The Stranger Next Door Read Online Free

couldn’t the Olsons keep Rocky just until Clifford’s family was settled and ready for her? Then he and Mother and Tim could come and get her, or, if it was too far away, the Olsons could put her on a plane. Dogs flew all the time. It wouldn’t be as good as taking Rocky with them now, but at least they’d be together in the end.
    “She won’t understand,” Clifford said. “She’ll think I’ve abandoned her.”
    “She’ll adjust,” Tim said. “Dogs are resilient.”
    “Well, I’m not,” Clifford said. He stood up, facing his parents. “If you make me leave Rocky behind, I’ll turn into a juvenile delinquent. I’ll never do another sentence of homework. I’ll refuse to take a shower after PE, and I’ll talk back to the teachers.”
    Anger made the words spill out like unpopped popcorn from an open bag. “I’ll be disruptive in class; I’ll start foodfights in the cafeteria; I’ll carve graffiti on the top of my desk.” Clifford’s voice got louder. “I’ll spit on the floor and write with markers in the library books. I’ll get myself kicked out of school!”
    His mother gasped.
    Tim looked angry. “This discussion is over,” he declared. “Go to your room.”
    Clifford stomped up the stairs, then slammed the bedroom door behind him so hard that the windows rattled.
    He sat on his bed, stunned by his parents’ announcement.
    Ten minutes later, Mother knocked on his door.
    “It’s time to leave,” she said.
    Clifford hastily stuffed some clothes into his suitcase, put his favorite books in his backpack, then trailed her down the stairs. As he reached for the Dodgers jacket that he had worn home from school, Mother said, “You won’t be able to wear that jacket. We can’t take anything with a team name from this area.”
    Clifford looked at her in disbelief. The Dodgers jacket had been his Christmas present.
    Mother seemed near tears, but she said, “I’m sorry. The jacket stays here.”
    Furious, Clifford dropped the jacket on the floor. He looked around for Rocky, to say good-bye, but didn’t see her. He supposed she was already over at the Olsons’.
    Feeling as if he had been caught up in a tornado and was being blown away to some unknown destination, he followed his mother out the front door.
    Tim waited in a white car that Clifford had never seen before. A man, who was introduced as Mr. Valdez, sat behind the wheel. Tim sat beside him in the passenger’s seat. Clifford and his mother got in back.
    As soon as the doors closed and the seat belts were buckled, Mr. Valdez drove out of the driveway.
    Clifford twisted around to look out the rear window. “Good-bye, house,” he whispered. “Good-bye, Rocky.” Tears trickled down his cheeks.
    He heard sniffling beside him. When he looked at his mother, he saw that she was crying, too.
    Clifford hunched into the corner on his side of the car. I’ll run away, he thought. I’ll sneak out the first chance I get and come back and live with Nathan. Nathan’s family likes dogs; they’d let me keep Rocky.
    No one spoke for the first half hour. Then, as they drove north on the freeway, Tim turned to Mr. Valdez and said, “Do you know yet what our new names will be?”
    “The last name is Morris,” Mr. Valdez replied. “Your first name will be Blake; your wife’s will be Ginny.”
    “What are you talking about?” Clifford asked.
    “He doesn’t know?” said Mr. Valdez.
    “Not yet,” Tim said. “We didn’t want to take a chance of anyone else finding out.”
    Tim turned around to face Clifford. “We’re changing our names,” he said. “From now on I’m Blake Morris and your mother is Ginny Morris.” Shadows flickered across Tim’s face as he spoke.
    “Why do you have to change your names?”
    “We’ll explain everything when we get to the motel,” Tim said.
    Clifford’s mother said, “Ginny Morris. It isn’t what I would have chosen, but I guess it’s all right.” She leaned forward and asked Mr. Valdez,