Complications with Mother Dearest

It's been nearly a week and a half since Jack's return from South Korea and his mom, Sharon, has been spoiling and showering him with her undivided attention nonstop. He understands that she has missed him, but he feels like, maybe, she's doing just a little too much for him. It's starting to become a tad bit stifling and he isn't sure how he should break the news to her, or if he should even do such a thing at all.

Never in a million years did Jack ever think that he, out of all people, would be complaining about being treated like a prince, but there's a first time for everything, right?

The woman has been cooking all of his favorite dishes during breakfast, lunch, dinner, and don't forget, dessert! She goes in and out of his room, cleaning the place even though it isn't really messy like she's his maid or something, and his laundry you ask? She's got a handle on that as well. His mother is, in other words, treating him like he's some kind of overgrown baby, who doesn't know how to do anything for himself and Jack doesn't like it. Sure, he might have enjoyed being pampered before, but that's not the case anymore.

Things have changed. He has changed. He's not the same helpless kid he used to be, and he's proud about being able to take care of himself now. He's growing up. He's maturing. Being isolated from everything he's ever been known can do that to a person. Hell, he's even part-owner of the batting cage with his brother! If that doesn't scream independence, he doesn't know what does! However, Jack isn't an idiot. He's learned plenty of things while he's been away. He's become more perceptive, specifically when it comes to people, and Mrs McKiernan is no exception.

He's well aware that his mom has been rather lonely, especially with his father always working and his brother no longer residing under the same roof anymore. Paul had decided to move out and live on his own nearly a year ago in order to be first, more self-reliant and second, free from their mother's control. So, Jack figures her overbearing actions must be her maternal instincts kicking into overdrive.

She simply wants to feel needed, and if cooking his favorite meals and cleaning up after him makes her happy, who is Jack to stop her? As long as she doesn't cross the line, he is willing to put up with this, even if he might not like it. He owes her that much. Deep down, though, Jack can't help but feel like there's a thunderous storm heading towards him. And in a couple of days, he will soon be hit by what he thought had been just an ominous feeling.

After almost sending his mother into cardiac arrest with his unannounced return, roughly, two weeks ago, the next stop on Jack's itinerary had been the house he practically grew up in. He likes to call it his second home. This is due to the fact that a large chunk of his childhood had been spent at the Whitmens' residence, stirring up mayhem, menace and chaos with nobody other than his partner in crime, his best friend and his little cousin all wrapped into one.

Charlie's stunned and disbelieving expression as soon as she caught sight of him at her doorsteps that Friday night made Jack happier than he could even explain in words. Out of everyone he left behind in Vermont, he probably missed her the most. But shhhh. Don't tell his mom that or else she'll grow green with envy. The night would have been perfect too if that drunk douchebag hadn't ruined the party for them. Nevertheless, it was nice to be back at home, surrounded by the people he loved.

Unfortunately, much to his dismay, Jack's busy and jammed schedule has been taking up all of his time, barely giving him the luxury to wreak havoc on the city of South Burlington with Charlie. But priorities are priorities. There is no room for errors, at least for the time being anyways.

The sun hasn't even breached the sky yet and Jack is already awake at five in the morning, getting prepared for what the day has in store for him. It took him a solid week and a half to get adjusted to the time-zone changes, but he's glad his sleeping schedule is on track now. Today, he has to work at the fort until noon, before he has to head to class. College life is something Jack has always wanted to experience, and now he has the opportunity to do so.

To be frank, applying for the University of Vermont had been a bit of a stretch on his part. Jack didn't have the best grades in high school and he's not ashamed to admit it either. He couldn't be gifted in all aspects of life. Therefore, he believes that his personal essay might have been the deciding factor on his acceptance to the school, but hey, he isn't going to complain.

Add in the generous financial aid package given to him and it was pretty much a no brainer. He would have been a fool not to commit. Another good thing about being part of the Air Force is that the government helps relieve a great deal of the financial burden bestowed upon him and he's grateful for that.

The beginning of the semester hadn't gone the way he wanted it to, but things are starting to fall into place now. He had missed the first two weeks of classes due to some complications with the airline he had booked his flight with, and after explaining his situation, his professors had all been remarkably understanding. They cut him a little slack and thanks to them, Jack has managed to catch up with the rest of the class.

There have been nights where he wouldn't get to go to bed until three in the morning, yet he never complained. His education is his responsibility. Being in college is nowhere like being in high school. Just ask anyone who's been there. Jack would rather sacrifice a few hours of sleep every night than get an F.

As quietly as he can, Jack shuts the door to his room and tiptoes down the stairs. He doesn't want to disturb his parents. Successfully, he makes it outside without rousing his folks. His 2013 Hyundai Sonata, painted a pale blue, starts up, the headlights automatically turning on. While Jack is backing out of the driveway, Sharon appears at the entryway with her hair in curlers and a robe wrapped around her body. Her arms are flailing around in the air as her mouth moves furiously.

Even though he can't hear her, Jack already has a gist of what she's trying to say to him. It most likely has to do with a) him not waking her up to make him breakfast, b) a reminder of the blind date he's supposed to go on later tonight, or c) all of the above. Through his window, he sends her a sheepish smile and a small wave, before he disappears down the road, his house shrinking in the rearview mirror the farther he gets.

He loves the woman to pieces, but sometimes, having some space to himself isn't all that bad. It's actually sort of relaxing. Work goes by faster than Jack expects and before he knows it, he's out on the road again, this time embarking towards the university. What sucks about being a commuter, especially for a school as massive as UVM, is trying to find a decent parking spot. On his way there, Jack stops by to grab lunch. Even he knows it's not a bright idea to attend class on an empty stomach. With his half eaten sandwich in one hand and other on the steering wheel, Jack's eyes scope out the lot for a vacant spot.

As if the heavens have heard him, he is able to locate one in less than ten minutes and he immediately claims it. Making sure to lock the vehicle, he slings his backpack over his shoulder and makes his way towards the building his class can be found in. The campus is full of life, students and professor all scattered about. A couple of girls openly ogle at Jack as he walks by them in his six foot stature and Adonis-like sculpted body. He offers an amicable smile to whomever he meets eyes with and the girls nearly faint at the beautiful sight. No, he isn't flirting. It's called being friendly.

As he is getting closer to the hall, Jack's eyes land on a group of students bunched together on the main quad. From what he can see, they're all holding posters with various slogans and quotes. He has to squint his eyes in order to read them. They all have do with fracking and how harmful and dangerous the practice is to the environment and that's when it hits him. They're holding a protest! Nobody is paying much attention to them, though.

Suddenly, a girl emerges from the group with a megaphone in her grasp. Jack is unable to catch a clear view of her since she has her back towards him, but he isn't all that interested and carries on. Once he is inside the facility, he forgets about the matter altogether.

"Hey." There's a tap on his shoulder and Jack glances to his left where a guy, with brown hair and a matching set of irises, greets him with an embarrassed smile. "Do you have a pen I can borrow?"

"Yeah, sure." Jack reaches into his bag and pulls out the extra writing utensil, handing it over to the guy.

"Thanks. I'm Blake, by the way."

"Jack," he returns.

"Yeah, I know," Blake laughs, which confuses him. The brown-eyed boy takes notice of his classmate's befuddled expression and immediately explains himself. "A lot of the girls in the class fawn over you when you're not here."

Jack's countenance lightens up as he nods his head in comprehension. It's not the first time something like this has happened to him. And not to sound egotistic or anything, but he also knows very well that this won't be the last time either. Jack isn't blind. He is aware that he's good looking, and he's been told that dozens of times by other people as well. However, he never lets those compliments get to his head. Never has he ever boasted or bragged about his appearance because overtime, it'll eventually fade away. As cliché and sappy as it may sound, to Jack, what really counts is what lies on the inside of a person.

Finishing up his last class, he only has three for the day, Jack files out of the auditorium, behind everyone else. He flicks his wrist over and checks the time. It's only five, which means his date is less than three hours away. Not wanting to return home yet, because if he does, his mother will undoubtedly lecture him about what he should and shouldn't do again, Jack decides to kill some time at the library. He finds an empty table and makes himself comfortable.

While he is trying to read a book for his philosophy class, Jack keeps hearing whispers, which are constantly distracting him. Curious as to what the noise is about, he peers up and his eyes widen when he spots several women all staring at him from their seats. He doesn't recall seeing them when he first arrived. Where did they all come from? "Jack!" A lanky and tall girl, whose hair is tied up into a ponytail, approaches him and his attention is redirected towards her instead.

"Oh hey, Maybelle!" He places his book away and smiles widely at her. It's always nice seeing a friendly and familiar face. The other girls around grow sour at their interaction and go about with their own business, ignoring the pair as though they don't even exist.

"I see it's mating season for you again," she teases as she settles into the chair across from him.

"Please don't start with that," he groans, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Did you see the way they were glaring at me?" Maybelle shudders. "It's kind of terrifying. What if they attack me when I'm all alone?"

"Don't be overdramatic, May. Even if that happens, you can always use your long, majestic legs to outrun them." Jack chuckles. He and Maybelle Stewart have been acquainted since middle school. They've been good friends for a while now, but lost touch after their high school graduation. Their friendship blossomed primarily because Maybelle had a huge crush on Paul, Jack's brother, when she was younger and Jack would always tease her about it. Their relationship, as it has been in the past, is purely platonic. As hard to believe as it may seem, people of the opposite sex can be just friends with no romantic feelings getting involved. Take these two for example.

Maybelle starts taking out her notebooks in order to get some work done. "You should seriously consider coming to school with a paper bag over your head," she suggests. Jack purses his lip, waiting for her to tell him why he should do such a ridiculous thing. "There's literally a line going around the entire block with girls who are just dying to drop their panties for you. All you have to do is snap your fingers and voila."

Her hyperbolic statement causes him to roll his eyes. "I'm not interested in that kind of stuff right now," he says firmly. "My attention is already spread thin among work, school and the cage. Oh, and let's not forget evading my mom's diabolical plan of becoming a grandmother within the next year. I don't have time to worry about other complicated matters."

"You think you've got it rough? You should have seen the administrators trying to deal with those students who were out protesting on the quad," snorts the girl.

Jack recalls the scene. "Right, I saw that earlier."

"Yeah, according to their leader, they were exercising their First Amendment." She shrugs. "And since they weren't hurting anyone, there wasn't much the administrators could do. I gotta hand it to them though. Those tree-hugging hippies on campus really are something else. I mean, they've always been floating around, like lost souls in search for the light since I was a freshman. But recently, they've become more engaged, more active in the community. Like, who holds protests against oil? Don't they know more oil leads to cheaper gas?" scoffs Maybelle indignantly.

"They're not hippies," Jack points out as he begins to pack his belongings away. "They probably lean more towards environmentalists if anything."

"Why does that matter?" she sneers apprehensively. "They're a nuisance."

Jack doesn't necessarily agree with her, but he doesn't want to start a fight. In high school, Maybelle had been a three-time debate champion. She can make an enticing argument, which convinces someone that black is white and vice versa. That's how scary good she is. When it comes to words, he knows he stands no chance against her. He'd be a fool if he even thought about trying it. "Everyone's entitled to their own opinions. This is America, the land of the free. Anyways, I have to go. I'll catch you around."

* * *

Staring at his own reflection, Jack exhales deeply. Currently, he is in the middle of a dilemma. He's contemplating on whether or not he should back out of the blind date his mother had ever so graciously arranged for him or follow through with the plan. It's clear he's filled with regret right now because, let's be honest here, he doesn't have a choice.

He has to go on this date. If he doesn't, who knows what Mrs McKiernan will do? She would most likely guilt trip him and Jack hates feeling guilty, even if he's done nothing wrong. He shouldn't have naively agreed to the woman's favor before he heard what it was.

There is rapid knocking coming from his door, and Jack trudges over to answer it. "What's taking you so long? Beverly is already waiting for you at the theatre!" Sharon exclaims anxiously.

"Mom, is it necessary for me to go watch a play dressed in a suit? Don't you think it's a bit over the top on my part?" Jack questions as he glances down at his formal attire.

"Of course not. You're dressed to impress," the woman declares. "Now run along. We don't have all night." Next, she goes behind him, places both of her hands on his shoulders and prods him out of his room, down the stairs and out the front door. "Here are your keys, the tickets and your wallet. Make sure you treat her like a gentleman." Like she needs to tell him that. Her son is the embodiment of everything chivalrous. For the most part anyways.

As Jack is driving towards the Trinity Theatre, located in the heart of Burlington, he thinks of excuses he can give to his mother as to why Beverly isn't the one for him. His mind is working strenuously in order to make a list of possible reasons he can use, which means his focus isn't entirely on the road, where it should be.

Then, his foot clashes with the brake pedal before his car can collide with a pedestrian. If it hadn't been for his seatbelt, Jack would have flew right out the windshield. In front of him is a girl standing beside her turquoise bicycle.

The look on her face is blank as she stares at Jack through the transparent barrier separating the two of them. He begins to panic, wondering if she is suffering from shock. Just as he unfastens his seatbelt to go check on her, she turns back and continues walking, pushing her bike along with her, as though she didn't almost just get transformed into a human pancake. Utterly stupefied with her nonchalant behavior, Jack watches as she reaches the sidewalk in one piece. An uneasy feeling swells inside of him, but it is soon forgotten when a loud honk sounds behind him.

Oh right, he has a play to get to.

- - -

Author's Thoughts: Happy Birthday to me! Here's my present to you guys for celebrating it with me!

I am soooo freaking excited for this story! Isn't Jack gorgeous? My boyfriend called him a try-hard cause of his eyes. Guys are so cute when they're jealous haha. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please vote and comment if you'd like!