Out of Control

Chapter 1, Normalcy

Jackie had never been the type of person who got angry very easily. Hell, she had only gotten into two or three arguments with her younger brother since he was born, and that was about 15 years ago. Jackie had turned seventeen in the beginning of October, and the bitter cold that had swept Massachusetts had started up a few days after her party. She was walking home from school since her car refused to start up that morning and pulled her boyfriend’s brown leather jacket closer to her body to keep out the biting chill of the wind. Her layered brown hair blew into her face as she walked, the ends of each strand seeming to aim for her eyes.

Damn. I wish Ricky didn’t have to go to swim practice today…it’s way too cold to be outside right now! Jackie thought to herself, adjusting the strap of her backpack on her shoulder so that she was more comfortable. Her house was not that far from the school, but on a day like today, just about anywhere was too far from the school.

She reached her front porch and quickly unlocked the door and stepped into the warmth of the Evans family entryway. She kicked off her shoes and set her backpack down beside them before heading into the kitchen to greet her mother, who was, more than likely, baking something.

“ Hi, mom. I’m home now. It’s freezing out there!” Jackie called as she turned down the first hallway on her right and through the first doorway on her left.

Elaine Evans was a woman with a million friends with a million problems that, she had decided, were solved by cakes and pies and other assorted baked goods. Jillian Greene, the Evans’ neighbor, had suffered through a divorce, which earned her a lemon poppy seed cake. McKenzie Plontos, the former owner of a salon in town, ran her business into the ground and received a batch of mini muffins. And, for those who endured deaths in the immediate family, such as Wendy Lincoln, there was the ever-coveted Evans’ Secret Bunt Cake. This Secret Bunt Cake was the best of them all, and the women of Elaine’s family had very, very carefully guarded its recipe.

Elaine was bent over, pulling a sheet of cookies out of the oven. Chocolate chip oatmeal this time, which meant that Scott, Jackie’s younger brother, had a test today. Jackie sat down at a stool beside the counter top facing the stove. Elaine set down the cookie sheet on the countertop in front of Jackie and wandered around the counter, where she hugged Jackie.

“ How was your day, sweetie?” she asked, the potholders warm against Jackie’s back.

“ Fine. Nothing special happened today. Ricky had swim practice, so he couldn’t drive me home today and I had to walk home. Wish my car wasn’t so moody!” Jackie laughed at the last statement.

“ Well, your brother had a math test, so these cookies will cheer him up.”

“ Way to have faith in him, mom.”

Elaine had gone back to her cookies. She was a plump woman (what did you expect from someone who baked all day long?), but she was still pretty. Her hair was dark and cut shoulder-length. She was wearing a flower pattern dress and an apron and the skirt of her dress swished around the corner softly. She placed the cookies one by one on the cooling rack before using a spoon to put more cookie dough on the cookie sheet. As she put the cookies in the oven, Jackie reached across the corner and took one of the oatmeal chocolate chip treats from the rack. She suppressed a gasp as she stuffed the cookie into her mouth; the cookie was still hot.

From the curb of the sidewalk, the sound of a truck drifted inside. It was Scott and his friend Dan. Since Scott did not have his license, he had Dan drive him everywhere. Not two seconds after the truck drove off, Scott slammed the front door shut and pounded his way into the kitchen.  He did not just set himself into a chair, he threw himself into a chair beside Jackie. He viciously grabbed a cookie, broke it in half, and shoved it into his mouth.

“ How was your test today, dear?” Elaine asked calmly, getting a bottle of root beer from the fridge.

“ Don’t even ask. I failed the damn thing again!” Scott growled, popping the second half of the cookie in his mouth.

“ That’s your one, no more for the night, got it?” Elaine was referring to the curse word; Scott and Jackie both got one per night, something Elaine believed would keep down the frustration in the house if it was expressed. The f-word was still forbidden, but the other words were fair game.

“ He can use mine.” Jackie offered.

“ You know the rule: if you give your curse word up and wind up cursing anyway, soap bar for thirty seconds.” Elaine reminded them.

“ Thanks, Jack. I’m probably gonna need it. And thanks for the cookies, mom, they’re great. I’m going to go upstairs and play on my computer for a bit.” Scott announced, rising from his seat and heading towards the living room and then the stairs. Jackie smiled at Elaine and then followed her brother.

Her room was normal for a teenager; a few clothes on the floor, posters of her favorite bands plastered the walls, her bed was unmade, and the keyboard to her computer was buried under papers. She had dragged her backpack with her, pushed the papers off of her keyboard, and then moved the keyboard aside and started to do her homework.

It was a little past 5 o’clock when she finished the last of her history reading. Rick usually got home around 4:45 and would be online shortly after that. Jackie put her books in her backpack and logged on.

The first message she received was from her best friend, Rachel (RagDoll92). Rick (SalmonBoy69) was signed on as well, but the second after Jackie got on, he put on his away message.

“ Why on earth anyone would want to be compared to a salmon is beyond me.” Jackie muttered to herself as she and Rachel started chatting.

It was 6 o’clock. Rick was still in Away Mode, Rachel was still gabbing, and Elaine had called Jackie down for dinner. She signed off and bounded down the stairs, to the dining room, and to her spot at the dinner table. Jim Evans owned Evans Optometry downtown, and the business had thrived from the second he had shown up and married Elaine. Who would have thought that so many people in such a small town would be in need of glasses. 

Jim sat at the head of the table, and he held that spot very well. If there was a roasted chicken or turkey, he would always carve it. He always said grace. Elaine may be the one who cooked it, but by God, Jim was the one who brought home the bacon. Jackie greeted him with a kiss on the cheek before sitting down across from her brother. Elaine sat at the other end of the table. It was not a big table, so all easily heard the conversation.

Small talk about the day was made at dinner. Never was anything important said, not until after the table had been cleared and everyone was sedated. Scott still seemed edgy after the meal, but his roughed feathers had smoothed out. Jim asked everyone if there was anything that needed to be discussed, and, as usual, no one said anything. So he proceeded to the living room and turned on the TV to ESPN. Scott tumbled down on the couch beside his father’s chair. Elaine and Jackie cleaned up the dinner mess and washed the dishes. Elaine washed while Jackie dried and put the dishes where they belonged.

They were just your normal family, and Jackie was just a normal kid. At least for a little while.