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 His equally withdrawn but edgier best friend Rocco has a hearty appetite for drugs, alcohol, and promiscuous sex.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

She looked content. I wanted to slink out the door and run as fast as I could, far away from Linda and Emerson Street.


“Will you be by tomorrow?” she asked. “Your grandmother would love to see you.”


I didn’t move, just stood there, like an idiot, trying to find the right words to wish Linda a fond farewell. I shoved my hands into my pockets. “I’m not sure. I’ve got a lot of studying and homework to do.”


“Your grandmother enjoys seeing you.”


“I know. We’ll see.” Maybe I could get Mom or Dad to drop by, if they weren’t too busy with the work they had to do for…themselves.


“Bye.” I opened the door, stared out into the dead of night.


“I will. If you need anything, call my parents.”


“I have their number tacked to the side of the fridge.”


Chapter 7