My ears had a hard time taking that in. I leaned in to get a better look at TJ’s face. “Whois going to get together? And why are you making me work so hard to pry this conversation out of you?”
“Me and Tasha. It washeridea, but I think it’s a good one.”
“Oh, are you kidding? Yeah, that’s the best idea I can possibly think of. You should totally spend your time with a girl who will help you throw your life down the drain as quickly as possible.”
TJ shook his head. “You’re just jealous.”
OfcourseI was jealous. Freaking Tasha was making the moves on yet another guy I liked. How could two completely opposite girls be attracted to the same two completely opposite guys? Of course, it made more sense for Tasha to like TJ than it did for me. But that was the problem. I didn’t want him to be influenced by someone like her.
I folded my arms and sank back into the seat. My hopes of a sober, happy TJ were being ripped from my grasp at lightning speed and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Hot tears stung my eyes. I didn’t want to lose him. I didn’t want to let go.
Those exact thoughts replayed in my mind as I watched my own proverbial untamed shrew tip back drinks and pour his heart out over the mic. At one point, he inserted my name into one of the songs, “Harper, why’d you have to hurt me this way?”
He followed the action with a charismatic wink that made me want to cry. If I left TJ, I reallywouldhurt him—in more ways than one. It could affect his entire future.
When the night was through, I got a ride home from Jessie, the one member of the band who didn’t drink. I wasted no time tossing my clothes in the hamper and climbing under the sheets. I stayed awake with anxious thoughts of TJ, tears soaking into my pillowcase as the hours trudged by. One vision stood out among the rest, and it haunted me all the way to my core. I envisioned headlines splashed all over the country:Famous Rock Star, TJ Reynolds, Found Dead in His NY Apartment at the Young Age of Twenty-Four.
That did it. Forget about Jett and his luscious lips and alluring eyes. I needed to keep my sights on TJ. He needed a girl like me, and I wouldn’t let him down.
Chapter Six
“What time is Jett coming to pick you up tonight?”
Mom’s question hit my ears the moment I spotted Missy parade into the kitchen wearing her frilly layers of pink.
“You can’t be in the house alone while we’re gone,” Mom added in my silence.
A beat of panic thrummed in my chest. “Wait, I thought she had dance class on Wednesdays and Fridays,” I said.
Missy put her hands over her head and popped herself onto the balls of her feet. “Nope,” she sang.
“It’s Wednesdays andThursdays,”Mom corrected.
I stared at the pan of health-freak brownies I just pulled from the oven and sighed. “I thought we were going to be able to study here.”
“Study?” A layer of shock coated the word. “You’re doing a study date?”
My face shifted into busted-mode but I quickly worked up enough of a cough to clear my throat. “Well, yeah, he’s the captain of the basketball team. The guy has to keep his grades up.”
Mom tipped her head, thoughtful, as her eyes seemed to land on Missy and her dance moves. A wobbly spin in the center of the plush rug.
Maybe now was my chance. “Besides,” I added, “it’s not like he’s going to, like,tryanything while you’re gone.”
The words floated there for a while before I got my reply.
“Why? Just because he’s the pastor’s son? That one’s not going to work on me. No being in the house alone with a boy. That’s final.”
The wordboysounded just fine when she’d said it about TJ, so why now did it seem inadequate when describing Jett, who was a year younger than him?
“Come on, Missy Moo.” Mom hiked her massive purse over her shoulder and ushered Missy toward the door. “When does play practice start up for you?” she asked as she yanked open the garage door.
“We started practicing on the first day in school,” I said, knowing it wasn’t the answer she was looking for.
Mom tucked the blonde strands of her bob behind one ear and sighed. “I mean the after school practices.”
“After Thanksgiving,” I said.
Mom punched the garage button and spoke loudly over the motorized growl. “I mean it about no boys in the house. Have fun.”
