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 His equally withdrawn but edgier best friend Rocco has a hearty appetite for drugs, alcohol, and promiscuous sex.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

A voice behind startled me out of a trance. “Jay, I came to see if you needed anything. I know I wasn’tinvited, but I didn’t want you to be alone. I’ve been watching you all night—well, not all night. Maybe for the past twenty minutes.”


I turned and was surprised to see Anna Perkins standing in the shadows behind me.


“Sit,” I said. “Thanks for coming.”


“The scuttlebutt at school informed me.”


“Sorry. I don’t like talking about personal family issues with others.”


“It’s fine. How are you? Do you need anything? I could come by your house later with a homemade cake. What do you like? Do you have a favorite flavor? Chocolate? Vanilla? I could just pick one up at the bakery—”


“I’m good, Anna. Thanks, but no thanks.”


“I cried a lot when my grandmother died. I think it was four, maybe five years ago. We were close, as close as you and your grandmother were. Aren’t grandparents fantastic? They’re so special.”


Chapter 24