Friend Me by Sheila M. Averbuch

Author:Sheila M. Averbuch
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

You don’t have to do that; you’re a guest.” Lily gives me a pained look, leaning in the doorway of our room, the very beautiful room with the balcony overlooking a now-starry sea. Everything here is as classy as the rest of Lily’s life: antique chest of drawers, gorgeously thick rug, old seascape oil paintings—proper art, like in a museum. Another dish of hand-painted birds, like the ones by Lily’s front door in Eastborough, nestles on the table between our beds, feathers shining in the lamplight.

“It’s fine! Nearly done!” I fling the fitted sheet over my bed. I’ve been all exclamation marks and this-is-so-great cheer since we got here. My phone, and Haley’s jealous message that I haven’t answered, are stuffed into the bottom of my backpack.

All through dinner and then Scrabble in front of the fire with Mr. Tanaka—complete with cookies and hot chocolate that Hiro brought in on a tray—I’ve grinned my way through the evening, counting the minutes until I can sneak out to make things right with Haley. “I need to help out: Your family is totally spoiling us.”

“You win. I am just wiped.” Lily trudges in, yawning hugely, and falls onto her bed. I slipped up here to make both beds while the others were washing up. I planned to brave my phone, too—tell Haley she’s still my bestie, obviously—but I convinced myself I didn’t have to. I’ll see her at the middle school and say it all then: Sorry I upset you, sorry for dragging you into the Zara jokes that I’m now desperate to hide, sorry if a cop knocks on your door and demands to see your phone.

Jeeves says the school is a long walk away, but if I run, I’ll make it. The dance ends at ten, though; I need to go now.

Lily meant what she said about being wiped, because before I’ve even brushed my teeth, she’s snoring. I freeze, unable to believe my luck, then my brain kicks in. I shove my pillows into a me shape, in case Lily wakes up and sees I’ve gone, although from the sound of her, she’s deeply under. The quiet snores are such a human sound, my heart goes out to her: She must be exhausted. She spent two nights at the hospital this week with Zara.

I grab my phone and pad downstairs, through the darkness. Hiro and Michael are watching a movie in their room, but I don’t know where Mr. Tanaka is: He vanished into the studio earlier. In the living room, a full moon paints silver rectangles on the floor, and holy mother of God, I nearly scream. A doglike lump creeps over the carpet. My fingernails dig my cheeks where I’ve clamped my mouth closed, but my panic calms as I stare at the humming shape, with its flashing red light. It’s not a dog; it’s a robot vacuum, quietly hoovering our cookie crumbs from earlier.

I pull on my shoes, and I’m about to touch the door handle when I spot something: Another red light shines from a control pad on the wall.

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