A Song for Julia

business, not theirs. But that’s not the way things worked in my life … never had been.
    I led him to the back stairs, then up six flights of stairs and down the hall to the suite.
    And, of course, this would be the first Saturday ever that Linden and Adriana and Jemi were all still in the room. And from the looks of the casual clothes and pajamas, they weren’t planning on going anywhere. The three of them were all curled up in chairs around the coffee table, drinking hot chocolate and playing cards.
    Of course, my entry with a guy wasn’t going to go unnoticed. My entrance with Crank Wilson, who they all knew, both from his band and his reputation—that was something else entirely.
    Adriana jerked up straight in her seat, practically shoving her boobs on display. Linden’s eyes opened wide, and Jemi just slightly raised on eyebrow.
    “Um … hey,” I said, suddenly very uncomfortable. “Um … Crank … this is Linden, and Adriana, and Jemi. My suitemates. Guys, this is my friend, Crank.”
    “What’s doin’?” Crank said, nodding at them. As usual, he had a smirk on his face, which I wanted nothing more than to punch right at that moment.
    The girls burst into speech, and I let it float by. It was all nonsense anyway.
    “So, um …” I said, having no idea where to go with this. “We’re off to bed.”
    Crank winked at them. I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward my room, and as I closed the door, I heard a flurry of whispers. God only knows what they were saying. I sure didn’t want to know.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

    Never trust again (Crank)
    Julia didn’t say a word as she pulled me into her room. She let go of my hand, shut the door, and then shrugged out of her coat.
    Her room was big for a dorm, about ten feet to a side, with a large window overlooking the Quad. Outside, I could still see college students playing in the snow. She had a decent sized desk with her PowerBook on it, papers stacked high next to the laptop. A long, low bookshelf extended the entire length of the wall underneath the window. Except for the desk and the bookshelf, the room was sterile. Nothing on the walls. No pictures. It looked like she was ready to move out tomorrow. Weird.
    The shelves were interesting, though. Textbooks, and what looked to be primarily fantasy and sci-fi novels. Never been my thing, but I recognized a bunch of them. Sean had a lot of the same books. Which got me to thinking about her sitting in his room, and the discussion I’d overheard. I’d never heard him speak that way: openly.
    “You never said where you got Sean’s gift,” I said. “Do you read that stuff?”
    “Manga?” she asked. “No. But I know a guy on the second floor who’s nuts for it. He took me to a shop over in Somerville to help me pick something out.”
    “I know the place. Sean makes me take him there sometimes. It was … it was a nice gift. Really thoughtful.”
    She sat down in a big, overstuffed chair and started unlacing her boots. “Thanks. I wasn’t sure if it was the right thing or not.”
    “You couldn’t have picked anything better … but, can I ask you a question?”
    She shrugged and went back to unlacing the boots. “Sure.”
    “I’ve never seen anyone connect with my brother so quickly. How?”
    “I just treated him like a person.”
    That was useless, and I answered defensively. “You’re saying I don’t?”
    She shook her head slowly, setting her boots down next to the chair. She had tiny little feet. “No, I’m not saying that. But … no offense, but you and your mom and dad? You seem like you’re so wrapped up in his Asperger’s that you can’t see anything else.”
    I exhaled, suddenly, and slumped into the chair at her desk. She was right. We were all wrapped up in his Asperger’s, and it hurt to hear him saying he wished Mom could love him for who he is. Because we all had that problem.
    “You think that’s part of his problem?”
    “I don’t know, Crank. But … it can’t be easy to have that much pressure on you, all the time. That’s how I live sometimes, and it sucks.”
    I sighed and looked out the window. The snow was still coming down hard. “I don’t get how you see it so clearly. And obviously you do, since it worked.”
    She shook her head. “I’m good at watching people. But listen … it’s been … an incredibly long night. And … I need to go to sleep. Okay? Do you mind?”
    “That’s fine,” I said.
    She stared at me a moment, then said, “I know