CHAPTER 13
If the loss of his girlfriend unscrewed Jimmy badly, then what came next was what surely pushed him over the top. It was any old normal night a few weeks later, when Whatsername announced her intentions to go back to Chicago.
I wasn't sure I heard her quite right. "What did you say?" I asked, fearing the worst.
"I'm going back to Chicago. I can't take this shit-town anymore," she said, glancing carefully at me.
Jimmy propped himself up on his elbows, still lying where he had been staring at the ceiling in his boredom for the past hour. "You ever going to come back?"
She shrugged. "Depends."
"No thanks, just bought some more yesterday." Jimmy laughed at his own little joke.
"On what?" I demanded, ignoring Jimmy.
"I don't know know. If I feel like it. But frankly, I miss Chicago. I'm going back; I already have my bus ticket."
"Why're you going back to Chicago all of a sudden?" Jimmy cried.
"Cause I miss it there! There were less stupid laws and more Mafia!" Whatsername stormed. "God, I hate it here! This city's burning! It's not my burden, Jim. I can't take this place. I'm leaving you behind."
"What?" I cried, sitting up.
"I can't take this town, I'm leaving you tonight!"
"Tonight!"
"Yep. And don't try to stop me, guys; you knew I was going back soon anyhow!" Whatsername stood up in her blinding rage and grabbed her knapsack off the table. We'd seen her packing it, but we'd not been sure why. Now we knew. "Bye, dudes, see you in hell."
"You're leaving me?" I cried, running up to her. "You can't leave me!" I grabbed her arm, but she shook me off.
"Fuck off, kid. You were nice in bed, but we can't have the romantic and wonderful relationship you want, okay?"
I blinked. "I never said that's what I wanted."
"Well, you're sure as hell acting like it!"
"Whatsername, please, you can't leave me and Jimmy!"
Whatsername scoffed. "Whatever. You guys think you're all that. You're not the Jesus of Suburbia, and he's just a figment of your parent's rage and love." She cocked her head towards Jimmy, who stood in the doorway, smoking a cigarette and watching us through heavy-lidded eyes. "I'm going back, guys. I may or may not see you later."
"So you may come back?" I asked hopefully.
She shrugged. "If I do, you two will be the first to know. Bye." And with that, she set off down the streets of shame into the city lights.