“I’ve always wondered who would get a tattoo like that,” I remarked when they showed a guy with bacon and eggs tattooed on his forearm. “Maybe he lost a bet? I’m sorry, I wouldn’t go through with it. Would you get a dumb tattoo just because you lost a bet?”
“Maybe.”
I was trying, but Mike preferred to treat me like I didn’t exist. It waspainful just sharing a room with him, and I was grateful when my cell phone rang. I looked at the screen: Spencer. Should I pick up or not? The last time he’d called without warning, it had been to tell me my grandmother had died. I couldn’t stand the thought that horrible news was waiting for me on the other line. If that was true, though, what was the use in ducking it? I picked up.
“Hey, Jenny,” he said, sounding weirdly cheerful. “How’s it going?”
“Same old, same old. What about you?”
“I’m great!”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Is everything cool?” I asked. “You’re not much of a phone guy. Do you need something?”
“Actually, sis, I’ve got good news. I’m going to a convention. I’ve been invited to give a speech on new methods for training young athletes. Believe it or not, I’m actually kind of a big deal these days. But the main thing is, the convention’s at your school. I’m coming in tomorrow. And I was thinking, how cool would it be if you and I painted the town red?”
I was surprised enough that everyone in the room could tell. Naya glanced over, trying to figure out what I was thinking. Excited, I asked Spencer, “When are you coming?”
“Don’t strangle me, but I’m actually flying in today. I’ve been meaning to call you all week, but I just kept forgetting. It’s a short trip: I’ll be around tonight and tomorrow, and then I have to get back to work. If you’re busy, don’t worry about it, I realize it’s insanely short notice.”
“To hell with that! I’m dying to see you! I’ll try to make it the best two days you’ve ever had!”
Spencer seemed as emotional about it as I was, and I couldn’t hide my smile when I hung up. Sue had walked out of the shower by then and was standing in the living room in her pajamas, hair still damp, looking at me with the same curiosity as Naya. “Who was that?” she asked.
“My older brother! He’s coming for two days!”
Sue’s nose wrinkled. “Your brother must be special. I could never get that excited about mine.”
“You have a brother?” I asked.
“I have seven siblings,” she answered. “And every one of them is unbearable. Tell me about your brother, though. Is he hot?”
I didn’t see that question coming. It might have been the first time Sue ever suggested she could be a normal person, with normal urges and needs. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who thought that: Will started laughing in the kitchen, too.
“I don’t know!” I replied. “He’s my brother!”
“So what?” Sue asked.
“Yeah, he’s hot,” Naya butted in tranquilly.
“Leave him alone, Sue,” I warned her. “He broke up with his girlfriend recently, and I think he’s still getting over it.”
A moment later, Jack walked out, asking, “What are you guys talking about?”
I’ve never been fond of goodbyes. Especially not at the airport. But still, I stayed by Jack’s side all the way through security. He had a big crowd around him: Joey, the main actors, two makeup artists, two security guards, and three or four others I didn’t know.
The festival was in Italy. It was a long flight, and they’d land in the morning and get to work right away.
“Write me and let me know once you’re settled in,” I told Jack.
“No,” he joked, and I responded, “Don’t make me kill you.”
He was ten minutes away from his gate, and I felt the pressure to make it perfect, because I knew he had to go soon and I didn’t want to waste a single second. Jack tossed his bottle of water in the trash can and I lookedover at Vivian, who was standing with another actor a foot away. Her expression was mistrustful, and I wanted to snap at her, but I’d told myself I’d try to work on that relationship. Maybe we would never be best friends, but we could try to be cordial, or at least I could.
“You nervous?” I asked her and her friend, thinking addressing both of them would make it less awkward.
Vivian said nothing, but the guy responded, “Yeah. We’re used to it, though, at this point. We’ve been at this for months.”
