“What just happened?” Crap. I winced from pain. I’d been talking too much.

“Mark’s mom is nuts.”

I gave him a pointed look. Did he not know who he was talking to?

Mason shrugged. “So’s your mom, but this one … she seems nice and … genuine. I don’t like it.”

That earned a snort from me. A mother who was genuine and nice? It made perfect sense why he wouldn’t like it. I’m not sure I liked it either.

He gestured out the window beside him. “Did you know Mark lived down the block from my dad’s?”

I had forgotten, but now I wished I hadn’t remembered.

“Yo. Mark’s mom is hilarious. She just told me she’s Queen Royale of Bitch.” Logan appeared in the doorway and flashed a grin. Holding onto the doorframe from the top, he leaned forward, laughing at the same time. “You see how close we are to Dad’s?”

“I know.” Mason gestured to me. “I was just telling Sam that.”

“Mom’s going to flip when we tell her where we’re staying.”

“Yeah …” Mason was deep in thought. He leaned forward to look out the window and moved so he could see further up the street. “You know Nate’s old house? The one he lived in before his parents moved?”

“The one at the end of the block?” Logan moved next to him. Both were studying a house through the window. “The couple that bought it from them moved, didn’t they?”

Mason nodded. “They’ve been trying to sell it for six months. Want to bet that Mom’s going to move in there?”

“No way. She won’t buy that.”

“Dad’s is three houses down. We’re in this one, and Nate’s old place is three doors the other way. She’s going to go nuts when she realizes how close we are to Dad’s. She thought she finally got us all to herself.”

Logan shook his head. “Man, most of our stuff is at the hotel. She won’t think we’ll want to drive there to grab anything we forgot … it’d be easier to just leave it at Dad’s and grab it when we need it. Or that’s what she’s going to think.”

Mason cracked a grin. “If she doesn’t buy that house, she’s going to rent it. I bet you money. Somehow, Mom’s going to be living somewhere on this block.”

A curse slipped from Logan. “And we’re not telling her we’re only staying here for a week, are we?”

“You want to?”

“No way.” A smile stretched across his face. “This’ll be way funnier when she learns we’ve moved to Sam’s old neighborhood, the ‘poor’ community. Mom will shit a brick thinking she’ll have to live there. She won’t know what to do.”

Listening to them and watching from the bed, a pang went through me. David lived in a poor community according to them. I knew neither cared, but their mother thought like that. It was a middle class neighborhood. People weren’t poor, but they weren’t wealthy. They were normal. I was normal, but I was different from them. It shouldn’t have bothered me, but I was reminded of how different I was from them.

It stung more than a little.

“Hey.”

Mark stood in the hallway now. He glanced around before stepping inside. As he closed the door, everyone grew quiet. “David and Mom are downstairs, so I thought it was the right time to come up and say this.”

The feel of the room changed. It was like a cold blast of wind tore through it, and everyone tensed. Mark said, “I don’t know what you guys have planned.” He glanced at me, but everyone knew he was talking to Mason. “But I’m in for whatever it is. I know how you are with trust. You don’t trust anyone except the three of you in this room. You don’t have to tell me the plan; you don’t have to explain anything to me. Give me a job to do and I’ll do it.” His gaze lingered on me before his jaw hardened and he looked away. “No questions asked. That’s all I wanted to say.”

He started for the door, but Mason stopped him. “One thing.”

Mark paused.

“Your friends can’t come here this week.”

“It’s already done. I told them my mom’s having guests staying here. My mom never says anything, so if you guys don’t say anything, no one will even know you’re here. Not like it’s a secret or anything.” He lifted the corner of his mouth up and shrugged. “Besides, it’s usually only Adam that drops by or comes over for dinner. My house is quiet compared to his, but he won’t ask any questions. My mom has random visitors all the time. We had a homeless dude stay for a week one time when she volunteered at the shelter last winter.”

Logan started laughing. “Your mom can’t be any more opposite from ours.”

Then we heard from the hallway, “MARK!”

“And she summons …”

“MOVIE’S STARTING IN NEGATIVE FIVE MINUTES.”

Mark said to us, “She won’t pick a comedy because she doesn’t want to make Sam laugh.”

That was much appreciated.

“But if we don’t get down there and pick the movie first, the scariest damn movie will be starting. My mom never gets scared from horror films. I have no idea why. Her other sisters are like that, too. I wish I had inherited that gene, but she loves watching the rest of us when we’re close to pissing our pants.” He rolled his eyes. “You’re right Logan, but my mom is not like any other mom. She’s not normal. For real.”

The doorbell rang.

“MARK, GET THE DOOR. THOSE ARE THE PIZZAS.”

He grumbled, but left.

“If Mark wasn’t a cool guy, and if your dad hadn’t got there first, I’d bang Mark’s mom.”

If I could talk easier, I would’ve informed Logan my vomit was coming in three … two … one … I couldn’t and it would’ve hurt to throw up. It hurt to do anything, so I gave him the middle finger. That would have to satisfy me for now.

Logan laughed, and for the rest of night, he flirted. Mason didn’t care. I did. Mark seemed confused, and David shook his head. As we watched a movie about teen wizards, followed by a documentary about polar bears, Malinda seemed to enjoy herself. Her cheeks were red by the end of the night from her wine.

The first night passed quickly and so did the rest of the week.