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 His equally withdrawn but edgier best friend Rocco has a hearty appetite for drugs, alcohol, and promiscuous sex.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

“Chill out, whore. You’ll get it back.” She shoved the crinkled front page in front of my face, and I almost dropped my textbook. “Read it and weep. Seems like your boyfriend has a lot of explaining to do.”


“Rocco is not my boyfriend.” I shifted the book from one arm to the other and held out the dog-eared newspaper with my free hand.


It wasn’t possible: Why was Rocco being interviewed in a murder investigation? According to the article, Rocco’s boss Dean Harold was found stabbed to death outside the diner on Levee Road on the outskirts of town.


I screwed up my face and turned to Anna. “How the hell is this possible?”


She shrugged. “Why are you asking me? He’s your boyfriend.”


Agitated, my fingers twisting around the edges of the newspaper, I shoved the newspaper back into Anna’s hands, and like a domino effect, she turned and elbowed the rightful owner of the rag and thrusted the newspaper into the girl’s chest.


Chapter 12