I was glad to be outside with Dylan and Dagger. There were a lot of people who lived here. I didn’t like being around a lot of people. My mom used to have parties with lots of smoke and music and bottles and people. I always just hid in my closet. I had a lantern that one of our neighbors had lent us the last time our electricity was turned off. I would turn it on and pile all my pillows and blankets in that tiny room. It was cozy and safe. The way things were supposed to be at your home. Like on TV.
Dagger raced back toward me, with the green ball in his mouth. I could feel Dylan watching me. She seemed nice enough. I didn’t cry. When my mom didn’t come home, when the social worker came…I never cried. And even though I was scared and I felt lonely and out of place, I still wouldn’t cry. Because tears never really made a difference.
Chapter Two
Bryan
Well, that sucked giant horse balls. Physics was never my strong suit, which was why I put it off until my absolute last semester of school. Everyone else took their science basics first…but at least that was the last final I’d ever have to take. I was officially done with college. Now if I could just figure out what the hell I was going to do with this mass comm degree. The wind whipped my long dark hair all over the place as I walked through campus toward my car. I pulled my phone out, checking my messages. I had three missed calls from Jacks and two from Shepard. I knew why I’d started avoiding Shep; it happened to me all the time. I’d date a guy, things would get physical, it’d be exciting for about two seconds and then I’d get bored as hell. Which sucked, because Shep was handsome, polite, bound to be successful… In short? Perfect long-term partner material. He was nothing like Jacks. Jacks and I met about a month ago in New Orleans; my older sister was dating his bandmate, Smith. I can’t tell you why, but we struck up an instant friendship. We went together like peas and carrots, or ice cream and sprinkles. He was a wicked guitarist with a gaming addiction. He was like an oxymoron. And oddly enough, he’d become one of my best friends. I was glad that I lived in another state. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t attracted to Jacks. But with Dylan dating his friend and my “commitment issues” it wasn’t a good idea. Still, we talked on the phone at least once a day, we texted nonstop, and we played video games all the time. No one could make me laugh like Jacks could.
I clicked play on the voicemail from Jacks as I climbed inside my car. “B. It’s me. You have GOT to call me back. The craziest shit happened this morning. Call me.”
I shook my head, hitting redial. The crazy shit was probably something stupid. Like Dagger ate my new controller or I walked in on Smith nailing your sister. His phone rang twice before he picked up.
“B! Holy shit.”
“Why are you whispering? Are you hiding in the closet again? You know Dash is never scared when you jump out at him like that. You only piss him off.” I checked my mirrors and backed out of my parking spot.
“No. I’m not in the closet.” I heard some rustling around and then a door closed. “A social worker came to the house this morning—”
“A social worker? Why? Ooooo, does Smith have some Cajun love child? Was Dylan pissed?” I was mostly kidding.
“No. I do.”
I pulled to the shoulder, slamming on my brakes. I ignored the cars behind me as they honked on their way past. “What?!”
“Yeah. This really nice lady brought this tiny little girl to our house. And she said that this little girl, Landry, her name is Landry. Anyway, she said that Landry’s mom put my name on her birth certificate as her father.”
“Holy. Shit.” I turned the AC down. I was suddenly sweating. “Do you remember her mom?”
“Really? Of course not. I’m a horrible slut of a man.”
I couldn’t argue with that. I’d heard stories from Dylan, as well as read plenty in the gossip mags. Didn’t make me adore him any less though, nothing could.
“I did a paternity test. We won’t have the results for a couple of days. But she’s here.”
I rested my forehead against my steering wheel. “The mom?”
“No. Landry. She’s staying here, with us.”
I was silent. I didn’t know what to say to that. I was proud of him for stepping up and taking her in. But I had no words of wisdom, no advice I could dole out.
“B? You still there?”
“Yeah, I’m here. I just… I mean… I have no idea what to say, Jacks.” Was it odd that part of me was jealous? Jealous of this chick who had his baby? Not that I wanted to have Jacks’s baby or anything. We were friends. Just flirty friends.
“Say you’ll come see me. Please, doll, I need you.”
His words tugged at my heart, but seeing him again in person sounded like a recipe for disaster. He had enough going on at home, and our being around each other would only complicate things. There was attraction under our friendship, no doubt about it. “Jacks…”
“You are my best friend, B. Please.”
I banged my head on the steering wheel. To top it off, Dylan had no idea I’d been talking to Jacks. “No one even knows we’re friends. My sister is going to flip shit.”
“Please, baby doll.”
Yep, I was a typical girl, pet names were my undoing. “Fine.” I put my car in drive and pulled back out onto the main road. “But you’re buying my ticket.”