Revelations over COFFEE

[Jack Banner]

Jack sat in Starbucks, a small table in the corner of the room. He didn’t want to eat or to drink but he’d bought a frappachino just so he could sit inside, and it was cold so he couldn’t kill Mitchell with it either. He sat, his arms folded over his chest, his stomach feeling empty yet full with butterflies of sickness and anxiousness and worry. Jack sighed, his brow was creased over his blood shot black eyes. He didn’t care too much for appearances since he’d left the Sanatorium and especially not at the minute so the fact that you could tell that he’d been upset really didn’t bother him. He had an excuse to be upset, it was one of those times when it didn’t matter who knew or who saw.

He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a grey hoody, something really quite dull and bismol, something he’d just thrown together in order to meet his coach. His coach and his mom, this was something sick. He couldn’t believe it that she would do something like that, that he owed his entire life or rather lack of to the man who benched him for the last year, the man who constantly criticised his performance and always laid down so hard on him. He’d made Jack the laughing stock of the team, too unpopular for his liking. He got angry because of who was allowed to play when he wasn’t and that caused arguments. Most people thought Jack was simply a jackass but maybe none of that would have happened without Mitchell. Through the intense emotions he felt towards him Jack had picked a public place, a public place not to cause a scene. He would rise above his father, his mother and his coach and accept things like a man. If Mitchell had things to show him he would look at them with a blank face, giving absolutely no opinion. Well that was the plan but he knew he’d probably get emotional and angry with him. He just didn’t want to be seen as week and that would easily happy when he was against Mitchell.

[Mitchell MaCDonald]

Mitchell paced his front room, backwards and forwards, forwards and backwards, well until he began to drive himself pretty mad. He knew he had to go, for crying out loud he’d arranged the meeting, but there was something inside him that made him feel sick to the stomach. What he was about to tell Jack would either make him or break him, and most likely the later. He was wearing a pair of jeans, sneakers and a grey hoody. Little did he know it was the same outfit as what Jack was wearing. He couldn’t be bothered to trail through his closet and pull out an outfit, he didn’t really care what he looked like. The only thing that mattered now was making things okay with Jack. He jumped in his car and away he went. It didn’t take him long to arrive there, but he sat in the car for a minute or two before he decided to go inside. The whole prospect was daunting, and as much as he cared for Jack, it was obvious they didn’t share the same valued relationship. In fact Mitchell was positive Jack would burry him alive had he the chance.

He stood up as he locked the car, making his way to the entrance. The cool air conditioning sweeping over his body causing him to feel extra nervous. It was time. He walked slowly to the counter, before ordering a frapp. He wasn’t really keen on caffine based drinks, but Jack had wanted to meet here and that’s where they would meet. Mitchell made his way to the table where he saw Jack waiting. He sat silently and looked at him. ”You okay?” Mitchell asked quietly, not his usual bubbly self, ”That was a stupid question. But thank you. For meeting with me.” He paused once again, his eyes looking tired and weary. He’d given this a lot of thought, and now he needed to be honest. ”I have some things for you.” He stated, pulling out an envelope containing a few pieces of old documents. A birth certificate. Jack Banner’s birth certificate, with Mitchell MaCDonald as his father. A copy of a paternity test. And black mail letters from Jack’s mother and father. ”I’m sorry.”

[Jack Banner]

Jack felt his stomach hurl as he saw Mitchell come in the cafe. He had to battle with all that he had to stop himself from running and attacking at him, but worse than that what was he wearing? It was as if he'd spied what Jack was wearing through some random webcam link and copied it the same. Quickly Jack pulled his hoody over his head and tossed it on the floor behind him. Sitting in the corner allowed you to do that and gave the warranty that it wouldn't be stolen either. He touched his own arm, grasping it in his clammy hand tightly as his teacher walked over to him. Jack lowered his head to avoid his gaze. This felt so weird, so awkward. What did his jackass teacher have to make up to him now, why now was it so important? "Yeah well who am I to turn down a teacher's charity guilt trip." Jack said with a roll of his eyes, still avoiding eye contact with Mitchell. He felt like he was a shell, or rather that he had a shell which he was firmly stuck inside until Mitchell went away. "Aren't you going to comment on how I look?" Jack asked curiously, sarcastically, bitterly, "You always usually have some snide comment to add in and since I'm not on the field today I guess my appearance is pretty much all you have. Go on, take your best shot," he challenged him, for the first time raising his glance to take in his coach's appearance. His eyes were fierce, sharp as he tried to keep his face blank but it had failed and instead was set with a scowl.

His eyes widened in mock disbelief as he saw the envelope, "Gee, what's this, a big wad of cash that you keep promising me or is it this scholarship you've bought me into?!" he rolled his eyes, "I mean the thing I don't understand though is why you're actually doing all of this shit. I'm just some prick on your football team and you thought my mom was hot. You're not a guidance counciller, you teach sport. I don't know why you keep interfering in my future. I've already decided to drop out and do absoluetly nothing with my life." he stated stubbornly before his finger tips trimmed at the envelope, feeling its weight. "Couldn't you afford a stamp? I mean you could've mailed it, would have avoided this dumb meeting... speaking of which you can pay for my drink," Jack added as he breathed in deeply, opening the envelope. Instead of carefully taking things out he emptied them onto the table. "What the fuck?" Jack grumbled as he caught the first glance of his birth certificate. "Why do you have this? Have you been stealing from my mom or something, seriously what the fuck?!" Jack asked, his voice raising. He took a closer look to it and then when his eyes saw what they saw he looked from Mitchell to the certificate and back to him, shaking his head, his mouth ajar. This wasn't really, he could feel the vomit from earlier begin to creep up in his stomach. "No, no way." Jack stated as he could feel his breathing pick up. "You're not my fucking dad, you're some absolute prick who treats me like shit and now, now you're some father who wants to send me to college and give me money and ask if I'm alright? NO, No, you're not doing this!" Jack stated, he wanted to stumble back into the wall and disapear but he couldn't. He wanted to hide the pain he was feeling inside, this wasn't the plan, but his face seemed to go against everything he'd wished. He could feel tear stringing at the corner of his eyes, burning him from within but he couldn't let them go, not now, not in front of this man. He felt his entire world come crashing down, but what was this? Who was this?! He could feel himself glowering, struggling to deal with it all. "Why, why are you just telling me now?" he whimpered.

[Mitchell MaCDonald]

Mitchell wasn't really sure how Jack would react but he could only prepare for the worst. He sat waiting as he handed Jack the envelope. His heart beat fast. Was he about to get rejected by his only son? "Just read it." He sighed becoming infuriated. Jack may be his son, but he certainly had his sense of humour that was for sure. "Stop being a Jack ass and read it. I'll pay for your dumb ass drink." He sighed becoming exasperated by Jack's infuriation. Mitch stayed silent running his hand through his thick dark hair. "I haven't stolen anything." He stated quietly sighing, he knew it would end bad but he hoped it would be a little bit better than this. "I am. I am your biological dad." He stated honestly, his eyes studying his son's face. "Look, I didnt want it to be like this. I wanted to tell you as soon as I found out. The thing is, your mom told me she'd had you adopted. But when I saw you, I knew. I mean, you do look like me." He raised his eyebrows and sighed, his head finding his hands.

He shook his head, "Jack, I just wanted you to know. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." He bit his lip, blood on his tongue. He looked up at him and tried to guess his thoughts. "If you want me to leave town I will. I'll quit my job and leave you alone. But if there's a chance you might learn to forgive me then I'll hang around." He didn't really know what to say or do. He'd probably destroyed this guys life. Everything he knew was a lie and here he was sitting opposite him waiting for everything to come crashing down. He had no idea what he'd do if he had to leave town. He didn't want to leave. This was his home. His life. But if it meant Jack was happy, he'd do it.

[Jack Banner]

He didn't know what to say. His coach was someone he'd hated, always hated since he started to bench him, and now he was his dad, someone who was suposed to always be there for him, someone who could rely on. He was supposed to play ball with this guy on weekends and go on camping trips with him, yet then there was this man who he'd grown up with, who he knew as dad, and so this was where Jacks confusion lay. He looked up at Mitchell, sitting quietly as he struggled to catch his breath. Jack bit on his lip, touching softly at his hair. "I never thought I looked like you too much, Sir," Jack admitted, feeling a little bit strange, his voice hoarse. He raised his eyeline to look at Mitchell's features, his dad's features, what did they share that was familiar. He couldn't even think, he just wanted to curl into a ball, to hide but this was real and this was happening, and he had to do something about it. "I guess it must kinda suck to have a mental case as a son," he added with a small laugh but it was short lived, and he could feel himself losing his voice once more as he tried a small smile, his eyes growing watery.

He shook his head as Mitchell suggested leaving. It was so strange now, he had two dads, one who abused him, one who benched him, neither living up to the world, yet could Mitchell actually be the dad he should have been all along, a slight hope was growing inside of him because he was on the edge of a breakdown, needing someone to be there for him, everything was so surreal, yet Mitchell was his coach, only his coach. "Don't leave town, you don't have to leave town, it's not your fault." Jack said quietly. "You don't want to be my dad... and I have a dad, I mean I think I have a dad, only now he's kind of just some stranger who was around every now and then when he wasn't working, and then... I don't know. But you're not my dad, at least not a propper dad, like what dads really are like." he admitted breathing heavily as he lowered his head once more. Jack held onto his drink, gripping to the coldness of it as he tried to hide the tears which were wishing to leave his body. "I'm sorry," Jack said quietly as he looked up at Mitchell. "I bet you wish that you could've had a son like Theo or something, I'm not really much to be proud of, I'm more like the biggest screw up waster on the planet. I mean I don't know anything... I'm a mess, but you have everything. A great football team, about thirty girlfriends, cash. You have a life here, Sir. I have no right to ask you to leave. You need to stay here and live your life, I really don't though. There's nothing here for me, and I think... I'll leave, you can continue your life. Honestly I don't blame you for this," Jack promised him as he held out his hand for a hand shake. He would prefer the comfort of a father but doing this way garanteed that he didn't get hurt and held everyone at arms length, encrusting his shell which tied tightly around his skin. He licked at his lips and glanced up at his coach, a tear escaping down his skin.

[Mitchell MaCDonald]

Mitchell was more than aware that Jack wasn’t his biggest fan. The fact that his son hated him had always been somewhat difficult to accept. For almost six months he’d been attending counselling sessions to try and help him deal with his current situation. The counselling had helped him a little but only with anger management, the rest he was trying to plough through on a day to day basis. He wanted to be the father figure that he knew Jack deserved, but his stand in father had been there over shadowing him. Mitch paused his hands firmly locked together not really bothering with his drink at all. ”Yeah… I guessed you’d say that. But I showed my father a picture of you, when you were younger, and one off last year… he thinks you look like me.” He shrugged his shoulders and sighed slightly, ”I’m sorry Jack. I’m not really sure what to say… call me Mitch.” He offered, wondering if he would take his offer. Mitchell listened to Jack self deprecate himself, and he sighed shaking his head in disagreement. ”You’re not a mental case. You’re a good student. Sure you have a somewhat colourful social calendar, but your certainly not a mental case.” He advised him, a light warm smile on his face. ”I guess what you did, must have happened for a reason. I can only say that Theo probably deserved it. He is a smart ass.” Mitchell had heard rumours. He watched as his eyes grew watery. He didn’t want him to cry.

Mitchell sighed loudly, it was obvious he was frustrated by the whole situation. ”You want me to stick around? I do want to stick around, I want to be your dad… but I don’t want you to feel pushed into it. Its your choice.” He admitted, giving Jack the choice probably meant he’d never get to spend time with him again. It was a sad thought but somewhat reality, ”I could be a proper dad though, if you’d give me a chance.” He admitted biting his lip nervously, he ran his hand through his hair before clamping them back together frustratedly. Mitch shook his head violently ”Don’t be sorry, this is all my fault. I don’t want Theo as my son. I’m glad you’re my son. I am proud of you.” He smiled proudly. He had nothing against Jack, sure he could be an ass but he was really only trying to defend himself against the world. In matter of fact, Micthell was also hard on Theo. ”I don’t even have one girlfriend, all I have here is work. I could leave and find another job. You cant leave. You have to stay here.” He pleaded as Jack held out his hand. A tear leaving him. Mitchell felt his eyes well, and the barriers break as tears flooded from his eyes. ”Could I be so bold to ask for a hug?” He asked him in amongst a façade of tears streaming down his face. He hadn’t cried for almost twenty years, but this tipped him over the cliff. He was with his Son.

[Jack Banner]

”I have a granddad?” Jack asked curiously. He’d never met any of his granddads, they’d all passed away when he was little, so maybe he’d met them but he couldn’t remember them. Jack looked up to study Mitchell’s face. What did they have in common, how could he be his. ”That’s funny, most people say I look more like my dad than my mom,” he mused, that was impossible though now. Because his dad wasn’t even his dad, so it was slightly alarming that he looked like him, well not really, it was just weird. So apparently he looked like both of his dads. ”Mitch, right... you know too much about me for a dad to know. I’m still pretty sure my dad thinks I’m a virgin,” he frowned, who was his dad now? What would happen to his old dad, and what place would Mitch take in his life? It was all too mind boggling. Jack stretched out and grabbed his drink. He was hoping it wouldn’t make him sick, he’d taken a lot in today, in the last hour or so. Jack gave a small smirk at the mention of his colourful social calendar, ”Well I’ve already told you that I’m not going to college so what’s the point in focusing my time on school?!” he pointed out. He knew that it would probably annoy Mitchell, that he would want Jack to be in college and to be pro in college, or whatever, Ivy League, but he didn’t really know much right now and college was just another one of those confusing things which he couldn’t think about because he’d get upset. ”I used to want to do law but that was when I was like fourteen or something. I actually had a life then though so... hey shouldn’t we be at a bar or something?” Jack exclaimed. He’d feel a lot better with a beer in his hand rather than a cold milky coffee drink. ”Yeah Theo is a prick. He used to be friends with my brother” It had occurred to him more than once that his brother would only be his half brother now, but it didn’t seem to make much of a difference to him. His brother was still his life, whether they only had half of the shared blood that he thought they had. ”I didn’t mean to stab him.” Jack confessed quietly. Too many people thought he had, too many people were calling him a psycho and he really didn’t like it. He’d tried telling people before but no one quite believed him. The version of Jack being the new Michael Myers was a lot more exciting than the truth.

As Mitchell sighed Jack pulled his feet up on the chair, his hands draped over his knees. Honestly he was afraid, now he was afraid of disappointing Mitchell and with every sigh he felt inadequate, but at the same time he was also afraid of losing the father he’d known all of his life, and he was afraid of the dad that Mitchell could be, afraid of letting himself go and trusting someone and not getting hurt and feeling the pain that his father inflicted. It was a blanket that he was too used to and leaving it and joining the real world, the world he used to know. ”I’m scared,” Jack admitted quietly, not looking at Mitch. ”I haven’t had a real dad in years, and I don’t know how to have one anymore, or how to let anyone in anymore.” It could have been anyone so why was it Mitchell? And then it meant that he could be having this conversation with anyone. He picked up the birth certificate once more, glancing at the names. Would his dad be heartbroken if he found out that Jack knew? Or would he be glad to get rid of him? He bit on his lip, it would certainly cause more than a few arguments, in fact he could imagine it would cause a black eye or two. No, his dad would kill him. ”If I let you be my proper dad, my other dad would kill me. I really hate him, but I can’t hurt him like that.” He looked up at Mitchell. If Mitchell said it was okay, if he reassured him then maybe it would be different but Jack didn’t know how to be alone. He didn’t know how to stand up for himself against his dad, instead he just ignored his texts and calls and avoided his home until he really had to go. ”You’re proud of me?” Jack asked him as he bit on his lower lip, trying to dim the trembling it emitted. Already Mitchell was already being like a proper dad. His own dad was the reason he was being benched so he wouldn’t embarrass him by making mistakes, yet Mitchell was saying he was proud of him. Jack frowned when Mitchell began to cry. He glanced around the cafe, wondering if anyone had seen. He was suddenly glad that he’d taken a corner table, it provided a little bit more privacy. ”Quit crying, man, you’re embarrassing me!” Jack bit at him. He’d never seen Mitch cry before he didn’t even know he was capable of it. Jack stood up slowly and walked towards Mitchell, wrapping his arms around the older man. This felt strange, very strange yet comforting. He was with someone, who he’d hated for the past year, who actually wanted to be his dad, who actually wanted to be there for him. He was knelt on the ground, his arms around Mitch but he didn’t know how to be strong. He dropped his head on his shoulder as he tried to stem the tears. Jack pulled back and looked at his face. The face of his dad, ”I’m sorry, I’m scared... just don’t let him hurt me again,” he said in a soft plead. It was a big burden that he was putting on this man’s shoulder. He knew that Mitch had said earlier that his dad frightened him, but if he really wanted to be a proper dad then maybe he could sort out the pain that his other one had left, and begin to pick up the pieces.

[Mitchell MaCDonald]

Mitchell nodded but sighed at the same time. "Yeah you have a granddad. He used to be an all star quarter back for team USA in the day, but he was in a car accident and lost a leg, and got a head injury. Dad's got alzheimer's, he's got worse since mom died. She had a stroke." He explained quietly, Mitchell hadn't really seen his dad for a few months, it made him feel guilty. "You could meet him if you liked. He'd like that one day. I have a brother too, but he's a bit too serious." Mitchell raised his eyes and looked over his son. He thought he'd remain on his own for the rest of his life, and here he was sharing things with someone who was part of his own flesh and blood. Mitchell shrugged as he admitted he looked like his fake dad. There was no denying they had the same hair colour... that was all Mitch could see. "Yeah, maybe I do. But I'm not gonna live in denial." Mitchell smiled delicately. "Jack, you have to go to school. Whether you go to college or not. YOu don't want to end up a no brainer." He advised him realising he had to let Jack make this decision himself. "Well... law is still an option. Bar's are for wasters, plus your not legal." He joked shrugging his shoulders. He didn't really get why he had chosen to come here.
Mitchell nodded as Jack slagged Theo off. "Yeah I know you didn't mean to. But rather than fighting with everyone, you'd do well just being friends with people."

Mitchell was slightly ataken back by Jack's admission. "What are you scared of?" He asked before Jack voluntarily told him. "Oh. You don't have to do this you know. We can just be friends or something. I just want to get to know you, and for you to know I'm here, for anything you need." He explained, "You don't even have to call me dad. Just call me Mitch or something. But not coachie." He smiled slightly hating the name Jack had named him. Mitchell nodded, "It's gonna be okay. If you want things to say the same we don't even have to do anything about it." He shrugged. He nodded and smiled lightly. "Yeah I am. Your a good kid." He told him proudly. He was happy that Jack was his son. As Mitchell cried he was overwhelmed by the hug that Jack provided him. Mitchell cried harder and harder, holding onto Jack because he'd never had this opportunity before. "Its okay Jack It's okay. I promise. I wont let him hurt you. I promise." Mitchell held him tightly hoping he could make his fake dad stay away.

[Jack Banner]

Jack raised an eyebrow at the idea of his crippled granddad, if he had alzheimer’s would he even know who he was or would he just think he was a random youth? Jack sighed, maybe it would be a good idea for him to meet him, after all it was his granddad and if he was going to die soon maybe he would somehow make his life, or maybe just maybe he’d be a good granddad to have around. ”Yeah sure I’ll meet him,” Jack agreed. He put on a confused face as Mitchell mentioned his brother. ”What do you mean, he’s too serious?” Jack asked him, it just didn’t make sense. ”I don’t need school to have brains. Half the teachers are on drugs and the other half are screwing students – and don’t you deny that you’re not, I know you are!” he stated harshly to his father. There was seriously no denying his dad’s extra curriculum activities. ”I’ve never known who with though... you keep that fact quiet. It better not be Larrissa,” he warned. But he doubted she would sleep with Mitchell anyway, she hated him as much as Jack did. ”Who else is there... Libbi?” he mused, that was a no too. Libbi was innocent, well except for the time she slept with him. ”Tyra, Ashley, Hayven... Acacia,” Jack mocked as he went through the possibilities but after thinking it through he simply shook his head. It wasn’t any of those people. ”I guess it’s just rumours,” he concluded. He couldn’t think of anyone in the school who Mitch would possibly want to have sex with anyway. Jack rolled his eyes, ”Mitch, you might be my ‘real dad’, but you have no right to tell me what I’m allowed to do and what I’m not allowed to do.” Unless Mitch called the cops on him he wouldn’t stop underage drinking. He seemed to have heard the same thing over and over again before and he didn’t like hearing it. ”I just told you, he was friends with my brother I can’t be friends with him.” Jack argued stubbornly. Mitchell wanted to have a teenage son, well he was getting what he wanted. ”It’s not fair. He spent more time with my brother than I did, why should I be friends with him? I mean if it wasn’t for him and his dumb friends Sam would’ve never been at that stupid party” Jack moaned. It wasn’t fair to blame Theo but who was he supposed to blame?

”I like calling you coachie,” Jack said with a small nod. This really wasn’t very fair, why was his life so messed up? ”Didn’t you ever wonder about me when I was growing up, want to contact me or anything?” Jack asked him quietly. He felt strange, in an alternate universe that his coach was crying on his shoulder, bidding to protect him. Jack wiped away his tears and looked out of the window as the older man cried. His tee would probably be wet from the tears, yet he felt somewhat disconnected from the whole thing. ”What would you have called me?” Jack asked as he pulled away from his teacher. He had experience in hiding his emotions and right now he’d regained his composure and looked to see Mitch once more. ”Kinda funny how Larrissa hates both my dads,” he mused slyly.