Barber // Defending Jacob

Calm Before the Storm

"You do feel really warm. If you don't feel better by tonight, I'll take you to the doctor's tomorrow. You may have strep throat." He says.

"So I don't have to go to school?" She perks up.

"Don't act too disappointed." He chuckles getting up to head out. "Come down and eat breakfast though." He says leaving the room.
•••
Ellie and Jacob are inseparable. Sure they were twins, but most importantly they were best friends.

Jacob had a tendency to not open up to other people but that was not the case when it came to his sister. He told his sister almost everything and vise versa. Jake was protective of Ellie. Even when they were little, Jacob made it his duty to never let anything hurt her. He would take a bullet for his sister any day and nothing would change that.

Jacob brushes his teeth while watching motorcycle fails on his phone. A knock on the wall makes him pause the video. He looks up to see his sister still not ready.

"Hey I'm not going to school today so you'll have to walk by yourself." She says.

"Throat still hurts?" He asks.

"Yeah I feel like shit. But hey now I don't have to take the vocab quiz." Ellie smirks. "Well I'm starving so I'll meet you downstairs." She sends him one last smile and heads to the stairs.

As Ellie enters the kitchen, she sees her mom drinking her coffee while reading an article in the newspaper. Laurie puts down her coffee and wraps her arms around her sick daughter.

"My sick baby. Are you feeling better?" She coos in her ear.

Laurie lets her go after a moment and Ellie goes to get a cup.

"A little bit." The short girl starts reaching for a cup in the cabinet as Jacob enters.

"Can you quiz me on vocab? I got a test today." Jacob hands the paper to his mom.

"Good morning to you too." Laurie says taking another sip of coffee.

"Morning mom." He states.

He walks to the fridge, not before poking his sister in the side hard enough for her to drop the small stack of cups in her hands she had finally managed to reach. The plastic cups crash on the floor causing Jake to laugh.

"Bonehead!" Elenor yells and slaps Jacob in the arm. "You are picking those up."

Jacob bends down to help pick them up and Ellie fills her cup up with water. She sits on one of the bar stools and Jacob finally reaches the fridge.

"You need a ride today, or are you walking?" Laurie asks.

"No, I'll walk. Did you get new waffles?" Jake questions.

"I did if you put them on my list. Perspicacious." She retorts.

"Having a keen understanding. They're not in here." Jake continues to dig around the fridge.

"Did you put them on my list?"

"Yes."

"Then they're in there. Cursory." Laurie continues.

"Brief and lacking depth. I don't see them."

"Second shelf next to the peas. Myopic."

"Possessing a narrow view." Jacob answers, finally finding the waffles.

Andy walks into the kitchen in his suit. He kisses his wifes cheek, then goes to pour his own cup of coffee.

"How was the run?" Andy asks.

"Recalcitrant." Laurie continues to quiz Jacob.

"Yikes." Andy replies.

"Moms quizzing Jake for his vocab test today." Ellie tells her dad.

Andy nods and sees Jacob put a waffle in the toaster.

"Hey, would you throw one of those in there for me, buddy?" Andy asks.

"Me too!" Ellie says still sitting on the stool.

Eleanor starts messing around on her phone. She rolls her eyes as she rereads the texts that Ben Rifkin had sent her a few days ago.

Ben Rifkin

You were begging for it.

Sent 3 days ago

She shuts off her phone and pushes down all her feelings about that situation. She hadn't told anyone, not even Jacob, about what happened.

"Oh, Claudia Hoffman e-mailed me again." Laurie remembers.

"Who?" Andy asks.

"Lizzy's sister. The travel agent?" Laurie reminds him.

"Oh, right, right. Mexico." Andy finally connects the dots.

"What about Mexico?" Ellie asks as Jacob hands her a waffle.

Ellie mouths thank you and Jacob goes back to his waffles.

"We're thinking about going there for Christmas. Four of us. What do you guys think?" Andy says.

Jacob and Ellie both turn to look at each other. Laurie swore that the two kids could talk to each other by just looking at one another. Jacob couldn't care less about what the family decides to do for Christmas, Ellie, on the other hand, thought it would be a lot of fun.

"Cool." Jacob says with no emotion.

"I think Mexico would be so fun!" Ellie says with excitement as she stands up and walks towards her brother. "C'mon Jake get excited!" Ellie pinches her brothers cheeks teasingly.

Andy chuckles at the two different reactions to the Mexico idea.

"I am." Jake says, swatting his sisters hands away.

"Well tell your face!" Laurie exclaims.

"You love that line." Jake and Ellie say at the same time.

"You really do." Andy smiles and sips on his coffee.

"Look, we need to make a decision. Should we go? I mean, Jake is obviously ecstatic. Ellie on the other hand not so much." Laurie says sarcastically.

"No, he's beside himself." Andy plays along.

"I wouldn't want to break his heart." Laurie continues.

"What kind of parents would we be?" Andy says teasingly.

"Hilarious." Jacob says annoyed.

"So are we going?!" Ellie jumps up and down.

"I say yes! Yes to Mexico!" Andy winks at Ellie.

Ellie starts to dance around the kitchen.

"You're a dork." Andy chuckles at the dancing girl.

"I have to get in the shower. I have an early meeting. Can you finish quizzing him?" Laurie asks Andy.

Andy nods taking the paper. Before he starts, Ellie runs up to her dad and hugs him tight.

"I'm going back upstairs. Love you!" She tells her dad.

"I love you too. Feel better and I'll see you tonight." Her dad says and unwraps his arms from her.

The girl then gives Jacob a bear hug.

"Good luck on the vocab test. I love you!" She says.

"I love you too." Jake says.

Eleanor runs up the stairs and goes back to her warm bed.

If only she went to school that day.