Rebecca's Rashness by Lauren Baratz-Logsted Read Free Book Online

again.
    Not that any of us minded their coming for what looked like a longer-than-usual visit, but we were curious.
    "I saw the article in the paper," Pete said, "and figured right away that reporters would start hounding you and that with all the extra attention focused on your house, it would be no time before some nosy parker realized there were no adults living here and then the jig would be up."
    "So we decided to come and pretend to be your uncle and aunt again," Mrs. Pete said, "so that the world would believe you're being supervised adultly."
    "I don't think adultly is an actual word," Marcia felt compelled to point out.
    We ignored her.
    "How long do you plan to stay?" Rebecca asked.
    "For the duration," Pete said, "or for as long as you need us."

SEVEN
    Pete took care of those pesky nosy-parker reporters in no time.
    Opening the front door bravely and standing firm there more bravely still, he announced, "This is private property. If you don't get off it this instant, I shall call the police and have you all taken to the hoosegow."
    "So?" one particularly pesky reporter said. "Then we'll just go stand in the street and shout our questions and snap our pictures from there."
    Oh no. Would we never enjoy the luxury of being private citizens again? What had Rebecca gotten us into?
    "Yes," Pete said, "I suppose you can do that for about an hour or two, but I'll just build a fence so high, you'll never be able to climb over it."
    "Well, then we could—" the particularly pesky reporter started to say, but Pete cut him off.
    "I know, I know," Pete said with a weary sigh, "you'll get a helicopter and a telephoto lens and fly overhead. Well, just try it. I am very good with a slingshot, plus I think you'll find if you check with public records that this house is under a no-fly zone."
    All of the reporters, the regularly pesky and the particularly pesky, dispersed with grumbles.
    "Is that true, Mr. Pete," Petal asked, "that our house is under that thing you said? I rather like to think of us living beneath one giant protective bubble."
    "Of course it's not true," Georgia said meanly to Petal. Then she turned to Pete. "Is it?"
    "'Fraid not," Pete admitted. "At least, not yet. But I know a man who knows a man who works in public records, so I'll tell the man I know to tell the man he knows to put a note in your file to that effect."
    Pete always seemed to know a man who knew a man who. He was very handy that way.
    "Now I'll just go get that impenetrable fence built," Pete said. "Shouldn't take more than an hour or six. Oh, and Rebecca?"
    "Yes?"
    "Don't feel bad about all this mess with the reporters and such. It's not really your fault."
    "Of course I don't feel bad," Rebecca said. "I saved your life, didn't I?"
    "Yes, you did. Why is it that I think you'll constantly be reminding me of that fact?"

    ***
    One or six hours later, when Pete had finished erecting our impenetrable fence, we got down to more important business.
    "If we're going to have a party in just twelve days," Durinda said, "we really do need to start making a guest list."
    "I'll get a piece of paper and a pen," Jackie offered, and she did.
    "So who shall we put on the list?" Annie said, pen poised as she sat at the dining-room table, the Petes and the rest of us gathered around.
    "Well, I think we should invite all of us," Petal said, "meaning us Eights."
    Most of us chose to ignore that, except for:
    Marcia, who said, "I don't think Annie needs to write all our names down. I should think we'd remember us."
    And Georgia, who said, "Can't we leave Rebecca's name off?"
    And Rebecca, who said, "It's my celebration and I resent that remark, even if I do sort of resemble it."
    "I don't know what that means," Petal said.
    "That's okay," Jackie said. "I don't think any of us is supposed to."
    "We should put the Petes down," Petal said, "Mr. and Mrs."
    "That hardly seems necessary," Annie pointed out, "since they're already here. I think we'll be able to remember them