Read Online Define "Normal" by Julie Anne Peters - Free Book Online

against the glass. Mrs. Luther added, “You’ll catch your death of cold, especially with wet hair.” She jangled her keys. “Where do you live, Antonia? I’ll drop you off.”
    No, you can’t! I screamed inwardly. “Clear on the other side of town,” I said. “It’s way out of your way.”
    “Nonsense. We’ll just leave a little early and take a detour.”
    Before I could object, she was gone. Jazz said, “She’s made up her mind. End of discussion.”
    Beginning of nightmare, I thought.
    On the ride through town in her brand-new BMW, Jazz’s mother weaved in and out of traffic and cursed drivers. She had a real bad case of road rage. So what? I thought. At least she drives. The classical music playing on the CD was soothing. When Mrs. Luther hummed along with it, the sound was sort of hypnotic. After a while, I zoned out.
    Okay, I reasoned to myself, what could go wrong? Maybe in the dark, through sheets of sleet, Jazz wouldn’t see where I lived. Compared to her palatial mansion, my house was slave quarters.
    When I tuned back in, Jazz and her mom were having an argument. “Couldn’t you at least wear something without holes?” Mrs. Luther peered in the rearview mirror at Jazz in the backseat. “You have an entire closet full of new designer dresses and suits. I wouldn’t even mind if you wore the Levis you bought last week.”
    “I am wearing them,” Jazz said.
    Her mother gasped. “You mean you cut out the knees?”
    “And the butt.”
    I twisted around from the front seat to stare at Jazz. She grinned back at me. She’d taken care to cake on the black mascara extra thick.
    The heat from Mrs. Luther’s white knuckles radiated through her leather gloves. Her hands clutched the steering wheel tighter.
    As we got close to my house, I noticed for the first time how the gate was busted and the screen door hung by one hinge. “Here,” I said quickly. “You can let me off here.” At least Mrs. Marsh’s house was newly painted.
    I reached for the door handle, then hesitated. Something was wrong. It wasn’t the peeling paint or the sagging porch. Our house was dark as death.

Chapter 12
    N ot even the TV flickered through the front window. Which was strange. Michael always had the TV on at night. No lights illuminated windows upstairs. The house looked abandoned.
    Unfortunately, except for the porch light, Mrs. Marsh’s house was dark, too.
    “It doesn’t look like anyone’s home,” Jazz’s mom said.
    Jazz muttered, “Duh.”
    “Th-that’s okay,” I replied. “They probably went out to eat.” Which was possible, since the car was gone. The car was gone? I freaked.
    Mrs. Luther said, “Antonia, I don’t feel comfortable leaving you here alone, especially if your family’s out for the evening. Why don’t you just come eat with us? We can call your parents from the restaurant to let them know where you are. I’m sure they’ll be back by the time we finish. Then I can meet them.”
    My blood froze. No way. Never. Not in this life. I smiled at Mrs. Luther. “Okay. Do you mind if I change first? I still feel kind of wet.”
    “No, not at all.”
    I yanked on the door handle. From the back Jazz said, “I’ll go with you.”
    “No!” It came out a harsh bark, which made Jazz flinch. “It won’t take a minute. I’ll be right back.”
    How could I hide the fact that my house was next door now? If I ran around back … Oh, forget it, I thought. It’s pouring rain. Maybe they’ll start fighting again and forget to notice.
    Racing to the door, I remembered I didn’t take a house key. The sleet running down my hair and neck made me shiver. Luckily the front door wasn’t locked. Which made me shiver again, this time from panic.
    “Michael?” I called. “Mom? Chuckie?”
    Silence. I flicked on the hall light and raced through the downstairs. Nothing. No one. I sprinted up the stairs to the bedrooms. Empty. At least they hadn’t been murdered in their beds.
    “Stop it,” I