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“You make such a big deal about what happened to you at SDCU.” Haley rolled her eyes then tented her fingers to make quotation marks over the next words. “’The incident.’ Get over it, Jax. Seriously. I’m saying that as your friend.”
The incident.
Jax shivered. No way she was going anywhere near that dark memory right now. But Haley was right. Why couldn’t Jax get over it? Why had it taken her two years to finally stitch herself back together and enroll at Sagebrush Canyon College, a small commuter college in the next town over?
Because she was weak. That’s why.
Haley’s phone buzzed. “The Gestapo is here,” she groaned. Not fair. Haley’s parents were actually very sweet and achingly normal. Sometimes it felt like they stepped right out of a 60’s sitcom. They’d always embraced Jax with open arms, especially when she’d needed to escape her own very modern, messy household.
Haley stood. “90 days. This is going to suck so hard.”
Jax hauled herself up into a sitting position. “Give it a shot at least, will you?”
Haley’s face crumpled. “It really wasn’t a big deal. It was just a bad batch of oxy. You know they’re lacing it with all kinds of shit these days. Tristian swore he’s not gonna use that dealer again.” Her voice was soft, and Jax realized that her best friend was scared, too.
Haley took two steps forward and pulled Jax into a hug. “Sorry for all the shitty things I said.”
“It’s fine,” Jax assured her roommate. Haley’s whipsaw temper was all part of the package.
“Will you… take care of Styles for me until I get back?” Haley asked, her voice muffled against Jax’s shoulder.
Crap.She’d forgotten all about the small demon that haunted their apartment.
“’Course,” she managed. She owed her best friend this much.
Haley stepped back and tears sparkled in her eyes. “They don’t let you have your phone for the first month. What am I even going to do with myself?”
“Learn to knit?” Jax suggested.
Haley hiccupped and nodded. “Mom would be so proud.” Indeed. Mrs. Butterman was vice president of the town’s knitting club, a position she held with an iron fist.
Haley picked up the handle of her suitcase and slowly rolled it to the door. Jax felt a familiar numbness fill her heart as she watched her friend disappear out the front door. She couldn’t move, could barely breathe. The numbness was like a black blanket wrapping around her body and separating her from the world. That numbness had stolen two years of her life after “the incident.” She’d slowly clawed her way back out, but the numbness seemed to hover over her, a constant threat to return and snuff away all her feelings and motivation.
A spotted figure raced from Haley’s bedroom and tackled the curtains. The right curtain holder released a small groan of protest, then sagged as the bracket pulled out of the wall. A puddle of curtain settled over Styles. The lump of cat froze beneath the curtain, then shot out from beneath the fabric, disappearing into another corner of the apartment.
Jax groaned. What the hell had she just agreed to? It’d only been two weeks since Haley had impulsively bought the Bengal kitten from some friend of her useless bang partner, Tristan. And now their apartment looked like a B&E crime scene. A small cactus lay on the floor, its clay pot shattered. Shredded napkins littered the kitchen. In the bathroom, the small trashcan had been raided, its contents of bare toilet paper rolls and used tampons disgorged across the floor.
Ninety days. Jax would somehow have to learn to live with the hellion for 90 days. She knew she would need some serious help. Sighing, she pulled up a number in her phone and sent off a quick text.
*
Four days later, Jax parked her lime-green VW Bug against the curb of a tidy little house. She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against the wheel.
How had her life come to this?
Right. Junkie roommate. Demonically possessed cat. Piss-smelling apartment.
Steeling herself, Jax got out of the car. She tromped up the driveway, passing a handsome new mailbox sporting large house numbers.This is insane,she thought to herself.Literally, the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.
She knocked on the front door.I’m not a—
Tess swung open the door and gave her a wide smile. Several other faces appeared over her shoulder, each grinning warmly in a way that made Jax’s soul feel both achingly hopeful and utterly terrified.
Tess spoke first. “Welcome to the Crazy Cat Lady Club!”
Epilogue
Sittingupinbed,Alanna glanced at the Batman alarm clock on Sully’s nightstand and smiled a wicked little smile.
