Free Lennon's Jinx by Chris Myers Page B

home.” Even more time.
    “Shopping?”
Mrs. Nowak knows I don’t subscribe to retail therapy, though for Currie nothing
works better to cheer her up after a rotten day of Mom ignoring her, like she
did tonight.
    Mrs.
Nowak will pull twenty questions on me if I don’t tell her what for. I don’t
mind. My mom would never be interested enough to ask. “We added a girl to our
band, and we’ve got the Winthrop wedding this weekend.”
    “Oh.
I didn’t realize Katie had settled down.”
    “Don’t
worry,” Clive says. “She hasn’t.”
    Mrs.
Nowak smiles at this. Katie is a wild child. She’s been in the local papers
more than Lindsey Lohan has splashed the tabloid front covers. If she can leave
Clive alone on her big day, the band should do well.
    “It’s
no problem if you take the girls,” she says. “Oh shoot, I have reservations at
the American Girl Place for lunch tomorrow.”
    “Don’t
they have school?” I can never keep up with this. It wouldn’t be the first time
I showed up for school and we had the day off.
    “The
next two days are in service for teachers and for your school as well.”
    That’s
right. I’d forgotten that we had the days off. Teachers get more time off than
postal workers. “I’ll take them to American Girl. It’s no problem.” I’ve had
many lunches with the girls and their dolls.
    “Would
you pick up Zoe in the morning? That’ll free me to take Brea shopping for a new
dress. She has her first date this weekend, and I’d really like to help her.”
Brea is Zoe’s older sister and a sophomore at my high school.
    “If
I can get our new band member out of bed, I’ll be there early.”
    “Give
us a call in the morning. Can Currie spend Friday night with us?”
    “What
about…” It’s hard for me to say the words without choking on them.
    Mrs.
Nowak covers my hand with hers. She knows this upsets me. I can’t imagine what
it does to her. “Zoe’s chemo starts Saturday morning.”
    “I
have a gig on Friday, so Currie spending the night would work out. Do you want
me to get her Saturday morning before you leave?”
    “If
it’s okay, she can come with us that morning. Zoe likes Currie to be there.”
    “No
problem.” Currie will want to be at the hospital with Zoe, so I’ll cancel the
babysitter. I hate Currie going along, even though it helps Zoe. The treatments
are rough on both of them.
    Clive
tugs on my jacket sleeve. “Let’s go to Sammy’s after the show tonight.”
    “That’s
a good idea,” Susan says, curling into Danny’s arm. He grins dopey-eyed at her.
Sucker.
    “We
don’t have class tomorrow morning,” Danny adds.
    “I
can’t.” And they know why. I have Currie to take care of.
    “It’s
okay,” Mrs. Nowak says. “We’ll take Currie tonight. It’ll be good for Zoe.”
    “I
don’t want to—”
    Mrs.
Nowak pats my hand. “Please. You won’t be imposing. Go have fun.”
    “You
hardly ever go with us,” Clive says. “Come on.”
    The
lights dim letting us know the show is about to start. I think of Currie
becoming sick and the thought tears me up inside. I don’t know how the Nowaks
deal with Zoe’s illness, wondering whether she’ll live or die or how long the
treatment will last.
    When
the curtain opens, Currie and Zoe pose on each side of Bailey. They perform to
Ravel. It’s beautiful. Zoe and Currie take advanced classes, and this piece
showcases their talents.
    Bailey
dances really well for a girl that’s top-heavy. She always looks like she’s
about to tip over. I prefer jazz and hip-hop, but I don’t mind taking the girls
to the Chicago Ballet, even when the guys call me ACDC. I took dance until I
was twelve and couldn’t take the guys harassing me about playing a real sport
like football or hockey. Honestly, it gave me the opportunity to hold girls and
talk to them instead of hanging out in sweaty locker rooms with a bunch of
guys.
    Between
the next performance, Clive whispers in a snarky tone, “Shouldn’t you