The Grown Ups Read Free Page B

peered out his bedroom window, which faced the street.
    His mother was sitting in the car, staring at the house. The engine was off and the driver’s side door was open, yet her hands were still on the steering wheel. She checked something in the rearview mirror, and that was when Sam saw that Mrs. Epstein was out in her front yard, pulling weeds from around the mailbox and planting flowers. Suzie was standing in the driveway in shorts and a bikini top, leaning against her bike and talking to her mother. A towel was wrapped around her handlebars.
    Slowly, Sam’s mother got out of the car. She took several steps toward the end of the driveway and called out, “How are you, Sarah?”
    Mrs. Epstein glanced up, a clump of dirt in her hand. Suzie looked at Sam’s mother and then stared hard at her feet, long and thin in black flip-flops.
    Sam’s mother waited a few minutes, and when neither Mrs. Epstein nor Suzie responded, she turned away. She moved toward the door of her house, Sam’s house, like a heavy person who has to stop to catch her breath between steps. It took Sam a few minutes to realize that wherever his mother had been that morning, there hadn’t been groceries involved.
    At the pool Sam inhaled two hot dogs and an order of fries and listened to Peter Chang and Johnny Ross talk about the munchies. They claimed to have had the munchies so bad the night before that they had eaten three frozen pizzas after Bella, Ruthie, and Mindy had left. They elbowed each other in the ribs and talked about how they had been feeling the love from the girls, and Sam’s fingers twitched thinking of his hand on Suzie’s bra.
    When the girls arrived at the pool Suzie was with them. Sam was in the deep end, hanging out underneath the diving board. She jumped in and swam the length of the pool underwater, grabbing his foot before she surfaced.
    â€œHey,” she said when she came up for air.
    â€œHey.” Sam paused. “So you know, I’m not some kind of jerk who just leaves.”
    â€œYou’re forgiven.” Suzie smiled. “Seriously. It was probably good you left.”
    â€œOh, oh. Great.” Sam wondered if she meant she wanted him to leave or that he had done the right thing. His stomach clenched.He had no idea all of this was so complicated. He waited, unsure of what to say next.
    Suzie smiled again. “Great? So, you weren’t having a good time?”
    â€œOf course, yes. Yes I was. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
    â€œI was thinking . . .”
    â€œAbout?”
    â€œWell, you. Us. And how we need to maybe make a plan?”
    â€œA plan?” It dawned on Sam that maybe Suzie was talking about a date. “Like going out?”
    Suzie sighed. “How about you meet me in the fort tonight? Around ten?”
    â€œThe fort,” Sam answered slowly. He didn’t want to tell her he’d been in the fort the night before because he was scared to walk through her driveway. As he was about to answer, Suzie dove back underwater and swam quickly toward the girls.

    Neither of his parents was home for dinner and both cars were gone. Usually when they went out his mother left a meal in the fridge or money for pizza, but those things hadn’t happened tonight. So Sam went over to Peter Chang’s, where Mrs. Chang was just taking a sheet of Tater Tots out of the oven. Mrs. Chang liked to feed all of them and always welcomed them at mealtimes. She was afraid that Peter was lonely, since he was an only child.
    The three of them polished off cheeseburgers and the Tater Tots, and then Sam and Peter went down to the basement. Johnny Ross came over with a half bottle of vodka. They shared the remains until it was gone, and Sam recalled seeing Mrs. Epstein wince after she drank that juice-glassful.
    At quarter to ten Sam told Peter and Johnny he had to be home early and headed to the fort. He swept the leaves out with his hands and