Lennon's Jinx (11 page)

“Me,
too,” she says, wiping the tears away while a small smile tries to escape
through her haze of sadness.

Byron
and Lennon have much in common, though I’m pretty sure Lennon has never told a
girl he loves her to get into her skirt. From what Rena tells me, he’s pretty
up front that he doesn’t want a relationship ever. Girls must think they can
change him. I’m glad I don’t have that problem.

Gabby
strides into the bathroom. She hands Rena the flask. Her hands clutch it, and
she tilts it back, taking a healthy gulp. Drinking doesn’t solve anything. I’m
a clear example of that. I tried to drink Zach’s absence at the party out of my
mind and ended up losing my virginity and Zach.

“I
don’t know how I could possibly feel worse,” Rena says.

Gabby
burps really loud. “Excuse me. If you keep drinking like that, you’ll
definitely feel worse tomorrow morning.”

That
brings a smile to Rena’s face. “Byron is an asshole.”

“That’s
the spirit,” I say, knowing how much this hurts. Seeing Zach and Kelly together
always feels as if Jason from
Friday the 13
^th
is stabbing my
heart.

“Group
hug,” Gabby says, enveloping us with her arms.

We
return to our table where Iz waits for us. Gabby must’ve crowned her the official
coat watcher. Most the time we carry cash and our ids in our pockets, so we
don’t have to lug around our purses. Mine is slung across my chest.

“I
saw Mr. Can’t Keep It in his Pants.” Iz glances back at Byron. “You can do
better, and we’ll prove it. I got you high octane.” She shoves the drink over to
Rena who inhales it.

I
don’t want to carry Rena and Iz home.

A
round of shots comes to our table. Three guys lift their drinks to us. They’re
shy by one so not all of us will get to dance. One guy could play pro ball.
That kind always chases Rena. The other one eyes Gabby.

Alone
again. I shove my shot to Iz.

“Are
you sure?” she asks.

“Positive.”
I try to keep my promises, and drinking excessively ends badly for me.

“Sure
you’ll be all right,” Rena says before she’s tugged to the pit of sweaty bodies.

“Always,”
I say. “Someone has to stay and watch our stuff.” I sip on my drink, knowing
this is going to be a long night, but it beats being at home.

Couples
pack the dance floor. Suits always come here. It’s a treasure trove for up and
coming Chicagoans. I’m not into older guys, though they can at least afford to
take you somewhere decent.

Rena
dances close to this guy who’s got a solid body. She sways next to him so that
they remind me of molten lava. Half the guys on the floor are watching her
instead of their partners and so is Byron. He leaves his table and threads his
way through the knot of dancers.

Byron
gracefully cuts in when a slow dance starts. They’re so close they could be banging
on the dance floor if it weren’t for her jeans in the way. I want to strut
right up to him and tell him off, but if Zach were to ask me to dance, Rena
wouldn’t interfere. She knows I’m still in love with him, just like she can’t
get over Byron. Sometimes when you fall, your face gets stuck in the mud, so
that you can’t breathe and you’re trapped in the icky goo. You also don’t get
to choose who you fall for.

When
the waitress comes by, I ask for a round of waters. She gives me a dirty look
because she won’t get a tip for them. I’m happy when she drops them off because
my mouth is parched. I give her two bucks that she wasn’t expecting for her
troubles.

A
guy with fair skin stops at my table. He’s okay looking, but the tailored suit
really fits him. “Hi. Can I join you?”

My
mouth freezes. I involuntarily tremble. I should’ve drunk faster. “It’s a free
country.”

I
just want to hang my head in shame. It’s like I’m possessed and can’t talk to
guys without half a bottle of liquor in me. I had no problem talking to Zach,
but that’s because we had something in common, our music.

What’s
wrong with me? I’m deathly afraid of guys unless I’m half-baked.

The
suit gives me an odd look then continues on his way. Under his breath, he says,
“Bitch.”

That
probably worked out better for me. Guys that talk that way to girls are creeps.

Iz
comes back to the table, a sheen of sweat on her forehead from dancing. The guy
she’s with walks back to his table.

Iz
takes a sip of her drink. “Hey, Tom will dance with you.”

A
pity party for me. “That’s okay.” I don’t want to drink Iz’s backwash.

Iz
pours vodka into her glass with little discretion. She’s downing the drink so
fast half of it splashes onto her top. She giggles and swears while she dabs at
it with a napkin.

A
bouncer sees her and swaggers up to our table. He’s big, Lennon big. “You
ladies need to leave. Now.”

“Oh
crap,” Iz says. “Can we get our friends first?”

The
bouncer grabs underneath her arm and lifts her from the chair. “No.”

Several
other tables glance our way. Heat brushes my cheeks.

“We
can’t leave their stuff here,” I say. “It’ll walk away if we don’t take it.”

The
bouncer snags our arms and shoves us to the side exit. Iz’s dance partner
notices but doesn’t try to rescue us.

“Rena,”
Iz yells.

The
music blares too loud for her to hear us. This really bites. Damn Iz.

As
the bouncer escorts us outside, some of the patrons stare at us. It’s
embarrassing to be kicked out of high-class joint like this one. Outside, it’s
even colder than it was earlier.

“How
long before they miss us?” Iz asks, rubbing her arms under her thin jacket.

Anger
bubbles inside me. “I hope not long. We’ll be frozen soon.”

“Rena
won’t leave with Byron in there.”

I
hope Iz isn’t right, though it’s not like Rena to ditch us. That’s more Gabby’s
style. If a cute guy comes along, it’s sayonara sister.

We
stamp our feet, trying to stay warm. It’s not helping. I hand Gabby’s jacket to
Iz while I fold Rena’s around the front of me. I hate being split up from them
because I’ll have no one to help me with Iz or prevent me from killing her for
getting us thrown out.

Music
exposes the heart of a tortured soul

It’s
hard to breathe, hard to wake

Hard
to face the coming day

With
one kiss, girl, you can take all the pain away

Chorus:
Put your hands all over me, girl

Make
me whole, give me your all

Don’t
let me down because it’s right

It’s
only natural for us to feel this way

If
only for the night

One
more night, one more gig

Each
one with new faces, new places

I
look at her. She looks at me

Baby,
it’s only a heartbeat away

So
come on over and bring me your rain

I
put her upon my shoulders

Tickle
her nightmares away

If
only they’d go and never come back

Everything
will be okay, this is my life, this is my way

Though it’s ladies’ night,
Sammy’s isn’t packed yet. The bouncer nods me in. I haven’t gotten carded since
I turned fifteen. Clive and Danny have older siblings who gave them copies of
their IDs. Susan turned twenty-one last month.

As
Clive gets our cover charge, guilt gnaws at me over Bailey. I tried to find her
backstage after the recital to see if she wanted to meet us at the club. The
only problem is she’d probably like me to take her as something more than a friend.
It’s not that I mind buying. It just feels so permanent to drive a girl
somewhere, and I can’t really bring her home. Mom’s a handful as it is.

I
order the first round of beers for the guys and a sea breeze for Susan. Clive
and I only let Danny Boy buy every other two rounds for us. We get a table in
the back, so we can talk over the band.

“Bailey
coming?” Susan asks.

I
work on the label of my beer. “I couldn’t find her backstage to let her know.”

“It
wouldn’t hurt to ask her out,” Susan says, “and you could’ve texted her.”

“You’re
right,” I say, guilt working into me.

Danny
Boy puts up a hand like a cop stopping traffic. “Don’t.”

“It’s
okay,” I say. Susan means well. “I can’t bring her home. You know why. I have
to take care of Currie. It’s not like I’d make a great boyfriend anyway.”

“You’re
hopeless,” she says, throwing a balled-up napkin at me.

“Probably
so,” I say, scoping the dance floor for an interested party. A few girls are
watching me.

“It’s
just a phase,” Clive says. “Some girl will knock your shorts off, then she’ll
rip out your heart.”

“You’re
not helping,” Susan says.

“Neither
are you.” Clive tips his beer back.

He
had a girlfriend for a few months his sophomore year. She let him take her to
all the spring dances, then she ignored him afterward. He spent a small fortune
on limos, dinner, and flowers. He barely got a good night kiss for his efforts.

I
could tell Clive really liked this girl because he chased after her. It
could’ve been the thrill of the pursuit, but he went out of his way for her. He
hasn’t done that for anyone except Zoe, and that’s because his little sister was
killed.

“What’s
the story with Jinx?” Clive asks.

“Who’s
Jinx?” Susan puts a possessive hand on Danny Boy’s thigh. He kisses her cheek
and lays his hand over hers.

I
don’t get it with him. He could have a different girl every night, so why does
he put up with her jealousy? “Jinx is our new keyboard player.”

“Oh?”
Worry creases Susan’s brow. A lot of girls hit on Danny Boy, and she doesn’t
like it one bit. I can tell she doesn’t want full-time competition from a girl
in the band. Her insecurity would drive me crazy.

“What’s
the deal with Jinx?” Danny Boy shows interest, and flames fly in Susan’s
chocolate brown eyes. Looks-wise, she is quite breathtaking. Tall, leggy, with raven
hair.

“Jinx
sits next to me in choir. Has never given me the time of day or any other guy, except
Zach. She has a kickass voice.” I won’t deny that or her pretty hair.

Clive
nods at a girl a few tables down. They’ve been eyeing us since we got here.
“Why the beer bath?”

I
give them the rundown, ending with Jinx calling me a pig.

“Honestly,”
Susan starts, “you’ve been called a sleaze, dirt-bag, scum-of-the-earth, womanizer,
lady-killer, and slut to name a few. Pig seems rather tame.”

“Wow,”
I say. “I didn’t realize you were keeping track. I’m not that bad. Am I?”

“You
are,” she says. Danny Boy gives her the look, saying that’s enough. Susan
doesn’t listen well. She has her own mind. Another attribute I don’t admire in
her.

“Other
couples were hooking up in the bedrooms,” I say. “Jinx just doesn’t like me.”

“She
joined our band,” Danny Boy says.

“She
didn’t want you in that room and then you were rude to her.” Susan sips on her
drink. “Pig, well deserved, among other things.”

“Thanks,
Susan. I feel so much better now,” I say.

“Just
trying to help out.”

Danny
Boy shakes his head at her. “Maybe it bothers you because you like her,” he
says.

I
snort out a laugh. “She’s not even my type. She’s a virgin, and she hates my
guts.”

“There’s
always a first time for everyone,” Clive says. “It’s the challenge that makes
her interesting. You said virgin?”

“Yes,
and no it doesn’t.” The only attraction is physical. I have that all the time,
but I’ve learned to keep my hands off virgins. I don’t like getting slapped or the
thought of ruining a girl’s first time. Their expectations are maxed out for
that one. “Enough about me.”

“Why
don’t we chat up those fit birds over there?” Clive asks. “I think I fancy that
redhead after meeting Jinx.”

I
scoot my chair back to get up when Jinx flashes through my mind. I stumble a
bit before reminding myself that I have zero interest in her.

“Trouble
at two o’clock,” Danny Boy says.

Bailey
sways into the club with her friend Tanya. Tanya spots her friends and waltzes
over to them. Bailey’s gaze locks onto me. Hurt riddles her expression. I told
her I had to stay home with Currie, but that was before Mrs. Nowak offered to
take the girls for the night. I get the feeling that won’t matter.

She
storms over to us, knocking over a chair on her way. “How could you?”

The
nearby tables gaze at us.

Tanya
glances up from her friends and decides to stay put. Anger flashes across
Bailey’s pretty gray eyes.

“Bailey
is hot,” Clive whispers in my ear, “but you’re on your own, brother.” He walks
over to the table of girls who were checking us out earlier.

“Thanks,”
I mutter.

“We
need to talk,” she says.

I
cup her elbow to lead her to the back band room. She shakes off my hand and
walks beside me. “You lied to me. I knew you’d be here when Mrs. Nowak took the
girls.”

“I
didn’t lie to you. I tried to find you after the show to let you know.”

Bailey
holds up her cell phone. “What? You forgot how to use this?”

I
stare at the concrete floor. I can’t face her. Jesus Christ. This sucks.

“You
can’t even look at me,” she says. “I thought you liked me. You gave me those
chocolates. I actually believed that chip on your shoulder broke off.”

A
few pieces of candy aren’t a proposal. Anger rises inside me. I was honest with
her. “Why are you making such a big deal out of this?”

Tears
shine in her eyes. “Big deal?”