by Brent, Cora
Ever since she found out about Jay, Lana has been eager to set me up with him because she thinks Alden is trash and because she believes I ought to have better orgasms and because happy people who are in love want everyone around them to also be happy and in love.
The other night she shoved her phone in my face and insisted that I should ‘look look LOOK at how hot he is!’ but it was hard to get a read on Jay Phoenix from the photo. He seemed to be in the process of deliberately turning his head to the side, like he was annoyed that his picture was being snapped. The shot was outdoors and he stood in a stiff pose beside a pile of dusty concrete rubble while the harsh glare of evening sunlight obscured the details. All I could make out was some dude with tattoos and muscles who gave off a tangible angry vibe.
I’ve never been one to swoon over bad tempered rebels so I doubt we’ll have much to talk about but I do wonder about his name. Jay Phoenix. It sounds like the result that might spit out of one of those ‘What’s My Porn Name?’ puzzles. Maybe it is. Lana once hinted that he was kind of a rough character, although if she thinks that clue would tempt me then my own best friend doesn’t know me as well as she should. I have no interest in reforming a bad boy. My plan is to be polite and that’s all.
I promise Lana I’d be home later to say hello to Jay Phoenix. Then I realize I’m two minutes late to meet my Computerized Accounting group so I hustle over to the library.
Three hours later I am the unhappy owner of a raging headache and I’m convinced that whoever invented college group projects is fundamentally evil. One member of the group was a no show and another failed to complete her portion of the project because, in her high pitched whiny words, “I still gotta get my laptop back from my shitty ex.”
Thanks to shitty exes and absent participants I had no choice but to take the lead and scramble to get the gaps filled in before the five o’clock deadline. I knew before I sent it to the professor that the project wasn’t worthy of an A but my grade is already high enough in the class that the damage should be minimal, unlike certain Whiskey Rebellion failures.
I leave my group and the words, “Nice working with you” kind of trip over my tongue. Lying doesn’t come naturally to me. I do hope that out there in the corporate world, people aren’t such hapless flakes when it comes to collaborative efforts. Rumors suggest otherwise.
Speaking of work, I’m exiting the library when my manager from Beefcake Charlie’s calls with some unexpected and rotten news. The county health inspector stopped by this afternoon for a surprise visit and discovered enough violations to shut the place down until further notice. I’m not shocked at the violations because I’ve seen what goes on in the kitchen and I would not even dare to nibble a pickle that originated there. However, my summer plans don’t include unemployment. Despite the public health risks and the fact that it’s been shut down twice before, Beefcake Charlie’s is always busy and tips are decent. I can’t afford not to have a job. My scholarship covers only half my tuition and living expenses still remain. I’ve taken some student loans already and prefer not to take anymore. Asking my folks for money is out of the question. My dad was laid off last year and only started a new job a few months ago. They don’t have any cash to spare.
Finding another job right now will be a challenge. Summer is kind of a lean time in Hutton. The university empties out and there are no tourist attractions to draw the vacationing crowd. The situation sucks all around.
Feeling somewhat conquered, I stop to lean against a nearby pillar and pout for a few minutes. All around me, people laugh and skip off to their Friday night destinations, happy that the pressures of school are over for the semester.
Lana texts and reminds me about my promise to be home this evening. She and Shane are barbecuing steaks. I can’t think of anything better than enjoying a decent meal and a few beers with some friends. I’ll even muster up some cheerfulness for newcomer Jay Phoenix because I promised Lana I would. After detaching myself from the pillar I begin to trudge toward home.
“The day was off to an inauspicious start.”
I don’t realize I’ve spoken my mantra out loud until a hand holding couple stop walking in front of me and turn around.
They stare at me.
I stare right back until they become uncomfortable and walk away.
Inauspicious indeed.
Caris
My car is a year older than I am and in dire need of repairs that I don’t have the money for. My solution is to drive it as little as possible. Luckily, I live within walking distance of school and work.
Well, I lived within walking distance of my job when I had a job. This realization makes my headache worse and I dig out the bottle of aspirin I keep in my backpack. It’s likely I’ll need to get my car situation fixed sooner rather than later.
Lana and I lucked into our living arrangement. We’ve been roommates since freshman year and it was Lana’s idea to move off campus. The residence halls are universally noisy and devoid of privacy and the hallways always smell like wet cheese. Lana said all the cool people were renting off campus and I’ve always wanted to be considered one of the cool people. I agreed we should follow the trend as long as the rent was manageable.
She happened to share a sociology class with a girl who was transferring to University of Texas in Austin and was giving up the two bedroom apartment she’d been renting in the house of the sweet old lady who owned Ruby’s Bakery on Hutton Street. The house was only a mile from campus and there was a pool in the backyard. I doubted I’d be able to afford the rent but it turned out Ruby just wanted to find decent tenants without the chore of interviewing a hundred ditzy college students. Lana’s idea was to show up at the bakery and charm her to pieces. Lana’s charm exceeds mine by a mile but Ruby was satisfied enough with both of us to offer a one year lease at a more reasonable rate than I was expecting.
There were a few rules. No wild college parties and no live in guests. Lana is a far more social creature than I am but she was fine with partying elsewhere. And Ruby was a doll, always dropping off leftover cinnamon rolls from the bakery and allowing us to use the pool whenever we pleased. She spent most of her waking hours at the bakery and never mentioned any family. Nor did she mention the fact that she was battling advanced lung cancer and had refused treatment. I wish she had told us but she didn’t. She kept right on working until collapsing at the bakery one Saturday morning. Two weeks later she was gone. We found out about Shane the day after her burial. He showed up at the front door with the news that a lawyer called to tell him that he was the sole benefactor of Ruby’s will. I figured he’d want to sell off the house and business but he didn’t. He wanted to stay.
Shane is our age and even though his mop of brown hair always needs combing, he’s eye catching and wears a constant, genuine smile. From the beginning he struck me as fun and friendly, perhaps a little erratic. Lana was immediately crazy about him. Lana could probably have her pick of any guy in Hutton but I’ve long noticed her fascination with the unrefined wild cards. Shane fits that description. Lana confided that he’s spent time in a juvenile detention facility and suffered a few of life’s bruises along the way but he really wants to take this chance that Ruby has given him and turn his life around. Nobody could fault the guy for trying to take a step up in life. Plus, he’s in absolute awe of my best friend, which earns him my respect.
When I get to the house I find a silver pickup truck with Arizona plates parked at the curb. I’m really hoping there’s no reason to be wary about this Jay Phoenix guy. There’s a door between the two living spaces, but still. We’ll be technically living in the same house together.
Usually I would enter through a side door that leads straight to my apartment rather than traipsing through Ruby’s house, but today the front door is cracked open so I walk right in. I can see them in the backyard through the sliding glass doors. Lana and Shane are goofing off by the pool.
I’m in the middle of the pushing the slider open when a text arriv
es from Alden.
Beaters tonight. Then…???
That’s Alden speak for saying he’ll be hanging out at his favorite sports bar. And that his late hours are free for a hookup. How romantic. I don’t have the energy for Beaters or Alden tonight. Quickly I text back a response.
Hanging with Lana.
That’s technically true.
Lana calls, “Hey, girl,” and begins passing out introductions. That’s when I realize I’ve somehow missed seeing the guy standing a few feet away from me on the patio. Either he’s embarrassed or just plain antisocial because he’s showing zero interest in this encounter. He’s not even looking at me.
The weight of my backpack is killing my shoulder so I slide it off. “Hi, Jay.”
I make an effort. I keep talking, trying to activate a conversation. Unfriendliness doesn’t need to be contagious. However, Jay Phoenix just seems irritated.
“Nice to meet you,” he manages to choke out, sounding anything but excited. He’s still keeping his eyes directed at the more interesting view of the back wall of the house.
I wait for a few seconds and he finally turns his head.
And glares.
For a split second I think I’m imagining it. But no, that’s definitely a coat of ice in his eyes as they survey me before shifting away.
What the hell is his problem?
I’m just trying to be nice.
If he’s worried that the nerdy girl roommate might try to jump his bones then he should relax. Alden the Muscle God is standing by if my hormones need an urgent fix. Or maybe his personality really is this awful no matter who he’s talking to.
Shane and Lana have tumbled into the pool together and I find myself laughing at them. After a tedious day, their enthusiasm for each other is a pleasant thing to behold. It’s probably an even more pleasant thing to have but I’m too happy for Lana to feel any jealousy. A big reason she left Hawaii and sought this dusty corner of Texas was because the boy she loved in high school drowned in a drunken surfing accident. She never talks about him much but she kept his picture on her dresser until she met Shane. For the last three years I’ve watched her play the field and occasionally get her heart broken. I’ve never seen her this happy before.
Lana is being carried across the pool on Shane’s shoulders and she throws down a challenge for a chicken fight. This is the moment when Jay Phoenix decides the scene is not to his liking and dashes into the house with supernatural speed.
His sudden rude exit must have caused a ‘What The Fuck?’ look to take charge of my face because Shane feels the need to call out an apology on behalf of his friend.
“He gets quiet like that sometimes.”
I stifle a sarcastic response.
Whatever.
If Jay Phoenix wants to keep his sullen hot guy mysteries to himself then I won’t be bothered at all.
I fall into a cushioned patio chair.
“Jump in, Care,” Lana begs from where she’s still balanced on Shane’s shoulders.
The thought is tempting. I’m sweaty and gross and neither Shane nor Lana will bat an eye if I just dive right in wearing my clothes. But other than my lunchtime churro I haven’t eaten a thing today and the pile of steaks on the picnic table looks more inviting than the pool right now.
I help myself to the largest cut of meat, drown it in steak sauce and twist the cap off the beer I grabbed from the cooler. I’m still finishing my steak when Shane and Lana emerge from the pool and join me at the table. I share my unfortunate news about Beefcake Charlie’s and Lana promises to ask the diner where she works part time if they have any openings. There’s way too much food and Lana packs it away in one of Ruby’s green Tupperware containers. By this time the sun is on its way down but the two of them are full of energy and they want to go out. Lana tries to persuade me to join them but I’ve had enough of people for the day. I just want to take a hot bath, slip on my ugliest, most comfortable pajamas and watch something dumb on my laptop until my eyes close.
Lana stops by my room before leaving. She looks excellent in a red satin dress that shows off her splendid rack while her glossy black hair falls loose and straight. I’m already sprawled on my bed and searching for something funny to watch. There’s a show about talking dogs and it’s not a cartoon. That looks funny.
Lana sets her hands on her hips. “It’s Friday night.”
“Yes.”
“It’s the end of the semester.”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you come out with us?”
I point at my sleepwear, which is splashed with illustrations of laughing cows. “I’m pretty sure I’d attract the wrong kind of attention in this sexy getup.”
She laughs. “Shane wouldn’t mind waiting for a few minutes if you want to change.”
“Thanks, but you guys go ahead. Oh, but can you do me a favor?”
“Maybe.”
“Steer clear of Beaters. Alden said he was going to be there tonight.”
“So?”
“So when he texted me earlier I told him I was busy hanging out with you.”
Lana gives me a pitying look. “Why do you bother? You don’t even like him.”
I make a limp attempt to defend Alden. “He’s not all bad.”
“Care, you can do so much better than some narcissistic man boy who’s not half as funny as he thinks he is.”
I cluck my tongue. “Alas, the best specimens are not exactly falling at my feet.”
She’s still looking at me and we’ve been friends long enough for me to guess that she’s got something she wants to say.
I toss a throw pillow at her. “WHAT?”
Lana presses her lips together in thought. “I don’t know. Sometimes it’s like you’re willing to take less than you deserve because you’re afraid to risk putting yourself out there.”
I groan. “Did I ever mention that sometimes having a psychology major for a roommate can be exhausting? Next you’ll be asking me to search for an imaginary lost ferret.”
Lana snorts, picks up the pillow I hurled at her a moment ago and throws it back in my face. Then she crosses the room and takes a seat on the edge of my bed. “Caris, you have never been in love. One of these days that’s going to change and I want to be there to see it.”
“Do you love Shane?”
Lana fidgets and runs her hands back and forth over her legs. “Okay, don’t think I’m pathetic but I’d marry that boy tomorrow.”
I smile at her. “Shane’s a good guy.”
“Yeah.” She bites a corner of her lip. “He’s afraid you think Jay was being rude tonight. He says that’s just the way Jay is. Doesn’t have the social graces down pat.”
“I’ll say he doesn’t,” I grumble. Something about Shane’s best friend bothers me and I can’t put my finger on what it is. We spent less than two minutes together and his behavior wasn’t that off the wall. Perhaps I’m just letting my crappy day color my perspective.
Lana raises an eyebrow. “You’ve got to admit he’s not bad to look at.”
Anyone with eyes could admit that. Jay looks the part of the classic rugged hottie. The type that comes equipped with a treasury of secret complications.
“His last name probably isn’t really Phoenix,” I point out.
She shrugs. “Probably not. But he wouldn’t be the first person in the world to change his last name. Those two boys have both had a rough time.”
“What do you mean?”
Lana glances at the doorway and listens for a moment. There’s the distant sound of water running from the kitchen sink. And over that, the faint echo of Shane’s singing voice. He’s a fan of the Beatles and he often sings when he’s going about his business.
She smiles to herself and then edges closer. “You know Shane was born in Hutton, right?”
“Yeah.” It explains his connection to Ruby. Shane’s mother was an employee at Ruby’s Bakery when she got pregnant. Things didn’t work out with the baby’s father but Ruby a
cted as a support system for Shane’s mother and in gratitude she was named as his godmother.
“He was just a baby when his mom picked up and moved to Arizona with him. She wasn’t the best mother; always battling addiction and acquiring crappy boyfriends. She didn’t have any family left in Hutton and she and Ruby had lost touch by the time she died when Shane was fourteen. There was no one else willing to be his guardian so the state sent him into the foster care system. That’s where he met Jay, at the last foster home he was sent to.”
Lana pauses and her expression falls.
“It wasn’t a good situation. The guy was violent, abusive. He and his wife were major drug users so there were all kinds of garbage people hanging around the house. One night when Shane is getting beaten to the point where it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop, Jay steps in and fights back. Jay’s a good fighter. He nearly kills the guy but the wife makes up some bullshit story and both Jay and Shane wind up getting carted off to a juvenile detention center. Their only stroke of luck was being placed in the same room together. They looked out for each other. They’ve been on their own together since they were seventeen.”