Lennon's Jinx (Lennon's Girls #1) Read online

  LENNON'S JINX

  Book One of Lennon’s Girls Trilogy

  Chris Myers

  www.chrismyersfiction.com

  Praise for Lennon’s Jinx

  Lennon's Jinx blew me away!!! I absolutely fell in love with this book. I read this book in one sitting, because I just couldn't book the book down... Ever and Ever Sight Blogger

  Can I just say that Chris Myers is an incredible author. She knows how to grab you right from the beginning and keep you reading along until you get to the end and leaves you wanting more and more... A Diary of a Book Addict

  ...This was so well done. This is the second book by Myer's I have read and loved. I will pick up anything she writes in the future and read it. She is truly a talented writer that knows how to get under your skin and leave a mark that won't soon be forgotten. My Guilty Obsession blogger

  ...Lennon's Jinx is more than a love story, it's a life story. One about perseverance, standing up for one's convictions, letting the right person inside, and allowing oneself time to heal in order to love again. I loved it. LM Pruitt Reader Girls Blog

  ...This book held happiness and tragedy, loss and redemption, life and death and love..it was brimming with different emotions and issues and it could just as soon bring me to tears as have me shaking in fits of laughter. I loved the characters, the stories and the different journeys I was taken on. This book was great and I cannot wait to know more of Lennon's story! Pieces of Whimsy blogger

  …Fantastic story, I am a sucker for rock stars even those of the teenage kind. I thought this was a perfect backdrop for two very intricate characters who both carry their own baggage. This is the first book I have read by Chris Myers, I definitely plan to read more. Musings from an Addicted Reader

  …Following him around the story I was sure I knew how it would turn out, but then as I discovered more about him and his past and this person he really is, I was thrown. Well done Chris Myers, well done... The Life of Fiction

  …I read this book in a day. It was easy to get stuck in. If meaningful contemporary YA is your thing, then you should so read this one. Stuck in Books

  …So to sum everything up, I have to say this book is an amazing read and though I'm a teen (under 16), I loved it to pieces.I cried more than once, wanted to hurt Jinx more than once and wondered why there aren't more authors like Chris Myers. Musings of a Blogder

  SUMMARY

  Summary: Mature Teen Romance

  Sometimes, you don’t get to choose who you fall for...

  Lennon spends most of his time raising his little sister Currie while trying to skate through his senior year of high school. He prefers groupies with no-strings attached but finds himself strangely attracted to Jinx, the straight-A student in his choir. Lennon’s curiosity overrules his good sense as he tries to peel away the layers to discover the reason for Jinx’s skittishness.

  Jinx conceals the black truth about herself from her friends. She won’t admit to them that she screwed up big time, losing her first love and what she once held most precious.

  When Lennon’s band holds auditions to replace their keyboard player, Jinx comes to tryout and almost leaves after seeing Lennon. Despite the fact she despises him, she joins the band to nurture her love of music that will hopefully ease the guilt gnawing away at her.

  Like the rest of his band mates, Jinx soon witnesses Lennon battling his infamous father. While confronting his pent-up anger at his dad, Lennon exposes vulnerabilities he had no intention of letting any girl ever see, especially Jinx. Their reckless pasts may bring them together or further complicate their messy lives.

  1. Young Adult Romance & Teen Romance (Children's Love and Romance)— Juvenile fiction. 2. High schools —Fiction. 3. Social Anxiety (Social Issues) (Social Situations) Emotions and Feelings — 4. Pop Culture 5. Contemporary Romance 6. New Adult Romance 7. Teen Literature

  The characters, places, and events in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. All characters are products of the author’s imagination and should not be construed as real. In all respects, any similarity to real people, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Copyright © 2013 by Chris Myers

  All rights reserved. This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.

  Copy editor: Michelle Borek

  Cover art: Books on the Edge

  Shutterstock photo by Coka

  www.chrismyersfiction.com

  ISBN-13: 978-0985716912

  ISBN-10: 0985716916

  Published by Books on the Edge

  This book is dedicated to my sisters and daughter for their constant encouragement.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Title

  Summary

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Acknowledgements

  Author's Note

  When Winter Comes

  Bad Day

  Tortured Soul

  Absolution

  Confused by Her

  CHAPTER ONE

  LENNON

  When I was fifteen, I bought a Ferrari and shortly afterward totaled it on a patch of ice. Awesome car, sweet lines, chick magnet. Only problem was it had too many horses for me to handle and obviously was not a safe enough ride for my seven-year-old sister Currie. Driving her to school was the whole point of getting the car in the first place. With the help of our neighbor, Currie got me out of jail. That was the first time. I’m not perfect, but I’m all she’s got.

  Though I’m almost eighteen now, I can’t drive my SUV without Currie’s permission. I plan on having several beers tonight to help me forget about my non-existent life, so I’m taking a cab.

  It slides through several inches of slushy snow and delivers me to a party I’m not invited to. The house is located in the middle of suburbia where a dog barks and two kids throw snowballs at each other. It’s very normal, even peaceful, not what I’m used to.

  My cell chirps with a text from Currie.

  Currie: r u there yet?

  I double-check the party’s address Bailey scrawled on my hand in ink. The last time she used lipstick, and it smeared. I ended up at a club, got into a brawl, and was bailed out by Currie—again.

  Using my phone, I take a snapshot of the house along with its number and send it to Currie, so she doesn’t freak.

  Currie: No messin’ around.

  Me: Too personal.

  She knows way too much for a nine-year-old—almost ten as she constantly reminds me—but that’s my adolescent parents’ fault.

  Currie: Sorry. c u later.
>
  Me: No u won’t squirt. Go to sleep NOW.

  Currie: I’ll try.

  Guilt splinters into me for ditching her with the babysitter. I half consider going home to make sure she gets to sleep, but she already booted me out of the house once tonight. She says I act too crabby when I don’t get out enough.

  Before going into the house, I wipe sweaty palms on the designer jeans Currie made me buy. She says they make me look hot. Hope so. I enter without knocking. What’s the point? The loud bass shakes the house to the point no one will hear me anyway.

  In the living room to my immediate left, a girl dances on the coffee table while inhaling from a homemade bong. The crowd cheers her on. They’re such sports. Another group loses at beer pong, which is the whole point of the game.

  If I can avoid the hostess Jinx, this will be a good party. Jinx’s name is infamous in the boys’ locker room. Mainly because every dude, except me, has tried to blow her skirt up and failed miserably. She’s one of the last remaining hot virgins at our high school, not that I care. As far as I’m concerned, virgins come with too much baggage.

  I make my way through the crowd, adding a few dance steps. Thanks to Currie, I can shuffle like the pros in the music videos.

  I bump into two of Jinx’s girlfriends. Both have long, straight blond hair and blue eyes and could pass as sisters.

  Not good. I am so busted. Unsure how the blondes will respond to me crashing the party, my breath sticks in my throat like peanut butter.

  “Lennon, we didn’t know you were coming,” one of the blondes twitters as her fingers tiptoe up my chest.

  The aroma of beer with a hint of te-kill-ya is strong on her breath and about bowls me over. That explains the positive reaction to me being here.

  The other blonde wraps an arm around my waist. Having a multi-million dollar trust fund will do that for a dude. They must be super drunk because these two can have whomever they want. They normally don’t go after someone like me, not because I’m a two-bagger, but because I’ve gone through a lot of girls.

  Bailey better show up soon or I’ll get into trouble with these two, more trouble than I’m already in. I don’t want to piss Bailey off either. We’ve been groping in the dark with each other since junior high, and she’ll expect me to be ready and waiting when she gets here.

  I stuff my hands in my leather bomber pockets and attempt to study the floor instead of what the blondes aren’t wearing. It’s not working. Both have on very short skirts so that the slightest bending over shows the bottom of their firm butts. Thong underwear makes a “T” at the top of their hip-hugging skirts. They teeter on six-inch Lady Gaga heels, but I’m still taller.

  One has a spandex top that was sprayed on while the other’s is unbuttoned almost to her navel so that her red lacy bra peeks out. I try not to think about burying my face in the midst of Victoria Secret heaven. A few beers and I’ll be there. Why do girls do this to guys?

  “Iz, don’t monopolize Lennon. You can share,” Spandex blonde says to red lace girl while filling a Solo cup from the keg. She takes a sip, leaving a foamy mustache on her lips before handing it to me.

  I take the beer only after I lick the froth away from Gabby’s luscious, marshmallow lips. “Don’t want any to go to waste.” I’m such a shameless flirt.

  Iz swats her friend. “Gabby, so not fair.”

  I lean over and kiss Iz, long and sweet, so she doesn’t feel left out. She slips me tongue while her hands thread through my dark hair.

  “You are the best kisser at school,” she says.

  “I’ve been told that.” After I pull away, I say, “Are we even girls?” Hoping, I’ve satisfied them both now and can escape. I need to save myself for Bailey. She’s always a sure bet and doesn’t mind sharing me.

  Gabby taps my chest. “Not hardly.”

  Trying to shake Iz and Gabby, I run straight to the family room where everyone dances while grinding against each other. It’s more-or-less sex with clothes on. A flame of red hair flashes to the side of me. I dart in the opposite direction, around the corner, and still careen into Jinx. With a name like that, her parents are more screwed up than mine.

  When I inhale, I smell baby powder and gardenias. It reminds me of the first day Currie was brought home. Mom in a drunken stupor spilled perfume on the baby before leaving the hospital.

  “What’s up?” My voice cracks like I’m going through puberty all over again. God, could I act any more like a complete idiot?

  “Oh, it’s you.” A mass of coppery curls that flows past her shoulders haloes her head. A few freckles dot her nose. I’d like to think she’s not my type, not that I have one. I’ve tried all the flavors, and they’re all equally good, but when she sings in choir, it blows me away.

  Her mint green eyes spit fire at me like a blowtorch. “Rena must’ve invited you.” All five-feet-two of her plus four-inch heels shoves past me. That went better than expected.

  Rena is Jinx’s other good friend and my math tutor.

  “Don’t mind Jinx,” Iz says, dragging me backward to the living room.

  But it does bug me. I don’t know why Jinx hates me.

  Iz and Gabby lead me to a room where a freshman girl scales the pole of popularity by hooking up with Alex, a senior jock. He’s all beef, no brains, not that I’m a rocket scientist by any stretch of the imagination.

  Once the senior figures out how to get through her cluttered fashion sense, she’ll be the talk of the school tomorrow or a YouTube celebrity. Only seniors and a handful of juniors were invited, so most of them are seventeen or eighteen.

  Having a little sister, I don’t like to see any girl taken advantage of.

  “John Lennon Tyler,” Alex says in a snarky tone.

  I hate being called John Lennon. I was named after the dead rock star while my sister got Cherrie Currie from the Runaways. Original.

  The freshman sloshes her beer while playing suck-face with Alex. She’s toasted. He’ll take advantage of the situation and spread rumors about her whether they’re true or not. It’s definitely a double standard. If a guy hooks up with lots of girls, he’s regarded as a conquering hero, but a girl can be donned a slut for pulling a single one-nighter.

  The girl with Alex is too young to understand the consequences of her actions. Before he has a chance to remove her clothes, I snatch the cup from her hand. “You should go home.”

  “Whaaat are ya doin’?” She can barely talk. Her hand reaches for her cup but misses it entirely.

  “You weren’t invited, frosh,” Iz says, knuckles pressed against her slender hips. God, they’re nice and hard to ignore.

  “I’m with him.” The freshman eyes me up and down. “Unless Len waaants me.”

  Steroid head grins at Iz and Gabby. “I’ll trade any day.”

  I would never do a girl this young or this drunk.

  “Not in your lifetime,” Gabby says, throwing a couch pillow at him.

  The freshman gives Alex a weak shove. “Whaaat are ya sayin’?”

  “You’re out of here, jailbait,” Iz says, pointing at the door.

  I gently take the freshman by the arm. “Let’s go. Who did you come with?”

  “Um.” She wobbles while pressing her index finger to her temple. “Marcy? I think.”

  “I’ll get you guys a cab.” Thanks to Currie, I have them on speed dial.

  “No, you won’t,” Alex says, getting up from his seat. He pokes my chest hard.

  I am not a fighter and suck at it, but my shoulders are wider, and I’ve got at least four inches on him. I just look intimidating. “You wouldn’t want to lose your hockey scholarship, would you?” I steady the freshman with one arm. “By having sex with an intoxicated minor.” Alex has already turned eighteen.

  “Screw you, John. You better watch your back.” He shoves past me and weaves through the throng of partiers in search of his next victim.

  Gabby returns with a very unhappy sophomore. She’s been drinking as well. The girl shake
s off Gabby’s grip. “I can drive.”

  “You’re not driving,” I say.

  “My parents will kill me if I don’t come home with the car,” Marcy says.

  She should be happy she has parents who care whether she comes home or not. “I’m sure your mom and dad would want you to arrive in one piece.”

  Marcy snatches her bag and coat by the front door. “I’m so dead.”

  The cabbie who brought me here isn’t too far away, so he returns quickly. I give Lou enough money to get them to Marcy’s house, which isn’t too far. Marcy glares at me while the freshman passes out on the seat.

  After they’re on their way, Iz removes my leather jacket, and Gabby pushes me down onto a sofa. Both of them cross their legs over mine so that I’m trapped. Jinx’s friends seem to like me—when they’re drunk—so why does Jinx hate me?

  A fellow partier passes out kamikaze shots. I take one and down it then follow with a beer chaser. The blondes follow suit, making me even more nervous. My savior Bailey better hurry. I fidget with the zipper on my jacket, ensuring it doesn’t get too far away from me in case I need to bolt.

  You’d think with as many girls I’ve gone through, they wouldn’t scare me. But these girls are different from pub girls. I have to face them every day at school, and Jinx would send me into the next galaxy for hooking up with her plastered friends. Other than Bailey, most girls get their feelings hurt. It didn’t take me long to learn that lesson.

  Iz snakes her hand under the lip of my jeans. Gabby’s hand combs through my hair. They’re both drunk, so it’s not like I can have sex with either of them and not have it called rape later. One of the few things my dad Jonathan taught me.

  Gabby fishes out the thick silver chain from underneath my shirt. The heavy, steel key at the end catches her interest. The small, brass skeleton key hides behind it. “Is this the key to your heart?”

  “If I tell you what it’s for, I’d have to kill you,” I say, grinning. If I told her the truth, I’d be expelled from school.

  She tongues the steel key, torturing me.