Jumper 1 - Jumper by Steven Gould Page B

shell.
    The difference in my appearance was striking. My hair looked much darker and the shape of my head was changed. I frowned, then went into the bedroom and picked out a black shirt with a stiff, upright collar. I put it on and checked out the result in the mirror.
    I looked very little like the boy who walked into Sue Kimmel's with the champagne.
    I jumped.
     
    The football players had abandoned the front porch, but their spoor, crushed beer cans and cigarette butts, dotted the walk and grass. Even before I got to the house I could tell that the band had started—bass and drumbeat shook the sidewalk and made the windows rattle. I opened the door and the sound struck me with almost palpable force.
    I considered jumping home again, but took a deep breath and leaned into the noise.
    The hall was more crowded than before, but when I finally won free to the room with bar, it was less so. The wall of noise came from the other end of the room. I could see people dancing like they were insane.
    There were only a couple of people at the bar, though Tommy was still behind it, drumming on the surface in time with the music. There were twice as many keys around his neck as before.
    I hooked a foot on the bar rail and leaned my elbows forward. He glanced at me, then looked again. He came down to the end of the bar and shouted over the music. "Christ. You sure changed quick. I thought I knew everybody who lived in this neighborhood."
    I shook my head. "You probably do. I'm not from around here."
    "Well, you sure faded fast. Sue was looking for you."
    "Oh?"
    He reached down behind the bar and came up with the magnum of Bollinger's. "There's some left. You probably could have drained a quart from Lester's shirt, but that would taste rancid." He pulled down a tulip glass and filled it, draining the bottle to do so.
    "Was Lester the guy who jumped me?"
    "Yeah. Sue sent him home. She was furious."
    I smiled. "Maybe I shouldn't have come back myself. I'm glad he's not here though."
    Tommy nodded. "He could fall down a hole for all I care."
    I blinked. "Don't like him, eh?"
    He nodded, grinned, and went down to the other end of the bar.
    The champagne tasted like unsweetened ginger ale, its aftertaste unpleasant. I looked in the bar mirror and un-wrinkled my nose. I shifted my grip on the glass, trying to look more sophisticated, less awkward. I sipped at the champagne again and shuddered.
    Some sophisticate.
    I took the glass and wandered out onto the veranda, away from the music. There were tables and chairs, white, wrought-iron. Three of them were occupied. One was off by itself, in the shadow of the hedge. I sat down.
    The band started playing oldies, songs from the early sixties. They'd been hits before I was born, but I'd heard them often enough. My mom would listen to nothing but old rock and roll, songs from her teens. I grew up listening to them, wondering what they were about. Didn't particularly like them, didn't particularly dislike them.
    I knew all the words.
    "There you are."
    Sue Kimmel pulled up one of the patio chairs and put down a glass of something with ice. "Tommy said you were back, but I walked past you three times before I realized you'd changed clothes."
    I licked my lips. "I didn't mean to cause problems."
    She rolled her eyes. "Lester is the one who caused problems."
    "He must love you very much."
    She laughed. "Love? Lester doesn't know the meaning of the word. Lester stakes territories. Lester would piss on fire hydrants if he thought other people had a keen enough sense of smell."
    I didn't know what to say so I took another sip of the champagne. Ugh.
    She swallowed some of her drink and smacked her lips. "I wanted to apologize to you, actually, for Lester's behavior. He doesn't realize it, but we're in the process of breaking up."
    "I'm sorry."
    "You've nothing to be sorry about. I'd been thinking about it all week. He's pissed me off too many times."
    I took another sip. The taste was bad, but it didn't seem