Cursed (25 page)

“Thank you.”

They started down an alley, but stopped. Rene caught her arm and lifted his chin towards the scene in the middle of the alley. A small gathering of gang members were crowded around something or someone.

“You don’t need to see this,” he said and pushed her back to the street.

“See what?” She leaned to see around him.

“They doing what they do.”

She caught a familiar flash of maroon that matched the skirt of her cheer squad she wore. Adrienne hardened, hoping it was Kimmie in the alley, but immediately felt guilty. Even Kimmie didn’t deserved to be messed up by a gang. Adrienne didn’t know what they’d do to her, but she suspected Rene was serious about them killing people. Her daddy seemed to think that was all gangs were good for anyway.

“I think I know her,” she said, tugging free of Rene. She stepped into the alley, trying to make out who the gang members had cornered and were pushing around.

“Not your business.”

“It
is
!” she insisted. She gasped, catching a flash of a familiar face. “It’s Tara.” She started forward.

“Stop,” Rene grabbed her arm. “The crew will tear you up after they’re done with her.”

“Then stop them.” Adrienne turned to face him. “She’s on the cheer squad.”

“Didn’t they screw you up?”

Adrienne hesitated, thoughts going from Tara’s warning to Jayden. The humiliation and despair she felt hours before fluttered through her.

“It’s still not right to leave her,” she murmured. “Please?”

“You serious?” Rene frowned. “They’re Jax’s boys. You want me to get my ass kicked for some girl who effed you up?”

“I can do it.”

“Stay out of sight.” He pushed her towards the street with another mumble she took to be curse words directed at her. Rene trotted down the alley.

Adrienne did as he said and went to the building on one side, peering around the corner to see into the alley.

Rene said something as he approached. A few of the thugs laughed. Then he grabbed one and smashed him in the face with a fist.

Adrienne gasped and covered her mouth. Rene was strong and tall, but the guy he punched was huge. Another of the gang members shoved him. He shoved back then punched him, too.

Sensing their fun was over, the others broke up. One shoved Tara at Rene, who caught her with one arm. He motioned angrily to the guy on the ground, who talked back, but didn’t fight. He got to his feet and sulked away.

One arm around Tara, Rene walked calmly down the alley towards Adrienne. Dread fluttered in her stomach at the sight of Jayden’s sister. She wondered if Tara came so far just to laugh at her again or to drop another curse on her.

Tara’s hair was mussed, a few of her nails broken. She’d been crying, and her makeup was smeared and one cheek red from someone’s punch. She’d been shoved into a puddle, and her cheer uniform dripped with water.

“Are you okay?” Adrienne asked uncertainly, stepping from the building as they neared.

“I told you to stay out of sight,” Rene snapped.

“They can’t see me.”

“One day, girl, you gonna get your ass kicked, and I’m gonna laugh.”

Tara looked ready to cry.

Rene spun her to face him roughly and took her chin, peering into her face.

She cringed away.

“You fine,” he said, pushing her away.

“It’s okay, Tara.” Adrienne took the girl’s arm. “Rene is … a friend. When he feels like it.”

“What you doing here?” Rene asked Tara gruffly.

Tara was shaking. She looked away from him quickly, not speaking.

“You’re scaring her, Rene,” Adrienne told him.

“Me? I rescued her ass.”

“Okay, come on, Tara,” she said, wrapping one arm around Tara’s waist. “Rene, home.”

“Great. Now I’m Walkin’ Ms. Daisy.”

Adrienne rolled her eyes. She didn’t know what to think of the moody gang member except he wasn’t going to abandon her. He was the only constant after her day. He’d bitch about it, but he’d see her home this afternoon and probably any other afternoon, whether or not she wanted him to.

Rene walked ahead of them, moping, all the way back to her apartment building. Tara didn’t stop shaking and didn’t speak, clearly in shock.

“Thank you, Rene,” Adrienne said, pushing open the door to her building.

He shrugged and walked off.

“He’s such a pain,” Adrienne complained. “But he’s all bark. I think.”

Tara glanced around her, clearly unimpressed with the lobby of the apartment building. Adrienne led her to the elevator, nervous now that Rene was gone. She didn’t know what Tara was doing there or even if she should show Jayden’s sister how poor she was when they got to her father’s rather plain apartment.

Tara said nothing as they rode in the elevator and entered the apartment.

“I can get you dry clothes,” Adrienne said, walking down the short hallway to her bedroom.

She dug through the closet, afraid to see Tara’s face at the cramped room that was hers. Adrienne pulled out a worn t-shirt and workout shorts for Tara then clothes for her to change into.

Tara was looking around, starting to register the world once more. She didn’t appear to be repulsed by the bedroom of the scholarship girl they’d gone out of the way to ridicule.

“Um, I’ll leave you alone to change,” Adrienne murmured, pitying the girl. “I’ll make us some tea.”

Tara took the clothes without speaking.

Adrienne left and closed the door behind her. Emotionally drained, she felt like crying again. She didn’t, instead changing quickly in the bathroom then going to the kitchen to microwave water for tea. Her ear was hurting badly, so she downed a couple more painkillers.

The door to her bedroom opened and the bathroom door closed.

Adrienne put two cups of tea on the kitchen table and waited, twisting her hands in her lap.

Tara emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later and sat down on the couch. She’d smoothed out her hair and removed her makeup.

“Thank you,” she said, accepting the cup of tea Adrienne gave her.

An awkward silence fell.

“Are you okay?” Adrienne asked.

“Yeah.” Tara cleared her throat and took a sip of tea.

“So, what were you doing in the alley?”

“Looking for you.”

“Why?” Adrienne asked, dismayed. “The pep rally wasn’t enough?”

Tara flushed. “Believe it or not, I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Let me guess. You knew what Kimmie aimed to do, but didn’t warn me either.”

“Yeah. I didn’t think it’d work, though. Voodoo isn’t real. I mean, I didn’t think it was.”

“It is,” Adrienne said. She hesitated then realized there was no reason to hide the truth anymore. She’d already lost the respect of everyone at school, and Jayden helped set her up. “My family is cursed. Every firstborn in my mama’s line is killed, including my sister, who disappeared five years ago when she came to New Orleans to live with Daddy. Jayden’s grandmama even knew I was cursed. That’s how I know magic is real.”

“You’re serious.” Tara’s eyes were wide. “So Kimmie’s curse ... worked?”

“Yeah. She took my voice.” Adrienne’s eyes watered. “I can’t keep my scholarship without it. I’ll have to go back to Atlanta. I’m so close to finding out what happened to my sister.”

“I’m sorry,” Tara murmured. “I didn’t know.”

“Yeah, well, I obviously don’t fit in there anyway. No one bothered to tell me, and everyone knew.” Adrienne took her cup to the kitchen, upset. “I’m never going back.”

“You have to come back,” Tara said, following her. “Jayden likes you.”

“Not enough to warn me!”

Tara was quiet for a moment.

Adrienne picked up the phone from the counter and clicked it on, grateful to hear the dial tone. At least her daddy had decided to pay the phone bill. She wouldn’t look like complete white trash in front of Tara.

“Here. Call your mama or someone,” Adrienne said, holding it out. “We don’t have no car and someone like you don’t ride city buses.”

She left Tara in the kitchen. A moment later, she heard Tara speaking quietly to whomever she called.

Adrienne sat on the couch and pulled free her iPad. She stared listlessly at the horrible emails from half the kids in the school then spotted one from Emma.

Hi Adrienne,

I hope you are okay.

Your friend,

Emma

Adrienne swallowed her tears, not recalling how she’d stood up Emma until seeing the note. Emma was her only real friend at the school, and she’d broken her promise to eat lunch with her to sit with kids who humiliated her in front of everyone.

Maybe I deserve what happened.

“Jayden’s coming to get me,” Tara reported, joining her in the living room. “He asked about you.”

Adrienne shrugged.

“Look, Adrienne, all that stuff that happened … Jayden had nothing to do with it. Kimmie is always putting hexes on him, so we figured she was just full of it. Nothing bad has ever happened.”

“I don’t care, Tara. If someone was going to hurt him, I’d tell him.”

Tara frowned. She said nothing.

They sat in silence for a long moment.

“Who was the guy with you?” Tara asked.

“Rene. He acts tough, but he’s helped me a lot this week.”

“He’s got that total bad boy thing going on. It’s kinda sexy.” Tara smiled. “You told him to rescue me?”

Adrienne nodded.

“That’s real cool.”

“I try to do good. Not here to hurt anyone.”
Except I hurt Emma.

“I’m sorry, Adrienne. I know it’s too late and it doesn’t do anything to help. But I am sorry.” Tara was sincere, her features troubled. “Just … don’t hold it against Jayden.”

Adrienne didn’t know what to say. It hurt just thinking that he knew, but didn’t tell her. Was he as fake as the rest of the kids at school? How was she able to trust him after this?

“It doesn’t matter. I can’t go back,” she said.

“You have to. If you run away, it’s just making Kimmie’s power trip worse.”

“Everyone is making fun of me,” Adrienne said, holding up her iPad to show the overflowing inbox. “Everyone. I don’t belong there, and they know it.”

Tara didn’t reply, frowning.

Sooner than she expected, there was a knock at the door.

Adrienne’s heart jolted at the thought of seeing Jayden again until she recalled he’d been there for her humiliating debut in front of the school. Dreading what he might say, she crossed to the door and opened it.

Jayden still wore his jersey and slacks. His smile was quick, his dark eyes concerned as he studied her closely.

Her body betrayed her despite her resolve to resent him for hiding Kimmie’s prank. Heat raced through her, and she found herself unable to look away or ignore his clean, woodsy scent. She was speechless at the sight of him, too confused to know how to react. Was Tara right about him not knowing or was he a part of the plan to humiliate her? The more she thought, the harder it was to believe that the most popular boy at school really was interested in her.

“Hey.” His husky voice was soft.

“Tara,” she called over her shoulder, stepping away from the doorway. “Your brother’s here.”

Adrienne hugged herself, unable to look at him again. She was too aware of his presence and afraid of what he thought about her.

“One sec. Let me get my uniform,” Tara said, hurrying down the hallway to Adrienne’s room.

The awkward silence made her nervous.

“About today,” Jayden started.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said curtly.

“Okay.” He didn’t seem to know what to say.

Adrienne ached for him to explain why he’d lied to her, except she was afraid to learn that maybe he never liked her at all.

Tara wasn’t long. She returned with her uniform in her arms.

“Thanks, Addy,” she said, hugging her quickly. “I’ll wash out your clothes and bring them to school Monday. Okay?”

“Sure,” Adrienne replied. She didn’t tell Jayden goodbye but closed the door and bolted it. She stayed where she was for a minute then burst into tears.

Adrienne ran to her room and flung herself down on the bed, weeping.

Jayden lingered in the dingy, poorly lit hallway outside Adrienne’s apartment. He’d seen the crushed look on her face and wanted to make her feel better. Somehow.

He didn’t know what to say. He’d had the urge to wrap his arms around her, but sensed she’d probably throw him out, if he did. She hadn’t responded to his email, and by his reception at her apartment, she was too upset to talk to him at all.

Not that he blamed her. He should’ve stopped Kimmie from doing whatever she was doing. He definitely wasn’t expecting Kimmie to destroy Adrienne’s singing debut at the school. She’d gone from glowing like an angel to fleeing with tears in her eyes.

He’d failed her. Again.

“Come on, Jay. She needs some space,” Tara called from down the hallway near the elevator.

He went grudgingly. The elevator didn’t look like it was in the best shape.

“You okay?” he asked Tara, pushing the button for the lobby. Her cheek was red and her eyes puffy, as if she’d been crying.

“I’m good.” Her response was unusually subdued.

“What were you doing here?”

“What you told me. Trying to make sure Adrienne was okay,” she snapped. “Except she ended up coming to my rescue, after I helped set her up. Some gangbangers cornered me in an alley. Addy’s friend bailed me out.”

Jayden didn’t have to ask which friend. If it was the same thug he’d found her with the other night, he could see how the rough gang member was able to help his sister. Why on earth was Adrienne hanging out with such a person? Did she really need someone like that to keep her safe in this neighborhood?

A tremor of jealousy went through him. The thug – whoever he was – had been walking Adrienne home the other night and now, defended Tara against gang members. Both were responsibilities Jayden should’ve met but didn’t.

Tara appeared to be fine, if quiet. He was afraid to ask what he wanted to know most: if Adrienne was angry with him.

“I don’t know what Kimmie did to her, but I’m going to find out,” he vowed.

“She cursed her.”

“I don’t believe in that stuff.”

“Adrienne does.”

Jayden glanced at her.

“She said her family is cursed. It’s why her sister was killed.”

“I don’t believe it.”

“She does,” Tara insisted. “I’m starting to think she’s right. Kimmie put a curse on her water to take away her singing voice. She was bragging about it.”

“It’s not real, Tara!” he said impatiently.

The elevator door opened, and they walked through the lobby. Tara dropped the subject, or so he thought. They left the building and crossed the street to his car.

“What if it
is
real?” Tara asked when they’d both closed the doors.

Jayden clenched his jaw. It was bad enough that Adrienne was hurting. He wasn’t going to humor any talk about the sweet girl believing in something as backwards as voodoo. Then again, Tara had claimed Adrienne read her cards last weekend.

“How do you explain that she has a voice except when she sings?” Tara demanded. “Didn’t you say your grandmama even said she was cursed and attacked her?”

“It doesn’t matter, Tara. It’s not real!” he snapped.

“You don’t want it to be real, Jayden, but that doesn’t make it less true. Kimmie’s done things like this before to other girls, and she’s tried to curse you. It never works with you.”

“I’m sure she just put something in Adrienne’s water bottle.”

Jayden didn’t want to consider Kimmie going to this extent to hurt Adrienne. He’d dated Kimmie for two years and never thought her capable of putting something in Adrienne’s water. But curses? It was a new level of dysfunction, even for Kimmie.

He’d been thinking of his grandmama’s words since the assembly. He was embarrassed to admit that he’d thought about Kimmie’s curse the moment Adrienne began to cough instead of sing.

“I don’t know, Tara.”

“Why would Kimmie’s hexes work against Adrienne but not you?”

He touched the dog tags around his neck. Was there a chance his grandmama was right? If so, were his dog tags the reason Kimmie’s spells didn’t work against him?

Tara sighed noisily. “I didn’t do it, but I feel like I have to help her,” she complained. “She’s afraid of being kicked out of school if she can’t sing.”

“Because of her scholarship.” The seriousness of the situation dawned on him. He’d been worried about her before, but he hadn’t considered that Adrienne might be forced to leave school over the stupid prank.

“Yeah. Hey, can you ask your grandmama for like a cure or something?”

“I don’t know.” Jayden gripped the steering wheel. If he admitted voodoo was possible, was he losing his battle to keep his mother out of its influence?

“Oh! I need to get a new cheer uniform. Can you take me home first?” Tara asked, gaze out the window.

“Yeah.”

Distracted by his thoughts, Jayden drove them home first and pulled up to the front door. He put the car into park with a glance at the time. Assuming Tara didn’t spend an hour changing and putting on new makeup, they’d barely make it before they were supposed to be at the pre-game meeting at school.

Tara darted out of the car and into the house.

Jayden checked his email, hoping Adrienne had responded.

She didn’t.

Did he blame her? Uncertain what to do, he scrolled through his contacts until he found his grandmama’s phone number.

Was he really considering calling her about this voodoo insanity?

Tara was right. It was bizarre that Adrienne couldn’t sing, but could talk and that her voice going out corresponded with Kimmie’s claim of a curse. Couldn’t it be nerves?

No, Adrienne relished the thought of proving herself to the school by singing.

If there was the smallest possibility that a weird curse was behind this, didn’t he owe it to her to help?

After the other day, his grandmama was one of the last people he wanted to call. He set down the phone, his anger remaining from the horrible visit. He touched his dog tags again.

If any of this was real, and if his grandmama was serious about protecting him, he could give his tags to Adrienne. Maybe they would help counteract whatever Kimmie did.

He considered the idea, reluctant to admit magic was real but more concerned about Adrienne. He realized how much he didn’t know about her. He’d been vocal about his view of voodoo, never stopping to consider what her beliefs might be.

She was poor and believed in magic. His daddy would have a fit if he found out how much Jayden liked her. Of course, if she bore a grudge deep enough to write him off or got kicked out of school, he wouldn’t have to worry about it.

He’d failed to protect her twice. He wasn’t going to fail her again. If that meant he broke down and called his grandmama, then he would
.
He owed her that at least.

Jayden eyed the phone. Finally, he picked it up and dialed.

His grandmama never answered on the first ring but appeared to be waiting for him this day.

“Bonjour,” she answered.

“Hey, Grandmama.”

“Hello, my Jayden.”

He took a deep breath. “I brought a friend the other day.”

“The white zombie,” she said expectantly.

“Her name is Adrienne,” he said, anger bubbling “You know what? This is a mistake.”

“
La-tche chatte pousse avec temps
. You are coming around. Do you wear your grandpapa’s gift?”

“Yes.”

“Good. She was not the white zombie I expected. I think her sister is the white zombie,” his grandmama said calmly, cheerfully.

“Her dead sister?”

“She’s no dead, Jayden.”

This is crazy.
“Anyway, Grandmama, you said Adrienne was cursed. A girl at school put a curse on her. I need to know how to fix it.”

“The girl who curse you?”

“Probably.”

There was a pause. “You bring her here. I will fix it.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. You cut off her ear last time she visited,” he reminded his grandmother. “I doubt she’ll be up for visiting again. Can you make … uh, something I can give her?”

“I have her hair, blood and flesh. I should be able to.”

“You kept her earlobe?”

“Of course.”

Jayden rubbed his face and bit his tongue to keep from shouting at the crazy old woman. What was he thinking, calling her about Adrienne?

“I’ll come out Sunday,” he forced himself to say in a measured tone.

“You know, Jay, you are the hundredth firstborn in our House.” She paused thoughtfully.

“And … what?” he prodded.

“You are not cursed and she is. Your pasts are linked, and so are your futures. Do you not see it?”

“I don’t want to know, Grandmama,” he said, at the end of his patience. “I didn’t want to call you and I don’t want to see you after what you did to her. But she … believes in this stuff, and that’s why I’m talking to you.”

“I understand, my prince,” she said in a hushed tone. “One day, I hope you will come to understand all that I’ve done.”

“Let’s get through this weekend first,” he said. “I’ll see you Sunday.”

“Very well, Jayden.”

“Okay, so I’ll call before I come up. Have a good weekend.” He hung up.

He felt like he needed a shower at the mere thought of going into his grandmama’s freakish
shed
. He didn’t even feel badly this time at the odd sorrow in her voice. He was done with his mama’s family after this weekend.

The reminder of why – and who – he was doing it for eased some of his revulsion.

Adrienne was too upset to talk to him today. Tara was right. He’d give her some space then find her tomorrow. After all, he knew where she worked. He’d drop by to check in on her.

Tara reappeared five minutes later, still wearing Adrienne’s clothing. She had a backpack slung over one shoulder and her makeup case in hand. She opened the door.

“It’ll take me forever to get ready!” she complained, dropping into the car. “Drive slow, Jay. People can’t see me without makeup.”

He snorted. She was pretty either way, but he was in no rush to get back to school. Not until he’d cooled off a little more.