Creep by Eireann Corrigan

Author:Eireann Corrigan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Whether they’d admit it or not, Mom and Dad had obviously coordinated with Aunt Jillian to keep me off Olcott Place for the next day, if not most of summer break’s last week. It began with my dad poking his head into my room way too early. “Aren’t you training?”

I’d been asleep all of three hours. “I think I’m sick.”

“You’ve got to stay consistent.”

“Maybe the flu.”

“You don’t look sick. How late did you stay up last night?”

I covered my head with my pillow. “Dad, I have four days left.”

He seemed genuinely confused. “Well, that’s exactly right. And if you sleep in too late, you’ll be running at the hottest time of day.”

“I’ll run tonight.”

“Jillian’s coming to pick you up.”

I sat straight up in bed. “Since when?”

“I don’t know.” He fiddled with the doorframe, as if examining it for flaws. Why did my dad always have to fix things? “She arranged it with your mom. She wants to take you school shopping.”

“No one told me.”

“I don’t know, Olivia. Your aunt, who loves you very much, wishes to spend some time with you.” And that is how I knew something was up: My father passed up a chance to express annoyance at Jillian. “Tell you what—go back to sleep for another hour. Go prop up the economy with your devoted aunt at ten. We’ll fit in a run at night.” He didn’t normally let me run after dark. I squinted at him, looking for the angle. “I’ll follow you in the car if I have to.”

As soon as he shut the door, I burrowed back under my sheets and willed myself to sleep. But each time I closed my eyes, Ben materialized—all brooding and broken-spirited. I sat back up in bed. What the heck was that anyway? I checked my phone but I had no texts. All of a sudden a feeling of profound familial love swept over me. I needed a day without the Donahues. Especially because I wasn’t sure what, if anything, I could say to Janie about what had happened.

Nothing actually happened, I reminded myself, right then as I rolled out of bed and then later in the passenger seat next to Jillian. She had the air on full blast and I had goose bumps on my arms as we passed 16 Olcott.

“I’m glad we could do this,” Jillian said as we turned off our street. “Thanks for making time for me.”

“Are you kidding? This is awesome.” I turned my head to face her. “I know Mom made you do it, though.”

“Your mom doesn’t make me do anything. I wanted to spend the day with you.” Jillian kept her eyes on the road. “But yeah, the whole interviewed-by-the-police thing gave her an anxiety attack.”

I laughed. “To her credit, she stayed really calm.”

“Totally faking. You should have heard her on the phone with me. You would have thought that the Donahues had brought you with them to Guantanamo.” She looked at me. “It is a lot, though, Liv. You kind of have to give her a pass.

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