Page 32 of Hollow Heart

Isaax swoons about the loss of his greatest love, wailing like a dying cat as Duncan’s heavy drums and screaming guitars frame his vocals.

I get the drama of what he’s trying to do, but the way he’s trying to portray it doesn’t hit the way I think it is supposed to. He just sounds... whiney.

A quick search ofHollow Pointereveals that Issax is on his fourth wife now, and the remaining members of the band are also notoriously divorced.

Except for Duncan McKay.

I stop on an article written in the early 80’s, talking about how the famous drummer “left it all” to settle down and start a family.

The photograph shows a much younger and somewhat leaner version of the drummer who’s taken Sully’s place.

Though the muscles are still there, visible in his biceps as he stands there grinning in a sleeveless shirt, sans beard.

A part of me envies the smile on Duncan’s face. He looks genuinely happy.

Samson shifts in my lap, his tail curling around my wrist.

How anyone could leave this good little kitty is beyond me, but I’ll be damned if Sully actually tries to come back for him.

I will fight for custody of this purr factory if I must.

He is one of the only things that actuallydoesmake me happy.

Isaax’s whiny power ballad descends into another high-octane song, and I can’t help but focus on another photograph of Duncan and his exposed biceps, his sideways dark glance full of intrigue.

My memory fills in the gaps, recognizing the same dark look in the eyes of his youth from the steadfast gaze I’d seen earlier.

Though the man playing stand-in is not quite astonedas his former photo, and he’s definitely gained a few pounds, I can’t say he isn’tstillattractive.

It’s just... different.

Then I see the search results related to the article below the one about him leaving it all to start a family.

Marci McKay Death.

My heart stops for a moment, and I fight the urge to click it.

Morbid curiosity blooms in me, because I want to know what happened, but I also feel like it’s not my fucking place.

I don’t know much about relationships in general, hell, I’ve never been close enough toanyoneto want to go the fucking distance like Duncan has, so I can only imagine losing someone like that.

But I don’t have to decide whether or not to click on the ominous headline, because Samson meows, distracting me from my momentary lapse of thought and my stomach growls.

“Fucking ay,” I mumble as I move, Samson springing out of my lap onto the floor and down the hall within seconds, just as a text dings with the shrill, saccharine “I’ll tell ya what I want!” sample from theSpice Girls’ #1 song.

There’s nothing Jinger hates more than being tormented about how her name is so close to Geri Halliwell, the infamous Ginger Spice.

I sigh as I bring up the notification, the sounds ofHollow Pointeblaring down the hall as I walk toward the kitchen to look for something edible.

Heyyyy Lixy...

I roll my eyes, knowing from the excessive use of y’s, she’s probably already at least a little buzzed.

Plus she only calls me Lixy when she wants something. Just like Sully.

The fact she doesn’t even wait for my response before engaging in a response is telling enough.

Does Lixxxy want to come out and play? This place is so fucking boring...

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