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But what did I know? I’d been yanked out of high school my freshman year and had been on the road ever since, heavily chaperoned and e only when they caraph Hoas I supposed to know "Baby, you got the bluest eyes" was a pickup line?

I didn’t realize it until years later, when "Baby, you got the bluest eyes" showed up as a line froles off Jordan’s first solo albu it With sincerity, even

It had certainly worked on me

"Heather," Jordan says now, as the rays of the sun, filtering through the treetops and aparts to the west, play over the even planes of his handso, you and I Are you sure you really just want to walk away from that? Iwith Tania…well, I kno that must have looked to you"

I stare at hi you head? Because that’s how it looked to me"

Jordan flinches as if I’d hit him

"See?" He folds his arms across his chest "See, that’s exactly what I s like that You’ve changed Don’t you see? That’s part of the probleo--"

I decide that if he drops his gaze to o, I was going to belt him

But he doesn’t

"You’ve gotten…I don’t know Hard, I guess, is the word," he goes on "And after what you’ve been through with your er, who can blame you? But Heather, not everyone is out to steal all your ot to believe me when I say that I never meant to hurt you We just drifted apart, you and I We want different things You want to sing your own songs, and you apparently don’t care if doing so destroys your career--what’s left of it While I…well, I want--"

"Hey!" yells the drug dealer "You’re JORDAN CARTWRIGHT!"

I can’t believe this is happening First Elizabeth, now this

What does Jordan want frouy is thirty-one years old, six-two, and worth a lot of money--wayfor in her ideal mate I mean, I know his parents weren’t exactly thrilled when the two of us ood, two of theirup…

But had our entire relationship just been an elaborate atte their youngest son to audition for the Mickey Mouse Club, like he’d begged the shame? Because of course serious rockers don’t have photos of the shown in Teen People every other week…

"Jordan," I say, cutting his he wants out of life,a little sunshine into people’s lives, and why is that so wrong? Except that I never said it was "Could you please just go away?"

I jostle past hiuess et inside before he could stop h, a quick escape is kind of tough

"I know you don’t take oes on And on and on "But I can assure you that just because I don’t write the songs I sing, that doesn’t make me any less creative than you are I do practically all raphy now That move I did on the ‘Just Me and You Now’ video? You know, this one?" He does a quick step-ball-change, accompanied by a pelvic thrust, on the front stoop of the brownstone "That’s all ht not be ood look at your own life? Ithat’s so artistically fulfilling lately? This stupid dor down here with drug addicts at your doorstep…and with Cooper! With Cooper, of all people! You kno my family feels about Cooper, Heather"

I do kno his family feels about Cooper The sarandfather, who caht pink stucco brownstone in the Village, then willed it to his black sheep grandson, who’d arden apartency, and offered the top floor to ), when he’d found out aboutin on Jordan and Tania

"Ion between you two," Jordan is saying "That’s not what I’m worried about You aren’t Cooper’s type"

He can say that again Sadly

"But I wonder if you’re aware that Coop has a criminal record Vandalism And yeah, he was a juvenile, but still, for God’s sake, Heather, he has no respect for public property That was an Easy Street marquee he defaced, you know I’m aware that he always resented ift--"