Paranoia (The Night Walkers) by J. R. Johansson Page B

have to know that. I smiled, but with the swelling in my eye only one side went up like normal. Mom clucked her tongue and I shifted my weight a bit, angling my body so my eye wasn’t as obvious.
    “Speaking of packs.” I gestured behind me toward the one person in the room who I still didn’t have a clue what to make of. “This is Jack. He’s new at school. I wondered if he could hang out here for a couple days.”
    Jack stepped around me and smiled, extending his hand to Mom. She turned her attention to him but the more she stared, the more confused she looked. I stepped in to block her view and hooked my arm around her shoulder, breaking the spell as Jack turned and shook Mr. Nelson’s hand.
    “His parents are spending the weekend visiting a relative. He didn’t want to go, but they weren’t thrilled with the idea of him being home alone,” I whispered in her ear. “Besides, I’m bored with Finn gone. You don’t mind, do you?”
    She looked up at me and shook her head. “No, that’s fine. I think I’ve seen him around the school before. He looks familiar. Was he on the soccer team?”
    “No, but he came to our last game, I think.”
    Mom winced. She knew firsthand how badly the championship had gone, and she also knew I didn’t like to talk about it. She gave me a sympathetic squeeze, then scrunched up her nose and whispered. “You smell terrible, Parker. Did you take a run and not shower? Go clean up before anything else. I’ll grab you some ibuprofen for your eye, okay?”
    After the night I’d had, I was glad she thought I just smelled “terrible” and not, as my friendly neighborhood cellmate had described it, “more alcohol than human.” Showering had been at the top of my agenda anyway. “Deal.”
    “I’m making dinner.” Mom handed me the medicine and turned toward the kitchen. “Have you boys eaten yet?”
    “ Nope.” I followed my mom into the kitchen as Jack jogged out the back door. He came back in with a backpack as I was checking out the delicious-looking roast in the oven. I tugged on his backpack strap, and he followed me toward my room as I shouted over my shoulder to my mom, “How long until dinner?”
    “Go ahead and get settled.” She waved us away. “About forty-five minutes. I’ll call when it’s done.”
    “Sounds good.” I smiled and felt another intense surge of relief when she smiled back without even the slightest bit of suspicion or worry on her face. For the first time in a long time, she looked genuinely happy. She deserved to stay that way, and I’d do my best to make sure she could. “Thanks, Mom.”

six
    I’d never seen anyone eat like Jack … and Finn ate like a starving dog in a Purina factory, so that was really saying something. He dove in with such gusto that much of our meal was spent watching him, or waiting for him to take a breath so he could answer one of Mr. Nelson’s many questions. I’m not sure if Mr. Nelson was trying to avoid awkward silences or was more suspicious of my new friend than I’d expected. Either way, he was more perceptive than I’d given him credit for.
    “So you aren’t taking Physics?” he asked.
    Jack swallowed and took a sip of water. “No, but I’m getting my schedule sorted out for next year. Once I talk to the teacher, I think they’ll put me in Advanced Chemistry.”
    I raised my eyebrows slightly at Jack, and he shrugged. I wondered if he was really planning to stick around that long.
    Mr. Nelson nodded. “That’s not an easy class. Very impressive.”
    A bitter wave hit me as I thought about the less-than-stellar grades I’d gotten in Chem last year. Dad had been a chemistry teacher, so it was no wonder Jack excelled at it. I fought back resentment, wondering what Mom would think if she knew Jack had spent so much time with her missing husband. But I squished the thought as soon as it surfaced. I was struggling enough with this situation and I didn’t have a choice. I was a Watcher. I was part