Lucy rolls her eyes, chuckling. “That’s awful.
James chewed his baby carrot. “Eh… not sure what you mean, doc.”
“Yeah, sure.” Lucy went back to digging in the fridge. “Salami, Molly?”
“Um, I mean if you got it.” I wasn’t holding my breath. None of the Murrays cared for it.
“Here you go.” Lucy chucked a fresh pack on the worn table.
“Wow, lucky.” I started adding slices to my plate of cheese and grapes.
“Lucky nothing.” Lucy’s words were muffled as she emerged with a bag of sliced cheese clenched in her teeth. Her arms were loaded with strawberries, pepperoni, and a block of cheddar. Her next sentence was completely unintelligible.
I snorted. “Sorry, I don’t speak swiss.”
Lucy unloaded her arms and plucked the cheese pack from her mouth. “Ha, ha.” She had wipe some drool from her chin. “I said that Mom always stocks up on salami when you’re coming over.”
“Oh.” I looked down, not really sure how to reply. Luckily, James’ big mouth saved me the trouble.
“But she couldn’t bother with crackers.” He rolled his eyes. “You and your weird blood sugar.”
“No weirder than your braces.” Lucy bared her teeth in a playful grimace.
I popped a grape in my mouth, observing. They seemed to have an easier time ribbing each other ever since James had turned Lucy down. It was like the simple admission that he wasn’t into girls took some hidden imbalance out of the equation.
Or was it simply because only Lucy and I knew? Did the simple act of releasing his secret give James more space to breathe?
I gulped long after swallowing the grape. “So, what movie are we watching?”
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“I was thinking Stranger Things.” James started piling all our snacky options on Mr. Murray’s turkey platter. “May as well watch something weird, since we can’t have a normal movie snack.”
“Sorry, Mom had to cancel Netflix.” Lucy shrugged, used to admitting her family was tight on cash.
“That’s okay.” James took the tray into the living room. “I know my dad’s password.”
“Um…” I started slicing cheddar. “Is that a good idea?”
James’ dad wasn’t big on sharing. I’d once made the grievous mistake of getting a glass of juice without asking. I was promptly kicked out and called a rotten thief.
James offered a crooked grin, popping a strawberry in his mouth and talking around it. “How’s he going to know?”
“Isn’t that what you said about the Xbox.” Lucy flopped onto the couch.
“And the ruffle chips,” I quipped. “And the–”
“Okay, okay.” Jame held his hands up in a tense surrender.
“Just don’t want to lose a musketeer for another month.” I finished with the cheese, rinsing the cutting board and knife before setting the cheddar on the platter.
“Thanks.” Lucy nabbed one the cubed chunks and tossed it in her mouth. “And Molly’s right; your parents are already on a short fuse since your mom lost her license.”
“Fine.” James handed the remote to me and crashed backwards into the Murray's ugly recliner. “You two pick, I don’t care.”
Lucy and I exchanged a look. James’ tone told us he was anything but fine. Experience said if we pushed it, his mood would only grow darker.
“Princess Bride is weird movie,” I offered meekly.
“Can’t,” Lucy sighed. “Buster got a hold of the DVD last week.”
I laughed. “Is that what I was walking all over on Wednesday?”
Lucy’s face broke in a grin and she shoved her glasses up her nose. “Yeah, I hadn’t vacuumed yet. I think I’ll use the pieces in a painting for Mothers Da–”
“God, would you two pick!” James snapped.
Lucy and I gawked, a piece of cheese hanging from my fingers and a half chewed pepperoni in hers. James got up, grabbed a movie from the shelf with out even looking and stuck it in the player. “There, was that hard?”
The menu for Die Hard popped up and Lucy hit play without a word. We mutely munched on the snack as the movie played, absorbing nothing. James' brooding silence swallowed all our attention. As soon as the credits rolled, James grabbed his coat and did his worst Porky yet. “That’s all folks.”
