A/N: Modern Nefertiti aka Simply June! Still my fastest reviewer ever. I’ve missed your comments. Well, that my fault for not updating on a timely manner. >>slaps wrist. Chapter two with the quickness! Dedicate to MN. I hope you like it reading is as much as I enjoyed writing it! Currently working on next chapter. Yay!

---

“MOOOOM! SUSUAN STOLE MY BRITNEY SPEARS LIVE IN VEGAS DVD!”

“SUSAN, GIVE YOU GAY BROTHER BACK HIS POP SHIT DVD!”

“MOM, IT’S NOT NICE TO CALL YOUR OWN SON GAY!”

“HOW ABOUT QUEER THEN! FAGGOT? FUDGE PACKER?”

“Oh my god SHUT UP!” Jacob rolled over onto his stomach and pulled his pillow over his head. “Jesus, it’s the same shit everyday,” he grumbled into his sheets. Just then a sharp pain landed on his back, like someone had stabbed his spine. He promptly rolled over, sending what ever had caused the pain to fall onto the floor with a loud BLOP.

“Fuck, that hurt!” Jacob snapped at the culprit.

His younger brother Marc looked up at him with his sad puppy eyes. “You threw me on the ground,” he said with a pout.

Jacob sat up to rub his back. “No, you FELL when I turned over. You’re too old and too BIG to go jumping on people’s unsuspecting backs.”

Marc frowned. “Are you saying I’ve gotten fat?”

Letting his head roll back so that his eyes were on the ceiling, Jacob let out an exaggerated breath. “Oh my god Marc. How many times do I have to tell you, you’re not fat. You homo.”

Marc stood up, placing his hands on his hips in that way that always weirded Jacob out and stomped his foot. “Help me.”

“What is it now.”

“Susan stole my DVD and mom’s no help. She said give it back but she’s being totally verbally abusive. AGAIN.” Marc looked over his shoulder, leaning to one side. He crossed his arms over his chest and inspected his nails before he spoke again. “I swear to god, I’m going to call the child abuse hotline.”

“Marcus, there’s no such thing.”

“Whatever,” the younger boy said throwing his hands up over his head. “Just help me get my DVD back, okay?” He was using his puppy eyes again.

Jacob plopped down onto his bed and covered his eyes with his hands. “Okay fine, hold on. Lemmie wake up a little more.” Jacob could hear Marc’s squeals of delight from where he lay. Oh god, he thought, I can’t wait to get outta here.

--

Around noon, Jacob decided to dawdle over to school. Maybe get some lunch and, oh yeah, go to class.

“Jake buddy!” His friend Nathan called from the school entrance. Jacob was half-way over the chain-link fence, his black backpack securely on his back, his skate board tucked underneath the straps so that the board was facing his rear and the wheels and trucks facing out. In reality, Jacob only carried a backpack because it allowed him to carry his skate board without hassle.

Jacob paused, one foot in the fence’s link, the other on top, most people would have fallen but Jacob had excellent balance. Jacob had excellent everything.

Nathan came trotting over, his jelly, also known as his gut, jiggling as he did. Jacob was a little annoyed with people. After the battle over Britney this morning he was through with talking. He kind of wanted to eat his lunch without being bothered, at least. But he wasn’t even on campus yet and already, someone wanted something. It’s Nathan. He probably wants food.

“Hey Jake, buddy.”

“Sup.”

“Can you spot me for lunch?”

Jesus.

“How much you need.”

“Ten?”

“Try again.”

“Five?”

“Again.”

“A dollar?”

“Keep goin.”

Nathan sighed and smiled softly. He had the look of a camp counselor. His eyes always nice, his demeanor friendly; Nathan was just always approachable. But Nathan had an ugly side too. He was too into porn. Way too into porn.

“You’re not gonna give me any money, are you.”

Jacob hopped over the fence, landing on his feet, just like a cat. Suddenly, Jacob was wondering about Eugene…and Naomi.

“Not a dime my friend, not a god damn dime.”

Nathan nodded. “That’s cool man. So what brings you to class?”

“Free food and pussy.”

Nathan chuckled, “That’s right you got that poor people’s lunch card.”

Jacob pulled it out of his back pocket to shove it in Nathan’s face. “Daz’ right. Ya jealous, homie?” He asked playfully.

“Can I have your fries dude?” Nathan asked, a little too seriously.

“Jesus fuck, you don’t give up do you? Here I haven’t eaten since yesterday and you’re going for seconds. Dammit, Nate, don’t look at me like that.” Jacob was really tired of people directing their puppy-eyed stares at him. He so much preferred a cat’s gleam, especially right about now. Jacob let out a defeated sigh, letting his head roll back as he had done with Marc. “Yeah man, sure. Have at’em. C’mon, let’s go eat.”

Nathan almost skipped alongside Jacob. Another lost battle. It was like Jacob was always helping people when he had so little to help with. He couldn’t even escape at school, well; at least he had one place he could always go. His one last chance at peace, for him, anyway.

---

She hadn’t gotten her balcony sliding door fixed yet but it was taped up from the inside.

Jacob chuckled as he easily pried the door to glide open.

Naomi stood with one foot in the kitchen, the other in the living room, staring at the moving sliding door. The crackling sound of tape being stretched and pulled off of the metal frame, kinda broke her heart.

“Hey, watcha doin,” Jacob asked as he plopped down onto her lazy-boy recliner. That was her spot. Jacob could tell that she was irritated but, he liked to be the one to irritate her. He examined her. She was wearing sweats and a short sleeved shirt that said “If you can read this, you’re standing too close,” printed on the chest. “You look comfortable.” He said through smiling lips.

“Get outta my seat,” Naomi grumbled as she marched into the room with a metal bowl in her left hand. Jacob rolled off of her chair and settled beside it, cross-legged, like a loyal pet.

“meow.”

Jacob turned to see a little black puff of fur walking toward him and he smiled, stretching his body across the carpeted floor to get at it.

“Eugene!” He greeted as he held the cat over his chest with his back to the floor. “How’ya doin’ short stuff? Hm? Is the evil master feeding you well? Are you still a pure little kitty?”

Naomi kicked Jacob in the side. The pain was sharper then when Marc had jumped on his back.

“Ow!”

Naomi peered down at him and held a finger to her lips. Jacob so wanted to be that finger.

He sat up to stare at the TV to see why she had shushed him. The movie looked older and kind of like a musical. Jacob scowled at the screen, brushing a blond curly-cue away from his face. “What’s this crap.”

Naomi kicked him again.

“Ow, hell I just asked a question.” He hissed through gritted teeth, holding onto his side.

“A movie. Now shut up.” Naomi replied without taking her eyes off the screen. She popped a white fluffy thing into her mouth and Jacob immediately straightened to look onto her lap. He should have recognized the smell. In the small tin bowl was freshly made—as his uncle liked to call it—popping corn. Jacob just called it food. Food that wasn’t around Nathan. Jacob reached for the bowl. Naomi slapped his hand.

“Ow WHAT man, I was just getting some cornage.” He was getting annoyed with being hit by everyone all day long and for no reason.

“You ask first. Don’t be a prick. It’s on my lap. You’re not even allowed to touch the air around that area of my body.” (P.C. reference!)

The thought of touching that or any area of Naomi’s body gave Jacob a warm tingling sensation somewhere on his.

“Why’re you smiling like that.”

“What a guy can’t smile every once in a while?” He said in his defense, raising his hands in surrender. “I really just want some popcorn. May I please have some popping corn? Oh Mistress of the sacred Kernels.”

Naomi was trying not to smile, Jacob could tell.

“Fine.” Naomi shoved the bowl into his chest, which was an indirect way of hitting him.

“Thanks,” he managed through a pained grumble.

“Eat and get out.”

Not taking her threats or wishes seriously, Jacob focused his attention back on the screen. They were singing—the character’s in the movie—about rain in Spain falling mainly on airplanes. What? They had airplanes back then?

“What is this nonsense they’re talking about with planes?” Jacob asked, shoving handfuls of pop corn into his mouth.

“The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain. He’s—that guy,” Naomi pointed to the one of the two men on screen with white hair. “—He’s trying make that woman presentable to society— ”

“What’s wrong with her besides the fact that she’s got no ass.”

“For one, she’s got a cockney accent—”

Jacob laughed immaturely. Naomi paused to roll her eyes.

“Just shut up so I can watch.”

“No seriously I want to know. You’ve got my complete and utter attention.” Jacob dramatically cooed, resting his head in his hands to peer up at her.

“I don’t wanna talk to you anymore. Go home.”

Jacob sighed and rested his cheek on the armrest of the lazy boy and quietly continued to watch. “Hey—her name’s Eliza?”

Naomi’s eyes moved to glare at him. “Yes. Why.”

“Do they song about night and noon and being accustomed to someone’s face?”

Naomi straightened in her seat; she looked a little surprised and pleased.

“Yeah. You’ve seen this before?”

“No but Stewie sings a parody version of the song. I’ve seen that episode a thousand times, so damn funny,” Jacob said thoughtfully with a chuckle.

“Stewie?”

“Family Guy. Oh well, it’s an animated show, I’m sure an adult such as yourself wouldn’t bother with ‘cartoons.’”

Naomi blushed. “Right.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Did I say something weird? Why’re you blushing?”

“So shut up and tell me about Family Guy.”

“I can’t shut up AND tell you about Family Guy, that’s impossible.”

“Go home.”

“Okay. So Family Guy.” Jacob turned back toward the television, his arms outstretched to prop himself up. “Stewie’s the baby of the family. He’s always plotting to kill his mother and stuff. He’s got an English accent and—”

Naomi blushed again, in an even deeper of crimson, with the mention of English. Jacob, though puzzled, thought it best to leave it alone, he’d ask another time.

“—the dog talks, the dad’s an idiot and so’s the mom but in a different way. It’s funny as hell. Comes on Adult Swim.”

“What’s Adult Swim?”

“Ah, doesn’t matter. So anyway, about our deal—about me taking something from the apartment. I’ve been thinking and…”

Naomi’s glare was so potent Jacob could hardly breathe. “Don’t say something retarded like you want me to put out or something else stupid like that.”

Dammit.

“No,” Jacob lied slightly, “I was just going to say that…I haven’t decided yet.”

“It’s been a week for Christ’s sake. How long are you going to keep coming over here unannounced and unwelcome.”

To this Jacob simply shrugged. “I don’t’ wanna rush the process. It’ll come to me, in due time.”

In truth, Jacob had no intention of taking anything. On the contrary, he had another idea for their deal. More like, the inner workings of a plan. A plan that involved her and this apartment and a change of address—for him.