A Girl Named Callie

<Jasper> A Boy Who Is Being Begged to Stop

"So, Jasper, what have you been up to?" Ashley asks as he takes a bite of the pulled pork on his plate.

"Don't pretend she didn't tell you about the hospital." I reply sarcastically as I pull the small plate of pie Mrs. Arthurs brought me. "You damn well know I haven't been at a job or anything."

"Do you have to use language like that in church? In front of your little sister?" My mom narrows her eyes at me as I take a bite of the blueberry pie.

"She's not my little sister." I mumble and take another bite of pie. It's the only food I've been able to keep down in days.

"She's going to be in three days," My mom snaps, setting her fork down. "And I don't appreciate the way you're treating her and your stepfather."

"Would you prefer I just leave?" I shout a bit louder than I meant to.

A few people turn around, their eyes glued to our table.

"Maybe it'd be better until you get yourself in order," My mom says, not meeting my glare.

She is staring at Sophie, who is crying silently and eating her mac n' cheese. Ashley, though, is glaring right back at me, his fists clenched on the table. I push myself away from the table, dropping my napkin into my untouched dinner food.

"I can tell when I'm not wanted. I won't taint your perfect family anymore." I say scathingly, fully aware of everyone's eyes on me. "I'm sure no one would want to be related to deadbeat like me."

"Jasper, I know this isn't the family you're used to. Maybe it isn't even the family you want, but it's something. We all love you, we all want you to be apart of it, but you have to stop pushing against it." My mom says quietly, trying to keep the situation from escalating.

"This isn't my family."

"Because it doesn't have Charlie?" My mom bites her lip. "You think I don't think about him every day of my life and wish he was here? You think that I don't wake up crying in the middle of the night because I heard a train whistle? You think that night you came to me with Mrs. Arthurs doesn't play on a constant loop in my head?"

"If all this stuff happens, then why are you trying to replace him?"

"I am not replacing him. This is a new chapter, and I know if Charlie was here, he would be happy for me."

"If Charlie was here, I probably wouldn't be in as bad a shape as I am now."

I stalk out of the room, the tension building in my emaciated frame. I hear footsteps and sobbing behind me as my mother follows me out, some of her guests coming to the doorway.

"Jasper Johnathan Coven you stop right now." I turn at the sound of my full name.

"Don't call me that," I scream, my voice sounding hoarse. "I hate that you gave me his name."

"Well you sure are acting like him right now." My mom yells as Ashley comes to stand right behind her, his hand on her waist. "You're rude, sarcastic, chemically-dependent, and exhausting to be around. I thought if I left you alone about everything, you'd mellow out, you'd act like a person again. I thought maybe you'd stop fighting me on everything."

"That's exactly what you did with him and look how it turned out." I brush a frustrated tear from my eye.

"What am I supposed to do, Jasper? People are trying everything for you and you're just ignoring them."

"Doesn't mean you should ignore me. I clearly have a problem, mom." I yell back, my knuckles turning white.

"You do, but you don't want to do anything about it, Jasper. You don't even care if it kills you. How am I supposed to help you if you don't care?"