American Girl On Saturn by Nikki Godwin Page A

all calm down,” Mom says in her soothing-mom-voice. “What’s going on? Why the screaming?”
    Jules talks first. “Aralie said I couldn’t sing. She insulted all of my talents.”
    “ After he made fun of Mutilated Arteries,” Aralie clarifies. “And I only said what everyone on Twitter has already stated.”
    Mom sighs and looks over at the rest of us. We stay planted, like a jury who is staring at a judge yet too scared to hand over our final verdict. So we remain silent and emotionless.
    “Aralie, can you please not insult our company?” Mom asks.
    My sister opens her mouth to argue, but Mom holds up a finger to stop her. Then Mom turns to Jules.
    “And can you please not insult my daughter’s favorite band just because you may not like them? You do a great job at provoking her,” she scolds the bad boy.
    She steps back and examines the competitors for a moment.
    “You two are so much alike,” she tells them. “Such explosive personalities. Can we just try to get along – or avoid each other – until the end of this lockdown?”
    Aralie gives Jules a death glare and storms out of the room. Benji clears his throat to draw Mom’s and Jules’ s attention.
    “I think I’m gonna go for a swim,” Benji says. “To cool off. Jules should come with me.”
    Mom says it’s a wonderful idea, and the bromance of Jenji exits the room. Emery jumps up to follow, but Mom stops her. She says that the guys need some “boy time.”
    Emery disappears upstairs, leaving me with Tate, Milo, and Noah…and the pixilated cougar on the screen. How has no one mentioned this crazy old woman who wants in Tate’s pants?
    “We should probably go with Benji and Jules,” Tate suggests.
    Noah agrees, something about showing Jule s that they’re all here for him. Noah and Tate head outside, leaving me alone with Milo and the screenshot.

CHAPTER 9
    “I should probably go with them,” Milo says. “Jules is having a harder time with this lockdown bit than any of us.”
    Obviously. He picks fights with my sister any chance he can. Laundry. Twitter followers. Now her favorite band. It’s like he makes it a priority to piss Aralie off. He knows he’s going to provoke her and get under her skin, and he thrives off of it. How dare he play the victim card in front of Mom like that. That untalented jerkoff.
    “You’re right,” I say. I have to get rid of Milo before I take my anger toward Jules out on him. “Go give him one of those mature Milo Grayson lectures. Offer him some Oreos.”
    “Are you kidding? I only share Oreos with you.” He smiles a perfect smile and heads toward the pool. But he stops and looks back. “I’ll see you later?”
    “Definitely.” I say the word too fast.
    Luckily he disappears around the corner. The patio door squeaks when he pulls it open. I wait to hear it click shut before I grab the remote. I stop Emery’s DVD. That old chick can date and mate with Tate some other time. I rush upstairs to my bedroom – away from arguing sisters, untalented bad boys, and cougars after Saturn.
    And there he is on my door. Tate’s head. Again. I peel it off, stick him back on Aralie’s door, and shut myself away in my bedroom. I don’t know what’s so damn funny about Tate’s head on our bedroom doors, but I don’t even feel like arguing.
    I crawl onto my bed, flip open my laptop, and browse the gossip columns to see what new theories have been posted about Spaceships Around Saturn and where they may be. I’ve read everything from a deserted tropical island near Cuba to an underground cave in the depths of the Rocky Mountains. It’s amazing what people come up with on the internet.
    I head over to Twitter to see what’s being said, but I pull up Milo’s account instead. His last tweet was the night of the shooting.
    It reads : About to play NYC! Get pumpedddd! I have the best life everrrr!
    His extra letters make me smile. Below his tweet is a retweet of Noah.
    NYC is about to get Saturnized!