by Beth Bowland
Chapter 19
I AWOKE TO FIRECRACKERS going off in the distance. I was sure this ruckus would go on the rest of the day because, hey, it was the Fourth of July, and the celebration had begun. I got up, stumbled over to Kiara’s room, and lay across her bed.
“Happy Independence Day.” I yawned as I grabbed one of her pillows and pulled part of her comforter over my legs.
Kiara removed the covers from her head. “Today’s going to be a lot of fun.”
“Hopefully,” I murmured.
“Well, at least we’ll find out the surprise Mr. Maxwell’s been yappin’ about.”
I lifted myself up on one elbow. “Do you think it has something to do with the cats we’ve been seeing around? I hope it’s not something lame.”
“Yeah, especially after all the hype.” Kiara yawned and twisted her body into a pretzel. Dang, she was flexible. “I’m still wondering what’s going on with his wife.”
Rolling off the bed, I pulled Kiara with me. “Let’s get it poppin’.”
I was anxious to see what this day would bring and find out Mr. Maxwell’s big secret.
Downstairs, it seemed as though the excitement had already begun. I stopped when I got to the kitchen entrance. Mrs. Remington was sitting at our kitchen table talking to Mom as she leaned back against the counter. Was Porsche still missing? I stopped when I got to the kitchen entrance.
“Uh, oh,” I whispered.
Kiara didn’t notice and bumped into the back of me, causing Mrs. Remington to look up. Once again there was no greeting, only a slight raising of her eyebrows, as if she was waiting for us to bow down to her.
“What’s she doing here?” Kiara whispered in my ear.
“Good morning, girls,” Mom said. “Mercedes, have you met my girls?”
“Mercedes? What the heck?” I whispered to Kiara. “Who else is at home? Lexus, Saab, and Volvo?”
Kiara giggled behind me.
Apparently, my mother had picked up spy-mode hearing. I glanced over at her, and she was seriously squinting at me. Those thoughts came across loud and clear, so I shut my mouth.
“Good morning,” Kiara said as she maneuvered around me. “Where was Porsche hiding the other day?”
I remained silent.
Mrs. Remington’s face got three shades darker. I could tell from her expression that she didn’t appreciate being questioned.
Her eyes sharpened, her nostrils flared, and she made a hissing noise with her mouth. “The grandmother’s.” She drew it out really slowly, so it came out more like “Thee gra-and- ma-tharssss.”
“Where?” I asked.
Mrs. Remington inhaled deeply. You know the deep breath you take to stop yourself from freakin’ out on someone? That one. She stood up and grabbed her purse. “She went to my mother’s house.”
Mom crinkled her eyebrows and shot another look at me.
Mrs. Remington headed toward the door. “Goodbye,” she said and walked out.
I pulled out a chair and sat down. “Who refers to their mother as ‘The grandmother’s’?”
“Mom, what did she want?” Kiara asked, taking a seat beside me. “I didn’t know you were friends with Porsche’s mom.”
“She’s a witch,” I said.
Mom immediately popped me with the kitchen towel.
“Ouch! Sorry.”
Mom glared at me. “I don’t ever want to hear you call someone that!” She bent down to make sure I was looking directly into her eyes. “Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said.
Mom kissed me on the forehead. “She’s not the friendliest person, and I wouldn’t say we were friends. Actually, this is the first time we’ve spoken since the house closing. I saw her outside and invited her in for a cup of coffee to try to get to know her a little more. She wasn’t saying very much, just small talk.”
Grabbing the bagel bag from the counter, I waved it toward Kiara. “Want one?”
She nodded. I popped two into the toaster. The phone rang, and Mom answered it. I could tell it was Dr. Jackson by the way her voice softened. Mom took the phone into her room, shutting the door behind her.
I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was Chu waving through the patio window. He had on a colorful, flowered tropical shirt with khaki shorts, sandals, and a beaded necklace. His dark hair had bright blond streaks through it. I slid open the door and pulled him inside by his head.
“You bleached your hair?” I screamed.
About that time, Mom came out of her room with the phone to her ear. She opened the fridge and took out a bottle of juice. When she noticed Chu, she stopped talking. She smiled at him. “Lord have mercy.” She laughed as she went back into her room.
“Howzit, dudettes. Surf’s up.” He grinned before striking a pose on an imaginary surfboard.
“Is that permanent?” Kiara asked.
Chu grinned harder. “Nah, it’s spray-on.”
“I like it,” I said.
Chu nodded. “Ex-ceeee-lent.” He grabbed my bagel from my plate and started munching on it.
“Hey, guess who just left?” Kiara said to Chu, still staring at his hair.
“Mrs. Remington. I saw her. What’d she want?”
Kiara shook her head. “Not too much. At least Mom didn’t go into details with us.”
“Man, there’s a truckload of people at the park already,” Chu said.
“I bet so.” Kiara wiped her face with her napkin. “Let’s go.”
Fourth of July, Memorial Day, and Labor Day celebrations were the only times you saw everyone out of the house. In fact, if you didn’t see them pulling in and out of their garages, you would never see the majority of the adults that lived in the rest of the community. There were not a lot of kids in the area our age outside of the crew. But, good grief, there were gobs of toddlers and early elementary-aged kids.
Chu was right. The park was poppin’. Excitement filled the air as we roamed around the park looking for the rest of the crew. Several grownups got together and brought in jumping houses, jumbo slides, clowns, and face painting. We had our own little amusement park.
“There’s no way that all of these people live in this subdivision,” Kiara said.
“No, but they probably saw that rolling in.” Chu pointed toward several food vendors that were setting up. “Gnarly.”
“Oh, yum, look, funnel cakes.”
My mouth watered. This was gonna be good. We continued walking around for a while before heading toward the Sanchez house. Meeting the Rosenthals on the way, I silently hoped they wouldn’t ask questions about Mom and Dr. Jackson.
“Say, you kids had better not think about snooping in our yard.” Mrs. Rosenthal wiggled her finger at us. “We’ve been keeping close watch on you.”
I was getting ready to fire back at her, but lo and behold, my twin beat me to it. Kiara crossed her arms and looked her dead-on. “Mrs. Rosenthal, you’ve clearly gotten us mistaken for someone else. We’ve not been near your yard, and I don’t appreciate you accusing us.”
“Well…” Mrs. Rosenthal made a humph sound and continued walking with her husband, who only scowled at us.
Chu and I looked at each other, then at Kiara.
“Just because they’re adults doesn’t give them the right to falsely accuse us.”
I was proud of Kia for not allowing someone to run over her. Hmm, maybe I was starting to rub off on her.
“Hey, guys!” Ivelisse yelled as she ran toward us. “I’ve been looking for you. Farkas is at my house.”
“Gnarly,” Chu said.
Ivelisse squinted, then frowned. “What did you do to your hair?”
Chu struck his surfer pose. “I’m being totally rad.”
“I love it!” Ivelisse said.
Porsche was sitting on the Sanchez’s back patio. She waved when she saw us, and her face lit up. She greeted everyone with such genuine enthusiasm, I felt bad for thinking bad thoughts about her.
I was such
a slug. She was actually an ai’ight girl, just as long as she understood Dre belonged to me.
Porsche ran her fingers through Chu’s hair. “Nice.”
“He’s being totally rad,” Ivelisse said, imitating Chu.
“S’up crew?” Andre pulled up and parked his bike by the stairs. “What’s the rat pack up to today?”
“Hey, Dre,” Porsche said. Then she hugged him.
Scratch my earlier thought. I still hated this girl. Ugh!
The sound of a slamming car door and heels clacking up the sidewalk drew our attention away from Andre to the side gate.
Oh brother, here we go again…
Chapter 20
“PORSCHE!” MRS. REMINGTON YELLED, her hands on her hips and her eyes blazing mad.
“Yes, mother.” She stood and faced the wicked witch.
“I’m sick and tired of you running around with your ragamuffin friends when you should be practicing,” Mrs. Remington roared.
Errkkkk, hold up. Did she just call us ragamuffins?
“I rehearsed for an hour this morning.” Porsche fidgeted with her earring. “Big C said it went well, and we’ll hook back up next week. And besides, I’m tired of rehearsing all the time. I just want to hang out and have some fun for once.”
I had to give Miss Porsche props for standing up for herself. Unfortunately the writing on the wall said that she was about to get knocked into next week.
“Big C said what?” Mrs. Remington’s eyes got so big I thought they were gonna pop out of her head. I swear I saw puffs of smoke coming from her ears. Her chest, cheeks, and head looked swollen. We all eased toward the back of the patio.
“Uh, guys, maybe we should give them some privacy,” Kiara said.
“Tssk,” Ivelisse huffed. “I ain’t leaving. This ragamuffin lives here.”
I nodded in agreement. I wasn’t about to leave either.
Mrs. Remington continued. “Big C doesn’t run this show, Porsche. I do.”
“Mother, I’m just really tired of the whole business. Maybe I’m not cut out for it.”
A choking, wheezing sound came from Mrs. Remington. Clutching her chest, she gasped for air. “How dare you, after all I’ve invested in you…”
For the first time, Porsche looked scared. The rest of us fidgeted. I really wished her mom would just leave.
“Mercedes,” a voice said from the side gate. It was Porsche’s grandmother. “Leave that child alone. This is neither the time nor place for you two to have this discussion.”
The tension in Porsche’s face vanished. Her cavalry had arrived. She moved to the car, with her mother right on her heels. No goodbyes or see ya laters.
Andre pulled off his baseball cap and ran his hand across his face. “Man, this is too much drama. I’m going to check out the rest of the vendors that have arrived,” he said.
Farkas heaved his body up. “I’ll go with you.”
Chu was already heading toward the gate.
“Just us girls, huh?” Kiara said. “What are we going to do?”
“Hey, how about bringing your sleepover stuff to the house now?” Ivelisse said. “Then we won’t have to worry about it later.”
“Sounds good, we’ll catch up with you in a few,” I said as I thought about Porsche and her mother. She did have a rough home life. I felt sorry for her.
“Keith, I’m telling you the truth.” Veronica stood outside of our garage; Mom and Mr. Keith were next to her. “I saw them with my own eyes.”
Mom rubbed her back and pushed the hair out of Veronica’s tear-stained face.
Mr. Keith heaved a heavy sigh and ran his hand through his hair. “Babe, for the last time, there’s not a giant mushroom reaper or anything coming after you. We’ve got to get you help with your drinking.”
Kiara grabbed my arm. “Mom,” she shouted, “we need to talk to you.”
Veronica wailed louder. She was now borderline hysterical. No, scratch that. She was hysterically hysterical. “I haven’t been drinking, I’m telling you!” She slumped to the ground.
“Mom,” Kiara and I said in unison.
“Not now,” Mom replied.
“But Mom…” I said.
Mr. Keith shifted and grabbed hold of Veronica.
“Not now, girls. Keith,” Mom said, “let’s get her back home.”
I watched until they disappeared around the bend. I knew they wouldn’t believe us. I gotta get some proof.
“Come on. Let’s get our stuff and get over to Ivelisse’s house,” Kiara said.
“OMG! This is getting too weird,” Kiara said as she tossed her sleeping bag next to mine.
We were all in Ivelisse’s bedroom going over what had just happened and trying to decide what to do next. The Sanchez house was immaculate on the inside, very cozy and quiet, except for a tiny teacup poodle named Ramsey who yapped at us. He lounged on top of the bed pillows yipping away.
Thunderous footsteps came running up the stairs. Farkas had the nerve to race Chu up. The entire house shook with each step up the wooden staircase. I wasn’t sure who won, but I thought the house would cave in when they crashed into the room, falling onto the floor.
“You guys got company?” Chu said and pointed toward the stairway as he pulled himself up.
It was Porsche. She smiled timidly as she walked into the room.
Chu and Farkas wrestled back down the stairs. Boys.
“Girl, I thought you’d be on lockdown until school started,” I said.
Ivelisse tossed her a pillow. “Have a seat. Make yourself comfortable.”
“Thanks,” Porsche said.
“So, what happened after you left? Your mom was really angry,” Ivelisse said.
Porsche hugged the pillow as she leaned back against the wall. “She says I’m an ungrateful, spoiled, self-centered brat.”
“Whoa.” That was all I could say. I couldn’t imagine my mother saying something like that to me, and I am a brat at times.
“Is performing really that bad?” Ivelisse asked. “I mean, it looks cool from my side of the fence.”
Porsche shrugged. “You know, at first, it was a lot of fun, but then it became work. I know this sounds weird, but somehow it switched from something I wanted to do, to something that my mother demanded that I do. She’s obsessive about it.”
Porsche paused and played with her earring. “You should see her during rehearsals. She was singing the songs and telling me what dance moves to do. I’m tired of her controlling my life. The other day, at the nail salon, I wanted to get the Blue Sky nail color, but she said I could only get the French manicure. Afterward, we went to dinner, I tried to order dessert, and she said I couldn’t. In fact, she said she wanted me to spend at least an hour a day on the treadmill because I looked chubby during the last photo shoot. I can’t wait until I’m out of her house and in college.”
“Really?” Kiara said.
“Yes. Actually, Andre and I were talking about how cool it would be if we attended college together.” A loopy grin spread across Porsche’s face.
I had to resist the urge to throw one of those pillows at her.
“So,” Ivelisse said slowly, “are you and Andre like for real boyfriend and girlfriend?”
I held my breath.
“Hey, guys!” Farkas yelled from down the stairs. “Come on! Maxwell’s up to something. Hurry up.”
Everyone got up and headed toward the stairs, but dang it, I wanted to know Porsche’s answer. As we headed out to see what Farkas was screaming about, I couldn’t help but think about Porsche and Andre.
“What’s up?” Ivelisse asked Farkas.
He was leaned over, panting heavily. “Maxwell…men…suitcase.” Farkas slumped down against a tree.
Okay, that was clear as mud. I was thankful to see Chu running up to us. Kiara helped Farkas off the ground.
“What’s Maxwell doing?” I asked.
“Dude, we just saw Maxwell talking to some men in suits. These guys were seriously shady�
�big and buff…they handed Maxwell a briefcase,” Chu said.
I was still confused. “And?”
“And…it was one of the James Bond double-oh-seven type suitcases. The guy had to unlock the attached handcuff from his wrist before handing it to Mr. Maxwell.”
“Andre’s been telling me about that Maxwell guy. Fascinating,” Porsche said.
I rolled my eyes. Andre this, Andre that. I was sick of her. “Where are the men now?” I asked.
Farkas pulled up his T-shirt and wiped his sweaty face. “They got in their van and left. Maxwell went into the house for a while, but now he’s back at the park, reminding the ‘chosen’ ones about his party this evening.”
“I think he plans on killing us or something,” Chu said.
We all stared at him.
“Chu, stop tripping. That man is not trying to kill us,” I said.
Chu turned to face me. “Oh yeah? Then how come only us and our parents were invited to his party?”
“Dude, he’s after us for seeing in his basement,” Farkas said.
Silence.
My mind raced. “Maybe you’re right, Farkas. He could tell our parents about us peeking into his window.” Then maybe I’d wish I was away at college too.
Chapter 21
“I SAY WE GO OVER to the vendor area, grab something to eat, then try and sort all of this out,” Farkas said.
“Sounds good to me. Then you guys can tell me what you saw in his basement,” Porsche added.
I followed behind everyone at a much slower pace. I was still pondering what Chu had said. I didn’t know that only our family members were invited to his party. That did seem very odd. But it also seemed outrageous that Mr. Maxwell would want to hurt any of us—although he did appear to be threatening his wife in the alley the other day.
“You all right, twin?” Kiara asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
I nodded. “Strange stuff, huh?”
She nodded back.
