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Unless you like looking at the backyard.”
    He was right. All I could see from my old room was Darci's rusty swing set. Maybe the storage room would be okay after all. If we could get rid of the bugs.
    Ledward's toolbox weighed about fifty pounds. But it smelled good, like oil. I set it on our garbage can. The hinged lid was puffed up now. The trash was starting to overflow. But it didn't stink too bad. Yet.
    Ledward winked. “You ready?”
    “No.”
    Ledward opened the door and flipped on the light. “Find a broom, boy. We got work to do.”

J ust after noon the next day, Julio, Maya, Willy, Darci, and I found two half-empty paint cans and three corroded aluminum beach chairs in the garage. We dragged them out and sat on them along the edge of our driveway.
    And waited.
    Stella was arriving.
    Mom and Ledward had gone to the airport to pick her up in Ledward's jeep.
    “I've never seen a nanny before,” Maya said.
    “She's not a nanny! Jeese!”
    “What is she, then?” Julio asked. “A babysitter?”
    I leaned forward and put my head in my hands.
    Maya bent close and whispered, “I bet she's pretty.”
    “Hey, Willy,” Julio said. “Since she's a mainlander just like you, she won't even know what's a shave ice.”
    Willy humphed. “Or kimchee.”
    Julio laughed and slapped his knee. “Man, you should have seen the look on your face, ho, so funny!”
    “How old is she?” Maya asked.
    “Fifteen,” Darci said. “Tenth grade.”
    Julio jumped up. “Here they come!”
    My eyes were glued to Ledward's jeep as it came down the street. It was like a paradewas coming, and we were waiting to see the queen.
    Ledward honked as he pulled into the driveway.
    Mom waved.
    I gaped.
    Stella from Texas was in the backseat. Wow, she was like a queen, all right. She glanced at us, brushing her long, windblown blond hair out of her eyes. A suitcase sat on one side of her, and a cardboard box on the other.
    “She
is
pretty,” Maya whispered.
    Julio gawked. “Ho, man.”
    Stella just looked at us. Her eyes were light blue, and when she looked at me, I felt like she could see everything I ever in my life tried to hide.
    I kept staring. I couldn't help it.
    Ledward parked and turned off the engine.
    “Is this the welcoming committee?” Mom asked.
    I blinked and stumbled up. “Uh … yeah.”
    “That's so
nice,
” Mom said. She got out andhugged me. Over her shoulder, I saw Stella pull her hair back, revealing a glinting gold dot at the bottom of one ear.
    “Thank you, Calvin. And thank all of
you,
too,” Mom said to the rest of the welcoming committee.
    Julio, Maya, and Willy gave Mom shy grins.
    Darci was speechless, for once.
    Stella stood up in the back of the jeep. She wore tight jeans and a blue shirt with white snap buttons. When Ledward reached up, she took his hand and stepped to the ground.

    “These are my children,” Mom said. “Calvin and Darci.”
    Darci asked, “Are you going to be my sister?”
    Stella looked down at her. “Why would you think that, darlin’?”
    Ho! She talks funny.
    “And these three live in the neighborhood,” Mom said. “Julio, Maya, and Willy.”
    Stella studied them.
    Willy's mouth hung open, and I couldn't blame him. Stella's eyes were like magnets. You couldn't escape.
    Willy looked down when Stella raised an eyebrow.
    “Do you have a horse?” Maya asked. “I mean, in Texas?”
    Stella turned to Maya, like, What kind of a stupid question is that? “No, I don't have a horse. But I have … I mean, I
had
… a parakeet. I guess it's my mom's now.”
    “What's a parakeet?” Julio asked.
    “A small bird.”
    “Well,” Mom said, clapping her hands once. “Want to see your new room, Stella?”
    Stella shrugged.
    Mom, Stella, and Darci headed into the house. Ledward grabbed the suitcase and box and followed them, making a face at me that said Yow!
    Julio whistled low.

    That night at dinner, Mom did all the talking. Darci watched Stella nibble. I shoveled my dinner