“Where the fuck have you been?” Storm bitches as I enter his garage.
Ever since his parents abandoned him, he’s lived with his grandmother in a tiny house not too far from the trailer park.
Fortunately, the tiny house has a decent-sized garage. One his grandma let us convert into a place we could practice.
Even better? She doesn’t give a shit about all the noise we make. She’s almost fully deaf, so she just takes out her hearing aids whenever we’re jamming out.
I’m appreciative of that and the futon Storm lets me sleep on whenever things reach unbearable levels at home.
I don’t say shit as I walk over to the mic stand.
But Storm doesn’t drop it. “Fucking hell. How many goddamn times do I have to tell you to quit fucking bitches before practice?”
Too many times to count. However, that wasn’t the reason I was late today.
Sabrina sucked my dick before I met Lennon.
I turn to look at him. “I was at school…meeting my new tutor.”
His eyebrows rise. “New tutor? For what?”
Here goes nothing.
“Mrs. Herman’s gonna fail me if I don’t do some extracurricular bullshit and pass the final.”
Five. Four. Three. Two…
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
One.
He throws his drumsticks on the floor like a toddler having a temper tantrum. “You told me you had that shit handled.”
I do.
“I’ll pass the fucking shit, man. Don’t worry.” That reminds me. “Can I bring her here after practice tomorrow night? Fuck knows I won’t be able to study with…you know.”
My drunk asshole father around.
Picking up his sticks and placing them on top of the drum, he nods. “Yeah.” His eyes narrow. “Swear to God, Phoenix, you better not let your dick get in the way.” He takes a cigarette out of the pack and lights it. “I don’t give a shit how hot she is. Do not fuck this girl until you graduate.”
“It’s Lennon Michael.”
Instantly, whatever concern he had fades, and he laughs. “Never mind then.”
Exactly. There’s no way I’d ever fuck that girl.
Not only is she not my type, I now know she’s going to be a pain in the balls to deal with.
I turn back to the mic. “Let’s go, asshole.”
CHAPTER 4
LENNON
I’m parking my bicycle in the garage when I hear it.
Meow.
“I don’t have any food for you, Mittens.”
Not that she needs it. My neighbor’s cat is very pleasantly plump. Mrs. Palma and her husband feed her plenty…along with the rest of the neighborhood, since the Persian feline scours the block, working her charm on all of us.
Not taking no for an answer, she swats the air with her paw and gives me a little purr.
I fold like a cheap lawn chair. Walking over to the bag of cat food I keep around for her, I pull a couple of pebbles out and place them on the floor.
The moment she devours them, I scoop her up. “Now that you got what you came here for, it’s time for you to go home.”
She meows as I start the walk to Mrs. Palma’s, still begging for food.
I hear you, sister.
Music might be my first love, but food is my best friend…always there to give me comfort.
Mrs. Palma stops her gardening when she sees me…and her cat.
“I’m so sorry.” Standing, she removes her gloves and takes Mittens from me. “I’ve put her on another diet, but she isn’t too happy about it and keeps trying to escape.”
Smiling, I give Mitten’s head a little scratch. “No need to apologize. I love when Mittens comes over to say hello.”
Her lips twist as she studies me. “Who’s the boy?”
I’m not sure how this woman knows these things, but I swear she must be part psychic.
And ever since I was eleven and came running over here crying because I had gotten my first period and didn’t know what to do…she’s also been a sort of mother figure to me.
“No one.” I wave a hand. “It’s nothing. Not a big deal.”
Except it is. Because Phoenix Walker is picking me up tomorrow night.
Despite looking unconvinced, she lets it slide. “If you say so.” She scratches Mittens behind the ears. “I have to go inside and start dinner, but I’ll be around later if you want to have some girl talk.”
Usually, I’d take her up on that, but she’s just going to tell me for the millionth time that I’m beautiful and that my size doesn’t define me.