“I can bring a date,” he added. “I’m probably supposed to, actually. It just… I didn’t think of it before, and then I was too nervous to ask.”
Maybe he startled me too much, or maybe he sounded too wishy-washy. Either way, to my surprise, I found myself telling him no. It was his big day. He needed to focus on what mattered. I argued, “Jack, I don’t have a dress, and I can’t let the prestigious director standing in front of me show up at his premiere with someone looking like this. I’ll watch the coverage on TV or YouTube. Or maybe I’ll go on Twitch and see if someone’s live streaming it from their phone. You know me, I like to live on the edge.”
I smiled at him, but he didn’t smile back, so I murmured, “Come on, we should go check on the others.”
He nodded. I knew he wanted to say something, but he didn’t manage to. He followed me into the living room. Everyone was ready to go except, arguably, Mike, who was wearing a wrinkled shirt unbuttoned halfway down his chest. He looked drunk. I mean, he didn’t just look it. He sounded and smelled like it, too. He had a half-full bottle of champagnein his hand and shouted, “We’ve got a whole limousine to ourselves!” Trying to moonwalk, almost spilling his bottle, he continued, “This is the life I deserve to live!”
Behind him, we heard the door opening and a familiar voice saying a timid hello. Mike turned, and there was Chris. I don’t think anyone was expecting him. His hair was gelled back so close to his skull it looked plastered down. He was proud of it, though, and no one dared to make fun of him.
No one but Sue, that is.
“Did I miss the memo about dressing up as Dracula—?” she started to say, and I butted in: “My lord, Chris. You look…spectacular!”
Jack was skeptical. Everyone else tried to go along with me and encourage him. Naya gave her brother a once-over, patted down the shoulders of his jacket, and buttoned a shirt button he’d missed. “Don’t be nervous, pal.”
“Why should he be nervous?” Will asked.
“Oh, he shouldn’t be,” Naya informed us. “It’s just that Ross had an extra ticket, I gave it to Chris here, and apparently he’s bringing a date along.”
“Not a date, just a friend,” Chris emphasized.
A friend I happened to know quite well. A friend named Curtis. A friend who made me crack up laughing when he strolled into the apartment looking like a stockbroker with his tailored gray suit and winning smile, ready to conquer the world. Naya smiled. Chris was shaking like a leaf. He ran to the door so quickly, he tripped over his feet and struck the wall. Will tried to catch him, but he was too late. Blood dripped down from his nose onto his chest, and Chris howled and covered his face with his hands.
“MY SHIRT!” he moaned.
Sue found the whole thing hilarious, while Curtis observed the scenewith irony, wanting to help, but not really sure what he should do. “Excuse me, were you supposed to be my date?” he asked.
Chris nodded. “Yeah, just give me a second, I need to wash my face.”
“Did you break it?” Curtis asked. Chris swore he hadn’t. Naya seemed to think otherwise. Chris ran off to the bathroom, embarrassed, and soon returned, slight bruises already appearing under his eyes, with a ball of tissue stuffed up each nostril. Naya buttoned his jacket to cover up the bloodstains, and Curtis reassured him that if he started feeling off, they could stop along the way. Naya tried to follow them out the door, but Curtis turned back and shooed her off.
“I’m starting to wonder if this apartment is haunted,” Mike said. “First Jenna’s hand, now this. It’s getting creepy.”
“The weird thing is this time it wasn’t your fault,” Sue responded.
“Now is that any way to talk to your handsome date?” Mike asked, winking.
“We haven’t even left yet, and I already regret saying I’d go,” she told him.
He tried to cheer her up, telling her there was an open bar and they should celebrate. Just then, the door opened again, and Mary and Agnes entered in elegant gowns, talking softly to each other. I was excited to see them, but not for long, because a second later, Jack’s father appeared behind them.
Uh-oh.
Both women were surprised I was there, but in the good way, I was pretty sure. Mr. Ross, on the other hand, didn’t make a secret of how unhappy he was. Mary rushed over to me. “Jenna! I had no idea…but I’m so happy to see you!”
That was a surprise. I’d have assumed she still held my sudden disappearance against me. I mean, I had left her son hanging, and apparently the aftermath hadn’t been good. But maybe Jack hadn’t told her all thedetails of our separation, or maybe she wasn’t aware of how he’d spiraled downhill?
“I’m happy to see you, too,” I managed to get out as Mary swallowed me in a bear hug. Over her shoulder, I saw Agnes narrowing her eyes. She never missed anything, and I could tell she was taking stock of the situation.
“I hope you’ve shown back up to straighten out this clown,” she said. “Since you left, nobody can get him to behave.”
Jack shouted, “Grandma!”
“Whatever, boy,” Agnes justified herself. “I’m too old not to tell the truth. Your mother didn’t give you enough discipline, that’s why you can’t stay out of trouble.”
Mr. Ross grabbed his wife’s shoulder and pulled her aside. It was the first time I remembered seeing them touch. He was smiling politely, but his eyes looked dead as he said, “Nice to see you again, Jennifer. Will you be accompanying us to the premiere?”
Translation: how long will you be here leeching off my son?
