jimmy smiled at her as she ran down the steps to her brother. He took the bag out of her hands and threw it in the back. When he turned around, Emily was already in the passenger seat.
Jimmy gave his mom one last wave and sat in the driver's seat. He closed the door and started the car up. He turned to his sister and smiled. She looked at her mother who was staring at them, arms crossed over her chest. A tear rolled down her cheek as Jimmy pulled out of the driveway.
"You gonna be ok?" Jimmy asked as they drove down the street. Emily nodded. "Yeah... Where are we going?" she asked as Jimmy drove through a red light. He shrugged.
"Where ever life takes us."
Emily had fallen asleep and Jimmy was close to it. He groaned as he pulled into a motel parking lot. It was almost midnight and Jimmy was about to collapse onto his steering wheel. He cast a glance at his little sister, sleeping soundly against the door. He sighed. He knew that they didn't have enough money to stay in a motel. Even one as crappy as this one. Jimmy ran his hand through jet black hair. He rested his head against the steering wheel and closed his eyes. They needed to go somewhere. What was he thinking? They couldn't survive here... He barely had $100. Emily needed to stay in school... She was the one who had a future. Not him... Not Jimmy.
Jimmy rested his head onto the top of the steering wheel and silently slammed his head into the torn rubber.
"Why... Didn't... I... Think... This... Through," he whispered after every soft slam against the wheel.
He finally rested his head against the top of the wheel and looked at the run down motel.
When something caught his eye.
Jimmy let his eyes flicker to the spot where he had seen movement. But... It wasn't movement... It was... Smoke! But... Not like a fire... A cigarette! Jimmy shot straight up. He slowly unbuckled his seat belt. He glanced over at his sister. Still asleep. He quickly and silently scrambled out of the car. He jogged over to the alley where the smoke had come from. One last glance at his sister and he ducked down the alley.
"Hey newb... Where you from?" someone called from the dark. Jimmy looked and saw the flame of a cigarette hanging from the man's mouth.
"Um... I'm from... Berkeley... " he said quietly.
"Berkeley, huh?" a girl's voice said from the other side of the dark alley. Jimmy watched as she blew the smoke from her cigarette slowly through her nose. He gulped and nodded.
A flashlight was shone in Jimmy's eyes. He blinked, trying to adjust to the blazing light. There was a snicker as the light was slowly lowered.
"Well, well. If it isn't Jesus Christ himself," the boy snickered, the flashlight hanging loosely in his fingers. Jimmy looked over at the boy.
"Tunny?" he whispered. Tunny shrugged.
"In the flesh."
Jimmy talked to Tunny for a few minutes.
"So, what are you here for Jesus?" Tunny asked.
"My sister and I... We're getting away from our mom. She was being a bitch, you know?" Jimmy answered, or to Tunny, Jesus. He just nodded as the girl across from him blew more smoke.
"Wait... You said you came with your sister?" the girl interrupted. Jimmy nodded. "Where is she?" Tunny asked, looking around.
"The car," Jimmy answered.
"Dude! Get your sister! Don't leave her out there," the girl called. Jimmy looked over at her as Tunny moved the beam of the flashlight over to her face. Jimmy's breath caught in his throat. Oh God... She was beautiful.
"O-Ok... Why?" Jimmy stuttered, his eyes still fixed on the beauty against the wall.
"These aren't the best parts to leave a little girl... There are weird people around here... Hehe, including us," she giggled, tucking her chin cut black hair behind her ears. Jimmy practically drooled as the one black streak fell back into her eyes. He quickly snapped out of it and nodded.
"I'll... I'll be right back."
He ran out to the car and saw his sister still asleep against the door. He let his breath out in relaxation. She was still there. He unlocked the passenger side door so he could open it. At the click of the lock, Emily jumped awake. She looked around nervously and then up at Jimmy outside the window. He gestured for her to follow him. She nodded, unbuckled her seatbelt and walked outside.
"Aw... What's your name, little one?" Tunny asked as Jimmy and Emily showed up in the ally way. Emily eyed him skeptically.
"Emily," she answered. The girl smiled and took another drag on her cigarette.
"So Jesus and Emily, why'd you leave home?" the girl asked as she dropped the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out.
"We're running away... Basically," Emily answered.
"What from? No money? Crappy home? No family? D, all of the above?" Tunny asked with a laugh.
"D," Emily and Jimmy responded in unison.
The girl laughed.
"Well WHERE are my manners, Emily? I'm Tunny and this is... Well... We don't know her name... "
"And I won't tell."
"So we call her Whatsername. Makes sense, don't it?" Tunny finished with a wink. Emily smiled.
"So, terrible two, where are you staying tonight?" Tunny asked as he dug around in his pockets. Emily looked up at her brother.
"I... I don't know," Jimmy answered while stifling a yawn. Whatsername cocked an eye brow to Tunny. She jerked her head, signaling for him to come over. Tunny walked over to her. The two had an almost silent conversation that ended with Whatsername pushing Tunny back to the other side of the alley.
"You guys can crash with me. I don't mind. And Whatsername lives like... Two doors down," Tunny said. Jimmy looked down at Emily who shrugged.
"Alright... Thanks Tunny... " Jimmy said. Tunny waved it off.
"What else can a disciple do for his Jesus, right?" he laughed as pulled something out of his pocket. He held the object up to his lips and lit it up. Jimmy immediately smelled the marijuana. Emily did too. She wrinkled her nose but bore through it, knowing that this was all they were going to get for tonight. After all, it was only one night... Right?
Tunny jumped into his car, fully baked. He started to giggle at his steering wheel as Whatsername jumped into the passenger seat. Jimmy and Emily jumped into their car, following them as they drove down the dark roads at one in the morning.
"Jimmy? How do you know these people?" Emily asked, breaking the stony silence between them.
"Disciple," he answered simply, not wanting to explain. Emily looked over at him, feeling slightly nervous. She took a deep breath and nodded. Her brother wouldn't let anything bad happen to her...
"Oh... And call me Jesus around them, ok? It's just... My nickname, you know?" Jesus said. Emily nodded, wondering if anything was going to change.
Jimmy pulled up to the apartment complex right behind Tunny. It was just as crappy as the motel they had pulled up to a few minutes earlier, but at least they didn't have to pay. He sighed as he grabbed his duffle bag and swung his guitar over his shoulder. Tunny jumped out of his car and beckoned his Jesus over.
"Yo Jesus! You still got mad guitar skills?" Tunny yelled, playing air guitar as he walked up to the entrance.
"You know it," Jesus called back with a smile as he held up his guitar. Tunny wooped with excitement as he ran inside the door. Emily followed her brother into the crappy apartments as she held onto her own suitcase.
The two walked into room number 404; Tunny's room.
"There's a room down there that I don't use but it's got my drum set in it. And there's always the couch if you guys don't want to sleep in the same room," Tunny explained as he pointed everything out.
"And I have a double bed in my room," Whatsername said from the doorway. Jesus turned to look at her. She winked and walked out of the room. He smiled smugly and turned back to Tunny.
"Thanks... Uhh... Tunny?" Emily said. Tunny nodded.
"No problem, Em."
Emily walked down the hallway and changed into her pajamas. There were two cot-like beds in the room. Emily took one and Jimmy took the other one. He waited until he heard his sister's shallow, steady breathing before slipping out of the room. He closed the door quietly behind him and walked down the hallway. Tunny was sitting on the couch watching some TV show.
"Hey Jesus. What's up?" Tunny asked, smiling.
"Hey... I need something... Anything just give me what you have," Jesus said hurriedly. Tunny cocked an eye brow and pulled a joint out of his pocket.
"This?"
Jimmy nodded viciously as Tunny smiled. He tossed the joint into Jesus' hands. He placed the joint to his lips and lit it. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. He flopped down on the couch and smiled.
"Damn... It's been way too long since I've done that," he laughed. Tunny nodded and ran his hand through his dirty blonde hair.
"So... Do they still call you Jesus down at the ole' 7-11?" Tunny asked. Jesus shrugged.
"Yeah... It's getting old though. I need a new one," he murmured. Tunny nodded.
"What else do they call you? Jimmy? Jesus? God?" he joked. Jesus inhaled on his joint again. He shrugged as he let the smoke out. Then, it hit him.
"I'm Saint Jimmy."
"Go on!" Jimmy called, gesturing towards the door. Emily nodded and took off inside the house.
"Jimmy... Jimmy you can't take her away from me," Mary said. Jimmy stepped out of the car.
"I have to... I love you... But I don't think she's safe here... Actually, I KNOW she's not safe here," he said. Emily ran out of the house with her emergency suitcase in hand. Jimmy smiled at her as she ran down the steps to her brother. He took the bag out of her hands and threw it in the back. When he turned around, Emily was already in the passenger seat.
Jimmy gave his mom one last wave and sat in the driver's seat. He closed the door and started the car up. He turned to his sister and smiled. She looked at her mother who was staring at them, arms crossed over her chest. A tear rolled down her cheek as Jimmy pulled out of the driveway.
"You gonna be ok?" Jimmy asked as they drove down the street. Emily nodded. "Yeah... Where are we going?" she asked as Jimmy drove through a red light. He shrugged.
"Where ever life takes us."
Emily had fallen asleep and Jimmy was close to it. He groaned as he pulled into a motel parking lot. It was almost midnight and Jimmy was about to collapse onto his steering wheel. He cast a glance at his little sister, sleeping soundly against the door. He sighed. He knew that they didn't have enough money to stay in a motel. Even one as crappy as this one. Jimmy ran his hand through jet black hair. He rested his head against the steering wheel and closed his eyes. They needed to go somewhere. What was he thinking? They couldn't survive here... He barely had $100. Emily needed to stay in school... She was the one who had a future. Not him... Not Jimmy.
Jimmy rested his head onto the top of the steering wheel and silently slammed his head into the torn rubber.
"Why... Didn't... I... Think... This... Through," he whispered after every soft slam against the wheel.
He finally rested his head against the top of the wheel and looked at the run down motel.
When something caught his eye.
Jimmy let his eyes flicker to the spot where he had seen movement. But... It wasn't movement... It was... Smoke! But... Not like a fire... A cigarette! Jimmy shot straight up. He slowly unbuckled his seat belt. He glanced over at his sister. Still asleep. He quickly and silently scrambled out of the car. He jogged over to the alley where the smoke had come from. One last glance at his sister and he ducked down the alley.
"Hey newb... Where you from?" someone called from the dark. Jimmy looked and saw the flame of a cigarette hanging from the man's mouth.
"Um... I'm from... Berkeley... " he said quietly.
"Berkeley, huh?" a girl's voice said from the other side of the dark alley. Jimmy watched as she blew the smoke from her cigarette slowly through her nose. He gulped and nodded.
A flashlight was shone in Jimmy's eyes. He blinked, trying to adjust to the blazing light. There was a snicker as the light was slowly lowered.
"Well, well. If it isn't Jesus Christ himself," the boy snickered, the flashlight hanging loosely in his fingers. Jimmy looked over at the boy.
"Tunny?" he whispered. Tunny shrugged.
"In the flesh."
Jimmy talked to Tunny for a few minutes.
"So, what are you here for Jesus?" Tunny asked.
"My sister and I... We're getting away from our mom. She was being a bitch, you know?" Jimmy answered, or to Tunny, Jesus. He just nodded as the girl across from him blew more smoke.
"Wait... You said you came with your sister?" the girl interrupted. Jimmy nodded. "Where is she?" Tunny asked, looking around.
"The car," Jimmy answered.
"Dude! Get your sister! Don't leave her out there," the girl called. Jimmy looked over at her as Tunny moved the beam of the flashlight over to her face. Jimmy's breath caught in his throat. Oh God... She was beautiful.
"O-Ok... Why?" Jimmy stuttered, his eyes still fixed on the beauty against the wall.
"These aren't the best parts to leave a little girl... There are weird people around here... Hehe, including us," she giggled, tucking her chin cut black hair behind her ears. Jimmy practically drooled as the one black streak fell back into her eyes. He quickly snapped out of it and nodded.
"I'll... I'll be right back."
He ran out to the car and saw his sister still asleep against the door. He let his breath out in relaxation. She was still there. He unlocked the passenger side door so he could open it. At the click of the lock, Emily jumped awake. She looked around nervously and then up at Jimmy outside the window. He gestured for her to follow him. She nodded, unbuckled her seatbelt and walked outside.
"Aw... What's your name, little one?" Tunny asked as Jimmy and Emily showed up in the ally way. Emily eyed him skeptically.
"Emily," she answered. The girl smiled and took another drag on her cigarette.
"So Jesus and Emily, why'd you leave home?" the girl asked as she dropped the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out.
"We're running away... Basically," Emily answered.
"What from? No money? Crappy home? No family? D, all of the above?" Tunny asked with a laugh.
"D," Emily and Jimmy responded in unison.
The girl laughed.
"Well WHERE are my manners, Emily? I'm Tunny and this is... Well... We don't know her name... "
"And I won't tell."
"So we call her Whatsername. Makes sense, don't it?" Tunny finished with a wink. Emily smiled.
"So, terrible two, where are you staying tonight?" Tunny asked as he dug around in his pockets. Emily looked up at her brother.
"I... I don't know," Jimmy answered while stifling a yawn. Whatsername cocked an eye brow to Tunny. She jerked her head, signaling for him to come over. Tunny walked over to her. The two had an almost silent conversation that ended with Whatsername pushing Tunny back to the other side of the alley.
"You guys can crash with me. I don't mind. And Whatsername lives like... Two doors down," Tunny said. Jimmy looked down at Emily who shrugged.
"Alright... Thanks Tunny... " Jimmy said. Tunny waved it off.
"What else can a disciple do for his Jesus, right?" he laughed as pulled something out of his pocket. He held the object up to his lips and lit it up. Jimmy immediately smelled the marijuana. Emily did too. She wrinkled her nose but bore through it, knowing that this was all they were going to get for tonight. After all, it was only one night... Right?
Tunny jumped into his car, fully baked. He started to giggle at his steering wheel as Whatsername jumped into the passenger seat. Jimmy and Emily jumped into their car, following them as they drove down the dark roads at one in the morning.
"Jimmy? How do you know these people?" Emily asked, breaking the stony silence between them.
"Disciple," he answered simply, not wanting to explain. Emily looked over at him, feeling slightly nervous. She took a deep breath and nodded. Her brother wouldn't let anything bad happen to her...
"Oh... And call me Jesus around them, ok? It's just... My nickname, you know?" Jesus said. Emily nodded, wondering if anything was going to change.
Jimmy pulled up to the apartment complex right behind Tunny. It was just as crappy as the motel they had pulled up to a few minutes earlier, but at least they didn't have to pay. He sighed as he grabbed his duffle bag and swung his guitar over his shoulder. Tunny jumped out of his car and beckoned his Jesus over.
"Yo Jesus! You still got mad guitar skills?" Tunny yelled, playing air guitar as he walked up to the entrance.
"You know it," Jesus called back with a smile as he held up his guitar. Tunny wooped with excitement as he ran inside the door. Emily followed her brother into the crappy apartments as she held onto her own suitcase.
The two walked into room number 404; Tunny's room.
"There's a room down there that I don't use but it's got my drum set in it. And there's always the couch if you guys don't want to sleep in the same room," Tunny explained as he pointed everything out.
"And I have a double bed in my room," Whatsername said from the doorway. Jesus turned to look at her. She winked and walked out of the room. He smiled smugly and turned back to Tunny.
"Thanks... Uhh... Tunny?" Emily said. Tunny nodded.
"No problem, Em."
Emily walked down the hallway and changed into her pajamas. There were two cot-like beds in the room. Emily took one and Jimmy took the other one. He waited until he heard his sister's shallow, steady breathing before slipping out of the room. He closed the door quietly behind him and walked down the hallway. Tunny was sitting on the couch watching some TV show.
"Hey Jesus. What's up?" Tunny asked, smiling.
"Hey... I need something... Anything just give me what you have," Jesus said hurriedly. Tunny cocked an eye brow and pulled a joint out of his pocket.
"This?"
Jimmy nodded viciously as Tunny smiled. He tossed the joint into Jesus' hands. He placed the joint to his lips and lit it. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. He flopped down on the couch and smiled.
"Damn... It's been way too long since I've done that," he laughed. Tunny nodded and ran his hand through his dirty blonde hair.
"So... Do they still call you Jesus down at the ole' 7-11?" Tunny asked. Jesus shrugged.
"Yeah... It's getting old though. I need a new one," he murmured. Tunny nodded.
"What else do they call you? Jimmy? Jesus? God?" he joked. Jesus inhaled on his joint again. He shrugged as he let the smoke out. Then, it hit him.
"I'm Saint Jimmy."
