Trickster by Laurie Halse Anderson

Author:Laurie Halse Anderson [Anderson, Laurie Halse]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781101562888
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2008-02-28T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

David Alexander Hutchinson!” my mother shouts.

I freeze, halfway out of Dr. Mac’s van.

“She doesn’t sound too happy,” Maggie says. “You’d better go home. We’ll save you some pizza.”

“Don’t bother,” I tell her. “I’m not very hungry.”

“Man, you really are bummed,” Brenna says.

I slip out of the van before anyone has a chance to answer, and meet my mother in the middle of the road. She doesn’t say a word until we’re in the garage. Then she lets fly.

“Do you know happened today?” she asks.

Mom is still wearing her suit and high heels from work. Her mouth is tight, like she just sucked on a lemon, and her eyes look like they could spit fire. I guess this is a bad time for a smart-mouth answer.

“No,” I reply quietly as I open the door to the laundry room. We pass through piles of laundry—it’s beginning to look like a mountain range—and step into the kitchen.

“You weren’t here when I needed you,” she says.

My five-year-old sister, Ashley, is eating a McDonald’s feast at the kitchen table. My older brother, Brian, is nowhere in sight. He must be at work.

“When did you need me?” I ask, taking a french fry out of Ashley’s cardboard container.

“Mom, he’s stealing,” Ashley tattles.

Mom slaps her hand on a piece of paper on the counter. “Here! Right here. Didn’t you read this note? I put it where you would see it when you came down to breakfast.”

She hands the note to me. It says I was supposed to be home by two o’clock so I could watch Ashley while Mom went into the office. I was also supposed to take out the trash and start the laundry.

“I never saw it,” I say, telling the absolute truth. “I woke up late, really late. My stupid alarm clock didn’t go off. I just grabbed a soda and a handful of pretzels and ran over to Dr. Mac’s. She was pulling out of the driveway. I barely made it.” I peer into the McDonald’s bag on the kitchen table. “Did you get me any fries?”

Mom starts to hand me the bag, but then pulls it back. “You had soda and pretzels for breakfast?” She shakes her head as if she’s clearing out the cobwebs. “No, wait, I’m not going to let you sidetrack me. You didn’t return the messages I left for you yesterday at the clinic, and then you ignored the note today. I had to take Ashley into the office with me.”

“Mom’s office is boring!” Ashley says dramatically. “It was so boring I almost threw up!”

“It’s not that bad,” I say. “I used to go there when I was little. They have crayons.”

“That’s not the point,” Mom says, sitting down. She kicks off her shoes and lets out a little sigh of relief. “I don’t ask you to baby-sit often, but when I do, I need to be able to count on you.”

“What about Brian?” I ask.

“Brian has his own job. He was there all afternoon and has an extra shift tonight.

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