Of Jenny and the Aliens by Ryan Gebhart

Author:Ryan Gebhart [Gebhart, Ryan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780763696672
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published: 2017-09-17T04:00:00+00:00

It’s now snowing out — there’s a solid four inches on the ground — and I’ve been standing on Mom’s patio with Avery as he goes back and forth between varying intensities of crying. He’s sitting on a dirty plastic lawn chair next to the bird feeder with snow piling up in his hair. He wipes his hand beneath his nose, the runny snot smearing his glove like a snail trail, and he tells me how much he wants to go back to Austin, that he’d made all these plans with his friends for Thanksgiving vacation, and this is all so, so stupid.

He says, “I’m supposed to be on a plane right now.”

“What do you mean? Dad said that you two would be here all week.”

“Yeah, and he told me we were only coming up for your birthday.”

“Why did he change his mind?”

“He didn’t change his mind. Dad bought our tickets two weeks ago.”

“So he lied to you?”

“Yuuup.”

“And he just bailed on your mom? On Thanksgiving?” I lean on the side of the house with my arms crossed, trying to process why Dad would pull such dick moves on Abby and Avery. “Who’s she having dinner with?”

“My grandparents in San Marcos. But that was also decided two weeks ago.”

“Oh. So, like, are Dad and your mom having a fight?”

He takes a moment. “Something like that.”

I say, “Hey, look on the bright side: a week in Ohio’s not that bad. At least you don’t have to live here.”

“You don’t understand. I have a date with Kayla Brisson this Sunday. I’ve had a crush on her since forever ago, and I finally got the balls to ask her out.”

“Nice work, Little Dude.”

“The name’s Avery.”

“That’s pretty impressive for a thirteen-year-old. Where were you going to take her? Out for pizza?”

“Dude. Shut up.”

“That’s where I went on my first date.”

“How old were you?”

“Uh . . . seventeen. Like, two Wednesdays ago.”

He sniffles, then looks at me with a smirk. “Actually yes, I was going to take her out for pizza. We were supposed to watch the Saints game together.”

My face scrunches. “The Saints? You hate the Saints. You’re a Texans fan.”

“I’m a bigger fan of Kayla than I am of the Texans.”

The sliding-glass door opens, and Mom peeks her head out. “You boys bonding out here?”

“Go away, Debbie,” Avery says bitterly.

“As long as you’re not talking trash about me,” she says sarcastically, putting on her horrible Texas accent. No one speaks with that much drawl. “What do you think of the new clothes your grandparents got you? I tell you, they know a thing or two about style.”

I nod. “I’ll do my best not to vomit all over them.”

She laughs, and my head cocks back. That wasn’t the reaction from her I was expecting.

She says, “Your father and I are headed to The Andersons to pick up the turkey. You want to come with?”

“No,” Avery and I say in unison.

“Any special requests for Thanksgiving dinner?”

Neither of us speak.

“Pumpkin pie? Candied yams? Going once. Going twice .

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