“Hey.” His husky voice was soft.
“Tara,” she called over her shoulder, stepping away from the doorway. “Your brother’s here.”
Adrienne hugged herself, unable to look at him again. She was too aware of his presence and afraid of what he thought about her.
“One sec. Let me get my uniform,” Tara said, hurrying down the hallway to Adrienne’s room.
The awkward silence made her nervous.
“About today,” Jayden started.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said curtly.
“Okay.” He didn’t seem to know what to say.
Adrienne ached for him to explain why he’d lied to her, except she was afraid to learn that maybe he never liked her at all.
Tara wasn’t long. She returned with her uniform in her arms.
“Thanks, Addy,” she said, hugging her quickly. “I’ll wash out your clothes and bring them to school Monday. Okay?”
“Sure,” Adrienne replied. She didn’t tell Jayden goodbye but closed the door and bolted it. She stayed where she was for a minute then burst into tears.
Adrienne ran to her room and flung herself down on the bed, weeping.
Chapter Fifteen
Jayden lingered in the dingy, poorly lit hallway outside Adrienne’s apartment. He’d seen the crushed look on her face and wanted to make her feel better. Somehow.
He didn’t know what to say. He’d had the urge to wrap his arms around her, but sensed she’d probably throw him out, if he did. She hadn’t responded to his email, and by his reception at her apartment, she was too upset to talk to him at all.
Not that he blamed her. He should’ve stopped Kimmie from doing whatever she was doing. He definitely wasn’t expecting Kimmie to destroy Adrienne’s singing debut at the school. She’d gone from glowing like an angel to fleeing with tears in her eyes.
He’d failed her. Again.
“Come on, Jay. She needs some space,” Tara called from down the hallway near the elevator.
He went grudgingly. The elevator didn’t look like it was in the best shape.
“You okay?” he asked Tara, pushing the button for the lobby. Her cheek was red and her eyes puffy, as if she’d been crying.
“I’m good.” Her response was unusually subdued.
“What were you doing here?”
“What you told me. Trying to make sure Adrienne was okay,” she snapped. “Except she ended up coming to my rescue, after I helped set her up. Some gangbangers cornered me in an alley. Addy’s friend bailed me out.”
Jayden didn’t have to ask which friend. If it was the same thug he’d found her with the other night, he could see how the rough gang member was able to help his sister. Why on earth was Adrienne hanging out with such a person? Did she really need someone like that to keep her safe in this neighborhood?
A tremor of jealousy went through him. The thug – whoever he was – had been walking Adrienne home the other night and now, defended Tara against gang members. Both were responsibilities Jayden should’ve met but didn’t.
Tara appeared to be fine, if quiet. He was afraid to ask what he wanted to know most: if Adrienne was angry with him.
“I don’t know what Kimmie did to her, but I’m going to find out,” he vowed.
“She cursed her.”
“I don’t believe in that stuff.”
“Adrienne does.”
Jayden glanced at her.
“She said her family is cursed. It’s why her sister was killed.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“She does,” Tara insisted. “I’m starting to think she’s right. Kimmie put a curse on her water to take away her singing voice. She was bragging about it.”
“It’s not real, Tara!” he said impatiently.
The elevator door opened, and they walked through the lobby. Tara dropped the subject, or so he thought. They left the building and crossed the street to his car.
“What if it is real?” Tara asked when they’d both closed the doors.
Jayden clenched his jaw. It was bad enough that Adrienne was hurting. He wasn’t going to humor any talk about the sweet girl believing in something as backwards as voodoo. Then again, Tara had claimed Adrienne read her cards last weekend.
“How do you explain that she has a voice except when she sings?” Tara demanded. “Didn’t you say your grandmama even said she was cursed and attacked her?”
“It doesn’t matter, Tara. It’s not real!” he snapped.
“You don’t want it to be real, Jayden, but that doesn’t make it less true. Kimmie’s done things like this before to other girls, and she’s tried to curse you. It never works with you.”
“I’m sure she just put something in Adrienne’s water bottle.”
Jayden didn’t want to consider Kimmie going to this extent to hurt Adrienne. He’d dated Kimmie for two years and never thought her capable of putting something in Adrienne’s water. But curses? It was a new level of dysfunction, even for Kimmie.
He’d been thinking of his grandmama’s words since the assembly. He was embarrassed to admit that he’d thought about Kimmie’s curse the moment Adrienne began to cough instead of sing.
“I don’t know, Tara.”
“Why would Kimmie’s hexes work against Adrienne but not you?”
He touched the dog tags around his neck. Was there a chance his grandmama was right? If so, were his dog tags the reason Kimmie’s spells didn’t work against him?
Tara sighed noisily. “I didn’t do it, but I feel like I have to help her,” she complained. “She’s afraid of being kicked out of school if she can’t sing.”
“Because of her scholarship.” The seriousness of the situation dawned on him. He’d been worried about her before, but he hadn’t considered that Adrienne might be forced to leave school over the stupid prank.
“Yeah. Hey, can you ask your grandmama for like a cure or something?”
“I don’t know.” Jayden gripped the steering wheel. If he admitted voodoo was possible, was he losing his battle to keep his mother out of its influence?
“Oh! I need to get a new cheer uniform. Can you take me home first?” Tara asked, gaze out the window.
“Yeah.”
Distracted by his thoughts, Jayden drove them home first and pulled up to the front door. He put the car into park with a glance at the time. Assuming Tara didn’t spend an hour changing and putting on new makeup, they’d barely make it before they were supposed to be at the pre-game meeting at school.
Tara darted out of the car and into the house.
Jayden checked his email, hoping Adrienne had responded.
She didn’t.
Did he blame her? Uncertain what to do, he scrolled through his contacts until he found his grandmama’s phone number.
Was he really considering calling her about this voodoo insanity?
Tara was right. It was bizarre that Adrienne couldn’t sing, but could talk and that her voice going out corresponded with Kimmie’s claim of a curse. Couldn’t it be nerves?
No, Adrienne relished the thought of proving herself to the school by singing.
If there was the smallest possibility that a weird curse was behind this, didn’t he owe it to her to help?
After the other day, his grandmama was one of the last people he wanted to call. He set down the phone, his anger remaining from the horrible visit. He touched his dog tags again.
If any of this was real, and if his grandmama was serious about protecting him, he could give his tags to Adrienne. Maybe they would help counteract whatever Kimmie did.
He considered the idea, reluctant to admit magic was real but more concerned about Adrienne. He realized how much he didn’t know about her. He’d been vocal about his view of voodoo, never stopping to consider what her beliefs might be.
She was poor and believed in magic. His daddy would have a fit if he found out how much Jayden liked her. Of course, if she bore a grudge deep enough to write him off or got kicked out of school, he wouldn’t have to worry about it.