Home Invasion by Monique Polak Read Free Book Online Page B

had a lot of junk mail to delete. After that I wrote Mom. I could hear the steady drone of Clay’s snoring coming from the living room: a quick inhalation followed by a loud wheezing sound. The guy even snored weird.
    Taking small steps so the stairs wouldn’t creak, I went downstairs. Clay’s mouth was open. The book was lying facedown on his lap. If he woke up now, I’d say I was getting a snack. Maybe he wanted a bowl of ice cream too.
    Outside the sky was as blue as a robin’s egg. I could imagine my gramma saying how it’s criminal to stay inside on a sunny day. Gramma was right. I went over to the window and peered up and down the street. No cop cars.
    I grabbed my basketball. Usually I’d have dribbled in the hallway, but I didn’t want to do anything that might wake Clay up — and ruin my plans for the afternoon.
    I headed down the street toward Patsy’s house. I pictured myself ringing her doorbell. She’d invite me in; her mom would offer me a cold drink. Then I’d ask Patsy on a date. “Wanna catch a movie with me?” I whispered to myself. I was pretty sure she’d say yes. Otherwise she wouldn’t have acted so friendly at the bagel shop.
    By the time I got to Patsy’s, I wasn’t feeling as confident. What if my voice squeaked? What if I blushed the way I sometimes did? What if she said no?
    Mrs. Levesque was trimming a hedge at the side of the house. I watched her lay her shears on the grass. Then she stood up andclapped her hands to loosen the dirt from her fingers. “Hi, Josh,” she called out when she spotted me walking by. “Going to play basketball?”
    I bounced my ball on the sidewalk. I considered telling her I was about to drop in on Patsy, but somehow I couldn’t. “Yup, gonna shoot some hoops,” I mumbled.
    â€œHave fun,” she said as she adjusted her sun hat. That’s when I noticed the side window was open again. This time there wasn’t even a screen covering it. Hadn’t the Levesques been watching the news? I nearly said something, but then, at the last second, I changed my mind.
    When I got to the park, I shot a few hoops, but I kept thinking about that window. Instead of shooting hoops, I went back to the Levesques’ house. Now there was no sign of Mrs. Levesque. I walked over to the window. It was still wide open — teasing me, like an invitation to a party I really wanted to go to.
    Sometimes it felt like I was destined to be a home invader. And why fight destiny?I peered in through the window to make sure the coast was clear. There was no sign of anyone on the first floor. So I hoisted myself in through the window and jumped down to the floor.
    Instantly I felt the familiar rush of pleasure. Watching people when they didn’t know I was there gave me a kind of high. Now was my chance to learn more about what was going on with the Levesques. Once I knew, I wouldn’t need to come back. At least not like this.
    â€œPatsy!” Mrs. Levesque’s voice called from the basement. “Can you help me carry this planter out to the yard?”
    â€œCan’t it wait?” Patsy shouted from upstairs.
    â€œNo, it can’t!” Mrs. Levesque insisted.
    â€œOkay, then, I’m coming!”
    I knew that meant Patsy would be coming down the stairs any second. So I ducked behind the living room door.
    When Patsy rushed past me, her soapy smell lingered in the air. “There are a few more things you can help me with now that you’re here,” I heard Mrs. Levesque say. Patsy moaned.
    I stepped out from behind the door and walked over to the coffee table. On it were several framed photographs of the Levesques. Patsy and her parents lying in beach chairs. Another photo of the three of them with Mickey Mouse, probably taken at Disneyland. In the photos, at least, they looked like the perfect family — smiling and relaxed. But then I thought about the way