suddenly aware that Keri was a lot older, especially in experience. Why else would she have a tattoo circling her wrist and one on the back of her neck? Rachael had spied them when Keri had pulled back her hair. Didn't that mean maturity?
Keri appeared in the living room. "What are you going to watch?" she asked.
"
Nemo!
" Freddie screamed.
"Whatever." Keri plopped on the couch and opened her cell phone. No messages. She slunk into the couch, eyes closed, her legs splayed. She scratched her orange hair and breathed deeply.
She thinks were babies,
Rachael realized as she sat a few feet behind her brother on the floor.
I don't care. She stinks of smoke.
The movie drowned out the hum of the microwave. They watched
Nemo,
and Rachael found herself pulled into the narrative. She was startled by a loud pop.
They all jumped up, even Keri, who had fit a grape-flavored lollipop into the corner of her mouth. They scampered into the kitchen, where the window of the microwave was lit more dramatically than the TV screen.
"Oh, my God," Rachael let out.
The microwave beeped. Rachael opened the door slowly. Through the curling steam, the pizza appeared to ooze from the microwave. It reminded Rachael of the movie
The Blob.
"I guess fifteen minutes was too long," Keri remarked. She tapped the crust and licked her finger. "It's still tasty."
"I'm hungry," Freddie said.
"You can eat the pizza like soup," Keri said seriously. "I could put it in a bowl."
Pizza in a bowl!
Rachael grimaced. "How about a sandwich?" she asked. "With all the chips you want."
Freddie rolled his eyes as he judged his sister's recommendation. "No," he concluded. "I want something better."
"How 'bout a hamburger?" Keri suggested.
Freddies mouth arched into a smile, but he released his show of happiness because his spreading grin disturbed his swollen lip.
"We're going to have to drive," Keri said. "Burger King's far away."
"You have a car?" Rachael inquired, searching for a spatula to scrape the cheese from the walls of the microwave.
"I walked. We can use your mom's car."
Rachael stopped. "My mom's car?" She pictured Keri turning corners at ninety miles an hour. "That's, like, against the rules. Mom will really get mad."
"So are you hungry or not?" Keri bent over, fiddled with her fishnet stockings and pulled her ringing cell phone from her boot. She frowned at the number and coolly ignored the call.
"We'll just have sandwiches," Rachael replied.
Rachael made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the three of them, and poured potato chips into a bowl. Keri waved her sandwich away, but pinched up a few potato chips. She pulled a candy bar from her purse and took a bite. She then handed the candy bar to Freddie.
Rachael didn't like Freddie eating candy before his meal, even if it was just a sandwich and potato chips.
She's just awful.
Rachael brooded and bit into her sandwich. She munched dramatically to demonstrate that the sandwich, prepared by her own hands, was a tasty treat. She then crunched on a potato chip hardâthe chip broke noisily.
But Rachael slowed her eating when Keri brought a slick chrome projectile from her boot and spanked it against her thigh. She uncapped it and applied the black filmy gloss to her lips.
"Black lip gloss," Rachael commented, disgusted.
"Ugh." Freddie rested his candy wrapper on the coffee table.
"It's just makeup. It's like when you dress up for Halloween." Keri stood up and rifled through her coat pocket until she found an earring. "Here, put this on." She unscrewed the post and said that it would look nice hanging from his nose.
"Don't!" Rachael warned. The idea of her little brother wearing an earring in his noseâor any other part of his bodyâwas too much. Rachael began to wonder if there was a law against babysitters like this one.
Freddie studied the earring. "It's for girls," he concluded.
Keri posted her hands on her hips and barked a single laugh. "Are pirates girls? They wear
Keri appeared in the living room. "What are you going to watch?" she asked.
"
Nemo!
" Freddie screamed.
"Whatever." Keri plopped on the couch and opened her cell phone. No messages. She slunk into the couch, eyes closed, her legs splayed. She scratched her orange hair and breathed deeply.
She thinks were babies,
Rachael realized as she sat a few feet behind her brother on the floor.
I don't care. She stinks of smoke.
The movie drowned out the hum of the microwave. They watched
Nemo,
and Rachael found herself pulled into the narrative. She was startled by a loud pop.
They all jumped up, even Keri, who had fit a grape-flavored lollipop into the corner of her mouth. They scampered into the kitchen, where the window of the microwave was lit more dramatically than the TV screen.
"Oh, my God," Rachael let out.
The microwave beeped. Rachael opened the door slowly. Through the curling steam, the pizza appeared to ooze from the microwave. It reminded Rachael of the movie
The Blob.
"I guess fifteen minutes was too long," Keri remarked. She tapped the crust and licked her finger. "It's still tasty."
"I'm hungry," Freddie said.
"You can eat the pizza like soup," Keri said seriously. "I could put it in a bowl."
Pizza in a bowl!
Rachael grimaced. "How about a sandwich?" she asked. "With all the chips you want."
Freddie rolled his eyes as he judged his sister's recommendation. "No," he concluded. "I want something better."
"How 'bout a hamburger?" Keri suggested.
Freddies mouth arched into a smile, but he released his show of happiness because his spreading grin disturbed his swollen lip.
"We're going to have to drive," Keri said. "Burger King's far away."
"You have a car?" Rachael inquired, searching for a spatula to scrape the cheese from the walls of the microwave.
"I walked. We can use your mom's car."
Rachael stopped. "My mom's car?" She pictured Keri turning corners at ninety miles an hour. "That's, like, against the rules. Mom will really get mad."
"So are you hungry or not?" Keri bent over, fiddled with her fishnet stockings and pulled her ringing cell phone from her boot. She frowned at the number and coolly ignored the call.
"We'll just have sandwiches," Rachael replied.
Rachael made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the three of them, and poured potato chips into a bowl. Keri waved her sandwich away, but pinched up a few potato chips. She pulled a candy bar from her purse and took a bite. She then handed the candy bar to Freddie.
Rachael didn't like Freddie eating candy before his meal, even if it was just a sandwich and potato chips.
She's just awful.
Rachael brooded and bit into her sandwich. She munched dramatically to demonstrate that the sandwich, prepared by her own hands, was a tasty treat. She then crunched on a potato chip hardâthe chip broke noisily.
But Rachael slowed her eating when Keri brought a slick chrome projectile from her boot and spanked it against her thigh. She uncapped it and applied the black filmy gloss to her lips.
"Black lip gloss," Rachael commented, disgusted.
"Ugh." Freddie rested his candy wrapper on the coffee table.
"It's just makeup. It's like when you dress up for Halloween." Keri stood up and rifled through her coat pocket until she found an earring. "Here, put this on." She unscrewed the post and said that it would look nice hanging from his nose.
"Don't!" Rachael warned. The idea of her little brother wearing an earring in his noseâor any other part of his bodyâwas too much. Rachael began to wonder if there was a law against babysitters like this one.
Freddie studied the earring. "It's for girls," he concluded.
Keri posted her hands on her hips and barked a single laugh. "Are pirates girls? They wear
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