Read Online How Evan Broke His Head and Other Secrets by Garth Stein - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Garth Stein
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full. At the front of the room is a stage with amps and musical instruments, but no musicians. Evan scans the room for Lars and Dean, but he doesn’t see them.“You looking for someone?” Billy asks, noticing Evan’s search.
“Yeah.”
“Well, come up front for a minute. I want you to meet someone.”
Evan really wants to find Dean, but he doesn’t want to be rude to Billy, who, after all, was the one who got him inside. He glances around one more time, but the room is packed. He might never find them. So he follows Billy.
They pick their way through a tangle of tables until they reach a long table near the front where about ten people sit. Billy indicates an open chair, then moves around and sits across from Evan, next to an incredibly beautiful woman.
Shockingly beautiful. Indeterminate age, maybe thirty or so, Asian-looking, with milky brown skin and long frizzy hair that is pulled behind her into a low ponytail. She’s wearing a little black dress. Her eyes are vast reflection pools, her cheeks are high and defined, her lips are full and pouty. Evan almost can’t breathe, he’s so taken with her.
She’s probably Billy’s girlfriend. Evan knew that Billy had a kid, but he also knew that the mother took the kid and left. This girl is a pretty fair consolation prize.
She catches Evan staring. She smiles a little, dips her head modestly, and looks away toward the stage, stretching her long, slender neck into a wonderful arc—not reprimanding Evan for his stare, but encouraging him to look more.
Which he does. Billy doesn’t care. He’s already deep in conversation with someone else. With extreme effort, Evan takes his eyes off the girl and looks around the table. He doesn’t recognize any faces, but he knows he’s sitting with the band. They’re all dressed in ultra-cool fashion, way beyond Evan’s look—charcoal lounge suits with thin ties and French-cuff shirts proclaiming that they are definitely from a different tribe than Evan. Just when you thought you were cool enough. . . He lets his gaze drift back to the girl. She’s saying something to the guy seated next to Evan. Evan tunes in.
“—I just think it’s inappropriate. I’m not commenting on the value of your music, Theo.”
Theo? Evan looks over. Next to him is a tall, gaunt white guy with thinning hair in a floppy drab suit. He’s smoking a cigarette. Theo Moody, the leader of Lucky Strike.
“Music doesn’t have a bedtime, ” Theo says. He has a gravelly deep voice. His nose is large and it angles slightly down, as do his eyes, giving him a perpetually sad look. “If there were some rare lunar eclipse and you could only see it at two in the morning, wouldn’t you wake your kids up?”
“I think it’s sweet that you equate yourself with a rare lunar eclipse, Theo.”
“You know what I mean.”
“What do you think?” the girl asks.
Theo doesn’t answer.
“Yeah, ”Theo says, “what do you think?”
Again, no response. Who are they asking?
Evan suddenly panics. They’re asking him? The girl is looking right at him. So is Theo Moody.
“What was the question?” Evan asks sheepishly, feeling like he’s back in high school and has failed the pop quiz again.
“There are some kids over there, ” the girl says, indicating a table. “I think it’s inappropriate, Theo doesn’t. What do you think?”
Evan looks over. It’s a family with two kids, who look to be about eight and ten. What does Evan think?
“ My kid’s here, ” he says.
They look surprised.
“He’s older than they are, though.”
“How old?” the girl asks.
“Fourteen. I think those kids are too young.”
The girl raises her eyebrows at Evan and looks impressed, like somehow he’s gained status in her eyes, like he didn’t look like the kind of guy who would have a fourteen-year-old son and now that she knows he does, she has to reassess the situation.
“Theo!” Billy shouts from across the table—Billy sitting next to his
“Yeah.”
“Well, come up front for a minute. I want you to meet someone.”
Evan really wants to find Dean, but he doesn’t want to be rude to Billy, who, after all, was the one who got him inside. He glances around one more time, but the room is packed. He might never find them. So he follows Billy.
They pick their way through a tangle of tables until they reach a long table near the front where about ten people sit. Billy indicates an open chair, then moves around and sits across from Evan, next to an incredibly beautiful woman.
Shockingly beautiful. Indeterminate age, maybe thirty or so, Asian-looking, with milky brown skin and long frizzy hair that is pulled behind her into a low ponytail. She’s wearing a little black dress. Her eyes are vast reflection pools, her cheeks are high and defined, her lips are full and pouty. Evan almost can’t breathe, he’s so taken with her.
She’s probably Billy’s girlfriend. Evan knew that Billy had a kid, but he also knew that the mother took the kid and left. This girl is a pretty fair consolation prize.
She catches Evan staring. She smiles a little, dips her head modestly, and looks away toward the stage, stretching her long, slender neck into a wonderful arc—not reprimanding Evan for his stare, but encouraging him to look more.
Which he does. Billy doesn’t care. He’s already deep in conversation with someone else. With extreme effort, Evan takes his eyes off the girl and looks around the table. He doesn’t recognize any faces, but he knows he’s sitting with the band. They’re all dressed in ultra-cool fashion, way beyond Evan’s look—charcoal lounge suits with thin ties and French-cuff shirts proclaiming that they are definitely from a different tribe than Evan. Just when you thought you were cool enough. . . He lets his gaze drift back to the girl. She’s saying something to the guy seated next to Evan. Evan tunes in.
“—I just think it’s inappropriate. I’m not commenting on the value of your music, Theo.”
Theo? Evan looks over. Next to him is a tall, gaunt white guy with thinning hair in a floppy drab suit. He’s smoking a cigarette. Theo Moody, the leader of Lucky Strike.
“Music doesn’t have a bedtime, ” Theo says. He has a gravelly deep voice. His nose is large and it angles slightly down, as do his eyes, giving him a perpetually sad look. “If there were some rare lunar eclipse and you could only see it at two in the morning, wouldn’t you wake your kids up?”
“I think it’s sweet that you equate yourself with a rare lunar eclipse, Theo.”
“You know what I mean.”
“What do you think?” the girl asks.
Theo doesn’t answer.
“Yeah, ”Theo says, “what do you think?”
Again, no response. Who are they asking?
Evan suddenly panics. They’re asking him? The girl is looking right at him. So is Theo Moody.
“What was the question?” Evan asks sheepishly, feeling like he’s back in high school and has failed the pop quiz again.
“There are some kids over there, ” the girl says, indicating a table. “I think it’s inappropriate, Theo doesn’t. What do you think?”
Evan looks over. It’s a family with two kids, who look to be about eight and ten. What does Evan think?
“ My kid’s here, ” he says.
They look surprised.
“He’s older than they are, though.”
“How old?” the girl asks.
“Fourteen. I think those kids are too young.”
The girl raises her eyebrows at Evan and looks impressed, like somehow he’s gained status in her eyes, like he didn’t look like the kind of guy who would have a fourteen-year-old son and now that she knows he does, she has to reassess the situation.
“Theo!” Billy shouts from across the table—Billy sitting next to his
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