From Infinite to Kamikaze: A Novel

THE INTERVIEW 2018 - JENNY

Anderson Cooper: "How did you meet Marshall?"

Jenny: "Through Kim. Kim and I...we basically grew up as cousins. Her mom and my stepmom are best friends so we met when we were around 8 and 10 years old. I'm the older one." I chuckled. "But we didn't actually start really getting close until, like, early 1999."

Anderson Cooper: "What was it that brought you two closer?"

Jenny: "She was...depressed and lonely about Marshall breaking up with her for...what seemed like for good. I mean, they were always on and off but when I first hung out with her around that time period, they'd been 'off' for quite awhile and she was kinda stumped that he was totally, like, not interested in seeing her or talking to her, unless it was about Hailie."

Anderson Cooper: "Was that unusual for them?"

Jenny: "Kinda, I guess. I didn't really hang out with them before that but she made it seem like she could usually lure him back in with...you know, her charms, if that's what you wanna call it...but this time, she hadn't been able to do that. So she was convinced he was seeing someone else and for awhile she tried to find out who it was but then she decided to just...do her own thing and hope that he would find out and get jealous. So we started going out a lot, partying. There was a lot of drugs, alcohol, and hook-ups involved, but I was basically like the mother hen who watched over her."

Anderson Cooper: "Both of you would hook up with other people?"

I cleared my throat.

Jenny: "No, I was married so...I was a good girl," I laughed.

Anderson Cooper: "So you met Marshall when he and Kim got back together in June of that year?"

Jenny: "Yea...well...actually, I had already known Marshall from school. We went to the same elementary school in Warren and then we both went to Lincoln Jr. and Senior High School but...Marshall dropped out in 9th grade after failing it 2 or 3 times, so I was a junior when he left, and he was never in school anyway so we didn't really see each other there. I'd see him occasionally while he and Kim were dating but, like I said...Kim and I didn't really hang out like that until the beginning of that year when they got married."

Anderson Cooper: "So was she just...looking for someone to party with and turned to you for that role?"

Jenny: "Looking back, I think so. She didn't really trust too many people cuz she'd had quite a few instances of people, like, befriending her just so they could get closer to Marshall. So it was hard for her to make new friends. And the ones she had were also friends with her twin sister, Dawn, and whenever they'd have a falling out, their friends would just...stay away cuz they didn't wanna pick sides so...I think all of that made her turn to me for companionship."

Anderson Cooper: "What was your relationship like with Marshall after he and Kim got married?"

I shrugged.

Jenny: "I didn't really know him that well yet. He was on tour that whole summer, The Warped Tour. And after that, he was only back for a little while before going on his European Tour. I helped Kim a lot with Hailie Jade because he was gone so much and I have three kids of my own, including two daughters who loved spending time with her. I would...hear Kim and Marshall talk on the phone sometimes and it was, 9 times out of 10, a really negative conversation. She was always super paranoid that he was cheating on her. She hated that he was famous. And he resented her for that because...he turned their entire lives around for the better, you know...financially, with his career. I think he just wanted to feel appreciated but...she couldn't get past all the groupies and attention he was getting."