Mrs. H’s old office. You’ll be able to snoop around—in the lion’s den!” I was suddenly very excited (and a little bit jealous) about Stinky’s new top-secret mission.
Stinky was more skeptical. “But why would Mrs. H have anything about Larc in her office?”
“I’m not talking about Larc, man. I’m talking about Mrs. H. Maybe you can find out what she’s doing on the ship.”
“I don’t know, Mike,” Stinky said, and I thought I could actually hear him shaking his head. “Detention? The substitute teacher is almost as pure evil as Mrs. H. And if I get another detention, my mom is going to fry my—”
“I don’t think it could hurt to see what’s there.” I pouted.
“Fine. But don’t get mad when I can’t find anything. Seriously, Mike, if there really is some kind of conspiracy going on, you can’t expect to find clues just laying around in people’s abandoned hard drives.”
“Mother of donkeys, Stinky, do you want to help me or not?”
Neither one of us said anything for a while. “Mother of donkeys” had been one of Hubble’s favorite phrases, and since he’d disappeared, things could get a little awkward when one of us accidentally uttered it.
Finally Stinky spoke up.
“What does Nita think about all of this? Surely she’s noticed your parents acting weird. Did you tell her about the escape pod? I guess she probably doesn’t know about Mrs. H yet.”
“Oh,
man,”
I said loudly, and grimaced, trying to keep my voice lower. “I totally forgot to tell you. Nita isn’t even here!”
“What?!”
“She didn’t pass the security clearance. She’s moving in with Gram.”
Stinky made a
sheeeeew
noise and said, “Mike, that is one important detail you left out.”
I didn’t say anything, because there was another important detail I’d left out, too.
Stinky continued. “Maybe I should find her and tell her about everything.”
I bit my lip and then just started talking before I chickened out. “The thing is, Stink, she was talking really strangely when I saw her last.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if you go talk to her, she may just upset you.”
“What are you babbling about, boogermunch? Out with it.”
As quickly as I could, I mumbled, “Whenshehugged megoodbyeshetoldmetohelpherfindHubble.”
“What?” Stinky’s voice faded into a kind of whisper. “Hubble?”
“I know, man. She told me to watch out for anything weird and to help her try to find him.”
“Well, but … that’s impossible. Isn’t it?” Stinky’s voice sounded like it had the only time he’d gotten punched in the stomach. (Marcy Fartsy, fourth grade.) It had been really hard for him to lose his older brother, and even harder to know that his best friend’s parents might be the reason. Stinky and I had made it through all the weirdness because Hubble had been like a brother to me, too. Hubble had been my go-to guy for questions and advice and everything. Losing him had hurt me almost as much as it had hurt Stinky. Our shared hurt is what had kept our friendship from becoming strained when Hubble vanished.
“So what is Nita talking about?” Stinky asked. “Do you think she knows something?”
“I can’t imagine she’d know anything more than we do.”
“I don’t know, Mike. I bet she does.” Stinky’s voice was stronger now; he sounded more like himself. “I’m going to have to call her.”
I made an exasperated noise.
“Look, I know that nowadays you and Nita want to eat each other for lunch,” Stinky sighed, “but don’t you think, maybe, possibly, she’d want to know that you guys made it safely to the ship?”
“I guess….”
“Shut it.” Stinky switched to his lawyery voice, so I knew he wanted to make a point. “You don’t think that after twenty-four hours with your gram out there in Old Lady-ville, Nita’ll be ready for a little news? You don’t think she’s tired of cooking biscuits and knitting and doing whatever else grandmas do
Stinky was more skeptical. “But why would Mrs. H have anything about Larc in her office?”
“I’m not talking about Larc, man. I’m talking about Mrs. H. Maybe you can find out what she’s doing on the ship.”
“I don’t know, Mike,” Stinky said, and I thought I could actually hear him shaking his head. “Detention? The substitute teacher is almost as pure evil as Mrs. H. And if I get another detention, my mom is going to fry my—”
“I don’t think it could hurt to see what’s there.” I pouted.
“Fine. But don’t get mad when I can’t find anything. Seriously, Mike, if there really is some kind of conspiracy going on, you can’t expect to find clues just laying around in people’s abandoned hard drives.”
“Mother of donkeys, Stinky, do you want to help me or not?”
Neither one of us said anything for a while. “Mother of donkeys” had been one of Hubble’s favorite phrases, and since he’d disappeared, things could get a little awkward when one of us accidentally uttered it.
Finally Stinky spoke up.
“What does Nita think about all of this? Surely she’s noticed your parents acting weird. Did you tell her about the escape pod? I guess she probably doesn’t know about Mrs. H yet.”
“Oh,
man,”
I said loudly, and grimaced, trying to keep my voice lower. “I totally forgot to tell you. Nita isn’t even here!”
“What?!”
“She didn’t pass the security clearance. She’s moving in with Gram.”
Stinky made a
sheeeeew
noise and said, “Mike, that is one important detail you left out.”
I didn’t say anything, because there was another important detail I’d left out, too.
Stinky continued. “Maybe I should find her and tell her about everything.”
I bit my lip and then just started talking before I chickened out. “The thing is, Stink, she was talking really strangely when I saw her last.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if you go talk to her, she may just upset you.”
“What are you babbling about, boogermunch? Out with it.”
As quickly as I could, I mumbled, “Whenshehugged megoodbyeshetoldmetohelpherfindHubble.”
“What?” Stinky’s voice faded into a kind of whisper. “Hubble?”
“I know, man. She told me to watch out for anything weird and to help her try to find him.”
“Well, but … that’s impossible. Isn’t it?” Stinky’s voice sounded like it had the only time he’d gotten punched in the stomach. (Marcy Fartsy, fourth grade.) It had been really hard for him to lose his older brother, and even harder to know that his best friend’s parents might be the reason. Stinky and I had made it through all the weirdness because Hubble had been like a brother to me, too. Hubble had been my go-to guy for questions and advice and everything. Losing him had hurt me almost as much as it had hurt Stinky. Our shared hurt is what had kept our friendship from becoming strained when Hubble vanished.
“So what is Nita talking about?” Stinky asked. “Do you think she knows something?”
“I can’t imagine she’d know anything more than we do.”
“I don’t know, Mike. I bet she does.” Stinky’s voice was stronger now; he sounded more like himself. “I’m going to have to call her.”
I made an exasperated noise.
“Look, I know that nowadays you and Nita want to eat each other for lunch,” Stinky sighed, “but don’t you think, maybe, possibly, she’d want to know that you guys made it safely to the ship?”
“I guess….”
“Shut it.” Stinky switched to his lawyery voice, so I knew he wanted to make a point. “You don’t think that after twenty-four hours with your gram out there in Old Lady-ville, Nita’ll be ready for a little news? You don’t think she’s tired of cooking biscuits and knitting and doing whatever else grandmas do
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