Double Feature: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies (The Russel Middlebrook Series Book 3) by Brent Hartinger Page A
Authors: Brent Hartinger
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one of the bathroom's cracked and cloudy mirrors.
And that's when I knew the answer. Otto or Kevin? It was so obvious!
I had to tell the guy I had chosen. But I couldn't do it at the film shoot, with other people around. No, I'd do it that night, when we could meet and finally have some time alone.
* * *
There was just one problem. It happened when I got home that night, right after the film shoot. My parents were in the kitchen eating ribs from a bucket. Their fingers and faces were covered with barbecue sauce. I hadn't wanted to join them, but I did have to eat.
"Where were you?" my dad asked.
"What do you mean?" I said. "You know where I was. I was on the movie set."
"I don't mean that. I mean last night."
"Last night? You know that too. I was over at Gunnar's."
"Who else was over at Gunnar's?"
"What do you mean?" I was trying to evade the question again, but I was pretty sure where this was heading: my parents had learned about Otto. I guess their sources of information were moving faster now. It had taken them eight months to learn that I was gay, but only three days to figure out that Otto was in town against their wishes.
My mom slapped the table. "Damn it, Russel! Tell us the truth!"
"Okay, okay," I said. Like I said, I didn't lie to my parents. "We'd been planning this visit for months," I went on. "But at the last minute, you say he can't stay here. Fine. Well, he isn't staying here. You didn't say he couldn't stay at Gunnar's. And even if you had, I don't see what business that is of yours."
My parents stood up from the table at exactly the same time.
"So you've been seeing him?" my mom said accusingly.
"Of course," I said.
"Russel, that is not acceptable!" my mom said.
"Like I said," I said, "I don't see what business that is of yours."
This probably wasn't the smartest thing to say. Whether it was their business or not, they could make it their business, since they were my parents.
Sure enough, my mom said, "Russel, you are grounded ! You are not leaving this house for a month!"
In other words, I'd finally made a decision between Kevin and Otto—only now I couldn't be with either one!
CHAPTER NINE
Could there possibly be a worse time to be grounded?
But the thing is, I'd made my decision. I knew who I wanted to be with. I had to tell him. My parents thought they could stop that by grounding me? Well, in a nutshell, they were nuts.
I know I've said all along I was a good kid. But in this case, I simply had no choice except to sneak out of the house without their knowing.
* * *
Kevin. That's who I needed to see. I IMed him and told him to meet me at the stinky picnic gazebo. I also told him to give me a few minutes because I needed to build a dummy of myself out of clothes and put it under the covers of my bed. That way, if my parents peeked into my room, they might think that I had gone to sleep early. I'd read about this in a book. I doubted it would work—it hadn't worked in the book!—but the consequences of my disobeying my parents and sneaking out the window were so harsh that I figured I should at least try to avoid them. Lucky for me, my bedroom was on the ground floor, so it was easy for me to sneak out the window.
My bike was in the garage, which was impossible to open without making a ruckus, so I had to run to the stinky picnic gazebo. I was out of breath by the time I got to the park. I could see the gazebo on the other side of the long soccer field. It looked smaller than I remembered, like a piece in some antique Christmas diorama.
Kevin was under the gazebo waiting for me. But there was someone with him—a guy with broad shoulders in some sort of overcoat. Was it his dad? I'd never seen a teenager dressed like that before. The acoustics of the park were strange, especially at night, and I could hear the mumble of them talking across that long expanse of lawn, but I couldn't make out anything they were saying.
Suddenly Kevin spotted
And that's when I knew the answer. Otto or Kevin? It was so obvious!
I had to tell the guy I had chosen. But I couldn't do it at the film shoot, with other people around. No, I'd do it that night, when we could meet and finally have some time alone.
* * *
There was just one problem. It happened when I got home that night, right after the film shoot. My parents were in the kitchen eating ribs from a bucket. Their fingers and faces were covered with barbecue sauce. I hadn't wanted to join them, but I did have to eat.
"Where were you?" my dad asked.
"What do you mean?" I said. "You know where I was. I was on the movie set."
"I don't mean that. I mean last night."
"Last night? You know that too. I was over at Gunnar's."
"Who else was over at Gunnar's?"
"What do you mean?" I was trying to evade the question again, but I was pretty sure where this was heading: my parents had learned about Otto. I guess their sources of information were moving faster now. It had taken them eight months to learn that I was gay, but only three days to figure out that Otto was in town against their wishes.
My mom slapped the table. "Damn it, Russel! Tell us the truth!"
"Okay, okay," I said. Like I said, I didn't lie to my parents. "We'd been planning this visit for months," I went on. "But at the last minute, you say he can't stay here. Fine. Well, he isn't staying here. You didn't say he couldn't stay at Gunnar's. And even if you had, I don't see what business that is of yours."
My parents stood up from the table at exactly the same time.
"So you've been seeing him?" my mom said accusingly.
"Of course," I said.
"Russel, that is not acceptable!" my mom said.
"Like I said," I said, "I don't see what business that is of yours."
This probably wasn't the smartest thing to say. Whether it was their business or not, they could make it their business, since they were my parents.
Sure enough, my mom said, "Russel, you are grounded ! You are not leaving this house for a month!"
In other words, I'd finally made a decision between Kevin and Otto—only now I couldn't be with either one!
CHAPTER NINE
Could there possibly be a worse time to be grounded?
But the thing is, I'd made my decision. I knew who I wanted to be with. I had to tell him. My parents thought they could stop that by grounding me? Well, in a nutshell, they were nuts.
I know I've said all along I was a good kid. But in this case, I simply had no choice except to sneak out of the house without their knowing.
* * *
Kevin. That's who I needed to see. I IMed him and told him to meet me at the stinky picnic gazebo. I also told him to give me a few minutes because I needed to build a dummy of myself out of clothes and put it under the covers of my bed. That way, if my parents peeked into my room, they might think that I had gone to sleep early. I'd read about this in a book. I doubted it would work—it hadn't worked in the book!—but the consequences of my disobeying my parents and sneaking out the window were so harsh that I figured I should at least try to avoid them. Lucky for me, my bedroom was on the ground floor, so it was easy for me to sneak out the window.
My bike was in the garage, which was impossible to open without making a ruckus, so I had to run to the stinky picnic gazebo. I was out of breath by the time I got to the park. I could see the gazebo on the other side of the long soccer field. It looked smaller than I remembered, like a piece in some antique Christmas diorama.
Kevin was under the gazebo waiting for me. But there was someone with him—a guy with broad shoulders in some sort of overcoat. Was it his dad? I'd never seen a teenager dressed like that before. The acoustics of the park were strange, especially at night, and I could hear the mumble of them talking across that long expanse of lawn, but I couldn't make out anything they were saying.
Suddenly Kevin spotted
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