Indigo Blues by Danielle Joseph Read Free Book Online Page A

distraught housewife until word
surfaced about the million-dollar life insurance policy she
had on him.
    "Well?" Eli asks.

    I look him straight in the eye. "Betty killed her annoying brother."
    "Yeah, right." He cranes his neck and matches my
stare.
    "She started by plucking out his hair. One by one." I
grab Eli again. My hands are so sticky and nasty-feeling.
"What did you put in here?"
    "Gelatin."
    "Jell-O doesn't stick like this." I pull my hand free
from his head and sniff. "Glue?"
    "Yeah, and a couple other ingredients that I read about
online."
    My eyes widen. "Like?"
    "Egg yolk and soap. Supposed to be easier on the scalp."
    "Sounds delicious. Have fun getting it out." I walk
past him back to the kitchen, and grab a bag of chips to go
with my Diet Coke.
    "What about Candi?" He follows behind me.
    "You don't talk to her about me and I won't tell her
about the glue."
    "So how do I get this crap out?"
    "A little late to be thinking about that now." I leave
him at the bottom of the stairs and book it up to my room.
Let Mom deal with him. I just want to watch TV and tune
out.
    Okay, life's so unfair. There's this pimped-out rapper's
pad on MTV Cribs and his master bathroom is bigger than
my bedroom, Eli's bedroom, and my parents' office put
together. What's up with that?

    There's a knock on my door.
    I ignore it, hoping he'll go away.
    Second knock.
    "Okay, what do you want?" I shout, but I don't get up
from my bed.
    "Excuse me?" Mom opens my door. She's wearing the
matching baby blue crystal earrings and necklace that I
made for her last Christmas. At the time I thought blue
was cool and calming, but now it screams DEATH TO
INDIGO.
    I sit up and mute the TV. "Oops, sorry. I thought you
were Eli."
    Mom sits on the edge on my bed. "Do you want to
talk?"
    "I had nothing to do with the glue."
    "Glue? Did he break something?"
    "No, just forget about it. I had a long day."
    "Too many chocolate pretzels to make?" Mom smiles,
and two little lines extend from each corner of her mouth.
In an instant they fade.
    "No, the shop was slow. It's all this other crap."
    She nods her head as if she just made a fascinating discovery. "Don't worry about Candi. You don't have to speak
to the media. I'll deal with her."
    "Thanks, Mom."
    She gets up to leave, but stops. "Did you see her interview with the mayor last week? I thought she did an excellent job."
    "Mom." I eyeball her. "Not happening."

    "I was just saying..." She laughs, trying to hold herself
back. "Anyway, Dad's running late at the office but dinner
should be in half an hour. Lasagna tonight."
    "Cool." I nod and she leaves me to the TV.
    Ugh, why doesn't my family see how humiliating this
all is?
    Indigo Blues, when she sees me up on the big stage, her
eyes are gonna glaze and she'll wish she had me then ...
    No, I won't. Never. And can't anyone see how pig-headed
those words are?
    Geez. I put my hands up to my ears and shake my
head. Song, get out of my brain. Quick, I need to focus on
something else. I pick up the remote and flip the channels.
VH 1 is showing some old videos. I blast the song "Girls
Just Want to Have Fun." You're right, they do, pink-haired
'80s lady.
    I call Cat. She'll understand.
    She picks up right away. "Hey, girl. What's up?"
    "Crap day, got crappier."
    "Don't even worry about Tripp. I'm sure he'll be humming a new song in a few days."
    "Actually, I wasn't even thinking about him until you
brought it up." I run my finger over a poster on my wall
of the movie Music and Lyrics. Why can't real life be cheesy
and romantic like that?
    "Oh, sorry."
    "Candi Campbell called my house today and spoke to
Eli."
    "What did she want?"

    I reach down next to my bed and pull my beadbox up
onto the comforter. I need to do something with my hands
before I go crazy. "To interview me about Adam."
    "Maybe if you talk to her, you'll be able to set everything straight."
    I take out a broken strand of pearls that Mom once gave
me. I told