Page 44 of My Return to the Walter Boys
The girl’s nose scrunched up at my question. “Unfortunately, it’s Paulette,” she answered. “My last name is Cooper, so most people call me Coop, but I’ll respond to either. You must be Jackie.”
“How’d you guess?”
Paulette smiled and shrugged. “Nathan’s always described you as the nicest person ever, and you look wholesome.”
She knows Nathan? Oh, this must be Miami Bay!I hadn’t realized hisfriends won the block party battle of the bands.
“So…” I said, unsure how to best respond to her comment. I quickly decided to ignore it. “Erin mentioned you were looking for me?”
“Yeah but let me introduce you to everyone first. This is Kevin, Otis, and Moby,” she said, pointing out each of her companions.
The first guy, Kevin, had a man bun and two full sleeves of tattoos. He nodded, but didn’t say anything.
“’Sup?” said Otis, the guy standing closest to me. He looked like he worked at Hot Topic.
“Nice to meet you,” I said, shaking his outstretched hand.
Moby, who was less punk rocker and more boy next door, blew out a cloud of smoke as he looked me up and down. “You’re Nathan’s adoptive sister?”
My eyes went wide. “No, the Walters didn’t adopt me. They’re just my guardians.”
Otis nodded. “Makes sense. Thirteen’s an unlucky number.”
“Um, okay.” I turned back to Paulette. “What exactly did you want to talk to me about?”
“Oh right!” Her eyebrows drew together. “I was wondering if you’ve seen Nathan? He’s supposed to be here, and I know you two are close, so I figured if anyone knows where he is, it would be you.”
“Sorry,” I said, shaking my head. “I haven’t. Was he supposed to be here?”
Paulette deflated. “Not necessarily, but I was really hoping he would.”
“Don’t get in your head about this, Coop,” Moby said, slinging anarm over her shoulder and giving her a squeeze. “He probably needs more time to figure shit out. I bet it has nothing to do with you.”
“Is everything okay?” I asked. Nathan’s behavior had been worrying me for weeks, and now it seemed like his friends were concerned as well. Maybe they had a better idea of what was going on with him?
Unfortunately, the answer I received didn’t solve any mysteries. Paulette explained that the lead guitarist for their band quit two weeks ago, and since then, she’d been aggressively—Otis’s words, not hers—trying to convince Nathan to take his place. She thought he was a killer singer and songwriter, which the band desperately needed. Nathan, however, was irresolute and wouldn’t give her an answer. When I pointed out that Nathan might not be interested because he preferred performing solo, I wasn’t expecting everyone to burst into laughter.
“Did Nathan tell you that?” Paulette asked when she finally calmed down enough to speak.
My confused nod made her giggle again.
Moby passed the joint to Otis, who took a hit before clarifying. “Kid’s lying to you.”
Kevin nodded in agreement.
I blew out my cheeks in frustration, then released the breath I was holding. “I don’t understand.”
“Nathan gets major stage fright,” Paulette explained with a crooked smile, revealing the large gap between her front teeth. “Performing in front of crowds freaks him out.”
“We do gigs all the time,” Otis added. “That’s why he’s on the fenceabout joining.”
Paulette’s smile slipped as she chewed her lip. “I figured Nathan might feel more comfortable playing for a smaller crowd of people he knows, so I convinced him to do a test run with us tonight. At least, I thought I had,” she said. “Maybe I was too pushy and scared him off.”
No, that doesn’t sound right. Nathan wouldn’t make a commitment only to be a no-show. It was out of character for him. “He hasn’t responded to any of your texts?”
She pulled out her phone to check. “No.”
Strange. I thought back to earlier this evening as I watched the Walter boys trickle out of the house one by one. Even though he was grounded, Isaac had slipped out the back door and taken the truck without Katherine noticing. Lee left not long after in an SUV blasting EDM. Alex had been the last to depart; Skylar picked him up, and it was weird seeing him go with all my friends.
