Lights Out by Jason Starr Read Free Book Online Page B

‘Surprise!’
    The house was packed. Jake recognized a lot of his old friends and classmates, going back to elementary school at P.S. 276, and some of his parents’ friends and people his father worked with. Some of his relatives were there too, including his sister, Michelle, and her accountant-dork husband, Roger.
    Jake acted happy about the surprise and shook hands and gave people warm hugs. Then, with his usual charm, he gave the room a speech about how ‘unbelievable’ this was, and how great it was to see everybody again.
    After about fifteen minutes of pouring on the bull, he took his mother off to the side and said, ‘I can’t believe you did this.’
    ‘Did what?’
    ‘I told you I wanted a mellow weekend, and this is what you do? See? And you wanna know why I don’t come home to Brooklyn anymore?’
    ‘I’m just so proud of you, that’s all,’ Donna said, ‘And I want the whole world to know it.’
    ‘But you can’t do shit like this to me,’ Jake said. ‘I mean, I’m a major celebrity now. I can’t just be around a crowd of people without advance notice. I need security.’
    ‘Security from who?’
    ‘Kooks, stalkers, psychos. God knows who the hell’s out there.’
    As if on cue, the crowd on the street started chanting, ‘Jake, Jake, Jake . . . !’
    ‘Just try to relax and enjoy yourself,’ Donna said. ‘Why don’t you have a drink or something to eat?’
    She tried to put her arm around his waist, but Jake avoided it.
    Then his cousin Bobby came over and said, ‘Hey, Jake, they’re asking for you outside.’
    ‘Yeah, I hear,’ Jake said. ‘Do me a favor, will ya? Tell them I’ll be back outside in a few.’
    ‘Sure,’ Bobby said, and walked away.
    ‘See? Now I’m gonna be out there all day,’ Jake said to his mother. ‘I should just duck out the back door and stay in a hotel.’
    ‘Oh, don’t act so spoiled,’ Donna said. ‘Some people would kill for what you have.’
    ‘You don’t get it,’ Jake said. ‘I wanted to take a break from my life this weekend. I thought I’d see you and Dad, and get to spend some time with Christina. Where is she, by the way? I didn’t see her in there.’
    ‘She had to work,’ Donna said. ‘But she said she’s gonna be by later. Look, Jake. You don’t get a lot of opportunity to see your family and friends nowadays, so why don’t you just try to have some fun with it? It’ll just be a few more hours; then you can relax the rest of the weekend.’
    ‘I don’t have a choice now, do I?’ Jake said.
    Back in the living room, Jake was cornered by his uncle Alan, Donna’s brother. Alan was a thin, bald guy with thick glasses who lived in Nowheresville, Pennsylvania, somewhere out near the Delaware Water Gap, and he always bored Jake to tears. Jake wasn’t sure what Alan did for a living - something to do with marketing or sales, or computers, or maybe something with drugs or chemicals - but he went on and on about his job, and Jake had to back away a couple of feet because Alan was a close-talker, and his breath smelled like sardines. Alan continued talking about whatever, and Jake smiled at other people in the room and said things like, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ ‘Yo, what up?’ and ‘Hey, look at you,’ and shook hands with people who were passing by and had little conversations with them, telling them how great they looked and how good it was to see them, even if he had no idea who they were. Some old guy came up to Jake and said, ‘The Mets need you in right,’ and Jake said, ‘Let’s see if they can afford me,’ and the guy walked away laughing. A black guy with a shaved head came over and said, ‘Great to see you again, man,’ and Jake said, ‘Yeah, you too, bro,’ and then they shook hands and slapped each other’s backs, and Jake figured the guy was somebody he went to school with, although he didn’t look at all familiar.
    Five minutes must have gone by, and Alan was still yapping away. Then Jake