Introverted, socially awkward Jay Kirkman, known to his Grams as “Jay Bird,” is riding the ups-and-downs of youth while living with overbearing parents and dealing with the pressures of being a senior in high school. A month away from graduation, Jay hopes to flee the small upstate New York town of Milton for a life anywhere but in his dead-end hometown. He wishes for more than he has now: scholarly, eccentric parents, and watching Grams, the closest person to him, slowly dying before his eyes. His equally withdrawn but edgier best friend Rocco has a hearty appetite for drugs, alcohol, and promiscuous sex. When the law comes knocking, asking questions about a crime Rocco may or may not have committed, he finds himself in big trouble and turns to Jay for help. Is Jay and Rocco’s friendship strong enough to sustain life’s tough obstacles as they navigate the highs and lows of growing up together?

Jay Bird

Amused and horrified, I shot Grams a what-do-you-think-you’re-doing face.


She waved me off, holding up a shaky hand, waiting for Linda to respond. “Like the day when I first met you. Honored to be serving you, Marline.” Her cockeyed grin was horror-creepy, and as she gulped down another swig of electrolytes she sauntered away, pounding down the hall in her size twelve feet.


I whirled around at my Grams, waiting for a reaction.


“Blind as a bat,” she mouthed to me.


I couldn’t help but lighten the mood and laugh out loud. “I don’t know if I should keep you alone withthis woman.”


“Please! We get along like a house on fire.”


“Grams, you just gave the woman who has been caring for you the finger.”


“You sound disgusted. Come on, Jay Bird. It’s a joke.”


Amused, I shook my head, smiling. “You’re bad.”


“How do you think I get through most days? She makes for a good laugh.” She stuck her thumb up. “You’ve got to make your own fun around here.”


Chapter 6