I guess she’d rather eat with the little girls. To be honest, so would I.
Dinner is bearable because Red sits on one side of me and Mr. Leith-Proctor sits on the other. At least until Mr. Leith-Proctor says, “We boys gotta stick together. Am I right?” He holds out his fist.
Adults can be so lame, I think as I touch knuckles with him.
Dad’s not lame. He’s cooler than anyone I know. Well, used to be. Droppin’ us at Red’s house and takin’ off is a loser move. As I bite into my burger, I think of ways I can get revenge on him. I might have to talk to Henri about it. She’s better at stuff like that than I am.
It’s almost 9 o’clock and Sorcha and Gabby are tired. They want to go home and start the pajama party, which means Stella and Red drag us all across the road. Selma and Lexie stay behind to help clean up.
Stella gives Henri one of her T-shirts to sleep in and I catch a glimpse through the open door of my bedroom as she storms past. She kind of looks cute in it because it’s big and drapey and falls past her knees.
But me being me, I slam the door so she knows I’m ignoring her. It’s around 11 pm when everyone seems to settle down. I’m tired so I stretch out on the bed fully clothed, my shoes still on and my hands behind my head. The ceiling is white and boring and has no answers to my problem. I’m worried about Selkie. I’m worried about dad. If it was the Russian mob, she could be in big trouble. Mostly because she doesn’t know when to shut up.
I’m still awake 45 minutes later, still worrying. If dad got killed, what would happen to me? I’ve never thought about it before because Dad sort of seems invincible. But he’s not. He won’t go in hotheaded and risk his life, but around Selkie, he seems to lose his cool because she makes him crazy. And he brought us to Red’s instead of the clubhouse, which makes me think he’s decided to rescue Selkie by himself. Maybe they’re both kidnapped now because dad wasn’t careful enough.
I sit up and swing my feet to the floor, then I turn on the bedside lamp. I need to find dad and help him out. Keep him from doin’ something stupid. But I don’t know where the mob’s stashed Selkie, so how’m I gonna do that?
My phone’s dead so I can’t call him. Besides, if he’s sneaking around, I don’t want to give him up because his phone’s ringing. There’s only one thing to do and that’s to get Henri to tell me. But how am I gonna get into her bedroom without wakin’ up the little girls?
And also, if I do manage to talk to her, she’ll wanna come along.
My thinking’s interrupted by the squeak of hinges as my bedroom door slowly opens. It’s Henri. She’s still wearing Stella’s T-shirt and for some reason I’m distracted by it. I don’t know if I realized before how cute Henri is. She’s still a mouthy BIH, but that doesn’t make her less cute.
“What’re doing?” she whispers as she drops one of her runners.
“Shh! You’re gonna wake everyone up.”
“Sorry,” she mutters as she fishes for the shoe. I realize she’s carrying her clothes in a bundle tucked into her arms.
“What do you want?” I say to her, feeling better now that she’s here, but gettin’ pissed at the same time. “This is my room.”
She looks me up and down with a glare. “Why are you all dressed?” Then she stops and I hear the hurt in her voice as she adds, “You were gonna leave without me.”
I shake my head. “I wasn’t. I was thinkin’ how I could get you without waking up those brats.”
“They’re not really that bad,” she says unconvincingly.
I don’t wanna get sucked into an argument, so I say, “I have a plan.”
“So do I,” she counters.
Crazy-maker! For once, could she just shut up and listen? “Does it involve you gettin’ dressed?”
“Yes,” she snaps. “But I couldn’t really get dressed in Sorcha’s bedroom, could I?”
I roll my eyes. “So you decided to come to my bedroom to do it.”
“Duh. Who’s gonna think I’d be in here with you?”
I shrug because she’s kind of right. “So get dressed.”
“Turn around.”
“It’s my bedroom.” Of course, I’m gonna turn around, but it bugs me that she thinks she has to tell me.
Her face gets red and I think she’s gonna cry.
“Geez,” I mutter as I turn my back and look at the wall. “Don’t be such a girl.”
