The Best Part of Me -Jack Avery Fanfic.

Chapter 12

Cortez ignores the big fluffy doodle dog; sticking to my side as I walk in the door behind Jack. He calls to his mom that we're home and that makes me smile. That was something we always said when we would come here. It was another habit. This was home to me.

This has always been home for me.

I take my time walking into the entrence after kicking off my shoes at the door. I trace my fingers over the wall and Jack stays with me. Lucas, their other dog, greets us with a wagging tail, sniffing Cortez as he walks by without a care.

It smells as good as it always did. This house is always kept clean considering all the people who live here. Fresh and the lingering smell of either sweets or some sort of delicious food.

"Hey Addy!" Jack's mum pops around the corner and beams when she sees me. "Wow! You've grown into a beautiful young lady!"

I smile at her, keeping a bit of distance cause I know she'll try to hug me. I don't wanna be in that situation because I know I'll just push her away and I don't wanna do that to her. She's such a sweetheart and I'd never wanna hurt her.

"Thank you." I can't help the colour that rushes to my face.

Compliments were scarce and few. The only one who gave them to me during these past years was Jonah in our handful of video and voice calls. I didn't ever take them to heart, though. I felt like Jo was just trying to be nice and make me feel better. His attempts were apriciated, but I always brushed them off.

"Are you guys hungry? Supper's almost ready." She waves at us to settle with her in the kitchen and the two of us sit on barstools surrounding the island.

"I'm starved." Jack answers and I smile at even more memories.

Memories of us sitting here giggling to each other and of seeing him picking on his younger sisters whilst Sydnie would come in and give him a taste of his own medicine. But that's where he probably learned it from.

Jack always looked up to Syd. Even if he wouldn't often admit it when I'd catch him act like her or say something just like she did or copied her mannerisms. I always thought it was cute.

Kristin makes us our first plates and set them in front of us. Sometimes she'd do that, but often, she'd just tell us to come fill our own. She stopped saying "come make your plates" because of how scarcastic her younger kids are with their witty comment of "the plates are already made."

Which is a very "Jack" thing to say.

I thank her again and take in just how much food is on my plate. It's far more than my stomach can handle, but I don't wanna say anything. I can't fathom how I used to eat like this. Sometimes even going for seconds.

I pick at it passively. It tastes soo good. I'm not used to home-cooked meals made by others anymore. It's usually something quick or some sort of veg and/or pasta. My plate now, though, has portions of rice, mashed-potatos, peas and carrots, and a chicken leg.

I don't eat meat anymore. Not because I'm against it, but for two reasons;

One being I just don't really enjoy it. I find most meat to me has the flavor of dirt. That started a long while back, but I still ate it anyway because it was always something everybody made with their meals.

The second reason, and the thing that really turned me off of it was the meat in the prison. I only tried it a couple times and every time I did I ended up sick. It had a taste akin to what I think raw liver might have and the texture was just gross. Once it was down, it just refused to stay down. It churned my stomach soo bad that I just gave up eating it entirely.

I try to stretch out my meal in hopes of maybe tricking myself into eating a bit more. I have the veggies first, then the rice. I'm pushing myself past that when I reach the potatos.

"If you're full, you don't have to finish." Jack nudges my shoulder, noticing my struggle.

I look up and he nods reasuringly. I offer him the rest of what I haven't had and he takes the chicken. I empty the plate and pick up my dishes. When it comes to washing them, I get up out of habit and help Kristin even though she says that I really don't have to. She thanks me greatfully when I don't leave and Jack volenteers to put the dishes away. I can't help but smile because he probably didn't wanna be left out.

"Addy!!!"

I drop a glass as I'm handing it to Jack; tensing up in fear. He catches it, thankfully and I turn around just as a not-so little girl latches onto me. I feel a panic, freezing up.

"Jack said he wasn't sure if he was gonna go stay there or come back tonight." She mumbles and looks up at me with her greyish-greenish eyes. "I missed you."

"I m-mi-missed-ed you t-too." I stutter, frozen.

A furious heat flares in my entire face because of how embaressing it is. There isn't much that I hate more than my fucking speach problems. Words used to come so easily to me, and I was doing really well actually with being able to have them flow again. I did have the impediment as a child but it "faded out" when I got older and into school.

But when I got involved in my last relationship, I started to revert. And the final straw was the stabbing. I've worked hard since to have my speach return well. This slip-up, though, hits me hard.

"Hey Isla, can you go get Sandi and take her in?" Jack asks and she rolls her eyes but says she'll be right back and leaves for a couple minutes.

I stand there a bit awkwardly between the kitchen sink and the island, almost unable to process what just happened. It's like my brain doesn't want to believe that it happened. I'm not sure if it's the words or the actions or both.

"Hey, Addy," Jack snaps me out of it, asking if I'm alright.

I just nod, not quite trusting my tongue enough at the moment.

"Addy and I are just gonna go up to my room for a little while." Jack excuses us and Kristin nods, obviously knowing something's wrong with me.

Cortez follows up on our heels and I feel relief sweep through me when we get to the room.

It's been rearranged, but it's still familiar to me; down to the very smell. I sit on his bed and burry my face in my hands. It's still burning hot.

"Addy, I'm sorry. I shoulda asked them to give you space when you came, but I didn't think of it."

I'm caught off guard, raising my head and staring at him as he sits on a swivel chair. He keeps amazing me with these simple things, like apologizing for something that isn't even his fault.

I take my time when I open my mouth, my words coming out slow and with cautious pronounciation. "It's okay. It's not anyone's fault. That's not what bothered me."

He tilts his head curiously. If the phrase "curiosity killed the cat" held true, I'm sure Jack would've found himself in so many life-or-death situations.

"What did then?"

I bite my lip rather hard. "The stutter." I say it fast, knowing that the more I think of it, the more likely it'll happen. The harder I fight it too, the more it will rear it's annoyingly ugly head.

"Oh... well if it helps anything I didn't really think much of it..."

I still watch him. "It's stupid and embaressing and I hate it."

"Hey, whoa," Jack instinctively reachs for me when he heard the distain in my tone. I don't move away from him as he puts his hand on my shoulder. "It's not something you can control, is it?"

I look down at my feet. "N... No... not really..."

His fingers find their way under my chin and turn my face towards his. "Then don't worry about it, baby girl."

I lean into his hand; closing my eyes and placing my hand over his. Then I take it and pull him. He stands up and I hug him. He squeezes me tightly and lets me stay in his arms like that as long as I want.

"Better?"

"Better." I smile. "Can we go back down now? I wanna see Isla again."

He chuckles and nods and we head downstairs.