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so he’d see I had it. “Don’t make me use this,” I said. I hoped he wouldn’t notice my voice was shaking.
    He moaned again when he heard the sirens. Mrs. Levesque let the cops in, while Patsy, her dad and I stayed in the kitchen with the home invader. His eyes were closed again, but he seemed to be breathing normally.
    Four cops rushed into the kitchen, their hands on their holsters. “This young man managed to subdue him,” Mr. Levesque said, clapping me on the shoulder. One of the cops loosened the home invader’s hands from the table leg. At the same time, another one clasped a pair of handcuffs around the home invader’s wrists.
    I recognized the last cop. It was the woman from the police station — the one who’d complained about her boyfriend’s kid. “What are you doing here?” she asked, her eyebrows arching as she spoke. “Your stepfather’s supposed to be supervising you.”
    â€œI guess he’s not doing a very good job,” a voice said. I didn’t have to turn around to know it was Clay. He was standing in the hallway, his cowlick sticking up. For the first time ever, I was glad to see him. Well, kind of glad, anyhow.
    â€œWhat
were
you doing here?” Patsy wanted to know after the police had escorted the home invader from the Levesques’ house. We were standing on the front balcony. Clay was inside, chatting with Patsy’s parents.
    I shrugged my shoulders. “Are you sure you really want to know?”
    â€œOf course I do,” Patsy said.
    â€œI don’t want you to think I’m a freak,” I whispered.
    I thought Patsy might turn away, but she didn’t. “Look,” she said, “whatever it is, you can tell me.”
    â€œThe thing is,” I said as I looked up into her eyes, “I’m kind of a home invader myself.”

Chapter Thirteen
    â€œNo,” Patsy said, blocking my hand when I tried to reach into my pocket for money. “I want to pay for both of us.”
    â€œNo way,” I told her. “Next time.” I wanted her to know I hoped there’d be a next time.
    It wasn’t exactly a date. I’d been invited for dinner at her house, and it had just seemed kind of natural to suggest catching a movie at the mall afterward. I already liked Patsy,but I liked her even more when she told me she was into martial arts movies.
    I was a bit worried that it’d be hard to make conversation, but so far we had lots to talk about. Clay told me that on his first date with my mom, he’d actually written up a list of stuff they could discuss. But in the end, he’d said, he hadn’t had to use it.
    â€œSo what did you think of my mom’s lasagna?” Patsy asked as we got closer to the ticket booth.
    â€œShe makes great meat sauce.”
    Patsy laughed. “You mean tofu sauce.”
    I gulped. “That was tofu? I hate tofu.”
    â€œI thought I hated it too. At first. Then I got used to it.”
    â€œYour mom and dad seem to be doing okay,” I said. Patsy and I hadn’t talked much about what had happened that day at her house, but I had this feeling I had to say something. After all, I knew more about her family than most people did. And of course, she knew a lot about me too.
    â€œMom’s a lot happier now that Dad’s in counseling for his gambling problem,” Patsysaid as casually as if we were still talking about lasagna. I looked around to check no one else was listening in. “Mom and I are gonna have to go too. For family counseling,” Patsy added.
    â€œThey want me to go too,” I said, dropping my voice.
    When Patsy smiled, the skin around her eyes crinkled. “Family counseling is in,” she said.
    â€œIt is?”
    I was glad she let me pay for the tickets.
    â€œDo you want butter on your popcorn?” I asked her as we headed for the concession counter. There was a line there too. Oh