Free Lennon's Jinx by Chris Myers Page A

“No.”
    “I’ll
wait here until the Humane Society gets here. You go on and wash your hands.”
    “Is
Mommy coming?” Her lips turn down because she knows the answer.
    It’s
worse if I lie. “I don’t think so, but I’m here. I’ll always be here for you.”
    “I
wish she’d come.”
    “Me,
too.” With the box under one arm, I give her a one-handed hug and then a smack
on her butt. She scuttles up the stairs and stands next to Zoe who waves at me
while I wait on the street. I wave back.
    I’ll
give Mom another talk, applying more pressure this time by holding the platinum
card out of reach. She should come, but partying with her male friends is
somehow more important.
    Bailey
lines up her students. She teaches ballet and takes classes. That’s why she’s
so toned. I smile at her, thinking how I can carve out alone time with her
after the recital.
    I
wait the few minutes it takes the Humane Society van to pull up. At Currie’s
insistence, we’re big donors, and when we have time, we volunteer.
    Kiki
gets out of the truck. She wears protective gloves and takes the kittens from
me. She’s a middle-aged woman who’s donated her life to the abandoned animal
population. Where was she when I was young and had nobody to take care of me?
    She
grins at me. “You’re on rescue duty again?”
    “What
do you think?” I ask.
    “Thank
you. We’ll take it from here.”
    I
hand them off and hurry to the staging area to talk to Bailey. Several
ballerinas float over to me and hug my hips. “Lennon, Lennon,” they cry.
    A
few moms wave at me. Several times, Currie has volunteered me as Den Mother for
her troop. At first, the parents were leery of a teenager, especially a guy,
watching over their pack, but after a while, I gained their trust. The Girl
Scouts still talk about me taking them into Chicago to see Wicked .
    However,
a year ago, Currie retired her uniform, saying it was too babyish. Several
girls followed suit and took up dancing like her. She’s definitely the alpha
female.
    Bailey
walks over to me and puts a possessive arm around me.
    “Lennon
has a girlfriend,” a former Girl Scout croons.
    Zoe
and Currie give each other their secret smiles. They know better.
    Guilt
heats my cheeks. It’s really not fair to Bailey.
    “Want
to get together after the show,” Bailey says.
    “I’d
love to, but you know I can’t,” I say.
    She
straightens my tie. “I can make up for last night.”
    “Don’t
I know it.”
    Bailey
nibbles my ear. God, she’s hot.
    “According
to the rumor mill, no one at school hit Jinx,” she says. “There were a couple
guys I didn’t recognize at her party though.”
    That
has my mind spinning. It’s not right for a guy to hit a girl, even if she
deserves it.
* * *
    My band mates Clive and Danny Boy
save me a seat next to Zoe’s parents. Danny holds Susan’s hand. She clings to
him like she’s made of static electricity. Danny grins and nuzzles her cheek.
What bothers me is that he feeds off it, like a pet guppy skimming the surface
for crumbs.
    Currie
and Zoe have five numbers to perform, so it’s worth my while to come. I hate it
when she only gets to dance once, especially with the small fortune we spend.
    Mrs.
Nowak, Zoe’s mom, stands and hugs me before I take my seat. “Good to see you,
Lennon.”
    Mr.
Nowak shakes my hand. “Lennon.”
    “Would
you and Currie like to come over for dinner tomorrow?” She understands our home
situation all too well. She fed Currie and me for many years and taught me how
to cook and change diapers when Currie was first born. I owe Mrs. Nowak a lot,
and she’s a great cook.
    “Actually,
I’d like to borrow the girls tomorrow evening for a little shopping in Chicago,”
I say. Currie’s probably right about Jinx. It’s doubtful Jinx owns a dress
that’ll match our suits, and it gives me a reason to spend tomorrow night with
her instead of just an afternoon of tutoring. “I’ll take them to dinner before
I drop Zoe back