And—what was this?—Mo’s twin sister Jo (for Josephine) was with them. The guys were negotiating pizza toppings, and Jo was inspecting a pile of coins in her hand.
“Mem, you know Mo and Reed,” I said, pulling up two chairs. “And this is Jo.”
“She’s pretty,” Mem said, his eyeballs popping out as if to touch her. It was the first time I ever saw him look someone in the eye for longer than a flash.
On cue, Mo started snickering and motioning Mem to take the seat next to Jo, sticking me at the far end of the table. Then Mo started whistling “Here Comes the Bride.”
“Knock it off, Mo,” Jo said. “I’ve seen Mem around. Nice to finally meet you.”
“Yup,” he said, staring at his lap. “Really, really nice. To meet you.”
“You’re not at Hull Central. Do you go to private school or something?”
“Yup.”
“Do you board?”
“I’m never bored.”
“No, I mean…” She glanced at me and back at Mem, who was still staring at her all gaga. Then she started studying her pocket change again.
“Whatcha doing with all that money?” Mem asked.
“Looking for American Samoa,” she answered, turning a coin over.
“American who?” he asked, and if he hadn’t, I would have.
“American Samoa,” she said. “I’m collecting all the state quarters. I have almost all of them, but not American Samoa.”
“Not American some more,” Mem said. “American some more.”
“Hey, let’s order already,” she said, standing up and shoving the coins in her pocket. “Half cheese, half pepperoni, right?”
“Can I come?” Mem asked, prompting more laughs from Mo and Reed.
“Uh, I’m only going to the counter, but sure.”
When the two of them were out of earshot, Mo leaned toward me and said, “How’s it feel, having your cousin move in on your crush?”
“Yeah, right.” I couldn’t think of any other comeback, so that’s how I answered, but I hated that it was the same comeback Dirk the Jerk had used on me just a few minutes ago. Truth is, I couldn’t deny liking Jo. Her family is part Abenaki Native American, and she’s got these big black eyes and long black hair and a killer smile. Mo does too, but it doesn’t look half as good on him.
“I don’t know what you see in her anyway,” Mo said.
“That’s because she’s your sister,” I answered.
“No, it’s because she’s the queen of mean.”
“Not true.”
“Dude, I live with her. Believe me, she’s a snob.”
“Well, I think—” I glanced up at Jo and lost my train of thought. She was looking at me from the counter. Smiling slightly. Curling her hair around one finger. When our eyes connected, she burst into a full smile, just for a second, then turned to Mem.
“What’s the deal, anyway?” Reed asked. “With Mem, I mean.”
“Huh?— Oh, my mom’s away on business, so I have to stay with my Aunt Collette and watch Mem while she works.”
Reed peeked over his shoulder at Mem, who was still staring down Jo at the counter. “How long?”
“All summer.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah,” I muttered. And then Jo and Mem were back, Mem with a can of Dr. Pepper and Jo with a bunch of paper plates and napkins.
“You guys got quiet all of a sudden,” Jo smirked. “What are we interrupting?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly. “Hey Reed, how about some foosball?”
“Sure,” he said, cracking his knuckles. We ended up playing until the pizza arrived.
“Is hot,” Niko said in his Italian accent as he set the pizza on the table. Niko is one of those guys who looks like he belongs on the football field or in the boxing ring—bulging biceps, massive hands, face etched with little scars. Lucky for us and everyone else, he’s as mellow as they come. He sliced the pie and was about to leave when he noticed Mem’s sneakers sitting on an empty chair behind us. “Who is barefoot?” he asked.
It took me a minute to realize it was me. “Oh, Niko, sorry.” I quickly forced my toes into Mem’s small shoes.
“Don’t do it again,” he barked grumpily and walked away.
Wow, where was the laid-back Niko I knew, and who was this imposter? “What’s up with him?” I asked.
“Maybe he’s hungry,” Mem suggested, helping himself to a slice.
“Yeah, maybe he’s hungry,” Jo pretended to agree.
“Whatever,” said Mo. “So, we going swimming later?”
“I’m in,” said Reed with a mouthful. “What about you, Johnny?”
“I—I’m free at three…uh, are you going, Jo?”
“Can’t—I’m due at Patsy’s in a few minutes.”
Before I could say anything else, Reed leaned into my ear and whispered, “Guess you’ll have to wait to find out how she looks in her bikini.”
“I heard that,” Jo glared at Reed. “You know what—I’m outta here. See you, Mem.” She stood up, put a slice of pizza on her napkin, and mouthed, “Sorry, Johnny,” before heading out the door.
“See you,” Mem said as the door jangled behind her.
“Nice going, Reed,” I said, but he only laughed and grabbed another slice.
“Nice going is right, Reed,” Mo chimed in. “She left without chipping in her share. Now we each gotta pay an extra buck.”
That’s when I realized I was stuck paying for both Mem and me. “Hey Mem, you got any money?” I asked on the off chance he might have a couple dollars.
“Yup, here.” He pulled a $50 bill out of his pocket. Fifty dollars.
“Jeez, where’d you get that—Aunt Collette?”
“Nope.”
“Where then?”
He produced a pack of Juicy Fruit gum. “Same place as this.”
“Where?” I asked for the third time.
