"Don't get it twisted…" Jayden's words spewed like venom from his mouth. He could barely contain the rage that was tearing him up inside. "I'm not here for you… I'm doing it for me… I don't want to be like you, understand? Nothing like you..."
Jacob saw it and understood the boy's resentment, anger and pain; yet he couldn't help but feeling a small sense of pride that his son had thought enough of him to show up for his grandmother's funeral. Despite the young teen's feelings, Jacob saw and felt the boy's heart and his own guilt weighed even more on his heart.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Hey man, Lisa sweating me… Think I should go for it?" Avery warily asked. He was busy lifting boxes up onto the conveyor belt that was sending them to the main loading dock. Jayden had been distant and reserved since going to his grandmother's funeral last month. He couldn't stop replaying the repast through his mind. He couldn't make himself stop thinking about how proud his father had acted; taking him around and introducing him to all of his relatives.
'My-my-my… he certainly is a carbon copy of you.' Barbara Jacob's oldest sister mimicked the consensus.
"Hey man, are you listening?" Avery demanded once he realized that Jayden still hadn't responded.
"What?" Jayden asked somewhat dazed as he snapped to attention.
"I said, Lisa sweating me… Think I should go for it?"
"Think you're gonna get any?" Jayden asked absently. Ever since going to his grandmother's funeral, he hadn't been feeling like himself. His father had been welcoming and proudly introducing him to his family as "his son"; but after the funeral he couldn't find Jacob Ellis in the daylight using a flashlight. The man had a better disappearing act than Houdini.
'Here take this…' He remembered his father saying as he was leaving. 'What's this?' Jayden questioned as he looked to see. 'My cell number… Call me if you ever need anything…' At the time when those words were spoken, they had sounded sincere and believable. Jayden shook his head, bitch-ass, deadbeat, no-showing motherfuckers never changed. You just can't ever let your guard down and trust a dirty-son-of-a-bitch Jayden finally resolved within himself. He quickly turned his attention away from those thoughts and refocused on the conversation with Avery.
Since having a car and a steady paycheck, he was getting more pussy than he knew possible; relationships with girls fell into one of two categories- fun girls or accidents. Fun girls were girls who were only looking for a good time and girls who wanted a commitment. If a girl fell into the "accident" category Jayden labeled her as an accident or a relationship waiting to happen; and if that was true, then Jayden avoided her like the plague.