Chapter 54

“You know that little tongue thing sticks.”

Alan frowns at him. “Tongue thing? What?”

“In the lock,” Brooks mutters. “You know. The latch. If you lock the door from the inside and then try to close it behind you, sometimes the latch doesn’t push in and the door won’t shut.”

Alan isn’t sure he’s following. “So you broke the window how?”

“I pulled the door and it wouldn’t close.” Brooks sniffles, wipes his nose again. As soon as they get home, that hoodie needs to get washed. “So I slammed it really hard and the end of my skateboard hit the window, and it broke. I thought I probably woke you up making so much noise so I just took off. I didn’t even check to see if the door was shut. I’m sorry.”

Alan takes a deep breath, and the last of his anger evaporates. He won’t ask about the game consoles—chances are Brooks has a handheld one tucked into the front pocket of his hoodie. And he’ll address the mess in Brooks’ room once they’re home.