tiny building was built into the hill like something a Keebler elf might live in.
“Sometimes,” Rose confessed, “I actually wish they’d come soon. I wish they would just come for real already. It’s, like, the one thing I can think of happening that no one could ignore.”
It took me a moment to realize she was talking about aliens again. I shivered. I’d never seen her so serious. The fact that it was so dark around the Deans’ house didn’t help either.
“So…” Charlotte purred. “What’d Aaron do? Kiss some other girl?”
I kicked her in the shin, and she whirled around and stared at me.
“OW! What’s your problem?”
When I didn’t reply, she chased me down the driveway and eventually managed to kick me back after about four tries, clumsily throwing her leg out repeatedly as I dodged it. Her shock at my kick had made her lose her coordination.
Rose caught up with us.
“Knock it off,” she murmured as she pushed ahead of us, ran up the steps, and rang the Deans’ bell.
“Hey, Toby,” she said when he opened the door.
Toby seemed delighted to find the three of us on his steps, and he held the door for us without asking what we wanted. As we stepped inside, the familiar mildewy scent of the old house filled my nostrils. I remembered the smell from when my mom used to help Toby’s dad and the elder Mrs. Dean.
“Joe’s not home,” he said once we were in his living room.
Mr. Dean was snoring on the brown corduroy couch, a bag of Ruffles wedged between his hip and the couch cushions. Cops was playing on the TV. He twitched a little, rubbed his nose and mustache, but didn’t open his eyes. I was surprised to see the chips. Mr. Dean was so skinny and sickly looking sometimes, you imagined him living on lettuce and chewing gum.
“That’s okay,” Rose said. “I just came for that alien movie. I wanted to borrow it again and show it to the girls.”
“Oh. Okay. I’ll go get it,” Toby said, hopping eagerly up the stairs.
Mr. Dean snorted softly and then opened his eyes. Startled to see the three of us standing there, he pulled himself up on his elbow.
“What’s… girls? What’s… everything all right?” he asked groggily.
“Yeah,” Rose said. “We just came by for this video I wanted to borrow. Toby’s upstairs getting it for us.”
“What’s… where’s Joe? Joe all right?”
“Yeah… we’re just here for a video,” Rose repeated. “There’s a party at this kid Steve Hungerford’s house tonight. That’s probably where Joe is.”
“Oh…” The Ruffles bag crinkled as Mr. Dean settled back into the couch, looking relieved but still slightly confused. He put his hand through his thick salt-and-pepper hair, mashing flat a cowlick at the top.
Toby bounded down the stairs and handed Rose the video.
“It’s due back tomorrow or we have to pay three more dollars,” he said.
“I’ll return it for you guys,” Rose assured him.
“Or,” Toby said, “I could come watch it with you guys, and then I could bring it home and Joe and I will return it tomorrow.”
“Tobe,” Mr. Dean said, opening his eyes. “Don’t… uh… bother this girl. She’s already got her hands full tonight.”
“You won’t be missing anything,” Rose assured Toby. “These girls will be screaming and whimpering the whole time. Really pathetic.”
“Yeah, right,” Charlotte said, planting her hand on her hip.
“I thought you said it wasn’t scary,” I protested.
“Well, I’ll just walk you guys home, then,” Toby said. “Dad, I’m going to walk them home, okay?”
“That’s very gentlemanly of you,” Rose said, shrugging, ignoring Charlotte’s look of pleading disdain.
“Okay,” Mr. Dean said, dislodging the Ruffles bag from the couch cushion and peering inside it. “But be real careful on the way back.”
“Yes!” Toby said, making a fist of victory so enthusiastic that even Charlotte could not protest.
Toby was so weird.
Chapter Six
May 22,
“Sometimes,” Rose confessed, “I actually wish they’d come soon. I wish they would just come for real already. It’s, like, the one thing I can think of happening that no one could ignore.”
It took me a moment to realize she was talking about aliens again. I shivered. I’d never seen her so serious. The fact that it was so dark around the Deans’ house didn’t help either.
“So…” Charlotte purred. “What’d Aaron do? Kiss some other girl?”
I kicked her in the shin, and she whirled around and stared at me.
“OW! What’s your problem?”
When I didn’t reply, she chased me down the driveway and eventually managed to kick me back after about four tries, clumsily throwing her leg out repeatedly as I dodged it. Her shock at my kick had made her lose her coordination.
Rose caught up with us.
“Knock it off,” she murmured as she pushed ahead of us, ran up the steps, and rang the Deans’ bell.
“Hey, Toby,” she said when he opened the door.
Toby seemed delighted to find the three of us on his steps, and he held the door for us without asking what we wanted. As we stepped inside, the familiar mildewy scent of the old house filled my nostrils. I remembered the smell from when my mom used to help Toby’s dad and the elder Mrs. Dean.
“Joe’s not home,” he said once we were in his living room.
Mr. Dean was snoring on the brown corduroy couch, a bag of Ruffles wedged between his hip and the couch cushions. Cops was playing on the TV. He twitched a little, rubbed his nose and mustache, but didn’t open his eyes. I was surprised to see the chips. Mr. Dean was so skinny and sickly looking sometimes, you imagined him living on lettuce and chewing gum.
“That’s okay,” Rose said. “I just came for that alien movie. I wanted to borrow it again and show it to the girls.”
“Oh. Okay. I’ll go get it,” Toby said, hopping eagerly up the stairs.
Mr. Dean snorted softly and then opened his eyes. Startled to see the three of us standing there, he pulled himself up on his elbow.
“What’s… girls? What’s… everything all right?” he asked groggily.
“Yeah,” Rose said. “We just came by for this video I wanted to borrow. Toby’s upstairs getting it for us.”
“What’s… where’s Joe? Joe all right?”
“Yeah… we’re just here for a video,” Rose repeated. “There’s a party at this kid Steve Hungerford’s house tonight. That’s probably where Joe is.”
“Oh…” The Ruffles bag crinkled as Mr. Dean settled back into the couch, looking relieved but still slightly confused. He put his hand through his thick salt-and-pepper hair, mashing flat a cowlick at the top.
Toby bounded down the stairs and handed Rose the video.
“It’s due back tomorrow or we have to pay three more dollars,” he said.
“I’ll return it for you guys,” Rose assured him.
“Or,” Toby said, “I could come watch it with you guys, and then I could bring it home and Joe and I will return it tomorrow.”
“Tobe,” Mr. Dean said, opening his eyes. “Don’t… uh… bother this girl. She’s already got her hands full tonight.”
“You won’t be missing anything,” Rose assured Toby. “These girls will be screaming and whimpering the whole time. Really pathetic.”
“Yeah, right,” Charlotte said, planting her hand on her hip.
“I thought you said it wasn’t scary,” I protested.
“Well, I’ll just walk you guys home, then,” Toby said. “Dad, I’m going to walk them home, okay?”
“That’s very gentlemanly of you,” Rose said, shrugging, ignoring Charlotte’s look of pleading disdain.
“Okay,” Mr. Dean said, dislodging the Ruffles bag from the couch cushion and peering inside it. “But be real careful on the way back.”
“Yes!” Toby said, making a fist of victory so enthusiastic that even Charlotte could not protest.
Toby was so weird.
Chapter Six
May 22,
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