Page 56 of Spit Screen

“Oh. Right. Sure. Leo,” I say. “These are my parents. This is Leo. He’s in my class.”

“Hello, Leo.”

Leo looks at my mom. “Hi. You’re Vicki’s mom?”

Mom smiles. “I think so,” she teases him.

“Cool. My dad likes you. That’s what my mom says.”

I want to smack my head.

Momma bites her lip to keep from laughing.

“Everyone likes my mom,” Hannah says.

She doesn’t get it.Iget it.

“Oh—I’m sorry,” a woman says. This must be Leo’s mom. She looks terrified or embarrassed. Maybe both.

“Leo.” She says it like Mom says my name when she wants me to be quiet.

Mom holds out her hand. “Emma,” she introduces herself.

“Oh, yes. Um. Linda—Leo’s mom. He talks about Vicki all the time.”

I look at Leo. I wonder if he likes me the way his dad likes Mom. Weird.

“I am sorry to bother you,” Leo’s Mom says.

“Please,” Mom says. “Don’t be sorry.”

“I’m sure the last thing you want is people bothering you, Ms. Bronson.”

I watch Mom take a deep breath. “Linda,” she says. “It’s Emma. Just Emma.” She looks down at Leo. “Or Mrs. Blake.”

“Please don’t worry about talking to us,” Momma says. They’ve been through this before. I can tell.

Leo’s mom nods. “It’s—we’ve never had anyone who’s?—”

“Famous?” I ask.

Everyone looks at me.

“What?” I ask. “We all know you're famous, Mom. Geez.”

Mom chuckles.

I look at Leo’s mother. “Don’t worry,” I tell her. “Momma will probably burn cookies for a bake sale, and Mom forgot it was her day once for carpool last year.”

“Vicki!” Momma says. She’s not mad, though. I know because she starts laughing, and so does Mom.

“And now, you have the real exposé,” Mom says.

They all start laughing. I don’t know why that’s funny. Parents can besoweird.

“Did you see the cool Lego rocket?” Leo asks me.

I shake my head.

---