5
Kyle: The ‘Prodigy’ Son Returns
As always, Jake’s arrival later that evening was met with shock and awe. He’d been delayed for hours in airports around the world trying to get to the rehearsal on time. By the look on his face when he strode through the restaurant, it had not been a good day. Getting pounced on by a fangirl the minute he came through the door didn’t help matters. I could almost feel the stress radiating off him. Jake carried way too much weight on his shoulders for a guy his age. That’s where I came in. And Keith and Emma and Mom and Dad. We were Jake’s safety net, a place for him to relax and feel normal.
I knew better than anyone that Jake craved that normalcy. People tiptoed around him, always worried about offending or upsetting him, like he was some fragile flower. And at times, he did seem shaky. But there was also a strength to him that defied all logic. What he had endured was beyond what any human should have to endure, yet he was still going… still surviving.
After Jake greeted the family, he and I walked over to Keith and Quinn.
“You look like you’ve had a good day,” Keith sarcastically commented.
A genuine smile formed on Jake’s face. He replied with just as snarky a tone. “Do I?”
“Oh, yeah. You’re just glowing.”
“Uh-huh. Scoot over,” he said as he settled into a seat beside Keith. Of course he would pick that one. Jake had always looked up to Keith, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous at times. Where Jake often had a level of disdain when interacting with me, he always treated Keith like his shit didn’t stink. I’d smelled it… it did.
I hadn’t always been Jake’s right-hand man. When he was just getting popular and I was too young to go on tour, Keith had been the one to travel with him. Yeah,thathad been a clusterfuck. Keith had only recently come off his first rehab stint, and traveling on a rock and roll tour was just the push he needed to jump right back into the druggie lifestyle. A second rehab followed, and Keith was never invited back.
I took my seat next to Jake, but because his back was to me, I was effectively shut out of the conversation. “Sit back,” I complained. “I can’t hear.”
Jake groaned as if my request was totally unreasonable, but nonetheless he leaned back in his chair to accommodate me. His eyes focused on my face and I saw them squint as he studied me with interest. “Hold up. What happened to your little baby beard?”
“You mean the one that looked like pubic hair growing all over his face?” Keith added, helpfully.
“That would be the one.”
“Mom made me shave it off… some bullshit about shaming the family name. I don’t know, I wasn’t really paying attention.”
Jake grinned.
“Why? Do you like it?” I asked, theatrically rubbing my hand over the smooth skin.
“Well, I mean, it doesn’t look like you crawled out of a gutter anymore.”
“Sweet.” I nodded as if his opinion really mattered.
Jake grabbed a chip out of a basket and dipped it in the salsa. “So where’s Sammy?” he asked Keith.
“She’s flying in tomorrow.”
“Wait. Was that allowed?” Jake asked in a raised voice.
“Not for you, it wasn’t.”
“Well, shit.” His eyes narrowed in on our mom as he gave her a dirty look. “It shouldn’t be allowed for Sam either, then.”
“Do you see a ring on her finger?” Keith asked, smugly.
“No. Do you see a ring on mine?”
“You were born into this family. There’s no escape."
Jake stopped his conversation with Keith. “What are you leaning on me for?” he bristled, pushing me off him.
“You keep turning your back. I can’t hear,” I said, straightening up.
“You’re, like, lying on top of me. It’s annoying.”
