Double Fake Read Online Free PDF Page A

a suit and tie. Though classes had ended for the summer, he was at the school most weekdays, taking care of details. Today he was wearing a red golf shirt and tailored shorts. He held up a list and shook it playfully. “Lots of chores,” he said.
    Calvin nodded reluctantly. “I hear you.”
    “Garage door needs to be painted. Got some shrubs to plant along the front of the house. Lawn needs trimming.” Mr. Tait glanced at the list and rubbed his chin. “That’s probably enough.” He looked amused. “For this morning.”
    Calvin sat up and spun his legs to the floor. It was 7:14 A.M. “Starting early, huh?”
    His father winked. “Seize the day.” He made an embarrassing little dance move, tightening his arms and thrusting his hips to the side.
    Calvin winced. “Very cool, Dad.”
    Twenty minutes later Calvin was stirring paint in the driveway.
    “Don’t spill it,” Dad said. “Keep it on the drop cloth.”
    Calvin sighed. “I know, Dad. I don’t intend to spill any.”
    “Just reminding you. When you go too fast, you screw up.”
    “I got it, Dad. You gonna stand there and watch me?”
    “No-ho-ho,” Mr. Tait said, stretching out the word. “I’ve got plenty to do myself. I’ll check up on you from time to time.”
    Yeah, Calvin thought as his dad went back into the house. Like every ten minutes. He climbed a few rungs of the stepladder and started the job, applying the white paint with a brush. It wasn’t a hard job, just tedious around the glass windowpanes. Within an hour he was half done.
    Zero had come over by then, eating a peanut-butter sandwich and examining Calvin’s work. He had bare feet and his curly hair was in disarray from going to sleep right after washing it.
    “Missed a spot,” Zero said, pointing toward the edge of a pane.
    Calvin frowned and dabbed at the spot with his brush. He had a few specks of paint on his arms and his face.
    “You’re turning white,” Zero said with a laugh.
    “Guess I been hanging out with you too much. Your genes are rubbing off on me.”
    “Think you’ll be done soon?”
    “No. But it don’t matter. He’s got me working all day.”
    “Thought we’d hang out later.”
    “We’ll see.” Calvin kept painting as they talked, stopping only to study his work, looking for places he’d missed.
    “Carnival’s next weekend,” Zero said.
    “Think I don’t know that?”
    “We getting anywhere?”
    “Ain’t tried yet. Figured I’d talk to them after the game.”
    “After we beat ’em?”
    “After whatever. You seen them play.”
    “We can beat them.”
    Calvin nodded slowly. “We’d better.”
    The back door opened and Mr. Tait came out. He strolled over and looked at the paint job. “Not bad,” he said.
    “Morning, Mr. Tait,” said Zero.
    “Hello, Zachary. Nice day, huh?”
    “Perfect.”
    They stood quietly for a moment, watching Calvin paint. “Well,” said Zero. “Think I’ll watch some TV. See you later.” He walked across his back-yard and into his house.
    “Ambitious kid,” Mr. Tait said quietly, with a big dose of sarcasm.
    “He’s okay,” Calvin said.
    “He might mow that lawn of theirs.” Mr. Tait motioned toward the Rollisons’ tiny yard, which had patches of worn dirt and many high tufts of grass that hadn’t been mowed in weeks. In contrast, the Taits’ lawn was thick and green and was neatly trimmed at the edges. “You can do ours when you finish here.”
    Calvin was nearly done painting when his mom came out of the house with his four-year-old sister, Chelsea. “Great job!” Mom said. “Look at the work your big man of a brother did, sweetie. Isn’t that wonderful?”
    Chelsea smiled at Calvin. “You got white freckles,” she said.
    “We’re going food shopping,” Mom said. “Anything special you want for dinner?”
    “Nah, but could you bring me a drink or something? Dad’s gonna have me working all day.”
    “I’ll rescue you,” Mom said. “Work until lunchtime. I’ll keep your