This is What I Did (7 page)

But then weight-loss shakes?

Me: Are these for me?

She stopped the cart and looked all serious at me.

Mom: Logan, no. Are you kidding? You’re a growing boy.

Me: Mmmph . . .

Mom: Do you think you need to lose weight? Do you feel fat?

Me: No, Mom. Sheesh.

Two girls walked by looking at us. Crapstock.

Mom: Well, you’re not. You’re not fat. You are a growing boy.

Me: Hmmph.

Mom: These are for your dad. He’s eating way too much these days and it’s not good for him.

Me: Okay.

I didn’t want to talk about the stupid drinks anymore.

Mom: Haven’t you noticed?

I didn’t say anything.

Mom: Your father is very self-conscious these days. He’s even getting private around me and that’s really big for your father.

Gross. Gross and I wanted her to just stop talking.

But she wouldn’t.

Mom: We can’t tell him these are for him. He really is acting strange. The other night he couldn’t stop talking about his weight and his . . .

I cut her off.

Me: Mom — I have to go use the bathroom.

And I was gone.

I thought I maybe saw Cami’s dad in the parking lot of Costco so I tried to hide.

I know he hates me like he hates Zyler.

He probably thinks we’re the same.

After Costco, my mom and I saw Bruce and Toby and Luke and girls like Carmen and Vanessa and Mallory at the mall.

She saw them first and then I saw them.

We walked faster and they didn’t even know we were there.

Mom is pretty cool sometimes.

Laurel is a pirate in
Peter Pan.

She looked up when she sang.

And she has a really pretty voice.

She has to wear a lot of dark makeup around her eyes for the part.

She does it even though we aren’t close to dress rehearsal or anything like that.

It helps her get into character.

I heard her tell Ms. March that.

Some people think it’s kind of dumb — “overboard like always,” they say.

But

Ms. March said to Laurel: Good for you, Laurel.

I don’t know what a Lost Boy wears yet.

Zyler’s dad has tattoos on his arms.

But I know that tattoos don’t mean you’re bad.

My uncle Phil has tattoos all over the place and he’s the best uncle. He isn’t married and he always goes all over on trips to take pictures for different magazines. Whenever he visits he has the coolest stories and stuff to give us.

His tattoos are cool.

Zyler’s dad’s aren’t.

He’s an electrician and if he wants he can make a lot of money.

He has a big big big truck.

He’s mad all the time but Zyler says not all all the time.

He swears a lot.

He hates it when you talk when he’s watching TV or when you leave the light on anywhere.

He really hates lights on.

He lives with Zyler and sometimes Sharon and he always brought different girls home and Zyler always wanted to sleep over at our house because he hated it there — mostly.

Sometimes he could sleep over and sometimes he couldn’t.

Sometimes his dad wanted him to stay and get drinks and food for all his friends and to be there in case they needed more.

Or sometimes he just wanted him to stay because . . .

Zyler’s dad: You’re my freaking son and you’ll do what the freak I say.

Only he doesn’t go soft and say “freak.”

Here’s when I met Zyler’s dad: Not for a long time until like the summer after fourth.

Here’s why: When we had to do the diorama thing, we always did it at my house. Zyler said we couldn’t go over to his or anything.

Zyler even lived really close to me and we’d ride bikes to school or walk home, but I still never went inside his house.

But then one day in the summer Zyler said: We can hang out at my house if you want.

Me: Okay.

The reason we could I found out was because Zyler’s dad was gone on a contract for three days and Sharon-with-a-boyfriend was going to the lake with her friends.

Zyler: My family is sort of weird.

Me: Oh.

Zyler: That’s why it’s better to come here only if no one is home.

Me: Okay.

The house was sort of really messy with stuff all over.

Not like our house and the chores and can’t leave for school until your bed is made.

But there was also all this expensive stuff like sound equipment and a motor from a car his dad was working on and then all these trophies.

There was one really big trophy.

Me: Whoa, what is that for?

Zyler: That’s Dad’s motocross trophy.

So Zyler’s house was pretty cool.

And Zyler really wanted me to come over so I could see his new flying squirrel.

Zyler: My dad got it from this breeder guy for, like, three hundred bucks.

Me: Three hundred bucks? Are you serious?

Zyler: Yeah, and he said he’ll buy a girl for it and we can sell the babies if I want.

Me: That’s sick.

Zyler: What is?

Me: Making the squirrels do it and everything.

Zyler: It’s not sick — it’s money, man.

And I guess yeah. But I still thought it was sick.

Zyler had the squirrel, an iguana, a boa constrictor, and a cat that we both hated because it was so stupid, but it was Sharon’s cat.

I couldn’t believe how much stuff Zyler had and the pets and the posters and the CDs and the video games with his own TV in his room and everything.

Me: Your room is so awesome. I can’t believe your dad lets you have all this stuff and pets and everything.

Zyler: Yeah. It’s pretty cool.

But just then we heard a loud something pull up. And it was Zyler’s dad in his big big big truck.

Zyler looked out the window and then said: Crap, you gotta go. He’s home early and he doesn’t look good.

Me: What?

Zyler: You gotta get out of here.

But I didn’t get it and I had the iguana on my neck and so I tried to hurry but then that’s when I met Zyler’s dad.

And he was yellow eyeballs and hitting the wall.

He was mad at Zyler for some reason I didn’t understand.

And he told me to get the hell out of their house.

I found out later that sometimes Zyler’s dad was okay.

But most of the time not okay.

Almost never okay.

Practically never okay.

But there was one other time, and this really is true, when Zyler called me and this —

Zyler: Hey, what are you doing?

Me: Nothing.

Zyler: Well, my dad wants to take us to the Nickelcade. Can you go?

Me: Really?

Zyler: Yeah, and I bet he’ll take us to eat after. He’s in a really good mood and he said we can stay as long as we want.

Me: I don’t know.

Zyler: Please, Logan. He said you could come. He even said to invite you and he’s really good at pinball. You should see him.

Me: Okay. I’ll see if I can and then come over.

But then I went upstairs with my coat on and Mom saw me and: Where are you going?

I thought about lying but I didn’t and then Mom said: No way. I’m not letting you go anywhere alone with that man.

Me: Come on, Mom. Just this once.

Mom: No way.

So I didn’t get to go.

Zyler said his dad got the high score on all the pinball machines plus Mortal Kombat, Rad Racer, and Metroid. The highest score of all at the Nickelcade.