“I’m going out,” Tara said. She snatched her purse and breezed by Jayden.
“Curfew is nine,” he reminded her.
“You’re not my father.”
“No, but I’m the only one who will bail you out without telling our parents,” he shot back.
“I put the twins to bed last night. It took me an hour, Jay, because they wanted to play some silly game. You deal with them tonight,” Tara said then grinned. “I love you, big brother.”
“First day of school and I need a vacation,” he muttered.
Tara walked out cheerfully, no doubt on her way to spend more of their parents’ money on clothes she didn’t need. Jayden envied her.
“Jayden, I lost my Georgie,” Chelsea reported, her face growing long.
Jayden turned to her. “What is a Georgie?” he asked, accustomed to being the household savior of stuffed animals and dolls.
“We found a frog!” Izzy all but shouted.
“A real one?”
She nodded.
“Let’s find it before dad’s dinner party gets here,” he said. He shooed them away from Tara’s doorway and down the hallway.
His phone dinged. He trailed the two girls, reading the newest message.
Hi Jayden. Okay, maybe this weekend is okay. Adrienne
Her second email was followed quickly by a third.
Hi Jayden.
I’m not crazy. I promise. I’m just … ugh! I really can’t go with you this weekend. There’s no way I can make my Cs with this Algebra and World History and I have to work on weekends or I can’t stay in school. There. I said it. I can’t have a life.
Sorry.
Adrienne
He almost laughed. He’d begun to think it was him, a thought he’d never entertained before in any aspect of his life. He achieved any goal he set his mind on.
“Girls, start looking for your Georgie,” he said, eyes on the phone. “I’ll be right down.”
They went.
Jayden paused at the top of the stairs once more, this time to type a response.
A-
Don’t stress. I can help you with your math and history. Can you do evenings after school instead of weekends?
J.
He hit send and started down the stairs. A moment later, squeals came from the direction of the kitchen. Jayden walked in just as Chelsea dropped a huge bowl over something on the floor. Izzy was screeching in excitement.
“Here it is, Jay!” Chelsea shouted.
The chef appeared, less than pleased to have his solitary duties interrupted by frog and girls. Jayden went to the bowl and lifted it, quickly snatching the green-brown creature that tried to leap away.
“No more frogs, Chels,” he told his stepsister firmly.
He straightened and trotted out the back door, through the garden and onto the landscaped backyard. When he was far enough away, he set down the frog and tugged his phone free to see if he’d missed Adrienne’s response.
J.
Ok. We can do that.
A.
Was she interested? Reluctant? Just trying to make him happy? He couldn’t tell. Jayden debated for a moment, accustomed to the women in his life leaving no room for interpretation. From Kimmie to his mother to Tara to the girls: they were all demanding. Adrienne was … confusing.
But maybe that was good. Maybe that meant she was interested.
Whatever. He shook his head. On a whim, he sent her a quick response.
A-
Cool. I can come tonight. ;-)
J.
What if she said yes? He had a feeling she’d turn him down with another excuse. If so, then she probably wasn’t as interested in him as he was becoming in her. It would be a warning for him not to get entangled with another girl who would just twist his feelings every which way.
It would be for the best. He wouldn’t have to hide her from his father or make up an excuse as to why he had to break up for her, if they ended up dating until the end of the year. She was everything his father didn’t want him to date: poor.
With the frog issue resolved, he returned to the house, curiously awaiting her response.
Why couldn’t he get Adrienne out of his mind?
Chapter Eight
Tonight?
Adrienne’s breath caught. Was he serious? Or was the winking smiley face his way of saying he was joking?
She didn’t know him well enough to figure it out.
It was rush hour, which meant standing room only on the city bus. She was pressed between an overweight woman and another teen who looked like the gangbangers her father warned her about. She swayed with the bus and the passengers crammed in the tiny space. There was no way she could check her cards on the bus.
Lowering the iPad, she held onto the nearest pole tightly. The bus lurched to a stop then lurched again when it merged back onto the street.
Her heart was flying. She’d just had her first ever cheer practice, and the hottest guy at school wanted to come over to study.
Her senior year was going to be epic!
The bus reached her stop. Adrienne maneuvered her way through the crowd and emerged onto the street, grateful to be free of the confined space. She opened her bag to tuck her iPad into it and spotted the journal.
Does Jax love me?
It wasn’t a coincidence that she met a guy named Jax who knew her sister, and Therese had mentioned Jax in her journal.
Adrienne fingered the leather cover. Her eyes drifted upward, towards the alley whose entrance was open in the distance. It was around six, just before dark. She could look for Jax then still be home before her daddy.
Or maybe, before Jayden wanted to come over.
She tried hard not to smile, thrilled Jayden wanted something to do with her, even after learning she was poor. She tugged the iPad free and flipped it open then pulled up his email.
J-
Sure. ;-)
A.
She sent the response then closed the iPad, satisfied. Hopefully, her email was as confusing as his. If he was serious, he’d ask her address. If not, then she’d know for sure. Either way, she wouldn’t be stuck trying to figure out if he liked her or was just being nice.
Now onto her next mission: unraveling the last year of her late sister’s life.
Adrienne pulled out the journal and slung her backpack over her shoulder.
A dark-haired woman across the street caught her attention. She stood still, like a rock among a stream of moving people. Unlike most of the residents of the neighborhood, the woman was white, dressed in a white shirt that made her stand out even more. She seemed frozen in her spot on the sidewalk behind a black motorcycle.
She wasn’t alone, either. The Red Man hung back next to the wall, the rippling of his robes giving him the appearance of not being a part of this world.
Adrienne glanced once then looked back, pausing.
The Red Man was gone.
The woman seemed to be staring at her. She looked … trashed. Wasted or ill or something, with smeared make-up, glazed eyes and a blanched complexion.
Creepy. Adrienne started walking again. She looked back when she reached the entrance of the alley where she’d run into Jax twice already.
The woman was gone.
A shiver went through her despite the humid day.
Probably some druggie. Adrienne shrugged it off, not liking the sensation. She had something more important to think about – finding Jax.