MEETING THE NEIGHBORS
Kota shut off the TV, and the rest of us worked as quietly as we could to close down laptops and drag most of them into the master bedroom.
“I’ll answer it by myself,” Nathan said, and he shooed us into the big bedroom and shut the door on us.
We dropped everything on the big waterbed in the middle of the room and came back to the door, standing close together. I pressed my lips together, leaning to hear what was going on.
“Hi,” Jimmy said after Nathan opened the door. There was a bounce of something that sounded like a basketball. “I heard there were a few other guys on this street. Want to come play basketball?”
I waited, holding my breath. That was it? Nothing about Carol discovering I was really here?
“Sure,” Nathan said, at first sounding reluctant, but then the next part sounded more positive. “I’ll need to get changed. Give me a second?”
“Yup,” Jimmy said.
There was a pause. “Come in if you want,” Nathan said.
Sneakers squeaked across the floor, alongside Nathan’s barefoot footsteps.
“How’d you know I was here?” Nathan asked.
“Marie said there were a few other guys on this block, and I asked her which houses. She said there was another guy across the street? And then further down?”
“Kota and Derrick,” Nathan said. “I guess we can see if they’re home.”
Kota whispered something that sounded like, “Not now…”
I didn’t blame him. Was it good to get friendly with Jimmy? Or to get distracted with playing basketball at this time?
A while ago, North had said we had to be careful with the friends we chose. We knew little about him. We already knew he’d go through my things to report back to his mom.
“Give me two seconds,” Nathan asked, and his footsteps faded.
I grimaced at the door, hoping Jimmy wouldn’t snoop. Had we left cell phones lying around? Was it obvious more than one person had been here?
North was in Nathan’s bedroom. Would this wake him up?
Kota moved away from the door. There was a sliding glass door in the back of the master bedroom that led to the back porch. He used sign language to talk to us. “Stay here. I’m going to my house.”
He’d want to get ahead of them. Was Jessica at home? Or his mom? He’d want to stop them from saying something to Jimmy.
His mother was sure Kota and I were dating, after all. If she said so, and I was expected to go to have a dinner date with Dr. Green that night, things might get a little weird.
I shared a look with Luke as Kota snuck out. Was this a good idea?
Luke shrugged and then simply held a single finger to his lips to indicate we should be quiet. He leaned against the door to listen again.
Nathan must have dressed quickly, but his footsteps now sounded softer, sock-covered. “Just let me get these shoes on.” I sensed he was buying Kota some time to get across the street. “Did you just move into the Sorenson house?”
“Yeah. He’s getting married to my mom. Kind of weird. Do you have a lot of siblings? That’s a lot of food.”
Luke’s horrified expression mimicked mine. The food!
“Uh,” Nathan said and then chuckled. “My dad’s sleeping in. But he loves the pancakes, so I picked them up…for him.”
Must have been difficult for him to say…
“So the diner is good?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Nathan said. “Sure is. Okay, ready to go. Did you play on a team at your old school?”
The boys went to the front door, and Nathan locked it behind himself. Their voices carried for a short while but soon faded.
I leaned against the door still, straining to hear, rattled that Jimmy was here. He was so close. He could have spotted me, perhaps through a window if I’d not been in the living room.
Was there a chance he might have noticed anything else while he was waiting for Nathan? We’d have to be much more careful.
Luke backed up from the door, collapsing on the waterbed. The bed rolled just a little before the water settled. Spreading out on his back, his arms went out above his head. “Ugh,” he said. “That was close.”
My hand hovered over my chest, trying to calm my heart, even though nothing extraordinary had happened. I pressed myself against the door. “He’s going to find out about us,” I said.
The door handle to the master bedroom rattled. I jolted away from it just in time before it opened.
North peered in, bleary-eyed and scary looking. He glanced at me, and then at Luke. “We’re the only ones left?” His deep voice was dry and cracked, making it sound more menacing.
I relaxed and nodded. “Jimmy was here trying to make friends.”
“I heard,” North said. “Where’s everyone?”
“Kota’s heading to his house. I don’t know if he intends to play basketball with Jimmy and Nathan, or if he’s just saying hello and circumventing anything his sister or mom might say.”
He nodded shortly and then motioned to all of the equipment on the bed. “Keep this all in here in case they come back. No one besides us comes in here. Lock that back door. Shut the blinds. We’re in blackout mode.”
“What’s blackout mode?” I asked in a hushed tone.
North directed his dark gaze to me. “Just stay in here. If they come back, you don’t want to get caught.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Luke said. “Go back to sleep.”
North’s lips twisted like he was going to bark something at him.
I reached for him, holding his arm. Now wasn’t the time.
He paused, freezing for a long moment before he relaxed and he let out a sigh. “Fine. But you’ll have to do Kota’s job while he’s out. Call in Victor. Have him park at the diner and come in through the back way. Maybe call in Silas if he’s awake.”
“Will do,” Luke said with a smile and a three-fingered salute. “We’ve got everything covered. Don’t worry about a thing.”
He rolled his head back, shooting glares at the ceiling. “This Carol situation is killing me.” He retreated, heading back to Nathan’s bedroom.
I didn’t know what was scarier: Jimmy almost discovering we were here, or North getting woken up.