Free House Party by Eric Walters Page B

but
I
don’t even like being at home alone at night,” my mother said.
    Actually I didn’t really like being home by myself when my parents were out for the evening. The house was old and it made serious squeaks and creaks. It sometimes sounded like somebody was walking around when there was nobody here but me.
    â€œI’m
old
enough to be alone, and you
could
leave me alone, but it would be okay for me to stay at Jen’s.” I paused.A different solution came to mind. “Or maybe Jen
could
stay here with me.”
    â€œYeah, I could check and see if I could stay here overnight,” Jen said. “That would be fun!”
    My mother shook her head emphatically. “I don’t think so, but please check to make sure it’s all right for Casey to sleep at your house.”

Chapter Two
    I came back to my room carrying a tray holding two glasses of milk and four cookies. Jen was still on the phone with her mother. There was no question that I’d be able to sleep over. Jen’s mother never said no to her. Jen said she hadn’t heard a “no” from either parent since they had separated the previous year.
    â€œOkay…sure…no problem,” Jen said. “I’ll be home around seven…okay…thanks.”
    She put down the phone, looked at me and smiled.
    â€œIt’s all set. My mother said it was all right for me to sleep here on Saturday night.”
    â€œThat’s good. Then I can…wait a second… did you say for
you
to sleep
here
?”
    She nodded.
    â€œThat wasn’t what you were supposed to ask. I was supposed to sleep at
your
house.”
    â€œBut that wouldn’t be as much fun,” she said.
    â€œBut my mother said you couldn’t sleep here, but that I could sleep at your house.”
    â€œAnd that’s why we’re not going to tell your mother. Or mine.”
    â€œBut we can’t do that!” I protested.
    â€œOf course we can. I only have two questions,” Jen said. “How many and who?”
    â€œWhat are you talking about?” I demanded.
    â€œWho do we invite, and how many do we invite.”
    â€œInvite to what? Invite where?”
    She smiled. “To the party, this Saturday, right here at your house.”
    â€œBut we’re not having a party. My parents would never let me have a party.”
    â€œThat’s why we’re not inviting them, asking them or telling them,” Jen said. “What they don’t know, they can’t object to.”
    â€œI can’t do that,” I said, shaking my head.
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œMy parents would kill me if they found out I was throwing a party while they were gone.”
    â€œFirst off, they wouldn’t actually
kill
you. What’s the worst thing they could do? Ground you? Take away your allowance?”
    â€œThey could do that.”
    â€œBig deal. If they took away your allowance, I’d treat you for a couple of weeks. Besides, they’re not going to find out. They’re going to be hundreds of miles away, right?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œNo matter how loud we turn up the music, they won’t be able to hear it from that far away.”
    â€œBut somebody could tell them,” I protested.
    â€œWho?”
    â€œYour mother for one.”
    â€œWe just keep them away from each other for a few weeks, and by then it’ll be done and past.”
    â€œHow about neighbors?”
    â€œYou told me your parents hardly know the neighbors. Besides, do your neighbors usually know what’s going on inside your house?”
    â€œOf course not!”
    â€œThen why would this Saturday be any different?” she asked. “Nobody would know if we had a few people over, would they?”
    â€œI guess not.”
    â€œBesides, you hardly have neighbors.”
    She was right about that too. Our street was at the edge of town, and our house was at the end of our street. It