“Jen, how do I get my messages?”
“Mom, you’re such a dork,” Jen said. She took the BlackBerry, pressed two buttons, and handed it back to Mom. “You’re never going to learn to use that thing.”
Gracie was stung beyond words. After all Gracie had done for Jen, Jen had called her a “social liability.” And Mom hadn’t even yelled at her!
“I’m still going out with Sean tonight,” Jen said. “Candy Bobinski will have to kill me first.”
“Over my dead body!” Mom said.
“Mom! This is Sean we’re talking about. He’s my dream.”
“Oh, God,” Dylan whispered. “Girls think I’m a leper, and the Fridge is your sister’s dream. I hate middle school.”
“I’m not even wasting my time discussing this,” Mom said, looking into Gracie’s empty room. “Alex, Jen, where’s Gracie?”
“No clue,” Alex said. A few rapid beeps came from his Game Boy.
“Don’t know and don’t care, that traitor,” Jen said, and slammed her door.
And Mom, rather than getting worried, glanced at her watch and shrugged. “She’s probably over at Dylan’s. Or maybe they called an extra cross-country practice.” She had just started down the stairs when the door to the garage slammed again.
“C’mon,” Gracie said to Dylan, and they followed.
Dad stood in the kitchen.
“Steven! You’re home!” Mom stopped on the landing and clapped her hands to her head, almost hitting Gracie in the face.
Dad’s face was alive with excitement. “Pamela, you are looking at the new sports announcer for WBRQ Radio. I got it! I got the job!”
“Fantas—” Gracie started to exclaim, before Dylan clapped his hand over her mouth.
“Steven Rawley shoots, he scores, the crowd goes wild!”
Mom ran to the bottom of the stairs and threw her arms around Dad’s neck. Gracie and Dylan watched from the landing. It was very weird, knowing that they didn’t even need to try and hide. They could just stand there. Nobody would see them.
“Steven, did you really? You got the job?”
Gracie hadn’t seen Mom and Dad hug in months. She discovered yet another advantage of invisibility: nobody could see her swiping at the tears running down her cheeks.
“Oh, that’s so exciting, I am so thrilled. When do you start?”
“Well, Garrett wanted me to stay and announce an Emory soccer game tomorrow afternoon, but I told him I had to come home and spend the weekend with my family. I’ve got to be in Atlanta first thing Monday morning. Honey, it was uncanny; it was as though velvet words rolled from my tongue. I couldn’t say anything wrong the entire day. Garrett took me to look at some month-to-month studio apartments. Obviously, for a while, I’ll have to commute on weekends.”
“Lots of families do it,” Mom said, patting his chest. “It’ll be a challenge, but we’ll make it.”
“Just until you guys can move down.”
“Move down?” Mom untangled her arms and stepped back. “Steven, I love my job, I love this community. We have friends here. The kids love their school.”
“Now, that’s somewhat of a stretch,” said Dylan, in Gracie’s ear.
“But this is a good job, Pam, with excellent benefits—and the family ought to be together.”
“You haven’t even started it yet. Who knows what might happen.”
“I resent that implication. My whole career, I’ve had no passion for the work. And now I’ve finally landed the job of my dreams.”
“Still, I think we should just wait and see.” Mom turned and headed upstairs. Gracie and Dylan dodged her, wedging themselves into a corner. Gracie stiffened, seeing the guarded look on Mom’s face.
“Uh-oh,” murmured Dylan.
Dad took the stairs two at a time. Dylan and Gracie, who had just crept out of the corner, ducked back into it as Dad raced by, but Gracie was a split second too late and Dad’s hand brushed against her hair. She swallowed a gasp, but Dad just waved his hand around, the way he did when he walked through cobwebs or a swarm
“Mom, you’re such a dork,” Jen said. She took the BlackBerry, pressed two buttons, and handed it back to Mom. “You’re never going to learn to use that thing.”
Gracie was stung beyond words. After all Gracie had done for Jen, Jen had called her a “social liability.” And Mom hadn’t even yelled at her!
“I’m still going out with Sean tonight,” Jen said. “Candy Bobinski will have to kill me first.”
“Over my dead body!” Mom said.
“Mom! This is Sean we’re talking about. He’s my dream.”
“Oh, God,” Dylan whispered. “Girls think I’m a leper, and the Fridge is your sister’s dream. I hate middle school.”
“I’m not even wasting my time discussing this,” Mom said, looking into Gracie’s empty room. “Alex, Jen, where’s Gracie?”
“No clue,” Alex said. A few rapid beeps came from his Game Boy.
“Don’t know and don’t care, that traitor,” Jen said, and slammed her door.
And Mom, rather than getting worried, glanced at her watch and shrugged. “She’s probably over at Dylan’s. Or maybe they called an extra cross-country practice.” She had just started down the stairs when the door to the garage slammed again.
“C’mon,” Gracie said to Dylan, and they followed.
Dad stood in the kitchen.
“Steven! You’re home!” Mom stopped on the landing and clapped her hands to her head, almost hitting Gracie in the face.
Dad’s face was alive with excitement. “Pamela, you are looking at the new sports announcer for WBRQ Radio. I got it! I got the job!”
“Fantas—” Gracie started to exclaim, before Dylan clapped his hand over her mouth.
“Steven Rawley shoots, he scores, the crowd goes wild!”
Mom ran to the bottom of the stairs and threw her arms around Dad’s neck. Gracie and Dylan watched from the landing. It was very weird, knowing that they didn’t even need to try and hide. They could just stand there. Nobody would see them.
“Steven, did you really? You got the job?”
Gracie hadn’t seen Mom and Dad hug in months. She discovered yet another advantage of invisibility: nobody could see her swiping at the tears running down her cheeks.
“Oh, that’s so exciting, I am so thrilled. When do you start?”
“Well, Garrett wanted me to stay and announce an Emory soccer game tomorrow afternoon, but I told him I had to come home and spend the weekend with my family. I’ve got to be in Atlanta first thing Monday morning. Honey, it was uncanny; it was as though velvet words rolled from my tongue. I couldn’t say anything wrong the entire day. Garrett took me to look at some month-to-month studio apartments. Obviously, for a while, I’ll have to commute on weekends.”
“Lots of families do it,” Mom said, patting his chest. “It’ll be a challenge, but we’ll make it.”
“Just until you guys can move down.”
“Move down?” Mom untangled her arms and stepped back. “Steven, I love my job, I love this community. We have friends here. The kids love their school.”
“Now, that’s somewhat of a stretch,” said Dylan, in Gracie’s ear.
“But this is a good job, Pam, with excellent benefits—and the family ought to be together.”
“You haven’t even started it yet. Who knows what might happen.”
“I resent that implication. My whole career, I’ve had no passion for the work. And now I’ve finally landed the job of my dreams.”
“Still, I think we should just wait and see.” Mom turned and headed upstairs. Gracie and Dylan dodged her, wedging themselves into a corner. Gracie stiffened, seeing the guarded look on Mom’s face.
“Uh-oh,” murmured Dylan.
Dad took the stairs two at a time. Dylan and Gracie, who had just crept out of the corner, ducked back into it as Dad raced by, but Gracie was a split second too late and Dad’s hand brushed against her hair. She swallowed a gasp, but Dad just waved his hand around, the way he did when he walked through cobwebs or a swarm
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