“It might just be this area. It’s poor. There’s a lot of trailer parks and stuff,” she said. “Where did you used to live?”

“California.”

“I’ve always wanted to go to California.”

“People were nicer in California. The whole time I was there, there was only one fight at school. And it wasn’t so cold there.” I rubbed my nose. “What about you? You like it here?”

She sighed. “I wish we’d never come. We moved here from Hawaii.”

Hawaii seemed like a foreign country to me and as exotic as any place I could imagine. “I’ve never met anyone from Hawaii. Why’d you move here?”

“My mother got married again. Stan said he had work here but he doesn’t ever work. He just sits around and drinks beer.”

“Think you’ll ever go back?”

“I hope so.”

“How’s the heating pad?”

“It’s really warm.”

“Good,” I said. “You can adjust it if it gets too hot.”

“Thanks.”

“Are you going to school tomorrow?”

“It’s Saturday.”

“Oh yeah, right.” I felt a little stupid. “Do you want me to bring you something to eat in the morning?”

“That would be nice.”

I pointed to the orange pump. “If you’re thirsty, it works. Just lift the handle. There’s a cup there.” Joel and I had tied a string to the handle of a tin cup and hung it from the spigot.

“Groovy. It’s like indoor plumbing.”

I smiled. “Well, I’ll go so you can get some sleep.”

“Thanks. Oh, where do you…”

I looked at her blankly.

“…go to the bathroom?”

I blushed. “There’s an outhouse on the other side of the chicken hut. It’s just a little over that way. It’s kinda creepy, but it’s better than nothing.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“All right. Good night.”

I crawled out and shut the door behind me. The snow was falling heavily now; by tomorrow morning there would be several more inches on the ground. I hoped Grace would be warm enough. At least the clubhouse was better than a Dumpster. As I walked back I couldn’t believe a girl was living in my clubhouse. I wondered how long she’d stay.

CHAPTER Six

Last night I slept in a clubhouse in a boy’s backyard.
I don’t know how long I’ll be here, but it’s better than any
of my current alternatives. And it has a transistor radio.

GRACE’S DIARY

SATURDAY, OCT. 13

The house was already in motion when I woke the next morning. I could smell bacon frying and I could hear my mother in the kitchen talking. I suddenly remembered Grace and felt a strange excitement.