The Night House by Rachel Tafoya Read Free Book Online Page B

guess.”
    My mom opens the door before I can even reach for it.
    “Shiloh! Are you staying for dinner?” She beams at us, ever ready to entertain my only friend.
    “Absolutely.” He grins at her. “I’d eat anything you made, Mrs. Fields.”
    “Oh it’s not me who cooks. Neil is the real chef. Come on in.”
    She opens the door, and we step past her. Ally and my dad are in the kitchen. She runs over to me as I step out of my shoes and gets in my face. I feel like I might fall over.
    “Are you okay?” she whispers. “Are you still H-I-G-H?”
    “You know, I think everyone here can spell.”
    “Shut up, you’re evading.”
    “I’m better. I’m not excellent.”
    A frown settles onto her lips, and she lets me go. Her gaze stays stuck on me. She knows I’m not telling her everything.
    “Later,” I say, and she backs off.
    “What’s for dinner?” Shiloh asks loudly, and we both stare at him.
    Ally slides her hands into the back pocket of her jeans. “FBLT’s.”
    “Fake bacon, lettuce and tomato?” he says with much more excitement than he feels. “My fave.”
    Ally laughs against her will, and we all gravitate toward the kitchen until we’re sitting down. There is a strange energy between my parents that I don’t recognize. They both smile at me with pride in their eyes.
    “Did you meet Shiloh outside?” Mom asks, all nervous energy.
    I nod.
    “Was everything okay?”
    “Yeah,” I try my best I’m-a-normal-kid smile. “You don’t have to be so worried.”
    They let out their collective breath. Dad asks Shiloh for the eighteenth time for a college update, and Shiloh recites the same answer. “Not really sure, Mr. F. I’d like to go to Berkeley for music, but that’s a long shot.” Then we all scold him for being so modest.
    The banter has lost its charm. I want to bang my head on the table and tell them all to shut up, please. The exhaustion is causing my brain to malfunction. I’ve never been this cranky. This is wrong. I hardly ever get upset. I have to remind myself that it’s not actually me feeling this. I’m not cranky from lack of sleep or pissed at the world. It’s that damn girl.
    I try my best to latch onto Shiloh’s calm, but it’s difficult. My filters are disappearing. I manage to steal a little bit of Shiloh’s tapping fingers, but Ally’s anxiety is bleeding through, as well as Mom and Dad’s joint parental curiosity. Whenever Shiloh comes over, both of them have to sit him down and ask a million questions about his mother and everything he’s doing. Ally and Shiloh save me from having to say anything, but they’re getting worried again. I’m being pulled in a million different directions.
    “So what have you been up to?” Mom asks as she starts to pour drinks for everyone.
    “Just thinking about kidnapping Jay and forcing him on a road trip.”
    “That would be so much fun, wouldn’t it?” She grins at me.
    My lips thin into what might have been a smile if I wasn’t in such a bad mood.
    Dad furrows his eyebrows. “You okay? Did something happen when you were out?”
    It’s code for: Did you have a panic attack?
    “Just didn’t get a good night’s sleep.” I manage to smile, so they won’t think I can’t handle the outdoors. “After Ally dragged me to Shell’s party, I was pretty exhausted. Still shaking off the tired.”
    Dad elbows me softly. “Dinner’s in a little bit, but you should eat something now. You had a big night.”
    Even though I have no appetite, I take an apple and manage a few bites. I need them to stop worrying; it only makes me feel guilty. But I can tell they are just as happy with me for going out.
    When my parents release us from the conversation, the three of us head back to my room. Ally corners me, and Shiloh stands helpless on the sidelines.
    “What the hell is going on?” Her finger is pointed at my face.
    All the air empties out of me with a sigh, and I sink to the floor with my back against my bed. “Something