Night of the Zombie Chickens by Julie Mata Read Free Book Online

jumps off the chair, knocking over a stack of papers. My dad twists in his seat and spots me, frozen, in the doorway.
    It’s too late to flee, so I push open the door and march in, like I was planning on visiting him all along. I draw near his desk. How can I find out who he’s talking to? I’m pretty sure it isn’t his boss. “Uh, Dad, I was wondering if you could help me with something.”
    It sounds suitably vague. My brain is cranking hard, trying to figure out what he can help me with. It doesn’t matter, because my dad frowns like the answer is no.
    â€œNot now, Kate! Haven’t I told you to knock first before you come in?”
    He looks flustered, then tries to smile, not quite meeting my gaze. “Ask me a little later, okay? I’m kind of busy right now.”
    I shrug. “Okay.”
    He’s holding the phone, waiting for me to leave. I trudge out and hear the door firmly click shut behind me.
    â€œIt’s the weekend,” I mutter to Wilma as I scratch her ears. “Why is he working on a Saturday? And what is he keeping secret?”
    If this were a movie, Wilma would be a talking dog and tell me everything she heard while my dad was on the phone. It’s not, though, so she just licks my hand.
    As I think about his strange behavior, it hits me with a nasty jolt that my dad has been holing up in the den and talking on the phone a lot lately. And he’s called my mother from the office several times and told her he has to work late. I never gave it a second thought. Now I wonder. What is he really doing, and who is he talking to?
    I don’t want to think about why he’s acting this way. My dad would never do that, I tell myself, but I can’t bring myself to say what tha t is.
    I watch him at dinner that night as he talks to Derek about baseball. He catches my eye and smiles at me.
    â€œWhat do you think, Kate? Will the Cubs go all the way next year?”
    â€œNah,” I answer. “Not a chance.”
    â€œYes they will!” Derek bellows. He’s a big Chicago Cubs fan.
    â€œYou say that every year,” I point out.
    My dad laughs and smiles at my mother. Somehow, I feel relieved. He couldn’t act so normal with us if he was doing something wrong. Those few sentences I heard could have been about anything.
    Plus, I have plenty of other things to worry about, like Alyssa. She calls my cell phone later that night.
    â€œSorry about today,” she says right away. “I know we were acting like idiots.”
    â€œYeah, you kind of were,” I say, trying to keep it light.
    â€œIt’s just, I sort of feel sorry for Lydia. When we were in the park the other night, she was talking about her parents’ divorce. I guess her dad had a midlife crisis or something. Now her mom is always saying nasty things about him and how he’s a lowlife.” Alyssa pauses. “And I guess he kind of is because he had a girlfriend—that’s why they divorced. Lydia can’t stand her. And now her sister, Shannon, is in high school, and I guess she’s crawling out her window and running around every night drinking with her friends.”
    My jaw drops open. “She told you all that?”
    â€œYeah, everybody left to go shoot hoops, but we stayed and talked. Can you believe that? I never thought of Lydia Merritt having problems.”
    â€œYeah, she always seems so...loud, like everything’s great.”
    â€œAnyway, I wanted to make sure she had fun, you know?”
    I nod, then I realize she can’t see me. “You should have told me.”
    â€œWell, she asked me not to say anything, so you have to promise not to tell anyone.”
    â€œYou know I won’t.” My head is spinning from so much information. It all makes sense now. I’m hugely relieved, but I’m also a little jealous. Alyssa probably told Lydia about her parents’ divorce, too. It’s like she and Lydia