"Mom! Please! You're embarrassing me in front of the guys!"

I could hear Antonio's groan clear into the kitchen. Kendall, James and I grinned at each other. Poor kid! Mr. and Mrs. Garcia were meeting friends for dinner, and Mrs. Garcia gave Antonio strict instructions to go to bed after the movie was over.

"Mom! I'm in high school now!"

That was Carlos. Apparently Mrs. Garcia forgot parent protocol and kissed her two boys goodbye before Mr. Garcia could whisk her out of the house. Kendall, James and I wiped the smirks from our faces when Carlos and Antonio came into the kitchen. Carlos rolled his eyes.

"Parents!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah," Kendall and I said together.

I shivered.

"Isn't it unusually cold in here?"

"Well, duh," James said as he stood in front of the refrigerator. The door stood wide open as James selected some items for his beverage.

"What is it you're making anyway?" Carlos asked.

"Green ice tea."

Antonio made a face.

"It's not really going to be green, is it?"

"Of course not," James said. "One of the ingredients is a very nutritious green tea."

"Why can't we drink soda like normal teenagers?" I asked.

"Yeah," Kendall said. "We're eating popcorn, pretzels, potato chips, and Fruit Smackers. What's a little soda gonna do?"

"Rot your insides," James said. He shut the refrigerator door and began mixing his ice tea concoction.

Not even the odd chill in the air was going to upset my mood. I whistled as I carried two large plastic bowls of popcorn into the family room. I had aced the chem test and tonight I wanted to relax and enjoy a good movie with my best friends.

I stopped short and my jaw dropped open. There were already two bowls of popcorn sitting on the cabinet.

"Very funny, James!" I called out. "You're a real riot!"

No. James wasn't that clever. Kendall. It had to be Kendall.

"Good one, Kendall!" I exclaimed.

I closed and opened my eyes again. I looked at the cabinet and the two bowls of popcorn had disappeared.

Carlos and Antonio's idea of an elaborate joke? They certainly would have had time to rig something to make it look like I was losing my mind. I supposed I deserved it; always hinting that their new home was a little odd and maybe even haunted.

I placed the popcorn bowls on the cabinet and sat down on the couch. The odd chill followed me from the kitchen and filled the family room. I wanted to jump up from the couch and back out of the room, making a beeline for the kitchen. My stomach growled and I reached for a handful of popcorn instead.

"Carlos! Get your fat hand out of my popcorn!"

"I don't know who this Carlos fellow is. But I'll thank you to get your fat hand out of my popcorn."

A brown haired boy about fifteen years old plopped down on the couch next to me. The boy stuffed a handful of popcorn into his mouth and then held out his hand.

"Name is Mitch," he said.

"Logan," I said. I smiled, trying to cover up my shock. I'd swear Mitch appeared out of thin air.

"Nice to meet you, Logan," Mitch said. "I am so looking forward to watching Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones tonight."

"Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones?"

"Yeah. I read in TV Guide that ABC is going to air it tonight. It's the movie of the week." Mitch reached for another handful of popcorn. "I raced through my algebra homework so it'd be done for first period tomorrow."

I looked oddly at Mitch. "Tomorrow is Saturday. There's no school."

Mitch shook his head emphatically. "No. No, tomorrow is Thursday and I have algebra first period."

Kendall Knight entered the family room carrying a bag of potato chips. James and Carlos followed him. The three boys stared at Logan with pity.

"Logan's having a conversation with your couch, Carlos," James said. "Talk about a guy who needs to chill out."

Kendall shook his head. "That chemistry test must've fried his brain."

"Who're you talking to, Logan?" Carlos asked.

"Mitch."

"Who?" Carlos asked.

"Mitch. He's sitting next tome on the couch waiting for the movie to start."

Dude, there's nobody in here but us," Carlos said.