Chapter 3: Jonathon

I hung my jeans in the closet while my cousins helped. They made faces while they unpacked the boxes, but didn't say anything. Once we had broken down the empty boxes and put them in the garage, it was time to eat.

Aunt Andrea put a platter of pork chops on the table while Mom put bowls of mashed potatoes and green beans next to the platter. We passed the food around, each of us filling our plates.

"I guess now is as good a time as any to talk about the rules," Uncle Jason said. "First of all, we are very happy to have you here, JR. I know it's hard for all of you kids, but I think we can make things work as long as we're all willing to try.

"The rules are pretty simple around here. If you have any questions, JR, you can ask the girls, your aunt, or me. In our house, trust and honesty are key. We respect each other's privacy. If a door is closed, knock before opening it.

"On school nights, the curfew is eleven o'clock for you and Jackie. Mo's curfew is ten. If there is something going on, we can talk about the time you have to be home. On the weekends, you can stay out until midnight, but that is also contingent on what's going on.

"There is no smoking in the house. I would prefer you didn't smoke at all, but if you feel you have to, do it outside. Homework must be finished after school. No one goes out until it is done." Uncle Jason smiled and said, "Any questions?"

I shook my head. The rules weren't bad, in fact they were more liberal than what I was used to.

"Good, now, if you break the rules, there are consequences. If you break curfew, you can't go out after school for a week. The second time, you lose your driving privileges. Your father's status as a police officer has no weight down here. If you get caught drinking or doing drugs, you'll go to jail.

"We want you to have fun while you're living with us. We also want you to be part of the family. JR, you are being given a fresh start and you can do what you want with it. You might want to try changing. If you don't like it, you can always go back to doing the things you used to do, but you can't do them here," my uncle said.

Mom looked right at me. I could tell she was concerned about me and how I would act. While driving down, I had a lot of time to think. I could try to be sent back to Michigan and hurt my mom, or I could do like my uncle said and make a fresh start.

"I will do what I have to to make this work," I said humbly. "I want to thank you for letting me live here and I want to apologize for the inconvenience I'm causing."

Mom had tears in her eyes, but she was smiling.

"Mom, I'm sorry for getting into trouble."

"Do you like to swim?" Jackie asked, changing the mood.

"Yeah, I love to swim," I replied.

"Cool, we have a pool in the backyard. I'm on the swim team at school. Were you in any sports?" Jackie asked.

"Not at school. I took karate after my dad was killed. Mom said it would help me with my self-confidence."

"Did it?" Mo asked me.

"I didn't get messed with at school. I was in one fight and that was it."

"When?" Mom asked.

"In the tenth grade. One of the jocks started picking on me and I decked him before he knew what happened. His buddies tried to beat me up, but I took them out too. After that, no one bothered me," I said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Mom wanted to know.

"It wasn't important. I did what I had to do and that was that. I didn't hurt anyone, I didn't have to."

Jackie smiled at me and said, "JR, don't take this wrong, but you really need to go shopping. You'll die in those black clothes of yours. It gets hot down here."

"I like my clothes," I said. I thought about what I had said about making a fresh start and decided it was time to begin. "Do you think you could go with me? I don't know what the kids wear down here."

"Sure, we can go tomorrow if you want to. We have a couple of malls close by," Jackie said.

Mom said she thought it would be a good idea. She said she would pay for whatever I needed.

After dinner, Jackie and Mo cleared the table. Mom gave me one of her glances and I got up to help. While we cleaned up, Mom, Aunt Sarah, and Uncle went outside.

"What else do you like to do, besides beating up people?" Mo asked.

I laughed and began to tell my cousins about some of the things I did with my friends. While I talked, I realized I didn't do much of anything that didn't include trouble.

Jackie told me about her swim team and the events she swam. I learned Mo was in band and played the clarinet. After finishing the dishes, we went out to sit with our parents. I left and went to my truck to have a smoke, Jackie followed me.

"Why do you smoke?" Jackie asked.

"I don't know, all of my friends smoke so I do too," I replied, realizing how dumb it sounded.

"None of my friends smoke, not that I know of anyway. What's it like?"

I thought about it for a moment. Why did I smoke? I started when I started hanging around with my friends, but I didn't really know why—because I wanted to belong I guessed. Looking at the cigarette, I shrugged my shoulders. I took a drag and then dropped the smoke on the driveway. After crushing it out, I looked at Jackie.