Lennon's Jinx (13 page)

“If
she doesn’t want—” the bouncer starts.

“Ran
Holden roofied her.” Lennon’s voice is so chilly I shiver. How does he know
this guy’s full name? He doped me? How? Oh yeah, the martini that I barely
drank.

The
bouncer glares at Ran. “You, again. I thought we told you to stay out of here.”

Ran
darts away from us through the crowd. He disappears like Houdini.

“Ran?”
I call after him, but he’s gone.

Lennon
carries me out of the bar. His heart beats steady, and his body heat seeps into
me. If I didn’t feel so weird, they’d comfort me.

Everyone’s
together now, surrounding me, the band and my friends and Zach. Zach followed
me?

“I
can take Jinx home,” Zach says.

I
like that idea.

Lennon
laughs. “In their conditions, I’m taking the girls home.”

Zach
smiles at me. I still love him. “You think you can handle that many girls?” he
asks.

“Oh,
I’m sure I can.” Lennon is such a cocky bastard.

I
smack his chest for good measure, but I can’t even feel my hands. They’re like
disembodied spirits. I wave them around, watching the ghost trails they create.

Zach
shrugs and walks away. I call after him, “Wait,” but the words fizzle on my
tongue. I’m not sure what Ran slipped me, but it’s bad, whatever it is.

“Are
you out of your mind?” Lennon says as he carries me out of Sammy’s. “You
could’ve been raped.”

It
wouldn’t be the first time, though in that case, I egged Him on.

“I
don’t feel so good,” I say. “Put me down.”

Lennon
does. He steadies me, so I don’t face plant into the icy concrete. I retch into
the snow piled up on the side of the street. I’m glad Zach isn’t here to see
this. Lennon holds back my hair until I dry heave and nothing comes out because
I haven’t eaten much all day. I was too nervous for my audition.

This
is so humiliating. The guys will probably kick me out of the band.

“Jesus,
Jinx,” Lennon says. “And they say you’re the smart one.”

“Don’t
give her a hard time,” Rena says. “She’s so out of it she doesn’t even know
what you’re saying.”

“Yes,
she does,” Lennon says.

Why
does he have to act like some super hero in front of my friends? They don’t see
the real Lennon. A guy who refuels with a different girl on every block.

“Jinxy,
still in there?” Clive flicks my nose. “It’s just a powerful muscle relaxer.
She’ll feel like chit in the mornin’. Poor ole bird.”

I
go to slap him, but my arm flops to its side.

“Can
she die from this?” Rena asks, showing concern for me while Iz and Gabby hang
onto Clive.

Clive
touches my left boob. “Heart’s still tickin’.”

I
want to smack him hard, not only for touching me but for having fun at my
expense.

Danny
slides in next to me, grinning like a madman, while Iz snaps a photo of us on
her phone. “Look, Jinx,” he says. “We already have memories.”

Susan
shakes her head, and she doesn’t look too happy. Her hand slips into Danny’s.
They look cute together.

Clive
laughs. “Our mate has retched, had a bender, and acted like an arse in front of
us.”

“Jinx
is one of us now,” Danny says. “Woo-hoo.”

“My
car’s around the corner,” Lennon says.

“Are
you sure we can all fit?” Rena asks.

“I
can sit on someone’s lap,” Gabby volunteers. She slides in close to Clive. He’s
not only not complaining but also draping an arm around her.

“It
seats eight.” Lennon carries me the half block to his car. He opens it, and
Rena helps him slide me into the third row seat.

Rena
scoots in beside me. “I’ll sit in the back with Jinx.”

“Good.”
Lennon scoops a plastic bag from the back. “Make sure she doesn’t puke in my
car.”

He
belts me in and says, “And you give me a hard time.”

I’m tempted to call Jinx Friday
morning when I roll out of bed at eight. She certainly tied one on after the
lecture she gave me at her party. The nerve of that girl. She could’ve been seriously
hurt, though I didn’t mind holding her. Until she puked, she smelled really
good.

Jinx
put on a show for Zach, and he ate it up. For a moment, I thought he might take
Ran Holden out. It would serve the asshole right. He’s banned from Kitchee’s
Joint and several other clubs for dealing drugs.

The
kitchen is quiet this morning because Mom didn’t come home. Currie’s not here
to get me up or tell me what I can and cannot eat, so I sneak into Mom’s
personal stash of coffee. I grind beans from some exotic South American blend
and put it into the Krups coffee maker. The smell is sheer heaven.

At
the bottom of the freezer is bacon. I fry it in a pan and scramble eggs in the
grease for breakfast. It’s pure bliss not to have yogurt and fruit for once.

After
I’ve read the paper, I call Rena to have her rouse Jinx out of bed. It’s hard
to get reservations at the American Girl Place for lunch, and the girls will be
disappointed if we don’t get there ahead of time to shop for the latest AG
fashions.

“Jinx
doesn’t look so good. Can’t this wait?” Rena asks.

“No.”
It can, at least another hour, but why should I when I can harass Jinx while
she’s suffering from a massive hangover. “I’ll be by around nine-thirty.”

“By
the way, thanks for what you did to Byron. He was so mad.”

“No
problem. You can do better than him. He’s worse than me when it comes to
chasing girls.”

“You’re
not a bad guy. You just haven’t found the right woman. By the way, you’re a
really great kisser.”

I
get told this a lot. Normally, I’d agree with her, but she’s hinting at
something more, and I already pissed off Bailey. I can’t lose Rena as my math
tutor. “Thanks, you’re really good yourself.”

Rena
is a great girl. She’s pretty and smart and too good for me. She doesn’t
deserve me anymore than Byron, and I don’t really want to date or be dishonest
with her. The “no hassles” relationships work well for me, and Rena is looking
for something I can’t deliver.

The
rumbling of a Hemi pulls into our driveway. I look outside. Mom gets out of the
familiar orange Charger.

Good.
She didn’t invite him inside.

Heather
glides in through the front door, dressed like she’s going to an audition. No
one could tell she’s been out all night. Her face and clothes are perfect.
“Why, Lennon, I didn’t think you’d be home. Where’s Currie?” She sips coffee
from a steaming cup.

“Where
were you last night, Mom?”

“Out.
I don’t have to answer you.”

“Currie
had a recital. We’ve talked about this.” I can’t count how many times she’s
cried over Mom not showing.

Mom
bats her hand. “She doesn’t need me there. There are plenty of other ones I can
attend.”

“You
need to come every time, and no more strangers in my house. It’s too
dangerous.”

“I’m
fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“I’m
not worried about you. It’s Currie. She doesn’t need to see any of this.”

“It’s
no big deal. Look how well you turned out.”

I
grab Mom’s wrist. “You will stop this. Do you understand?”

Mom
tries to shake my hand off. “Let go. How dare you talk to me this way when
you’re with a different girl every night. You’re no different than your dad.”

Her
words puncture holes into my chest. She knows how to get to me. “I’m sick of
this. I had to clean up this guy’s puke, and he broke a lamp. This is my house.
Get your own. I’m tired of these guys trashing my house.”

“This
house belongs to Jonathan. He paid for it.”

“It’s
under my name. Go make your own money.”

“Why
should I leave? Your dad will be back. What’s the point of going through all
that trouble when he can support us all?”

“What
if he doesn’t? Child support for me runs out in another few months, and I’m not
taking care of you anymore.”

“Fuck
you,” she spews. “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be here. Jonathan never
wanted you. He only wants Currie.”

Though
her words crush me, I put on my game face. This gets to her. I learned a long
time ago not to spill tears over the pain that’s dealt in this house every day.
“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Currie
wants me here.”

That’s
true. “But I don’t. You need to get a job.” I’m hoping that will stop the
parade of men.

“Roger,
who dropped me off, is an agent.”

She
says this all the time. “Lionel will take you back.” He’s her old agent and
legit.

Mom
bites those perfect lips of hers. Her parents are both A-Listers. They gave up
on her acting career when she married Jonathan. We rarely see them. “Your
parents would help you get back into film.”

Mom
stares out the big picture window. “I can’t just give up on Jonathan. I’ll try
to do better. He’ll want me again if I do that.”

Jonathan
has never been gone this long, so that may mean he’s never coming back. Heather
lives in a dream world that I can’t help her crawl out of. “You should go see
Dr. Fernandez.”

“Can
I take the car tonight?” she asks.

It’s
like she didn’t hear a word I said. “You know you can’t.” One of her stoner
boyfriends wrecked the Hummer—my second vehicle.

Mom
throws the mug into the sink, breaking the cup into a few pieces, and walks
down the hall. I don’t like the fact that we always hurt each other.

After
a shower and a shave, I go next door to get the girls. Mrs. Nowak answers the
door. “They’re ready for a day of shopping. I let them stay up until eleven to
watch movies. That’s okay?”

“Okay?”
I laugh. “You’re the best Mom I know. Why would I question anything you do?”
She’s nothing like Heather. Even when Zoe was sick the last time, Mrs. Nowak came
to the recitals for Currie.

Mrs.
Nowak’s expression seems lost. “Sometimes I wonder. I hope we’re doing the
right thing with this new treatment.” She swallows, biting back emotion.

“You’ve
done a great job for what you’ve been through. I don’t know how you do it.” I
really don’t. If it were Currie, I’d lose it.

“Thanks.”

The
girls run up, dressed as if they’re ready for a fashion shoot, scarves,
leggings, and colored rubber boots for the snow. Both carry their American Girl
dolls. Currie has Molly McIntire, and Zoe cradles Cecile. I think between the
two of them they have every doll and have read all the books. It’s sad that I’m
a guy and know so much about these iconic characters.

“My
little fashionistas,” I say. “Ready for the challenge.”

“Let’s
go to Giovanni’s for dinner,” Zoe begs.

“We
haven’t even had lunch yet. Didn’t you get breakfast?”

Zoe
tugs my arm. “Yeah, but Currie usually picks the restaurant. It’s my turn.”

“Your
choice then today. Let’s go ladies.”

Currie
yawns. She rests her head against my waist.

“You
okay?” I ask.

“We
stayed up too late last night.”

“You
two can sleep in the car,” I say.

They
scoot into the backseat and buckle up. I fasten Molly and Cecile together in
the middle seat. According to the girls, it’s not an option.

“Where
to James,” Currie says as if I’m her personal chauffer, which I am.

“First,
we get Jinx.”

“You
have a girlfriend,” Zoe chides. “Is she cute? What color of hair does she
have?”

I
adjust the rearview mirror, so I can see them. “I don’t have a girlfriend. You
two are my only loves.”

Zoe
clutches her heart. “Thou art so true.”

“Did
you watch Shakespeare last night?” I ask.

“No,”
Currie says. “
Despicable Me
and
The Little Mermaid
.”

They’ve
watched these movies over a hundred times. Even I have almost every line
memorized.

I
drive to Rena’s to pick up Jinx. She crawls out of the house, coffee in one
hand and a cigarette in the other. I hate smokers. Kissing one is like licking
an ashtray.

Before
she gets into the car, I get out. I take the cigarette and flick it away into
the snow. I realize now it’s marijuana and not tobacco. Just great.

“What
are you doing?” she says. “My head is killing me. It’s medicinal.”

“No
smoking anytime you’re with us, especially that stuff. Come on. I’ve got kids
in the car.”

“Oh
my God, you’re a weed Nazi.” Her eyes are puffy and red either from crying or
what’s she toking on.

“You’re
a hypocrite. Let’s go.”

After
her last attack on me, I let her get the door herself. She eases into the front
seat, wincing like someone punched an icepick through her skull. I’ve had
mornings like that, so I’m really enjoying watching her suffer. I also liked
carrying her to the car. She weighs nothing, and the scent of tangerine in her
hair drives me crazy.

“Aren’t
those girls a little young for you?” Jinx snarks when she sees them. “You don’t
have any standards, do you?”

I’d
love to backhand her, but I don’t. “I’ve never had anyone slip me a roofy
before.”

“Is
that what that was?” Jinx asks, holding her head and the bruise purpling her
eye. She hasn’t had time to cover it with makeup.

“Probably.”

Zoe
cranes her neck to see Jinx. “What are you talking about? You don’t look so
good,” she says. “Are you on chemo?”

Jinx
turns around so slow she’s probably worried her head will unscrew if she moves
too fast. “No.”

Currie
leans over and whispers to Zoe because she’s seen enough benders and their
results to know what causes them.

“Ooooh,”
Zoe says. “I hear it’s fun until the next day. Was it fun last night?”

Jinx
slides down into the seat to disappear. She’s small enough she probably could. Instead
of sleeping, the girls chatter the whole way, driving Jinx insane. She needs
quiet to combat her demons right now, and she’s not getting any of that. Serves
her right.