It's Just a Jump to the Left Read Online Free PDF Page A

were supposed to say that when you kissed. She pressed her lips to the pillow. Her tongue ventured out, meeting with an unwelcoming,
     cotton starchiness that robbed her mouth of all moisture.
    With a sigh, she flipped the pillow over, wet spot down, and stared at the wall. In the next room, Stevie’s TV was on. She
     could hear the drone of it, all the shows and commercials blurring into one another. Stevie was talking, too, saying words
     that she knew didn’t match—cat when he meant house, football instead of man. She wondered if it made any sense to him and
     if it mattered that no one else understood. Was it lonely not to be able to communicate with other human beings, or was it
     a relief to stop trying?
    Across the hall, soft, strangled cries came from her mom’s bedroom. It reminded Leta of a nature show she’d seen once where
     a bear cub had caught its foot in a trap. It cried for help, and when none arrived, its cries became a muted yelp it used
     to comfort itself until sleep came. Leta turned away from the sounds in her mother’s room. She pressed herself closer to the
     wall and let the TV’s soft, repetitive noise lull her to sleep as if she were five and her parents were having a dinner party,
     their muffled voices in the living room a soothing wall of sound that stood between her and the rest of the world.
    Leta awoke to the sound of Stevie screaming and her mother shouting. Still dazed, she stumbled into her brother’s room. Her
     mother had him pinned to the bed, but she was no match for him. His arm caught her across the face and she flew back, blood
     pooling at her lip. Stevie shook for a second and settled.
    “It’s over,” Leta said, but she was trembling.
    “I didn’t sign up for this.” Her mother stifled a sob. She held up a blood-smeared hand. “I need to change him now.”
    Leta knew this was her cue to leave, so she turned on the little TV again, working the rabbit ears until the image was clear,
     letting the soft constant sound numb them all into a sleepful waking.
    SCIENCE FICTION/DOUBLE FEATURE
    On Friday, Leta went to
Rocky Horror
alone. She’d never gone without Agnes, and as she got out of her mother’s car wearing more makeup than usual, she felt adrift.
     Standing in the lobby by herself, she searched for a new tribe of
Rocky
fans to join, but they all seemed complete already. Jennifer had added a red wig to her outfit, and Leta imagined using Riff-Raff’s
     gun to laser it to pieces.
    “Leta?”
    Leta turned around to see Miss Shelton standing behind her with some of her friends.
    “Hi, Miss Shelton.”
    “Amy, please!” her student teacher laughed. “Hey y’all, this is one of my students, Leta. Are you here for
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
?”
    “Yeah, I come every—well,
most
every Friday,” Leta said.
    Miss Shelton’s eyes widened, and Leta enjoyed feeling like she was part of the secret club. “Cool. Are you here by yourself?”
    “Yeah,” Leta admitted.
    “Why don’t you come sit with us? We’ll save you a seat,” Miss Shelton said.
    “Okay. Thanks.”
    “Who is that?” It was Tom. He was talking to her. Tom. Talking. To her.
    “She’s my teacher, um, a friend,” Leta answered.
    “Huh,” Tom said, watching Miss Shelton head for Theater 2. He turned back to Leta with a smile. “Sprite, right?”
    “Yeah.” Leta grinned. He knew her drink!
    “Maybe later I’ll come find you guys. Save me a seat.”
    “Sure,” Leta said, and it was like she’d swallowed the sun.
    This was only the second time Miss Shelton and her friends had seen the movie, and Leta enjoyed playing
Rocky Horror
tour guide, showing them when to throw things, prompting them on comebacks. She didn’t even care that Jennifer stood up in
     front of her seat to dance. Miss Shelton laughed at all the right parts and even some that Leta didn’t understand. When Leta
     sang along to “Sweet Transvestite,” Miss Shelton high-fived her, and Leta couldn’t wait to tell