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

Good.”
    Leta wanted to ask her dad when he was coming home. She wanted to know if he missed them, or if they were faint as the ghostly
     images on a negative. She wanted something she couldn’t name and she hoped he’d know what it was.
    “Well, take care of yourself, kiddo. Lemme have another crack at your mom, there, okay?”
    “Sure.” Leta handed off the receiver, ducking under the cord.
    Her mother’s voice dropped to a wounded whisper. “I just don’t think I can do this anymore, Dean, I really don’t.”
    When her mother had gone to sleep, Leta took the picture of Columbia she’d torn from a movie magazine and taped it to her
     bathroom mirror. From under the sink, she took out a box of red dye, coating her head and setting the egg timer for thirty
     minutes. Once she’d washed it out, she chopped at her lank strands, going shorter and shorter until her hair was just below
     her ears. It didn’t hang exactly even, but it wasn’t too bad. The dye was darker than she’d imagined—a deep auburn. It made
     her eyes greener and her skin more sallow. But most importantly, it made her seem older. Leta pulled on her winter cap so
     that her mother wouldn’t see the new hair before
Rocky Horror
. After tomorrow, it didn’t matter if she was grounded.
    In the hushed dark of the kitchen, Leta swilled antacid straight from the bottle, wiping the gluey liquid from her mouth with
     the back of her hand. She tested the locks and checked the thermostat before opening the door to Stevie’s room a crack. He
     was sleeping. In the corner, the TV was all static, and the screen was as white as the surface of the moon.
    SUPERHEROES
    For the first time in nearly two months, Agnes and Leta were together on a Friday night, but they wouldn’t be together for
     long.
    “You little shits better not get into trouble,” Diana said. “If I get grounded because of you, you’re both dead.”
    “If I get in trouble, you get in bigger trouble,” Agnes said.
    “Don’t make me kill you,” Diana said. She flipped them the bird before driving off.
    The girls waited in the parking lot. From here, they could see the cars cruising the strip, making the endless loop from the
     Pizza Hut at the south end to the Sonic at the north.
    Agnes ruffled Leta’s short red bob. “Your hair looks amazing.”
    “Thanks. You look pretty. You’ve got protection, right?”
    Leta and Agnes had seen films in their sex ed class about how easy it was to get pregnant, even if it was your first time.
     To Leta, watching the films seemed like trying to imagine living in a foreign country.
    Agnes unzipped the pocket inside her purse to show Leta the small foil pouch. “All taken care of.”
    A minute later, Roger rode up on his motorcycle. He nodded to Leta. “Hey.”
    “Hey,” Leta answered. That was usually the extent of their conversations.
    Agnes got on the back of the bike and put her arms around his waist. She rested her head against his back. It was funny how
     some people just seemed to fit.
    “Don’t let Jennifer Pomhultz take your spot!” Agnes shouted. “And good luck with you-know-who!”
    For a few minutes after Agnes left, Leta sat on the car hood, searching for Tom’s Camaro.
    “Hey, I thought you couldn’t make it tonight!” Cawley called, startling her.
    “I… it was sort of last minute,” Leta stammered.
    “Cool! We can sit together.” Cawley slid in next to her on the car hood and put his arm around her shoulders.
    “Um, I’m sort of meeting some friends here.”
    “Okay, so we can
all
sit together.” He nuzzled her neck, and Leta flinched. “What’s wrong?”
    “I’m just not—people might see us, you know?” Leta said, swallowing hard.
    “What, are you embarrassed to be seen with me or something?” Cawley asked.
    “I didn’t say that!”
    “So what is it?” Cawley looked her in the eyes then, and she knew he wouldn’t go until she gave him the truth.
    “I’m waiting for a guy,” Leta said at