“I never met his mother. I don’t know if she’s invisible or not.”
“Well, I’m sorry, Bing,” the man with the green socks says, though he isn’t looking at Bing at all. “Will that do?” he asks me.
“Yes,” I say. “That was very nice. Where are you going?”
“Denver.”
“Denver! Hey Finn.” I jiggle Finn’s arm. “The man with the green socks is going to Denver too.”
“That’s where the plane is flying, Mouse.”
“Oh. Yeah.” I turn back to the man with the green socks. “Of course you’re flying to Denver,” I tell him.
The man with the green socks laughs.
I look at my mouse watch. “Do you know what time it is there?”
“It’s one hour forward.”
I shake my head. “Time isn’t supposed to move around like that.”
“I don’t like it either,” he agrees. “I do a lot of flying and I never get used to it. The sky will be blue as can be, but your watch says it’s midnight. Midnight where you used to be. Eight in the morning where you’re going. Who can keep track?”
I understand about not getting used to things. Pluto is one of those things I’m not used to either. Nobody has been able to tell me one good reason why he’s not a planet. Not one. Then I think an awful thought. What if My Solar System isn’t in my suitcase? What if Marvin has it right now and he’s blacking Pluto out of the book?
“Finn, Finn! Could you get my suitcase down? What if Marvin has my book?”
“Who is Marvin?” Finn asks. The man with the green socks looks at me like he wants to know too.
“Finn, c’mon . . . pleeeeeease. All you have to do is pull up that metal thingy, see right there, right up there, and then the bin pops open—”
Finn’s head doesn’t move, only his eyes look sideways at me. “India will kill us,” he whispers.
I don’t care about stupid old India. It’s Pluto that’s important. “C’mon Finnnnnn,” I plead.
He makes a grumbling noise in his throat, but he unsnaps his seat belt, stands up, opens the bin, and pulls down my suitcase.
“I get to unzipper it. I do. Let me!” I shout.
Finn puts his hands up like he surrenders. I unsnap my seat belt and unzipper the bag. Inside is my toothbrush, my other blue corduroys, my shirt, and my favorite pajamas. No socks. No underwear. No explosion equipment and no My Solar System.
All I can think about is Marvin and his permanent marker blacking Pluto out of the book. “I have to get My Solar System,” I let Finn know. Mommy says you’re always supposed to let people know where you’re going.
Finn’s eyes get big. “Mouse, no!” he shouts, but I’m already running down the aisle, between the plane seats—running hard like I’m on the playground racing Jimmy T. I’m beating him too when suddenly, bang. India is smack in front of me. Her eyes have gone wild.
“GO . . . SIT . . . BACK . . . DOWN!” The fringe on India’s vest shakes with each word. She points back down the aisle.
“But India, I have to—”
“Sit down and do not get up again or I will call the police.” She flips open her cell phone, her green fingernails hover over the buttons.
“You can’t call the police on your own sister,” I tell her.
“Try me.”
“You won’t get your learner’s permit if we get in trouble with the police,” I say.
Her head goes sideways. Her eyes get squinty and mean. “You really want to be the one to keep me from getting my learner’s permit?”
“No.” I shake my head as big as it will shake. India follows me to my seat stepping on the back of my shoe, she’s walking so close.
Finn doesn’t say one word now. Is it because he is worried about Uncle Red? Or is it because pimples are poisoning his brain? Every morning I check Finn for pimples and he doesn’t have any, but India says there are invisible pimples that grow under your skin. I’m not sure what I’ll do if pimple pus turns Finn mean, like what happened with India.
Now I have to go to the bathroom. But I don’t want to go in a strange bathroom, so I hold it like at school. I will hold it until we get back from Uncle Red’s. I only like the toilet paper at home.
CHAPTER 6
TIME CHANGE
Will Mom be okay for so long by herself? Will she go to my cousins’ basketball games? Will she eat with Aunt Sammy and Uncle Tito? What if she can’t get a job in Colorado? What if she decides to stay in California?
Will there be a basketball team in Fort Baker? Is it too late to get on it? Should I have asked Coach P. for a recommendation? Does Uncle Red like basketball? What kind of a hoop did he get?