Lennon's Jinx: Lennon's Girls Trilogy, #1

By Chris Myers

Lennon's Jinx blew me away!!! I absolutely fell in love with this book. I read this book in one sitting, because I just couldn't book the book down... Ever and Ever Sight Blogger

Can I just say that Chris Myers is an incredible author. She knows how to grab you right from the beginning and keep you reading along until you get to the end and leaves you wanting more and more... A Diary of a Book Addict

...This was so well done. This is the second book by Myer's I have read and loved. I will pick up anything she writes in the future and read it. She is truly a talented writer that knows how to get under your skin and leave a mark that won't soon be forgotten. My Guilty Obsession blogger

...Lennon's Jinx is more than a love story, it's a life story. One about perseverance, standing up for one's convictions, letting the right person inside, and allowing oneself time to heal in order to love again. I loved it. LM Pruitt Reader Girls Blog

...This book held happiness and tragedy, loss and redemption, life and death and love..it was brimming with different emotions and issues and it could just as soon bring me to tears as have me shaking in fits of laughter. I loved the characters, the stories and the different journeys I was taken on. This book was great and I cannot wait to know more of Lennon's story! Pieces of Whimsy blogger

…Fantastic story, I am a sucker for rock stars even those of the teenage kind. I thought this was a perfect backdrop for two very intricate characters who both carry their own baggage. This is the first book I have read by Chris Myers, I definitely plan to read more. Musings from an Addicted Reader

…Following him around the story I was sure I knew how it would turn out, but then as I discovered more about him and his past and this person he really is, I was thrown. Well done Chris Myers, well done... The Life of Fiction

…I read this book in a day. It was easy to get stuck in. If meaningful contemporary YA is your thing, then you should so read this one. Stuck in Books

…So to sum everything up, I have to say this book is an amazing read and though I'm a teen (under 16), I loved it to pieces.I cried more than once, wanted to hurt Jinx more than once and wondered why there aren't more authors like Chris Myers. Musings of a Blogder

Sometimes, you don’t get to choose who you fall for...

Lennon spends most of his time raising his little sister Currie while trying to skate through his senior year of high school. He prefers groupies with no-strings attached but finds himself strangely attracted to Jinx, the straight-A student in his choir. Lennon’s curiosity overrules his good sense as he tries to peel away the layers to discover the reason for Jinx’s skittishness.

Jinx conceals the black truth about herself from her friends. She won’t admit to them that she screwed up big time, losing her first love and what she once held most precious.

When Lennon’s band holds auditions to replace their keyboard player, Jinx comes to tryout and almost leaves after seeing Lennon. Despite the fact she despises him, she joins the band to nurture her love of music that will hopefully ease the guilt gnawing away at her.

Like the rest of his band mates, Jinx soon witnesses Lennon battling his infamous father. While confronting his pent-up anger at his dad, Lennon exposes vulnerabilities he had no intention of letting any girl ever see, especially Jinx. Their reckless pasts may bring them together or further complicate their messy lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chris Myers
• Release date: Nov 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9780985716912

Book preview

LENNON'S JINX

Book One of Lennon’s Girls Trilogy

Chris Myers

www.chrismyersfiction.com

Praise for Lennon’s Jinx

Lennon's Jinx blew me away!!! I absolutely fell in love with this book. I read this book in one sitting, because I just couldn't book the book down... Ever and Ever Sight Blogger

Can I just say that Chris Myers is an incredible author. She knows how to grab you right from the beginning and keep you reading along until you get to the end and leaves you wanting more and more... A Diary of a Book Addict

...This was so well done. This is the second book by Myer's I have read and loved. I will pick up anything she writes in the future and read it. She is truly a talented writer that knows how to get under your skin and leave a mark that won't soon be forgotten. My Guilty Obsession blogger

...Lennon's Jinx is more than a love story, it's a life story. One about perseverance, standing up for one's convictions, letting the right person inside, and allowing oneself time to heal in order to love again. I loved it. LM Pruitt Reader Girls Blog

...This book held happiness and tragedy, loss and redemption, life and death and love..it was brimming with different emotions and issues and it could just as soon bring me to tears as have me shaking in fits of laughter. I loved the characters, the stories and the different journeys I was taken on. This book was great and I cannot wait to know more of Lennon's story! Pieces of Whimsy blogger

…Fantastic story, I am a sucker for rock stars even those of the teenage kind. I thought this was a perfect backdrop for two very intricate characters who both carry their own baggage. This is the first book I have read by Chris Myers, I definitely plan to read more. Musings from an Addicted Reader

…Following him around the story I was sure I knew how it would turn out, but then as I discovered more about him and his past and this person he really is, I was thrown. Well done Chris Myers, well done... The Life of Fiction

…I read this book in a day. It was easy to get stuck in. If meaningful contemporary YA is your thing, then you should so read this one. Stuck in Books

…So to sum everything up, I have to say this book is an amazing read and though I'm a teen (under 16), I loved it to pieces.I cried more than once, wanted to hurt Jinx more than once and wondered why there aren't more authors like Chris Myers. Musings of a Blogder

SUMMARY

Summary: Mature Teen Romance

Sometimes, you don’t get to choose who you fall for...

Lennon spends most of his time raising his little sister Currie while trying to skate through his senior year of high school. He prefers groupies with no-strings attached but finds himself strangely attracted to Jinx, the straight-A student in his choir. Lennon’s curiosity overrules his good sense as he tries to peel away the layers to discover the reason for Jinx’s skittishness.

Jinx conceals the black truth about herself from her friends. She won’t admit to them that she screwed up big time, losing her first love and what she once held most precious.

When Lennon’s band holds auditions to replace their keyboard player, Jinx comes to tryout and almost leaves after seeing Lennon. Despite the fact she despises him, she joins the band to nurture her love of music that will hopefully ease the guilt gnawing away at her.

Like the rest of his band mates, Jinx soon witnesses Lennon battling his infamous father. While confronting his pent-up anger at his dad, Lennon exposes vulnerabilities he had no intention of letting any girl ever see, especially Jinx. Their reckless pasts may bring them together or further complicate their messy lives.

1. Young Adult Romance and Teen Romance (Children's Love and Romance)— Juvenile fiction. 2. High schools —Fiction. 3. Social Anxiety (Social Issues) (Social Situations) Emotions and Feelings — 4. Pop Culture 5. Contemporary Romance 6. New Adult Romance 7. Teen Literature

The characters, places, and events in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. All characters are products of the author’s imagination and should not be construed as real. In all respects, any similarity to real people, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Copyright © 2013 by Chris Myers

All rights reserved. This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.

Copy editor: Michelle Borek

Cover art: Books on the Edge

Shutterstock photo by Coka

www.chrismyersfiction.com

ISBN-13: 978-0985716912

ISBN-10: 0985716916

Published by Books on the Edge

This book is dedicated to my sisters and daughter for their constant encouragement.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title

Reviews

Summary

Copyright

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Other Books by Chris Myers

Review

Acknowledgements

Author's Note

When Winter Comes

Bad Day

Tortured Soul

Absolution

Confused by Her

CHAPTER ONE

LENNON

When I was fifteen, I bought a Ferrari and shortly afterward totaled it on a patch of ice. Awesome car, sweet lines, chick magnet. Only problem was it had too many horses for me to handle and obviously was not a safe enough ride for my seven-year-old sister Currie. Driving her to school was the whole point of getting the car in the first place. With the help of our neighbor, Currie got me out of jail. That was the first time. I’m not perfect, but I’m all she’s got.

Though I’m almost eighteen now, I can’t drive my SUV without Currie’s permission. I plan on having several beers tonight to help me forget about my non-existent life, so I’m taking a cab.

It slides through several inches of slushy snow and delivers me to a party I’m not invited to. The house is located in the middle of suburbia where a dog barks and two kids throw snowballs at each other. It’s very normal, even peaceful, not what I’m used to.

My cell chirps with a text from Currie.

Currie: r u there yet?

I double-check the party’s address Bailey scrawled on my hand in ink. The last time she used lipstick, and it smeared. I ended up at a club, got into a brawl, and was bailed out by Currie—again.

Using my phone, I take a snapshot of the house along with its number and send it to Currie, so she doesn’t freak.

Currie: No messin’ around.

Me: Too personal.

She knows way too much for a nine-year-old—almost ten as she constantly reminds me—but that’s my adolescent parents’ fault.

Currie: Sorry. c u later.

Me: No u won’t squirt. Go to sleep NOW.

Currie: I’ll try.

Guilt splinters into me for ditching her with the babysitter. I half consider going home to make sure she gets to sleep, but she already booted me out of the house once tonight. She says I act too crabby when I don’t get out enough.

Before going into the house, I wipe sweaty palms on the designer jeans Currie made me buy. She says they make me look hot. Hope so. I enter without knocking. What’s the point? The loud bass shakes the house to the point no one will hear me anyway.

In the living room to my immediate left, a girl dances on the coffee table while inhaling from a homemade bong. The crowd cheers her on. They’re such sports. Another group loses at beer pong, which is the whole point of the game.

If I can avoid the hostess Jinx, this will be a good party. Jinx’s name is infamous in the boys’ locker room. Mainly because every dude, except me, has tried to blow her skirt up and failed miserably. She’s one of the last remaining hot virgins at our high school, not that I care. As far as I’m concerned, virgins come with too much baggage.

I make my way through the crowd, adding a few dance steps. Thanks to Currie, I can shuffle like the pros in the music videos.

I bump into two of Jinx’s girlfriends. Both have long, straight blond hair and blue eyes and could pass as sisters.

Not good. I am so busted. Unsure how the blondes will respond to me crashing the party, my breath sticks in my throat like peanut butter.

Lennon, we didn’t know you were coming, one of the blondes twitters as her fingers tiptoe up my chest.

The aroma of beer with a hint of te-kill-ya is strong on her breath and about bowls me over. That explains the positive reaction to me being here.

The other blonde wraps an arm around my waist. Having a multi-million dollar trust fund will do that for a dude. They must be super drunk because these two can have whomever they want. They normally don’t go after someone like me, not because I’m a two-bagger, but because I’ve gone through a lot of girls.

Bailey better show up soon or I’ll get into trouble with these two, more trouble than I’m already in. I don’t want to piss Bailey off either. We’ve been groping in the dark with each other since junior high, and she’ll expect me to be ready and waiting when she gets here.

I stuff my hands in my leather bomber pockets and attempt to study the floor instead of what the blondes aren’t wearing. It’s not working. Both have on very short skirts so that the slightest bending over shows the bottom of their firm butts. Thong underwear makes a T at the top of their hip-hugging skirts. They teeter on six-inch Lady Gaga heels, but I’m still taller.

One has a spandex top that was sprayed on while the other’s is unbuttoned almost to her navel so that her red lacy bra peeks out. I try not to think about burying my face in the midst of Victoria Secret heaven. A few beers and I’ll be there. Why do girls do this to guys?

Iz, don’t monopolize Lennon. You can share, Spandex blonde says to red lace girl while filling a Solo cup from the keg. She takes a sip, leaving a foamy mustache on her lips before handing it to me.

I take the beer only after I lick the froth away from Gabby’s luscious, marshmallow lips. Don’t want any to go to waste. I’m such a shameless flirt.

Iz swats her friend. Gabby, so not fair.

I lean over and kiss Iz, long and sweet, so she doesn’t feel left out. She slips me tongue while her hands thread through my dark hair.

You are the best kisser at school, she says.

I’ve been told that. After I pull away, I say, Are we even girls? Hoping, I’ve satisfied them both now and can escape. I need to save myself for Bailey. She’s always a sure bet and doesn’t mind sharing me.

Gabby taps my chest. Not hardly.

Trying to shake Iz and Gabby, I run straight to the family room where everyone dances while grinding against each other. It’s more-or-less sex with clothes on. A flame of red hair flashes to the side of me. I dart in the opposite direction, around the corner, and still careen into Jinx. With a name like that, her parents are more screwed up than mine.

When I inhale, I smell baby powder and gardenias. It reminds me of the first day Currie was brought home. Mom in a drunken stupor spilled perfume on the baby before leaving the hospital.

What’s up? My voice cracks like I’m going through puberty all over again. God, could I act any more like a complete idiot?

Oh, it’s you. A mass of coppery curls that flows past her shoulders haloes her head. A few freckles dot her nose. I’d like to think she’s not my type, not that I have one. I’ve tried all the flavors, and they’re all equally good, but when she sings in choir, it blows me away.

Her mint green eyes spit fire at me like a blowtorch. Rena must’ve invited you. All five-feet-two of her plus four-inch heels shoves past me. That went better than expected.

Rena is Jinx’s other good friend and my math tutor.

Don’t mind Jinx, Iz says, dragging me backward to the living room.

But it does bug me. I don’t know why Jinx hates me.

Iz and Gabby lead me to a room where a freshman girl scales the pole of popularity by hooking up with Alex, a senior jock. He’s all beef, no brains, not that I’m a rocket scientist by any stretch of the imagination.

Once the senior figures out how to get through her cluttered fashion sense, she’ll be the talk of the school tomorrow or a YouTube celebrity. Only seniors and a handful of juniors were invited, so most of them are seventeen or eighteen.

Having a little sister, I don’t like to see any girl taken advantage of.

John Lennon Tyler, Alex says in a snarky tone.

I hate being called John Lennon. I was named after the dead rock star while my sister got Cherrie Currie from the Runaways. Original.

The freshman sloshes her beer while playing suck-face with Alex. She’s toasted. He’ll take advantage of the situation and spread rumors about her whether they’re true or not. It’s definitely a double standard. If a guy hooks up with lots of girls, he’s regarded as a conquering hero, but a girl can be donned a slut for pulling a single one-nighter.

The girl with Alex is too young to understand the consequences of her actions. Before he has a chance to remove her clothes, I snatch the cup from her hand. You should go home.

Whaaat are ya doin’? She can barely talk. Her hand reaches for her cup but misses it entirely.

You weren’t invited, frosh, Iz says, knuckles pressed against her slender hips. God, they’re nice and hard to ignore.

I’m with him. The freshman eyes me up and down. Unless Len waaants me.

Steroid head grins at Iz and Gabby. I’ll trade any day.

I would never do a girl this young or this drunk.

Not in your lifetime, Gabby says, throwing a couch pillow at him.

The freshman gives Alex a weak shove. Whaaat are ya sayin’?

You’re out of here, jailbait, Iz says, pointing at the door.

I gently take the freshman by the arm. Let’s go. Who did you come with?

Um. She wobbles while pressing her index finger to her temple. Marcy? I think.

I’ll get you guys a cab. Thanks to Currie, I have them on speed dial.

No, you won’t, Alex says, getting up from his seat. He pokes my chest hard.

I am not a fighter and suck at it, but my shoulders are wider, and I’ve got at least four inches on him. I just look intimidating. You wouldn’t want to lose your hockey scholarship, would you? I steady the freshman with one arm. By having sex with an intoxicated minor. Alex has already turned eighteen.

Screw you, John. You better watch your back. He shoves past me and weaves through the throng of partiers in search of his next victim.

Gabby returns with a very unhappy sophomore. She’s been drinking as well. The girl shakes off Gabby’s grip. I can drive.

You’re not driving, I say.

My parents will kill me if I don’t come home with the car, Marcy says.

She should be happy she has parents who care whether she comes home or not. I’m sure your mom and dad would want you to arrive in one piece.

Marcy snatches her bag and coat by the front door. I’m so dead.

The cabbie who brought me here isn’t too far away, so he returns quickly. I give Lou enough money to get them to Marcy’s house, which isn’t too far. Marcy glares at me while the freshman passes out on the seat.

After they’re on their way, Iz removes my leather jacket, and Gabby pushes me down onto a sofa. Both of them cross their legs over mine so that I’m trapped. Jinx’s friends seem to like me—when they’re drunk—so why does Jinx hate me?

A fellow partier passes out kamikaze shots. I take one and down it then follow with a beer chaser. The blondes follow suit, making me even more nervous. My savior Bailey better hurry. I fidget with the zipper on my jacket, ensuring it doesn’t get too far away from me in case I need to bolt.

You’d think with as many girls I’ve gone through, they wouldn’t scare me. But these girls are different from pub girls. I have to face them every day at school, and Jinx would send me into the next galaxy for hooking up with her plastered friends. Other than Bailey, most girls get their feelings hurt. It didn’t take me long to learn that lesson.

Iz snakes her hand under the lip of my jeans. Gabby’s hand combs through my hair. They’re both drunk, so it’s not like I can have sex with either of them and not have it called rape later. One of the few things my dad Jonathan taught me.

Gabby fishes out the thick silver chain from underneath my shirt. The heavy, steel key at the end catches her interest. The small, brass skeleton key hides behind it. Is this the key to your heart?

If I tell you what it’s for, I’d have to kill you, I say, grinning. If I told her the truth, I’d be expelled from school.

She tongues the steel key, torturing me.

I love secrets, she says.

Good, because I’m awesome at keeping them. Other than my band mates, no one knows about that key, not even Currie.

Gabby finds the brass one. Two. Very interesting. What’s this one?

It’s nothing, I say, putting them back. That key is nobody’s business, except mine.

Gabby nudges me. Touchy. Aren’t you?

I just smile at her. She has no idea.

The blondes press against me. They’re both hot. I’d love to see them wrestle in a tub filled with Jell-O, but if I did either of them, I’d have to endure their tears and Jinx’s wrath. That doesn’t work out so well for me.

While the girls try to weasel me out of my jeans, Bailey finally arrives.

There is a God. Now, I can relax and have a good time.

She’s the only person I feel comfortable with at school, probably because she nailed me in junior high and would’ve been my first if the middle-aged brunch club hadn’t gotten to me first. Bailey’s been a regular since. She also doesn’t try to control me.

All the girls at school hate her, and it’s obvious why. Bailey is five-ten with stick thin legs, bottled blonde, sweet-sixteen designer boobs from her plastic surgeon dad—ya gotta wonder about the dude—and lips Brad Pitt would love.

Can I speak to you? Bailey asks.

She has one of those sultry voices that melts like Haagen Dazs on my tongue.

No, Iz says, jerking her hand from the inside of my jeans. I’ll miss her soft fingers twirling the hair below my belly button.

Bailey sighs. Alone.

Excuse me, ladies. I rise, take my beer, and lace my hand in hers.

Thank you, I whisper in her ear. With Bailey, satisfaction is guaranteed without the noose of forever.

Don’t thank me yet. From her breath, I’m guessing she’s been pouring straight pomegranate vodka down her throat for the past hour. This can only mean she spent some of that time arguing with her twenty-seven-year-old stepmom. Her home life sucks but not as bad as mine.

As we thread our way through the crowd, a guy says, Lennon is the luckiest bastard.

I grin. In some ways, I am. In other ways, I envy the simple life they lead, the holidays they share. They have yet to change stinky diapers or feed a squawking baby in the middle of the night when they have a test the next day, not that I’m complaining. I love Currie.

Head? The word dangles on Bailey’s tongue.

The magic word. I am only human.

Bailey leads me to the den and opens the door. I trip over a piece of cardboard at the threshold before she takes me inside and closes the door.

Hundreds of photos of Jinx’s dad are on the walls, the mantle, and end tables. Several candles are burned down to nubs. That’s weird.

An electric keyboard is propped against the wall. Vintage guitars rest in their stands, a Les Paul, a six string Martin—a little too warm for my taste, but it’s still an awesome guitar—two Guilds, an Airline Bobcat, a Gibson Sunburst, and a not-so-rare Takamine, which has a sweet sound. I had no idea Jinx owned such an impressive collection of guitars.

One hundred percent distracted, I set my beer down and pick up the twelve-string Guild. The jangle of this guitar blows me away. I whip through Stairway to Heaven, which I hate to admit is one of Jonathan’s favorites.

Bailey sinks into the sofa. You’re so good. Why don’t you cut a CD with your boys?

I shrug because then I would be Jonathan Tyler, my absent dad, instead of myself. I bring the guitar over to her and sing a song I wrote.

Bailey interrupts me. And you have that pull-off-my-panties voice. Put that thing down.

She draws me into her and kisses me hard. Her soft, manicured hands shove my shoulders against the sofa before she straddles me. She licks my lips then slides down to that oh-so-sensitive area.

Bailey is one of the few girls who almost gets me. She doesn’t judge me, and her tongue can touch her nose and knot a cherry stem.

It doesn’t take me long to settle into the couch. I’m ready to scream like a girl until Jinx storms into the room.

Didn’t you see the sign to stay out? Jinx yells. She picks up the cardboard from the floor in front of the door and tosses it at us.

Shoot, I say, catching it one-handed. That’s what I tripped on.

Bailey stops what she’s doing. No. No. No.

When Jinx steps into the room, I stuff the big guy back into my pants. This is all I need—Jinx, the valedictorian, catching me with my pants down. I can imagine her graduation speech now—Lennon Tyler will never amount to much unless he’s between the sheets.

You’re such a pig. Jinx looks away from me. She’s shaking so hard she’s her own earthquake.

What’s up with that? I was just getting a blowjob.

It’s no big deal. I can’t believe I just said that to Miss Frigidaire.

Fury spreads across Jinx’s face. That was a mistake—a huge mistake.

Jinx picks up my beer and throws it on Bailey and me. Bailey swears and falls over backward.

I jump up to shake the beer off. Jinx cowers and stumbles backward. I reach out to keep her from falling. My hand snags her blouse. It rips—oh frig—before I grab hold of her arm and stop her from tumbling backward.

Bailey stands up, wiping herself off. She narrows her eyes at Jinx.

I’m so sorry, Jinx, I say. I’ll buy you a new shirt, two new shirts.

Her face puffs up like she’s going to explode into tears. Please not that.

Using her arms, she covers the little bit of skin and bra that’s showing and folds into herself as if ashamed of her body. I shuck off my button-down shirt, because I always wear a tee shirt underneath to keep me warm in the winter, and drape it around her shoulders. She closes it tight around her chest, looking anywhere but at me.

What the hell? Jinx grabs the Guild I was playing, resting against the hearth, and gently stores it in its proper place. How could you play one of my dad’s guitars? Her voice chokes on the words.

I thought the collection was hers. That’s right. Her dad had an okay garage band. But why is she upset with me? I didn’t hurt anything. Well, maybe her shirt, but it would’ve been worse if Jinx fell and cracked her head on the stone hearth.

Get out. Her words are strangled as she points in the direction of the door. Both of you.

I have to wait on a cab, I plead. It’s freezing outside.

Out. Out of my house. Jinx stamps her tiny feet, which can only mean she’s so tight it hurts.

What am I thinking? She hates my guts and is terrified of me, which I don’t get. I’m harmless, just ask any girl. Girls are the dangerous ones.

"It’s too cold

Reviews for Lennon's Jinx

[obsessed7by7books · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

**** I received this arc in exchange for an honest review****

Upon reading this book, I found that at times it could be a little emotion especially with LENNON'S back story, the story of love finding two people that are broken teenagers.


It was well written and the story flowed perfectly even though predictable at times.

It isn't one of those steamy scenes with graphic scenes, I think it's on the border of YA & NA

[maryann12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ok, so Lennon has got to be the sweetest guy ever!! The romance with Jinx is almost secondary in this book, Lennon's relationship with his sister is front & center. He's taken care of her since she was a baby, and his love & devotion to her will just make you weep! You do get some romance, and it's a good story, but i'm telling you, you will fall in love with Lennon because of his utter devotion to his sister. Talk about swoon!! Well worth it!! Read it, you won't be sorry!!!!