an eye for the innocent; tracob

5

Helping you

"Who could that be?" Cassidy asked after hearing a knock on the door. She and Jacob sat together eating breakfast on a cool Saturday morning, their mother still asleep. Jacob smiled to her and got up to answer the door.

"Oh hey T," he felt his smile grow on his face and happiness fill his body while Troye smiled brightly back.

"Hey J, I just came over to ask if you still wanna help do some of the clearing out like we spoke about," Jacob nodded, he loved to feel like he was a help to people, he liked to feel useful and honestly he felt like he owed Troye.

"Why didn't you just call?" Jacob asked.

"Huh, uh I don't know," Troye said with a nervous laugh, running his hand through his curls while Jacob still smiled to him.

"It's fine T stop looking so nervous, come in," Jacob said while standing to the side so Troye could step in. Troye greeted Cassidy as well while she still ate her cereal.

Their mother soon walking out the hallway however and looked Troye up and down.

"Mom, this is Troye," Jacob said to his mother, a slight bit of spite covering his tone. Troye smiled, slightly uncomfortable, and stuck out his hand from his pocket to shake hers while she shook it gingerly.

"Nice to meet you ma'am," he said politely. She then smiled to him, making Jacob feel sick since he could sew how fake it was.

"You too Troye," she said, Jacob rolled his eyes in disgust and shook his head.

"I'm just gonna go get a jacket and then we can go T," Jacob said, leaving the room and emerging again quickly. "Let's go," he said smiling to Troye who happily returned it, Troye could sense the tension between Jacob and his mother.

"Bye you guys," Troye said to Jacob's mother and Cassidy who happily waved back, Jacob waved as well to her, not giving another look to his mother as they walked to the door.

"Uh, do you mind telling me where you two are going?" she said to Jacob, trying to hide the frustration boiling from Jacob ignoring her completely, already out the door.

"Oh yeah sorry," Troye answered for her son. "Jacob is helping my family and I get started on some renovations we doing to my grandfather's house we inherited," he said sweetly while holding onto the door handle, more than ready to leave.

"Oh, okay, bye Troye," she said with a sour look.

"Bye ma'am," he said again and gently shut the door behind him, Jacob already in the car. Troye got in and put on his seatbelt.

"So what did the wretched witch want?" Jacob asked nonchalantly, looking out the window. Troye chuckled at him.

"Just wanted to know where we are off to," Jacob's heart sank slightly.

"You didn't tell her exactly where right?"

"What? Oh no, don't worry I just told her about you helping me and my family out, nothing too specific," he said as he backed out the driveway. Jacob let go of a breath. "Why the sigh of relief J?" Troye said hearing Jacob's sigh.

"Just...I uh...I don't like her to know where I am," Jacob said.

"Why would you not want your mother to know where-"

"She is not my mother," Jacob said abruptly, clenching his jaw. "She may be biologically but to me she is just another person who has to cause me unnecessary pain," Jacob said without a pause. Troye felt guilt spread through him, not just for what he just said, but also for taking his own family for granted.

"I'm sorry," Troye said with the guilt heavy in his voice.

"Thanks T, but you know just this week makes me think maybe life isn't that bad," Jacob said truthfully, Troye smiled widely and then focused entirely on the road ahead.