“I know what plan B is!” I say to Junie on the phone. “Check out this YouTube.” I tell her the URL.
I’m in my room, hanging with my fish, waiting while Junie checks out the video.
“So a violent video of their robot beating up our robot was plan B?” she says.
“Pretty lame-o, isn’t it?” I say.
“Kind of,” Junie says, “but it’s kind of smart too. It gets them in this winner mind-set. Which they need after we whomped them so badly last year. And freaking us out only helps their cause. I bet they were planning to make sure we saw it before an actual competition.”
“Ya don’t think plan B could’ve been more substantial?” Cindy flits to the side of the tank and gapes at me.
“You know, Sherry, there’s a lot more to robotics than just robotics. There’s major mind games too.”
“Uh-huh.” Sometimes you just gotta let Junie drone. Cindy opens her mouth again. “Tonight’s a go, right?”
“Absolutely. Be on your curb at ten. Bring a flashlight and an open mind. Orders from Zane via Amber.”
“You wanna sleep over?” I ask. “We can sneak in and out together.”
“Sounds good.” Junie checks with her mom, who gives her the parental okay because tomorrow is Professional Development Day for teachers and there’s no school.
My phone beeps. “Gotta go, it’s Josh.” I click over.
“Hi, Sherry,” he says. “What’re ya doing tonight? Coach just canceled the six a.m. polo practice.”
Rats. We cannot seem to get on the same schedule.
“I’ve got a couple of Blockbuster coupons. We could stay up late and watch movies. I’d even go for a chick flick.”
Double rats. “Um …”
“My mom said she’d buy us candy.”
That clinches it. There’s only so much temptation a girl can take. “How about one movie and a really spooky adventure?” I tell him about the ghost hunting and Junie spending the night.
I’ve barely clicked my cell shut when Sam wheelies into my room. “Dinner.”
“Uh, Sam. Out! You know you’re not allowed in here.”
He walks over to my aquarium and gazes in. “So, Josh is coming over?”
He was eavesdropping. How much did the little twerp hear? “Maybe.”
“And you guys are going ghost hunting?”
Yikeserama!
“Listen,” I say. “You can play some video games with us if you don’t tell.”
His face is all wrinkled with worry. “Sherry, what if a ghost gets you?”
My breath catches. I have the same fear. “A ghost isn’t going to get me,” I make myself say. “It’s all, like, for fun.” Then I choke out, “Who believes in ghosts anyway?”
He lurches across the room and wraps himself around my legs. “I do. I saw a show about them on the Discovery Channel.”
“You can’t believe everything you see on the Discovery Channel, Sam.”
He looks at me like I said you can’t believe everything Einstein said. “It was the Discovery Channel, not the Disney Channel.”
“Fine. I’ll be careful,” I say. “Übercareful.”
“Pinky promise?”
I poke out my baby finger and we hook together. My brother’s basically creeping me out. I mean, I’ve been pushing my nervousness about tonight into a cobwebby corner of my mind. He’s shining a flashlight on it.
“Why don’t I come too?” Sam asks.
“Because you’re eight. It’s for older kids.” I’m almost happy when The Ruler calls for us to hurry downstairs. Cabbage casserole might be less painful than this conversation.
I’m pleasantly surprised at the dinner table. If you can get past the fumes, cabbage casserole is a dish of deliciousness. Cheesy sauce with a hint of walnuts and tofu that melts in your mouth. Sam and I both wolf down our portions.
“I think I better make that recipe again,” The Ruler says with a proud smile.
“Yeah, like tomorrow night.” I grin.
Sam just grunts, his mouth full.
Dessert is also heavenly. Moist carrot cake with honey-sweetened cream cheese icing. The Ruler loves to cook for us and she’s quite possibly the only person in the world who can make me crave healthy food.
“Here’s a present for you.” I hand her a gift bag.
“I have one too.” From under his chair, Sam hauls out his most recent Scout project. A leather key ring thingie.
The Ruler is smiling so big I’m worried her face will crack. She dangles the key ring in the air. “Sam, this is beautiful. I’ll transfer my keys to it tonight.” She opens my gift bag. Eyes glistening, she swings the necklace slowly in the air. She points to my necklace. “We’ll be matching. Oh, Sherry, you don’t know how happy this makes me.”
Or safe. “Let’s make a pact. Every day that I wear it, you wear it, and vice versa.”
The doorbell rings. It’s Josh with a movie and a big bag of candy. He and Sam mess around on a video game while I clean up the kitchen without complaining—a little extra birthday gift. The Ruler calls my dad, her fingers rubbing the amethyst while she chats. When she’s done, she passes me the phone.
“How’re you doing, pumpkin?” Dad asks. “No more slashed tires, at least.”
“Nah, we’re good.”
“Grandma called to say she sprinkled burnt cloves all over the house,” Dad says. “And something about a special wren. I swear she’s getting more eccentric with age.”
“Yeah, well, with all that clove stuff, it smells very Christmasy here, Dad. You walk in the front door and you pretty much start singing ‘Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.’”
He laughs. “I miss your sense of humor when I’m away, Sherry. I’m sure having you around is helping keep Paula’s spirits up. And how thoughtful of you to give her a necklace for her birthday.”
All these compliments have me glowing like a night-light. We say our goodbyes and I-love-yous, and it’s Sam’s turn on the phone.
The Ruler stays in the kitchen on her laptop. Sam eventually moves into the office and onto the computer. Junie shows up and hangs in the living room with Josh and me, watching a fairly dumb movie. Which is fine. Sitting next to Josh, I could watch preschooler programs and still be stoked.
Slowly, slowly the clock ticks until The Ruler and Sam, who both have the same bedtime, come in to tell us goodnight. When no one’s looking, he mouths at me, “Be careful.”
I give him a thumbs-up.
“You’re all set for a ride?” The Ruler asks Josh.
“Yeah, I’m good.” He just doesn’t say his ride is from Amber and it’s to Buren Middle School.
Josh, Junie and I finish the movie. I can barely concentrate on the screen ’cause I start imagining all the things that can go wrong when you’re sneaking out of your house at night on a mission to find an evil ghost.
Junie’s cell rings. It’s Amber. She’s here.