Read Online Better Than Perfect by Melissa Kantor - Free Book Online Page A

parking lot, and a minute later the boys joined her. They walked toward the stage, where I was sitting, the guys in black suits and white shirts, Sinead in her dress. I wondered what it waslike to be a member of their let’s-be-in-a-band-together-and-bicker-but-really-all-get-along-and-love-each-other family. You could tell just by looking at them that all of their parents were happily married, that nobody in their family had tried to commit suicide or overdosed, that they gathered around the piano at holidays and sang seasonal songs.
    I kind of hated all of them.
    I looked out at the lawn. Little lights were strung up in the few trees scattered picturesquely across the grounds. People were wandering around eating hors d’oeuvres and drinking from tall glasses. All of them looked happy and carefree, enjoying a warm summer’s night at their club. I wondered what would happen if I opened my mouth, started screaming, and refused to stop. Would the roasted-egg guy throw me out? Would he have me arrested?
    Would the police put me in a hospital bed with restraints on my arms?
    My phone buzzed and I picked it up. Sofia.

    Sofia: how r u?

    I reread our previous exchanges.

    Sofia: how r u?
    Me: im ok.
    Sofia: how r u?
    Me: i am okay.

    Here it was for the third time, and I typed a new response.

    Me: i am fucking freaking out, sofia, how do you think I am?

    I stared at the screen of my phone.
    Don’t make a scene, Juliet.
    I deleted what I’d just typed. im ok, I wrote, and I put the phone back on the stage beside me.
    â€œGod, this crowd is ancient,” said Sinead, standing at the edge of the stage next to where I was sitting with my legs hanging down.
    â€œWe’ll have them rocking in the aisles,” said Declan, surveying the audience along with her. When they were standing next to each other, it was clear how much Declan and Sinead looked alike—even more than they looked like Danny and Sean and Sean and Danny looked like each other. Declan and Sinead even stood the same way, both arms crossed over their chests, each hand holding the opposite bicep.
    â€œAre you guys twins?” I asked, staring at them.
    â€œIrish twins,” said Sinead. Her teeth were very white against her bright red lipstick. “We’re eleven months apart. And Danny’s our little brother. He’s going into first form.”
    â€œThey don’t call it that here,” said Sean, who was standing on the ground just below us. The way he said it made me think it wasn’t the first time he’d had to tell her. “It’s ninth grade. And you are going to be a junior and Declan’s going to be asenior.” He popped open the beer he was holding.
    â€œRight,” said Sinead, snapping her fingers. “Junior. Senior. It sounds so American.”
    â€œWe are American,” Declan reminded her. He gave me an apologetic look. “We’ve been living in Beijing for the past seven years. Our dad just got transferred back to New York in June.”
    â€œStart spreading the news!” Sean sang, and he took a swig of beer.
    â€œI thought you were British,” I said, confused. “You have British accents.”
    Sinead laughed. “We were born in London. We lived there before we moved to Beijing.”
    The sound guy came over to the stage. “Okay, you guys start at nine?” His mustache was truly astonishing.
    â€œThat we do,” said Sean.
    â€œI guess it’s time, then,” said the guy. “Break a leg.”
    â€œThanks,” said Sinead.
    Suddenly everyone was moving around the stage, gathering instruments, talking into a mic, doing a quick roll on the drums. I felt idiotic sitting up there and being in the way. I hopped off the stage just as Declan called out, “Hey! Jules!”
    I turned around. He was holding a tambourine out in my direction. “Do you want to play with us?”
    I shook my head. “I really