“I think she’s pretty,” said Josh.
“Well, you’re an idiot,” said Shannon.
“And you’re rude,” said Josh. “If you knew her half as well as I do, you’d understand why she reacted so badly when we arrived. Just give her a chance. You might be surprised.”
“I can’t believe it,” said Shannon. “Josh, you actually like her! I knew I should have told her to back off, that scheming little—”
“Would you shut up?” said Josh.
“Whatever,” said Shannon. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. It’s bad enough with Stephen drooling all over Veronica, but you should know better.” She yanked the bag of cookies out of his hand. “Since you don’t seem to know what to do with these, I’ll put them where they belong.”
She threw them away.
The bus arrived. Josh found a seat on the back row and stared out the window. Shannon’s accusations caused him to finally admit the truth: Lisa was the subject of his thoughts more frequently than he cared to admit. He was still trying to determine the significance of this realization when the bus stopped at the house.
Nothing had changed from the outside, but when Lisa opened the door, Josh saw his father waiting in the living room with Yvonne in his arms. His face was more solemn than usual, and he looked exhausted. Lisa’s mother was sitting on the couch. Richard was also there, pacing up and down. Josh immediately assumed the worst.
“Is she—?” he said.
“She’s at the hospital,” said his father. “She was struggling, so I decided it was time for a second opinion. She’s got a whole team of doctors taking care of her now. They’ve put her on some different pain medications, and she’s feeling a lot better.”
“But what are they doing about the cancer?” said Josh.
“Nothing, until she regains some of her strength,” said his father.
“Does this mean we can finally go home?” said Stephen.
“No, but we won’t be staying here,” he said. “I found an apartment near the hospital where we’ll be living for the next three months. We’ll move there this weekend if everything works out. Nothing else will change. You’ll still go to the same school, of course, and when your mom is ready for visitors, you’ll be just a few minutes away.”
Josh wanted to be happy, but he felt empty inside. He wouldn’t get to see Lisa nearly as much if they moved away. He glanced at her, expecting her to be overjoyed to finally get rid of his family, but her eyes were downcast.
“Can Veronica come with us?” said Stephen.
“No, but you’ll get to see her at school,” said his father.
Shannon alone seemed enthusiastic about the arrangement. With a derisive smile at Lisa, she hurried upstairs. Veronica and Stephen vanished into the kitchen, looking bereaved. Lisa and her mother followed them. Josh didn’t want to upset his father, but he couldn’t think of anything cheerful to say.
Richard stopped pacing.
“Arthur, this is a bad idea,” he said. “Your family shouldn’t be stuck in a trashy little apartment. It’s not safe.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I’ve already made up my mind,” said Josh’s father. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to set Yvonne down for her nap. She’s been awake all day. We’ll talk about this later, but I might as well tell you you’re not coming with us when we move.”
He left before Richard could reply.
“What are you going to do?” said Josh.
“The same thing I’ve done before,” said Richard. “This isn’t the first time your dad has kicked me out of the family. I’ll retreat temporarily and give him some space. Precedent is important in situations like this, but fortunately for me, there’s something your dad hasn’t considered.”
“What’s that?” said Josh.
“You,” said Richard. “I’m not trying to blame you, but it’s your fault your mom is in the hospital. Your dad listens to you, Josh. I don’t know what you told him, but it made him reevaluate everything.”
“I wasn’t trying to cause any trouble,” said Josh.
“I know, but you obviously had an agenda,” said Richard. “I’m impressed. Without even mentioning Graham, you somehow managed to manipulate your dad and stop your mom’s treatment. It’s especially interesting to me that you only decided to interfere after spending time with Lisa.”
Josh didn’t reply.
“I’m not surprised,” said Richard with a smile. “Lisa is an intelligent girl, and if she told you what I think she told you, I don’t blame you for wanting to get your mom as far away from her father as possible. You don’t trust him.”
“That’s your opinion,” said Josh.
“Excellent,” said Richard. “I’m glad you’re capable of keeping secrets. Knowledge is power, Josh, but only if you’re clever enough to use it properly. Remember that, and you’ll be okay. Now, come with me. I have a gift for you.”
Josh followed Richard upstairs. He couldn’t decide if Richard was irritated at him or proud of him. They went into Richard’s room. Josh noticed that Richard had already packed his rucksack as if he had anticipated having to leave.
Richard lifted the mattress. Josh saw the notebook lying there in all its tattered glory. Richard handed it to him.
“I want you to have this,” he said. “Your family is in more danger than ever before, and it’s the best weapon I can give you. Graham still wants it, and his obsession with it will become even more extreme now that your mom is beyond his reach. Peterson obviously needs it, or he wouldn’t have sent Graham to find it in the first place. There’s no knowing what condition he’s in, but I think we can safely conclude he doesn’t remember what he did with the drug.”
“Then he probably doesn’t remember you either,” said Josh. “You can’t have it both ways.” His interest in the contents of the notebook paled
