“Maybe you aren’t as bad as I thought.”
“I’m glad you finally realized that,” Jax mumbles and waits until I have my dress back on. Then he opens the door for me.
I walk to the front room smiling and look at the mess our party left behind. There’s still plenty of cleaning to do, but that can wait. Now I just want to go home and sleep for hours. My eyelids feel heavy, and my steps are slow.
“Do you need a ride home?” I hear from behind me and turn around. Jax is holding his phone, a ride-share app open on the screen.
“That would be great, thanks.”
It doesn’t take long for my ride to get there, so we don’t say anything while waiting. When the driver flashes the headlights, Jax plants a kiss on my forehead. “Goodnight, Soph. Let me know when you’re home.”
“I will. Goodnight,” I tell him and imagine the feeling of his lips on my skin the entire ride home.
18
JAX
Currently playing: Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day
My mind replays the two nights with Soph as I get ready to meet Ollie at Braxton Body Shop—his auto body shop. I haven’t had a chance to talk with Soph after the party because our days off don’t line up this week. I want to call her outside of work hours, but I have no idea what to say.‘Hi Soph, I think I like you, even after all that happened with my bike’doesn’t sound like a great opening line.
I pour myself a bowl of cornflakes for breakfast since I need to be at Ollie’s shop in an hour. I promised to pick up his latest tattoo design idea and see if I could improve it. As I'm putting the milk back in the fridge, my phone rings—the kitchen fills with the opening notes of “Dude (Looks Like A Lady)”, one of my all-time favorite songs. Checking the caller ID, I see it’s King. He knows that Tuesdays are my days off, so I wasn't expecting a call from him today.
I answer the call and there’s some rustling on the other end before King’s voice comes through muffled.
“Jax, shit, man, I don't know how to say this, but they…They found Pops dead earlier this morning after he failed to show up to his shift. It looks like he had a heart attack or something. He died in his sleep…”
Uncle Joey is dead. This must be a sick joke. My cousin keeps talking, but I don't process any of his words. My cousins just lost their dad, their last living parent. I lost my only father figure. The world lost an amazing man.
“You there?” King asks after a moment of silence.
“Yeah, but I’m processing. I’m so fucking sorry, King.”
I hear my cousin taking a deep audible breath. “Thanks, me too. I know how much he meant to you. I’m on my way to Omaha from Chicago as we speak,” he explains. “Angel is flying in from LA, and Big O is on the next flight from Denver.”
“I’ll be there soon, too, okay?”
“Thank you, Jax. I…I think he would want me to remind you how much he loved you. You must know that.”
My cousin’s voice breaks, and I hear him taking another deep breath. My eyes are filling with tears as I think about the pain he is in. One of the tears escapes and runs down my left cheek—like it’s branding me. “I know. Just like I love you all.”
“Fuck, man, you’re making me cry even more. Stop it.”
I let out a sad chuckle and wipe my face with my shirt sleeve. “At least we have each other.”
“Yeah, that we do.”
“I’m here for you all—don’t forget that. Call me if you need anything before I get there. Okay?”
“Okay.”
As we end the phone call, I realize I need to start planning my trip to Omaha. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I hate flying, but I can’t skip the funeral of the man who taught me so much. I justcan’t.
I look down at my bowl of cereal—Uncle Joey loved cornflakes just like I do. He often added cocoa powder to his, so the milk would turn into chocolate milk. But he can't have those anymore as he's fucking dead. He’s dead.Dead.
Before I realize what I’m doing, I throw the bowl against the brick wall of my kitchen, and shattered pieces of ceramic porcelain, cereal, and milk get everywhere. I stare at the mess around me. But it doesn't ease my pain. Nothing will. Not today, not tomorrow. Not anytime soon.
With shaking hands, I call Ollie. He picks up the phone after only two rings. “Hi J, I was about to head downstairs to the shop soon. Are you gonna be lateagain?”
