Part 10 (1/2)

been she who had pressured him into seeing Jane again, into finding out

the truth about the child. Folding her hands in her lap, Bev stared

into the dusty marble fireplace. ”You've known her a long time.”

”She was the first girl I ever slept with. I was barely thirteen.” He

rubbed his hands over his eyes, wis.h.i.+ng it wasn't so easy to remember.

”My father would get drunk, go on one of his famous rages before he

pa.s.sed out. I'd hide out in the cellar of the flat. One day Jane was

there, like she was waiting. Before I knew it, she was on top of me.”

”You don't have to go into all this, Bri.”

”want you to know.” He took his time, drawing in smoke, letting it out.

”We seemed a lot alike, Jane and I. Somebody was always fighting at her

house, too. There was never enough money. Then when I started getting

interested in music, I spent more time with that than her. She went

crazy. She threatened me, threatened herself I kept away from her.

”Then not long after the guys and I got together, when we were

struggling so hard to get a break, she showed up again. We were playing

in dives, barely making enough for food. I guess it was because she was

someone I knew, someone who knew me. Mostly it was because I was an

a.s.shole.”

Bev sniffled, gave a watery laugh. ”You're still an a.s.shole.”

”Yeah. We got back together, almost a year. Toward the end she was

outrageous, trying to start trouble between me and the others. She'd

break up rehearsals, make scenes. She even came to the club and went

after one of the girls in the audience. Afterward, she'd cry and beg me

to forgive her. It got to the point where it stopped being easier to

say, sure, fine, forget it. She said she'd kill herself when I broke it