The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney Read Free Book Online

But you’ll live.”
    Why that should cheer up her little sister was a total mystery to Genevieve, but it did. Julianna smiled and tore off a hunk of pink cotton candy. She was a bottomless pit.
    Howard had told Genevieve once that she needed to listen to her better angels. Genevieve wasn’t sure what that meant. Were some angels good and others even better? Or were some angels not good at all? Kind of an alarming notion when you stopped to think about it.
    Speaking of bad angels, here came her friend Lacey, walking toward them. She was with a ­couple of girls Genevieve recognized in a vague sort of way. She thought they might be cocktail waitresses at the new Marriott on the expressway.
    â€œSmall world,” Lacey said, smirking.
    Genevieve corrected her. “Small town, actually.”
    â€œHi, Lacey,” Julianna said.
    Probably, Genevieve admitted to herself, she was Lacey’s bad angel, and not vice versa. From the age of ten on, starting with a pack of Kools she stole from her mom’s boyfriend, Genevieve had done most of the leading-­astray. Lacey’s mother had warned Lacey to stay away from Genevieve soon after the two girls met in third grade. Lacey’s mom wasn’t fond of Mexicans or even white ­people, like Genevieve’s mom, who had married a guy who was part Mexican. Southside trash. Genevieve had overheard Lacey’s mom say that about Genevieve’s mom one time. Which excuse me? Not only were there plenty of nice neighborhoods on the south side, but until last year Lacey had lived three blocks from Genevieve.
    â€œStuck with the brat?” Lacey said, smirking because Lacey would never be caught dead in such an embarrassing situation. With her little sister at the fair on a Saturday night. With her hair dead on her shoulders and her mascara a mess.
    The pupils of Lacey’s eyes were flared. The cocktail waitresses were high also, chewing gum way too fast and giggling for no reason. All three girls had on pristine slutty makeup, just like the robot girls in the “Addicted to Love” video.
    Yeah, well, I’m still hotter than you, Genevieve wanted to tell Lacey, and always will be.
    Instead she said, “Do you remember when we overheard your mom tell your aunt that my mom was Southside trash? And you guys used to live like three blocks away?”
    That blew Lacey’s mind. It was too much to follow when you were on drugs.
    â€œDid I . . . what?”
    â€œNever mind,” Genevieve said.
    â€œWe’re gonna cruise the midway,” Lacey said. “You want to come? Plenty of room in Santa’s sleigh.”
    Wink, wink. Santa’s sleigh—­snow—­cocaine. Get it?
    Julianna was oblivious. She had decided to ignore Lacey after Lacey had ignored her. She was eating pink cotton candy and throwing hunks of it toward a jabbing sparrow.
    Lacey had good drugs. Genevieve could tell. Why had Genevieve decided, today of all days, to say no?
    Genevieve shook her head.
    â€œYou’re such a loser,” Lacey said. She and the robot cocktail waitresses strutted off. Genevieve felt like bursting into tears.
    â€œShe’s always so mean,” Julianna said.
    â€œI’m meaner than she is.”
    â€œBut you’re my sister.”
    â€œSee? Life sucks.”
    â€œWhy are you crying, Genni?”
    â€œI’m not. It’s all the stupid dust in the air. It makes my eyes water.”
    The stupid dust, that, too, but also a sensation like she was being turned inside out. Genevieve wanted to go running after Lacey and Lacey’s drugs. Would one line of blow really be the end of the world? Genevieve had been straight all day. Surely that counted for something.
    She had to do something. She had to do something right now or she would go sprinting after Lacey.
    You couldn’t just sit around and not do drugs. Howard had explained that. So you flew model airplanes or played golf or did