Lennon's Jinx Read Online Free Page B

generates is like standing next to an open fire. I get burned
every time he’s around me.

 
When Winter Comes
Words and music by Lennon Tyler
     
    When
winter comes, the world is grey, the sun is gone
    Icy
claws dig into me
    Dragging
me beneath its bitter realm
     
    Chorus:
    But
your warmth brings me life
    Takes
me from the cold
    Reminds
me of our world, the one we built to shut the others out
    The
one that helps me to forget
     
    Never
let me go
    Don’t
let the cold sink me and take you away from me
    Take
me where there’s some sense of sanity, but when it snows, bring me home to you
again
     
    Their
storm is not ours
    You
and I have created our own calm
    Sheltered
by your light
    We
move on from the winter they built and into the sun

 
CHAPTER THREE
LENNON
     
    In the taxi, Bailey cuddles with
me. Her mouth presses against mine, but my mind is elsewhere.
    “What’s
up?” she asks.
    “Could
you drop me off first,” I say to Lou.
    Half
my mind wraps around Jinx, that flame of a girl, while the other half frets
over what I’ll find at home.
    “No
problem, and your lady friend?” he asks.
    “Take
her home.”
    “Sure
you don’t want to go somewhere quiet?” Bailey manhandles me, literally.
    “I
can’t. Crisis at home.”
    “Your
mom?”
    “Yep.”
I grasp Bailey’s hand and then use my other to go under her shirt. We have a
few minutes until we arrive at my house. I may as well make the most of it.
    She
moans and reciprocates. Lou doesn’t even once glance back, probably because I’m
a good tipper. I kiss Bailey with a lot of tongue. In my mind, I should see
nothing but Bailey stripped of her clothes, but instead, the demon queen pops up
along with her shower of fiery hair.
    “I
could help you deal with your mom,” Bailey says.
    “Thanks,
but you know the rules.”
    “You
break other ones. Why not this time?” With her hand on my joystick, it’s hard
to believe I don’t cave and say sure, come home with me, spend the night.
    “I
can’t.” The real answer is I won’t. It’s not that I don’t like Bailey. It’s
easier for me this way and for Currie. I have to be there for her and pick up
the wreckage Mom leaves cluttering the house. I don’t want any of my classmates
to see that. It’s bad enough the babysitters do.
    “You
want to talk about it?” Bailey asks.
    “Not
really.” One of the few people who knows much of my history is my next door
neighbor, Mrs. Nowak, Currie’s best friend’s mom. That’s because I had to tell
her, so she would help me with Currie when she was an infant. It took my best
pleading to keep Mrs. Nowak from calling Children’s Services on my parents.
    Bailey
kisses my cheek. “I’m here if you need me.”
    The
taxi pulls alongside the curb. I hand Lou money including enough fare for
Bailey. “I appreciate it, Bailey. You should find yourself a real guy.” If she
did, I’d really miss her, but I realize she could get a fulltime boyfriend who
takes her on dates.
    “You
are real. You just don’t see it.” She gives me one last kiss before I get out
and trudge up the sidewalk.
    I’ve
never led her on, but she keeps waiting for me to ask her out. It’s not like that
will ever happen. I’m not good at relationships.
    An
orange Dodge Charger blocks the driveway, which is highly irritating because
I’ll have to move it tonight to get out in the morning. I walk in through the
garage, fingering the keys around my neck.
    The
steel one secures my handgun that’s kept in the Toyota Highlander glove box.
It’s locked as well. There’s zero tolerance for firearms on school property,
but it doesn’t help me if the gun is inside the house where I can’t get to it.
I debate on retrieving it before going inside. I’ve only had to use it once.
    Pulling
the gun out will only upset the babysitter Nicky. She would’ve already called
the police if it were necessary. Taking a deep breath, I walk inside the house,
knives stabbing my gut at what I might find. Nicky