The Traveling Vampire Show

His face went crimson.

Mine probably did, too.

“We’ll see,” she told him.

“If we have to sneak out of someone’s house,” I said to Rusty, “why not yours? Why does it always have to be my house?”

“I’m already invited for supper,” he pointed out.

“What’s that got to do with it?”

“I’ll already be there.”

“Right. So then I explain how you’ve asked me to spend the night at your place. And then we go over there after…”

“Just can’t wait to see Bitsy again, huh?”

I grunted as if I’d been slugged in the stomach. “Oh yeah,” I muttered.

“I’m sure she’d love to see you….”

“Never mind.”

“Here’s how to work it,” Slim suddenly said.

I gaped at her.

Rusty actually went, “Huh?”

“Dwight, you tell your parents you’ve been asked to spend the night at Rusty’s house. Rusty, you tell yours that you’re invited to stay at Dwight’s. Then you both come over to my house.”

Stunned again, I mumbled, “Your house?”

“It’ll be perfect,” she said.

I pictured the mess in her mother’s bedroom.

“I don’t get it,” Rusty asked. “Why do we wanta go to your house?”

“We won’t have to worry about sneaking out when it’s time to leave.”

“We won’t?” I asked.

“We’ll have the whole house to ourselves.”

“Really?”

Smiling and nodding as if very pleased with herself, she said, “That’s right.”

“What about your mom?” I asked.

“She’ll be gone. She’s got a date tonight.”

“What do you mean?” Rusty asked. He had a dumbfounded look on his face as if he’d just woken up from a nap and couldn’t figure out what was going on.

“A date, you know? With a guy.”

“Tonight?” I asked. I was feeling slightly dumbfounded myself.

“Who’s the lucky guy?” Lee asked.

Slim shrugged, this time using only one shoulder. “I don’t know. She met him at Steerman’s last night.”

“You don’t know his name?”

“Charlie something. From across the river. He lives over in Falcon Bay. Anyway, he’s taking Mom out tonight in his cabin cruiser.”

“He’s got a cabin cruiser?” I asked.

“A thirty-foot Chris-craft.”

“Holy shit!” Rusty blurted. Then he said, “Sorry, Mrs. Thompson.”

Lee reached over and patted his thigh again. I wished she would stop doing that.

“Mom won’t even be coming home at the end of her shift,” Slim explained. “Charlie’s meeting her at the restaurant. Then he’s taking her out for a night on the river.”

“How do I meet this guy?” Lee asked.

“Hey,” I said.

She laughed.

Eyes on Slim, Rusty asked, “So when’s your mom getting home?”

“I’m supposed to expect her when I see her.” Slim tried to smile, but it didn’t come off very well. “When she says that, I usually don’t see her till the next day.”

I tried not to look upset. “She leaves you alone all night?”

“Sometimes.”

Why was this the first I’d heard about it?

“It’s no big deal,” she said. “I am sixteen.”

“So am I, but… I wouldn’t like it.”

Slim met my eyes. “It’s okay. Really.”

“It’s not that okay,” Lee said. “If you ever feel like coming over here…”

“Thanks.”

“Let me know the next time your mom’s planning to pull an all-nighter, okay? You shouldn’t have to stay alone like that.”

“Anyway,” Slim said, “it’ll work out great for tonight. After supper, we can all hang out at my house till it’s time to go. There won’t be anyone around to stop us.”

“Sounds great,” Rusty said.

“Yeah,” I said.

“Why don’t you come over, too?” she asked Lee.

“Thanks, but I’ll pass. I’ll probably take a nice long nap after supper. Wouldn’t want to fall asleep in the middle of the vampire show.”

“If you change your mind…”

She shook her head. “Not me. But let’s not have any hanky-panky over there. You really shouldn’t be having boys in the house when your mom’s not home.”

“Yeah, but we won’t do anything.”

Looking at each of us, Lee said, “I want everyone to be on their best behavior, okay?”

“We will be,” Slim said. She glanced from Rusty to me. “Won’t we, guys?”

“Sure thing,” said Rusty.

I nodded in agreement.

“Okay,” Lee said. “So then just come on over here around ten, ten-thirty.”

“We’ll be here,” Slim said.

Chapter Twenty-three

When we left Lee’s house a couple of minutes later, Slim led the way. We hurried after her, but she managed to keep ahead of us until we reached the corner.

There, she turned around, faced us, and set her grocery bag down on the sidewalk. “Can one of you give me a shirt?”

We must’ve looked perplexed.

“Come on, come on.” She snapped her fingers. “Dwight, let me have yours.”

“It’s actually Rusty’s.”

“She can have it,” Rusty said.

I took it off and handed it to her.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Rusty said.

As she slipped into the shirt, she said, “I don’t mind much if you guys see me like that, but…” She shook her head. “Not everyone else in town.” She started fastening the buttons. “Lee wouldn’t let me put my own stuff back on after I showered. I wanted to at least put my swimsuit back on, but she said it’s too dirty. Which it is. I’m probably better off not wearing it.” Slim finished with the buttons. “All set.”

“Almost,” I said. “What happened to telling Lee about the dog?”

“Oh, that.”

“Yeah.”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I just didn’t want to screw things up for you guys.”