Chapter 01: Introduction

The family Father, mother, sister and brother lived in their own double wide.

Brown shag carpet,dirty gold countertops,peeling linoleum floors.

the brother Used to race his Hot Wheels down those food-splattered counter-tops, double-loop through ramps of curling linoleum, then land in gritty piles of shag.

place was definitely a shit hole,but being a kid,he called it home.

Mornings, wolfing down Cheerios, the kid watching Scooby Doo without any volume so he wouldn't wake the 'rents.

Getting his baby sister up, ready for school,both of them staggered out the front door, backpacks nearly busting with books.

And so after school he head off to the library, his baby sister still in tow, read some books, 'cause God knows they didn't have any fruit.

Then he'd read the Big Blue Jokie to her little sister,his little sister could just

laugh at the pictures as pointing 'em.

the.

After library, they went home sooner or later his mother gave him a cute smile when she was in the right mood or a good day,his mother had ruffle his hair as call him her little man then told him how proud she was of him and hugged him.

The big strong hugs, envelopes of cigarette smoke and cheap perfume,he loved that smell especially when the days his mother smiled.

Sometimes,if his mother things were going really well ,she'd fix dinner, spaghetti noodles with ketchup - that'll leave a stain, she'd cry gaily, slurping up noodles, Ramen noodles with scrambled eggs - dinner for fifteen cents, now they're living the dream, she'd declare or his favorite, Kraft macaroni and cheese - it's the nuclear orange color that makes it special, she'd whisper.

Jack's little sister would giggle,she liked their mother in this mood,who wouldn't?

Their father usually at work, bringing home the bacon when had a job of gas station attendant, night clerk, warehouse stocker.

The father had tell him 'stay in school' , afternoons when they came home in time to watch him up yet another grimy uniform.Fu*king real world? he'd tell him.

Fu*king bosses? he'd tell him and then he'd go

And Jack's mom would appear from the hazy cloud of their bedroom to start dinner and the door would never open, and Jack had get out a can opener instead.

Chef Boyardee ,champbell's soup,baked beans.

Juliet and Jack didn't talk those nights,they ate in silence, then he'd read her more books or maybe they'd play GO Fish,Quite games for quite kids, Juliet would fall asleep on sofa,then he picked her up, carry her up, carry her off to bed.

"Sorry"Juliet had say sleepily, though neither of us knew what she was apologizing for.

Jack could just sat nearly by the locked door, 'cause their parents had guests over, other boozers, druggies, losers,then all bets were off.

On Three, four, five in the night, locked doorknob rattling, strange voices crooning, 'Hey, little kids, come out and play with us...'

Juliet didn't resist, she was slept a while ago with the light on, ragged copy book clutched in her hands.

While Jack kept watch the door with a baseball bat balanced across his knees.

Then, morning, house finally quit, strangers passed out the door, as they crept around them, stealing into the kitchen for the Cheerios box, then grabbing their backpacks and tiptoeing out the door.

Rinse, spin, repeat. Repeat. Repeat.Repeat

The father drank or shot up or snorted too much and their mom - envelopes of cigarette smoke and cheap perfume - started to scream and scream and scream.

"