My Deal with the Universe by Deborah Kerbel

Author:Deborah Kerbel [Kerbel, Deborah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781443157575
Publisher: Scholastic Canada Ltd
Published: 2018-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

“I don’t know if this is a good idea,” Violet says, bouncing on her heels. She glances up and down the sidewalk to make sure nobody’s watching.

“It’ll be fine,” I say, nudging her to hurry up. “I promise, we’ll be in and out in a flash. Just have your notepad ready, in case we find anything suspicious.”

“Remind me what exactly we’re looking for again?”

“Clues. Evidence. You know, anything that might explain why they’re always so grumpy.”

I can’t stop thinking about that quote Grappa told me — about how the best way to destroy your enemy is to make them your friend. Maybe if my family understood the Pitts a bit better, we could put an end to this feud.

“Okay, but I don’t know what you think you’re going to find,” Violet says, pulling the key out of her pocket and fitting it into the lock. “I’ve been living here all summer and I haven’t noticed any clues.”

“Yeah, but how closely have you been looking for them?”

She shakes her head like she thinks I’m nuts. Her frizzy ponytail swishes like a feather duster over her freckled shoulders. “Okay, then let’s go fast.” She turns the key and pushes open the front door. “Before anyone spots us,” she adds, dashing inside.

I take a deep breath and follow her into the Pitts’ house. Behind me, the heavy metal door swings closed with a bang. Now I’m officially standing on enemy territory. And I’m so nervous, my heart feels like it’s going to jump out of my chest.

I take a deep breath to calm myself down. The mixed odour of cabbage and cleaning fluids prickles the inside of my nose. My gaze sweeps over the foyer and my first thought is, Holy stromboli, this house is so neat! And clean! From the gleaming white tiled floor, to the perfectly painted walls — it’s so frizzling spotless, my eyes hurt just looking at it.

Violet moves quickly. Flicking off her shoes, she passes through the foyer into an area with plush off-white carpet. She glances back, motioning for me to follow. But I’m still stuck by the front door, too scared to go any farther. I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere so clean before. Not even Jack’s old hospital room could compare to this. What if I mess something up?

“Come on!” she hisses.

You got this, Daze, I think, swallowing the hard lump of nerves that’s sticking in my throat. I kick off my shoes and bend to pick them up. I’ll need them with me in case we have to make a quick exit. I tiptoe quickly through the foyer, silently congratulating myself for showering this morning. At least my feet are relatively clean.

“Oh gosh, Dad would be so mad if he knew I was here,” I say, catching up with Violet. “He hates sneaky stuff.” I’m whispering and trying my best to be quiet and invisible. I know it’s crazy, but it feels like talking too loudly might leave a stain on this perfect house.

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