Jacob closed the door on his parents' van for the last time, all of his belongings having been brought up into the dorms and unpacked. The letter on his door from Acacia was a nice touch, and before he'd explained to his parents that the same letter was literally on every door, they'd gotten the wrong idea. "Besides, dad, she's the Hawthorne's kid. Nothing against myself, but I wouldn't be surprised if her parents were already thinking of some way to marry her into some other politically powerful family." Chuckling, Jacob's dad tussled the nearly non-existent hair on his son's head.
"You know, Jacob, I wish you'd have let your hair grow out, just for the summer. Your mother and I missed you running around, getting your hair all messy."
"Sorry dad, but I didn't want to break the habit. Gotta look good now that I'm the big guy on campus." He smiled, something that was unusual for Jacob. At least, it was when dealing with his parents. There was always tension in the Rockwell family, and Jacob's parents knew that he partially blamed them for his troubles. "Anyway, thanks for helping take everything upstairs, old man. Even if your back's half-broken now that you're sixty." This time it was Jacob's father who smiled. The elderly man wasn't very sensitive when it came to his advanced age. He was constantly mistaken for Jacob's grandfather, and for good reason.
"Ahhh, that's it Jacob! Right here, fight me!" He mockingly put his fists up in a boxer's pose and exchanged light-hearted jabs with his son before Jacob's mother started shaking her head and laughing. "Just remember to take your medicine, Jacob. And your appointments are on Sundays. Bye now, be good, and remember, we love you." In an instant, the tension was back. Being at home reminded Jacob of everything he wanted to forget, every wound he wished had never opened.
"Uhh...yeah...I'll remember, dad." Jacob tried forcing his smile to last, but it was hard. Constantly being reminded that he was someone who had to be worried abut annoyed him. As his parents drove away, he turned back to face the dorm building as his face dropped back to its usual, neutral position. Jamming his hands into his pockets, he went back to his room and looked in the closet at one of the few things that still brought him joy and pride.
"Ahhh, my uniform. Crisp, clean and fresh. The only thing that makes me stand out in this damned place. It's nice to be smart, but when everybody else around you is just as smart or rich beyond your wildest dreams...it loses its charm. But this..." He felt the uniform lovingly. "This is different." Closing the closet again, he sat on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. Might as well go see whoever else has shown up. Probably wouldn't be many people, really. He and his parents both knew that he wanted out of that house ASAP, and they all did their best to make it happen.
Yankee,
TruthHurts,
princess,
Plank Sinatra,
flat lovenote,
abc