Chapter Nine
Nina
After I finished my English homework, I took Gidget out in the backyard to play Frisbee. One of the strange features of our rental house, along with the shared driveway, was the fence that ran around our backyard also ran around West’s. It made me wonder if whoever built these houses was from some strange cult trying to form their own compound. But that’s probably also why the rent was cheaper than average, which, according to my mom, had been a major selling point.
And we’d needed a fenced backyard for Gidget, but this all-encompassing fence arrangement meant I had to try to teach her to stay in our allotted area. I had a feeling West’s dad wouldn’t be too happy to find a present from Gidget on his side of the property.
I threw the Frisbee toward West’s house and Gidget ran full tilt, leaping into the air to catch it in her mouth. Then she trotted back to me and dropped it at my feet, exuding pure joy. That was one of the things I loved about her. She was always so happy in the moment, like life was meant to be lived to the fullest. Sometimes, I wish I could be more like her.
I kept an eye on West’s house, watching for any movement. The entire house was wrapped up tight. I couldn’t even see any light in the windows. What was that about? Did they have blackout curtains? Sometimes when the sun hit the glass just right, it looked like something was pushing the curtains against the glass, but that couldn’t be right. No one put furniture in front of windows. That would be crazy.
I threw the Frisbee and it went wide, veering over behind West’s shed. Gidget didn’t seem to care that she’d be trespassing and ran over to where the Frisbee had flown. I followed along, just in case West’s crabby dad was in the vicinity. I didn’t want him yelling at her when my Frisbee skills were to blame.
Instead of grabbing the Frisbee and running back to our yard, Gidget sniffed the air like she’d caught scent of something and kept on going.
“Gidget, get back here.” I ran after her and came upon a strange scene. West was sitting in a lawn chair on a basketball court overgrown with weeds, and he was barbecuing. The way he stood and glared at Gidget and me made me think we’d interrupted some type of strange man-ritual.
“What are you doing out here?” West demanded.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude into your…” I waved my hand around to take in the weird area, “whatever this place is. My Frisbee throw was off, and Gidget must’ve caught scent of whatever you were barbecuing and came to investigate.” I looked at the grill. He had a ton of paper in there and a few pieces of charcoal. Weird. The meat must still be in the cooler, because he wasn’t cooking anything yet. “Are you sure that’s how you’re supposed to barbecue?” I asked.
“I’m sure it’s none of your business.”
I backed up a step. “Okay, Mr. Crabby Pants. Message received. Sorry I intruded on your sacred barbecue court.”
He glared at me, so I patted Gidget on the head. “Come on, girl. Let’s go home.”
…
I went inside and checked on the taco meat my mom had put in the Crock Pot. The spicy aroma made my stomach rumble. I cut up some lettuce and tomatoes. By the time she came home with the shells, everything was ready. As we fixed our plates, I told her about West’s strange behavior.
“Maybe that’s his secret clubhouse out there,” she said. “And girls aren’t allowed.”
“He’s a little old for that,” I said. “Maybe it’s just a place where he can get away from his mom and dad.”
My mom set her taco down. “That’s sad.”
“That entire house is sad. Did you ever notice that there aren’t any lights on inside?” I took a bite of my taco. A few shreds of lettuce landed on my plate. I chewed and swallowed while I thought about this situation. “It’s almost like they’re trying to keep some secret locked up inside. It’s kind of twisted. Like what if West’s dad keeps his mom locked up in the basement?”
“I think you’ve watched too many creepy movies. The man might have antisocial issues, but I doubt he keeps his wife on lockdown.” My mom frowned. “I wish we could do something to help.”
A knock sounded on the back patio door. I went to investigate. West stood there with his hands shoved in his jeans pockets.
I slid the door open. “Hey, West. We’re having tacos, if you want to join us.”
He blinked at me like I was crazy. “Why do you keep trying to feed me?”
I shrugged. “Just being neighborly.” Plus as annoying as he could be, I doubted anyone took care of him. His dad didn’t seem like the caregiving type.
“Listen, I didn’t mean to yell at you earlier,” he said. “You caught me off guard. I go out there to think.”
“And barbecue?”
“Sometimes,” he said. “Sometimes, like tonight, I just want to build a fire.”
“They make these fabulous things called fire pits,” I said.
The way his eyebrows slammed together told me he didn’t think my comment was funny. And he had come over to make amends.
“Sorry. Sarcasm is my first language. It’s cool that you go out there to think. And I’ll do my best to stay away and keep Gidget in our yard.”
The sound of his dad’s giant SUV pulling up the driveway reverberated through the air.
“I should go.” He ran back toward the basketball court.
Did he not want his dad to see us talking? That was weird. Then again, nothing about his family was normal.