THIRTEEN
Robert swam to the ladder and climbed up halfway, allowing the water to drain from his clothes. “How’d you find me?”
“Ms. Lavinia told me your plan,” Glenn said. “Did you get the key?”
“Not yet.”
“Did you look in the study?”
Robert dragged himself out of the pool and collapsed onto the deck. “I tried,” he said, “but first I was captured by a giant blob of green jelly. Then I was tied to a chair and a bug monster puked on my ankles. And then I had to run away from Miss Mandis, because apparently she’s a bug monster, too.”
“Oh,” Glenn said. “Why didn’t you ask me for help?”
“Because you told me to leave you alone,” Robert reminded him. “Because, for the past two days, you’ve been acting like a real jerk.”
Glenn muttered something that sounded like an apology.
“Why didn’t you tell me your mother was home?”
“It’s only temporary.”
“What’s that mean?”
“She does this every year. She comes home, she brings me new clothes, she and my dad are happy, everything’s perfect. But it never lasts. You’ll see. In a few days, they’ll start fighting again and then she’ll be back in Arizona. I guarantee it.”
“What about the baby?”
“She’ll go back with my mom. She’s my little sister and I barely know her.”
“You should’ve just told me,” Robert said.
“I figured I would ignore you until she and my sister went away. And then you’d never know they’d been here.”
Glenn was staring down at the swimming pool, and Robert realized his friend was ashamed. All this time, he was acting weird because he was ashamed.
“So you’re not a zombie?”
“What?”
“That wasp sting? The boil on the back of your neck? It wasn’t controlling your brain or anything?”
“No,” Glenn said, laughing. He pulled back his collar so Robert could see the welt. It had shrunk to the size of a mosquito bite; in another day or so, it would be completely gone. “It’s just my stupid messed-up family, that’s all.”
Robert crossed his arms over his chest. He was still soaking wet and starting to shiver. Fortunately, he had a change of clothes in the locker room.
“Well, at least your mom’s trying,” he pointed out. “She comes back every year. I’ve never even met my dad.”
Glenn looked up. It was the first time Robert had ever mentioned his father. “Where does your dad live?”
“We have no idea. I don’t know anything about him. He took off before I was born. But don’t tell anybody, all right?”
Robert hadn’t shared this information with many people, but he felt his best friend deserved to know. Glenn wasn’t the only person ashamed of his stupid, messed-up family.
“At least your mom’s cool,” Glenn said.
“She’s been asking about you. She wants to know when you’re coming back to dinner.”
“Next week at the latest. I guarantee it.”
The fourth-period bell rang and Robert jumped up. He still needed to dry off and change before heading to language arts class. “I better go. Mr. Loomis is going to bust me for being late.”
Glenn followed him to the boys’ locker room. “Hold up,” he called. “I still haven’t told you my good news.”
“There’s good news?”
“Yeah. While you were running around Tillinghast Mansion, I found a way into the basement.” He clapped his best friend on the shoulder. “Soon as school’s over, we’re getting your rats back.”