Suzie’s House 543 : Lisa’s House

Lisa’s mother was in her kitchen with a laptop on the table in front of her and a stack of bills next to her when Lisa opened the door. Ben and Gene stood on the stoop.

“Hi Lisa.” Ben grinned like a little boy playing a prank.

“Pardon,” Gene brushed past that annoying way he always did. “Bedroom?”

“Yeah, Tracy’s in her room.” Lisa stepped back to let Ben in because unlike Gene, Ben was a gentleman. She still liked that about him.

“Ah! No you don’t, young man.” Mom jumped up, almost knocking over her kitchen chair. She had a clear view from her seat through the living room to the front door, so she saw everything. “No boys alone in girls rooms. You know the rule.”

“Right.” Gene nodded acknowledgment. Then he leaned into the hall and shouted. “Tracy! I’m here.”

“Yeah. Coming,” Tracy called back.

Great. Now they’d have to all hang out in the living room in front of Mom. They’d have to all be little angels or she’d kick them out. Well, whatever. Lisa dropped into the sofa next too the front door. Ben sat right next to her. He scrunched his eyebrows at her, but also clamped his teeth tight enough to make hollows show up in his cheeks. He probably had something on his mind that he didn’t feel like he could talk about.

“Don’t say anything about your place,” Lisa whispered to him. The last thing they needed was to have her mother get upset about how dangerous their haven had become.

He looked relieved as he nodded.

“So I guess the advertisements have been going pretty well. Did Miranda say anything to any of you about the next one coming out?” Tracy walked in with a folder under her arm that she used for band stuff. “So the album sales are going well, right?”

“Well,” Lisa shrugged. “So far it’s only been like a hundred. But I’ve been told that’s pretty good for a new band when we aren’t even trying to sell the CDs at shows yet. The video has over 20,000 views now. I think we should focus on the next on. Get more sales out of this album before you guys try to cut another.”

While Lisa was talking, her mother got up and fluttered around in the kitchen. It made Lisa’s chest tight.

“I’ve got some ideas,” Ben said. “But I think I want to develop them on my own this time.”

Lisa was still trying to find a diplomatic way of accusing Ben of losing his nerve because she didn’t let most of his ideas into the current video when Mom walked in.

“Is that what you’ve been working on lately?” Mom set a bunch of glasses of lemonade on the table. She must have just mixed it up, because there hadn’t been any in the fridge a little while ago.

“Mom. You don’t need to bring us snacks.”

“I don’t mind snacks,” Ben said wistfully. Well, he was out of luck because the closest thing to a snack they had in the house was a box of saltines,

“I know. I know. I just thought, since you had guests.”

“Guests.” Tracy looked to the side with a small frown. “Yeah.”

This was why Lisa didn’t want her mother to come out with things like lemonade. It made them all feel like they weren’t at home. They were only welcome so far. Imagine if Bruce had come over. Or if Emma suddenly felt like putting on a mask.

“Well, I’ll leave you all alone.” She gave Tracy and Gene a sharp look before she left, though all they were doing was sitting close enough you could make a playing card stand up between their hips.

They all sat there silently, watching her go back to the kitchen. Once she was gone they started arguing about whether it was better to write new songs now or make another video.

“Venezuela!” Mom practically howled. “That woman is in Venezuela. And sending me the bills! How am I supposed to pay this?”

“Must be your mom again,” Lisa said to Tracy.

Tracy sucked in her lower lip. She nibbled it thoughtfully for a minute.

“I got money,” Gene said. “From the gigs. I don’t need it.”

“I have some saved up too.” Tracy darted a look at the kitchen.

“Don’t you kids have homework?” Mom said it in that raised I-don’t-want-to-hear-a-word-from-you voice.

“No, Ma’am,” Gene said respectfully. “Or none we haven’t done yet.”

“I just finished mine.” Tracy smirked.

“I did mine in class,” Ben said.

“Of course mine is done,” Lisa said, mildly insulted that her mother even needed to ask.

“Well, then go… just go play outside. I can’t think straight with all this noise.” She talked as much to the bills on the table in front of her as to them.

“Right Mom.” Lisa got up. “Let’s see if Emma’s home. I wanted to ask her some stuff about our next video anyway.”

It wasn’t until they hit the sidewalk that they could talk about killers and how to go after them.

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