stupid 5K was over. It had taken up her whole morning, but at least she had won, which would look good on her college apps and shut her mother up. Otherwise, it was a total flop. A volunteer told her they wouldn’t break even after they paid for the ambulance, and Sasha had spent more time than she wanted to around Allie’s wacko family.
“Sasha, thanks so much!” Allie’s father scooted over, moving fast on his short legs.
“No problem, Dr. Garvey! I’d better be going home now.”
“Not yet, you have to get your trophy.” Dr. Garvey frowned. “I left it at home, and it will only take a minute. We can stop by the house, and I’ll give it to you.”
“No, that’s okay.” Sasha waved him off, edging away. She couldn’t stand another minute with nerdy Dr. Garvey. “I’ll get it another time.”
“No, please, I called the newspaper, and they said if I send them a picture of you holding the trophy, they might run it. It will get us some good publicity for CF.”
“But I don’t want to impose.” Sasha suppressed an eye roll. “I can get the trophy another time.”
“It’s not an imposition. Come with me.” Dr. Garvey motioned to her, quick-stepping to a brown Honda. “You won’t get to see Allie, though. She and her mother went out to lunch with our friend Fran, doing some catching up. Hop in.”
“Okay, thanks.” Sasha climbed in the car, and they left the clubhouse and steered through the development in silence, since she didn’t care enough to make small talk and Dr. Garvey had no social graces. He drove like three miles an hour. They could’ve gone faster on a turtle. The Garveys were a nerdy turtle family.
“So you won. I’m sure your mother will be very proud. I’ll be sure to email her and tell her how much you helped. Where did you say she was again?”
“Paris, I think.”
“Well, that’s exciting! Paris is supposed to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Have you ever been?”
“Yes.”
“I haven’t.” Dr. Garvey pulled into his driveway, turning off the ignition. “So they’re not home yet. I don’t see Fran’s car.”
“Okay.” Sasha felt relieved that she didn’t have to see Allie or her mother, who’d looked so weird at the 5K, sitting at the registration table behind big sunglasses and not smiling even once.
“We’ll get the trophy and take a picture outside, so they can’t tell it wasn’t taken at the race.” Dr. Garvey got out of the car, and Sasha followed him up the front path to the house, which was a smaller version of hers. He unlocked the front door, and just then the phone started ringing inside the house. Dr. Garvey perked up. “That must be the reporter!”
“Reporter?”
“Yes, she said she’d call! This’ll be great!” Dr. Garvey hurried into the house, and Sasha entered after him. He took the call in the kitchen, leaving Sasha to stand awkwardly in the house, looking around.
The layout was the same as Sasha’s, with the kitchen connected to the family room, and the décor of Allie’s house was exactly what Sasha expected. Flowery stenciling everywhere, tacky furniture with pillows that said BLESS OUR HOME, and no good art. Family photos covered the walls, and Sasha eyed them, not surprised to see that Allie had been fat when she was little, too. Her sister, Jill, had been the pretty one, which sucked.
“Sure, I understand completely,” Dr. Garvey was saying into the phone. “I’m delighted you’d consider interviewing me. We need all the publicity we can get. It will help a very worthy cause, curing CF in our lifetime and saving children’s lives.”
Sasha sighed, standing around with nothing to do. She couldn’t believe she was wasting a beautiful Saturday in Allie Garvey’s cheesy house getting a rinky-dink trophy.
“Yes, I’m available right now. But please, excuse me for a moment.” Dr. Garvey covered the receiver with his hand. “Sasha, the trophy is upstairs in our bedroom. I think I left it on my dresser, on the right. Can you go get it so I can do this interview?”
“Okay.” Sasha headed for the staircase, thinking that only a weirdo like Dr. Garvey would send her up to his own bedroom. She climbed to the second floor and took a left at the top of the stairs, knowing that the master would be on the left and the kids’ rooms to the right. The layout in her house was the same, the parents separated from the kids,