Lennon's Jinx (12 page)

Now,
what do I do? “Bailey, you can’t pin me in. We’re friends, but you don’t own
me.”

“Own
you. You don’t get it.” Her thick lashes blink back tears. Mascara streaks. She
rubs it away. “You are sad, really sad. You’ll end up alone, like your mom and
your dad.”

I
should’ve known this would happen. “I’ve never lied to you.”

She
pounds my chest with her fists. “You’re right. You are pathetic. You don’t
know…how to be close to anyone.” Hiccups come between the tears.

“I’ve
had enough of this,” I say. “If you want, I’ll buy you a drink.”

Bailey
grits her teeth and clenches her fists at her sides. “Screw you. I don’t need
you to buy me.” She stomps off.

I
shake my head. She knows me. Why is she going psycho on me? I go back to my
table in time to see Bailey get Tanya and leave. My inclination is to stop her,
but I don’t.

I
like Bailey enough that I won’t lie to her by calling out to her. Her tall
lithe body glides out of Sammy’s. Hurting her was never my intention. I’d normally
have several shots to help me forget, but I’m driving tonight. Can this night
get any worse?

After ten or twenty minutes, Rena
finally comes out of Lancelot’s. “What happened?”

My
teeth are chattering so hard, I’ve probably lost half the enamel. “The bouncer
caught Iz with the vodka,” I say, scowling at her.

“It
was a good idea,” Iz shoots back.

“Not
after the cover we paid.” I hand Rena her coat. “Where’s Gabby?”

“Peeing.
She couldn’t wait,” Rena says.

We
cluster together to stay warm.

“I
told Byron where to stick it. I can’t believe I did that. Yeah!” She bounces up
and down.

“Good
for you,” I say. It was hard for her to do after falling off a ten-story
building for him. “You should drink more often.” Rena is a lightweight compared
to Iz.

“I
don’t really like to, but it certainly helped me this time.”

Gabby
joins us shortly, but not before we’re all shivering from the cold. “Where to
next?”

“How
about a place with no cover.” I link my arm in Rena’s to stay warm. It’s not
helping.

“Sammy’s
is close,” Iz says.

“That’s
where Zach hangs out,” Rena says. “I think we’ve had enough exes for one
night.”

Gabby
squeezes next to me. “They usually have a drink special, and beers are three
bucks. We’ll stay there long enough to warm up.”

I’m
so cold I stamp my feet and rub my arms. “I can’t make it very far.”

“I
don’t care where we go.” Iz slides in beside Gabby. “As long as we keep
moving.”

We
hurry to Sammy’s, which is another block up. I can’t feel my toes or fingers
it’s so friggin’ freezing. When I get rich, I’m living somewhere warmer.

Gabby
puckers her lips. “Ran’s supposed to be there.”

That
could be good, though going to Sammy’s means I’ll watch Zach snuggling close to
Kelly for the rest of the night. That sounds like fun. “I’m running low on funds,
so this is my last stop,” I say, resigned to my fate.

“Thought
you were a big rock star now,” Iz says.

“Soon,
my groupies, soon,” I say. My friends make the world all right.

Iz
gives us each a shot of vodka until we finish her flask. I only take one, but the
added liquor loosens and warms me. I’ll keep my mouth shut, so I’ll be asked to
dance at this place. Maybe Zach will get jealous.

Sammy’s
is packed. They have a live cover band currently performing a Green Day song.
Most people are standing, drinking bottled beers.

The
crowd holds me up. We haven’t even made it to the bar when guys buy us shots. I
give mine to Iz, which she’s all too happy to guzzle down.

The
loud music works into me and vibrates the floor. I’m ready to shake my hips
now, and I won’t screw this up.

This
time I’m the first one asked to dance. The guy is cute, not drop dead gorgeous
but passable. I chug some water and let him take my hand. If I don’t speak,
I’ll do fine.

We
can barely move on the dance floor, but I get into the song, pumping my fists
in the air. I wonder if I’ll ever be close to another guy. Probably not. Sex
scares me now. I hurt the morning after and walked like a cowboy for a few
days.

I’m
gyrating to the song, hoping it looks good, but it’s hard to tell because we’re
crammed in here like a Lollapalooza concert. The floor shakes from the heavy
bass speaker pumping.

“I’m
Kyle,” he says.

“Ji-Jane.”
No sense telling him my real name and spoiling everything.

From
the corner of my eye, I spot Zach. He’s not dancing with Kelly but with some strange
girl. She’s okay looking, but where’s Kelly? I heat up my dancing because he
needs to see me having a good time.

Everyone’s
dancing except Rena. She’s talking to a guy at a table that must’ve just opened
up. She has all our jackets.

I
glance at Zach. I wonder what it’d be like to kiss this guy in front of him and
see Zach’s reaction.

Kyle’s
head dips down toward mine. His forehead nudges mine as he takes my hand.
“Ready for another drink,” he yells over the band.

I
have a good buzz going, and I promised Rena. “I could use a water.”

“Not
a problem,” he says.

“I’ll
be back in a second.” I go to the ladies’ room.

On
my way back, Ran is talking to another girl in the hallway. When he sees me, he
hands the girl something white in a small plastic baggie and swaggers toward
me. “Hey. I was hoping to see you again.”

Though
his comment lights me up, I should probably avoid him if he’s dealing drugs.

When
I slip in something wet on the floor, he catches me. I like his strong hands on
me. “Thank you.”

“You’re
welcome. Let me get you another drink.”

I
nod, afraid of saying something stupid. Ran is way hot. Hot enough to make Zach
jealous, so a few dances won’t hurt.

Ran
brushes my hair from my face. “I love your hair.”

He
takes my hand. His feels warm.

Zach
will hate Ran, so I won’t go back to the other guy getting me water. I can’t
wait to see the look on Zach’s face.

“What
do you want?” Ran asks.

“A
martini.” That sounds more sophisticated than water, and I’ll only drink a
little bit.

He
gets a beer and hands me mine.

The
drink’s refreshing and gives me the nerve to ask, “You wanna dance?”

“Yeah.”
Ran gives me a crooked grin, which makes me feel all goofy inside. Zach sees
me, so I act like I don’t even notice he’s here.

When
we weave our way to the middle of the dancers, Ran slips his hands around my
waist and draws me into him. We’re dancing so close his breath warms my neck. I
can feel Zach staring. When Ran swings me around, I glimpse Zach swaying close
to that strange girl. He catches my gaze.

Looking
right at Zach I feel like I’ve been caught with my whole hand in the brownie
batter.

His
staring works its way into me. When Zach held me close and whispered the lyrics
to his songs in my ears, some of which he’d written for me, I’d melt into him.
I really miss that. I miss feeling loved.

I
glance back at where Rena is sitting to see if she’s okay.

Shoot.
It’s Lennon, and he’s talking to her. Danny has his arm slung around the girl
I’m assuming is Susan. She has long black hair and is just as pretty as he is.

They’re
dressed sensibly for the weather. They’re all in jeans.

Gabby
schmoozes with Clive while Iz squeezes up to him on the other side. Susan puts
a protective arm around Danny’s waist. I don’t blame her.

Byron
walks into the bar, scanning it undoubtedly for Rena. He must’ve followed us. This
is not good.

Rena
spots him and whispers into Lennon’s ear. He grins, takes her hand, and leads
her to the dance floor. Space has opened up so that I can breathe and actually move.
Ran holds me tight against him, which I don’t mind one bit because Zach is
watching me with the eyes of a falcon hunting a dove. He’s about to lose his
partner because she’s staring daggers into him.

My
hand goes to my temple because it’s starting to throb. I didn’t have that much
to drink, but absolutely, no more alcohol for me.

Not
too far from me, Rena and Lennon bump and grind on the floor. He can dance,
too? He doesn’t move like a white boy. They don’t even notice me they’re swaying
so close to one another. It’s like watching
Dirty Dancing
. They’re that
good together.

Byron
has made them. He struts out like he owns the joint, and with all his money, he
probably does.

“May
I cut in,” he says to Lennon.

Lennon
dips Rena so that she’s doing a backbend. I never realized how limber she is. His
hand slides down between her breasts, and when he pulls her back into him, he
deep throats her with his tongue. I’ve heard from several girls he’s the best
kisser at school, not wet and sloppy but in complete control. From the way
Rena’s smiling, it must be true.

Lennon
gives that cocky, annoying grin of his. “Does that answer your question?” he
says to Byron, spinning Rena around like
Dancing with the Stars
.

“Do
you know who I am?” Byron says in a gruff tone.

“Yeah,
I do. And Rena tells me you couldn’t satisfy her.”

God,
Lennon’s bold. I’m doubting this is true because Byron’s like six-six and a pro
athlete.

Byron’s
face puckers until it turns red. Really red for a very black man. I didn’t
think that was even possible.

Rena
seductively rubs Lennon’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, but there’s only one Lennon
Tyler, and you just can’t sing as well as him in bed.”

I’ll
give her that. Lennon can really sing.

Incredulity
spreads across Byron’s face. “You want him over me?”

“Oh,
most definitely.” Rena presses her chest against Lennon and lays a wildly
passionate kiss on Lennon.

Even
Lennon’s eyes go wide. He’s enjoying their kiss a bit too much.

Byron
shoves his way through the clump of bar patrons. He’s still fuming, but it’s
nice she got her chance to grate him like cheese after what he did to her. Rena
traveled once to one of his away games to surprise him and caught him in bed
with a cocktail waitress.

When
Lennon and Rena return to dancing, Ran kisses me hard on the mouth. I really like
this guy, especially since Zach’s ignoring the girl he’s dancing with. Ran’s
hands squeeze my butt. I’m so wasted I can barely feel them. Wow. What was in
that martini?

Lennon
grimaces at Ran who doesn’t notice because he’s too into me. I feel funny, not
drunk but like the room is lopsided and I’m going to slide sideways off it.

When
Lennon dances close to me, I mouth, “Pig.” I’m not sure my lips even moved or
why I said that. Am I jealous of the attention he’s giving to Rena?

Lennon
gives me a weird look. “Are you okay?”

I
wave my arm at him, but it flops around like Plastic Man’s.

“It’s
late,” Rena says to me. “We should head back.”

“I’ll
take you home,” Ran says to me.

“That’s
not a good idea,” Lennon says.

“Let’s
go.” Rena taps my shoulder. “Iz and Gabby are ready to leave. We’re going back
with these guys instead of taking the train.”

My
mind’s totally hazed, and Zach is watching Ran with contempt. This is all good.
“I’m okay. I want to stay a little longer.”

Lennon
looks at Rena and shakes his head. He reaches for my arm, but Ran jerks me
away.

“Mind
your own business,” he says.

“No,
buddy,” Lennon says. “That doesn’t work for me. She came with us.”

“No,
I didn’t.” The floor melts away from my feet. I’m falling until Lennon puts his
hand under my armpit. Unlike Ran, Lennon saved me from eating the floor again.

“She
didn’t come with you.” Ran stands up to Lennon. “I met the girls on the train.”

Lennon
snags my arm now because I’m sinking into the tile. I try to jerk free, but I’m
toast. Alcohol has never made me feel like this, so numb. Zach has left the
girl he was with. Where did she go?

“I
don’t need a babysitter,” I say. My words sound garbled. I can’t even
understand them.

Rena
takes my other arm. “We should go home, now.”

Ran
wraps his arms around my waist. “She’s not going with you. She wants to be with
me.”

I’m
like a ragdoll they’re fighting over. I don’t want to go with Lennon, but I
feel so…weird, like I’m slogging through quicksand.

Ran
shoves Lennon. It’s like pushing a bull because he doesn’t budge. Clive and
Danny step in beside him while Zach works his way through the crowd toward us.

“Hey,
Jinx plays in our band,” Clive says in that sexy British tone. “She’s with us.”

It’s
really nice to be fought over and actually belong to a group of guys. Uh, oh.
There goes the floor again. It’s moving and so is the ceiling.

“I’m
a big girl.” Are words even coming out of my mouth because I can’t hear them?

“What
did you give her?” Lennon says, his tone deep and sharp. You know, he is kind
of hot. Maybe, Rena’s right.

Ran
has a tight grip on me. “She wants to go with me.”

I’m
not sure how, but Lennon loosens Ran’s grip and picks me up into his arms. I’m
glad he didn’t throw me over his shoulder because I’m not feeling so good and I
would’ve painted the back of his really soft shirt. It smells good, so I bury
my nose into it.

The
bouncer hurries over. I pound my fists into Lennon’s chest to let him know he
can’t treat me like one of his stable fillies. It’s like trying to swat an ox
with a dandelion.

“What
are you doing?” the bouncer asks Lennon, his voice frantic.

“It’s
okay,” Rena says. “We’re just taking her home. She’s a little wasted.”