The night you came home.”
“That’s eavesdropping!” Lily exclaimed.
Dominic answered, “I’ve seen you do it.”
Lily didn’t deny it.
“Anyway,” Jordan said, “the music was not satanic. It was the Rolling Stones. They have a song called ‘Paint It, Black.’ ”
Lily stood in the middle of the room, mouth agape. “You painted a room black because a song told you to?” She tossed her head back and let out a sharp laugh. “Only an idiot would hear a song and then do what it said! It was probably like a metaphor or something!”
Dominic frowned at Jordan. “What’s a metaphor?”
“What are you asking her for?” Lily asked. “She made a C-minus in sophomore English.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Jordan told him. “Nobody cares about stuff like that except people like Lily. And people like Lily think they’re way too good for you and me.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” Lily said. “You don’t know anything about anybody, because all you care about is yourself!”
“Whatever,” Jordan grumbled, knowing that if there was anything that drove Lily insane, it was being dismissed with a whatever.
Sure enough, she was practically quivering.
Jordan smirked at her. “You might want to go get a glass of water or something, Lils. Your face is all splotchy red. It looks like your zits are having a rave.”
Dominic laughed.
Lily glared at him now, too. “I can’t believe you would take her side.”
“What did I do?” he asked.
“Dominickel always takes my side.” Jordan pulled Dominic to her, tickling him so that he laughed even harder. After another moment of stewing, Lily stomped out of the room and Jordan released Dominic. “Well, that got rid of her.”
Dominic leaned back on the couch, frowning. She was afraid he was going to ask more pesky questions about what had happened in Little Salty, but instead he asked, “Can I have some icing?”
“I only have one spoon,” she said, handing it over.
“That’s okay, I’ll use my finger.” He dipped a stubby forefinger in and scooped it out. Then he leaned back and sucked on his finger.
“So, to get back to what we were talking about before Little Miss Mensa interrupted us . . .” Jordan arched a brow. “Where were you?”
He pulled a slimy finger out of his mouth. “I already said. Next door. I got a job.”
“No way! Doing what?”
“Walking Professor Oliver’s dog.”
She gave him a congratulatory shove. “You enterprising little bastard! How much are they going to pay you?”
“Thirty-five dollars a week!”
“Oh.” That didn’t seem like much. But then, walking a dog wasn’t exactly strenuous work. “Wow.”
“I know,” Dominic said excitedly, “I was kinda shocked by how much he offered me.”
As long as he felt good about it, she supposed that was what mattered most. Anyway, it was more than she was bringing in. She should have stayed home this summer and gotten a job. Now summer was halfway over and it seemed too late. “You’ll be rich and you’ll be able to loan me money.”
“You’ve got money—you sold all that stuff.”
“The money’s already gone.”
“How could you have spent it all? You haven’t been out of the house!”
“Yes, I have.” The day before she’d walked to the post office, bought a money order, and sent it off to Granny Kate and Pop Pop. The idea of letting all that money out of her grasp still stung, but it was done now. They couldn’t fault her for leaving them in the lurch financially, at least.
“Lily said you made over four hundred dollars,” Dominic said. “How could you have spent it all so fast?”
“I owed someone.”
“Four hundred dollars?” he squeaked.
She sighed. “Probably more than that.”
Dominic shook his head and dipped his slobbery-looking finger into the icing again.
Jordan’s stomach flipped. “Take the rest,” she offered. “I’m definitely not going to eat any more of that stuff. It’s nauseating.”
At
“That’s eavesdropping!” Lily exclaimed.
Dominic answered, “I’ve seen you do it.”
Lily didn’t deny it.
“Anyway,” Jordan said, “the music was not satanic. It was the Rolling Stones. They have a song called ‘Paint It, Black.’ ”
Lily stood in the middle of the room, mouth agape. “You painted a room black because a song told you to?” She tossed her head back and let out a sharp laugh. “Only an idiot would hear a song and then do what it said! It was probably like a metaphor or something!”
Dominic frowned at Jordan. “What’s a metaphor?”
“What are you asking her for?” Lily asked. “She made a C-minus in sophomore English.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Jordan told him. “Nobody cares about stuff like that except people like Lily. And people like Lily think they’re way too good for you and me.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” Lily said. “You don’t know anything about anybody, because all you care about is yourself!”
“Whatever,” Jordan grumbled, knowing that if there was anything that drove Lily insane, it was being dismissed with a whatever.
Sure enough, she was practically quivering.
Jordan smirked at her. “You might want to go get a glass of water or something, Lils. Your face is all splotchy red. It looks like your zits are having a rave.”
Dominic laughed.
Lily glared at him now, too. “I can’t believe you would take her side.”
“What did I do?” he asked.
“Dominickel always takes my side.” Jordan pulled Dominic to her, tickling him so that he laughed even harder. After another moment of stewing, Lily stomped out of the room and Jordan released Dominic. “Well, that got rid of her.”
Dominic leaned back on the couch, frowning. She was afraid he was going to ask more pesky questions about what had happened in Little Salty, but instead he asked, “Can I have some icing?”
“I only have one spoon,” she said, handing it over.
“That’s okay, I’ll use my finger.” He dipped a stubby forefinger in and scooped it out. Then he leaned back and sucked on his finger.
“So, to get back to what we were talking about before Little Miss Mensa interrupted us . . .” Jordan arched a brow. “Where were you?”
He pulled a slimy finger out of his mouth. “I already said. Next door. I got a job.”
“No way! Doing what?”
“Walking Professor Oliver’s dog.”
She gave him a congratulatory shove. “You enterprising little bastard! How much are they going to pay you?”
“Thirty-five dollars a week!”
“Oh.” That didn’t seem like much. But then, walking a dog wasn’t exactly strenuous work. “Wow.”
“I know,” Dominic said excitedly, “I was kinda shocked by how much he offered me.”
As long as he felt good about it, she supposed that was what mattered most. Anyway, it was more than she was bringing in. She should have stayed home this summer and gotten a job. Now summer was halfway over and it seemed too late. “You’ll be rich and you’ll be able to loan me money.”
“You’ve got money—you sold all that stuff.”
“The money’s already gone.”
“How could you have spent it all? You haven’t been out of the house!”
“Yes, I have.” The day before she’d walked to the post office, bought a money order, and sent it off to Granny Kate and Pop Pop. The idea of letting all that money out of her grasp still stung, but it was done now. They couldn’t fault her for leaving them in the lurch financially, at least.
“Lily said you made over four hundred dollars,” Dominic said. “How could you have spent it all so fast?”
“I owed someone.”
“Four hundred dollars?” he squeaked.
She sighed. “Probably more than that.”
Dominic shook his head and dipped his slobbery-looking finger into the icing again.
Jordan’s stomach flipped. “Take the rest,” she offered. “I’m definitely not going to eat any more of that stuff. It’s nauseating.”
At
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