Brian’s door, the one directly across from mine. Change of plans . I toed the door open and settled into the brown leather bean chair he used while playing video games. Nothing was out of place. Everything was just as it was the day we went out.
“I promise you, he always leaves it unlocked,” Jenny said, as we all piled out of her tiny car and started up the winding road that led from the cabin to the shed by the water. Somehow, Brian and I, the tallest out of the four, were stuck in the back with no legroom for the two-hour drive to Lake George.
“Race you.” I tagged Brian and catapulted forward, the soles of my sneakers skidding on the gravel.
“You’re no match for me,” he said, yanking on my ponytail and throwing me off balance.
When we had all reached the large blue shed, Jenny tried the door. “It’s stuck,” she said.
“Let the man try,” Brian said. Brian gave it a good pull.
“It’s not stuck, Jenny. It’s locked. Did you think to mention it to your dad that we were coming?”
“He never locks the shed. Just the cabin.” She pulled out her cellphone. “Let me call him. I’m sure there’s a spare key somewhere.”
“I’ll be right back. I think Jenny has some blankets in the trunk. We can just hang out,” Mimi said.
Jenny never reached her father. We spent the afternoon lazing around on the grass behind the dock instead, watching the boats speed by and the sun sparkle on the water’s crystal surface.
When Brian and Mimi made up some story about looking for some skipping stones, I decided to put Jenny on the spot. “What’s going on with them?” I asked, when I was sure Mimi and Brian were out of earshot.
She grimaced. “What do you mean?” Jenny was a terrible liar.
“Spill it,” I said. “I’ve been watching them give each other googly eyes all day.”
“Mimi said she wanted to tell you herself. She said she wouldn’t do it if she didn’t get your permission.”
“Do what?”
“Date Brian.”
“What do you mean, date Brian? He has a girlfriend. Not that I like her all that much but Brian isn’t the type to cheat.”
“He told Mimi that if she was willing, he’d break it off with Allison. She said she would think about it and told me that she wanted to ask you first.”
I wiped the crumbs on my jeans, left the plate on the desk and crawled into a fetal position beneath the plaid patchwork quilt of Brian’s bed. The sheets still smelled like him. I turned my face into the pillow and inhaled. Not too deeply . Can’t have the scent of him disappear just yet . I clenched the edges of the blanket. Tears streamed down my face and I opened my mouth wide in a silent scream.
It was midnight when I woke up. I picked up the dish of stale leftover crusts and went out to drop it in the kitchen sink.
The television glowed but the volume had been muted. With no sign of my dad, I padded to my own room and shut the door. I got out of my clothes and into leggings and a sweatshirt. I lay in bed, thinking about the last few days and how the outrageous events had to be part of a major, concussive hallucination.
Leaning over my bed, I grappled in the dark for the book. When I felt it beneath my fingers, the doubtful thoughts in my head melted away. I relaxed back into the mattress and went back to sleep.
“How’s it hanging?” I asked Ghosty, as I adjusted my position to stretch out my hamstrings.
As usual, the black Dybbuk, as Mr. Flynn referred to these inky spirits, sat motionless on the grass. After seeing Allison’s strange behavior and Ms. Halle’s psychotic break, I knew I should keep a distance but for some reason, this one felt different. It felt more lost, not as malicious.
When I got back into the house after my run, my dad was already gone. So said the hot pink sticky note on the fridge with the words Be Home Late.
After the well-deserved shower, I stood in front of the open closet, staring at my clothes. I caught my reflection in the
“I promise you, he always leaves it unlocked,” Jenny said, as we all piled out of her tiny car and started up the winding road that led from the cabin to the shed by the water. Somehow, Brian and I, the tallest out of the four, were stuck in the back with no legroom for the two-hour drive to Lake George.
“Race you.” I tagged Brian and catapulted forward, the soles of my sneakers skidding on the gravel.
“You’re no match for me,” he said, yanking on my ponytail and throwing me off balance.
When we had all reached the large blue shed, Jenny tried the door. “It’s stuck,” she said.
“Let the man try,” Brian said. Brian gave it a good pull.
“It’s not stuck, Jenny. It’s locked. Did you think to mention it to your dad that we were coming?”
“He never locks the shed. Just the cabin.” She pulled out her cellphone. “Let me call him. I’m sure there’s a spare key somewhere.”
“I’ll be right back. I think Jenny has some blankets in the trunk. We can just hang out,” Mimi said.
Jenny never reached her father. We spent the afternoon lazing around on the grass behind the dock instead, watching the boats speed by and the sun sparkle on the water’s crystal surface.
When Brian and Mimi made up some story about looking for some skipping stones, I decided to put Jenny on the spot. “What’s going on with them?” I asked, when I was sure Mimi and Brian were out of earshot.
She grimaced. “What do you mean?” Jenny was a terrible liar.
“Spill it,” I said. “I’ve been watching them give each other googly eyes all day.”
“Mimi said she wanted to tell you herself. She said she wouldn’t do it if she didn’t get your permission.”
“Do what?”
“Date Brian.”
“What do you mean, date Brian? He has a girlfriend. Not that I like her all that much but Brian isn’t the type to cheat.”
“He told Mimi that if she was willing, he’d break it off with Allison. She said she would think about it and told me that she wanted to ask you first.”
I wiped the crumbs on my jeans, left the plate on the desk and crawled into a fetal position beneath the plaid patchwork quilt of Brian’s bed. The sheets still smelled like him. I turned my face into the pillow and inhaled. Not too deeply . Can’t have the scent of him disappear just yet . I clenched the edges of the blanket. Tears streamed down my face and I opened my mouth wide in a silent scream.
It was midnight when I woke up. I picked up the dish of stale leftover crusts and went out to drop it in the kitchen sink.
The television glowed but the volume had been muted. With no sign of my dad, I padded to my own room and shut the door. I got out of my clothes and into leggings and a sweatshirt. I lay in bed, thinking about the last few days and how the outrageous events had to be part of a major, concussive hallucination.
Leaning over my bed, I grappled in the dark for the book. When I felt it beneath my fingers, the doubtful thoughts in my head melted away. I relaxed back into the mattress and went back to sleep.
“How’s it hanging?” I asked Ghosty, as I adjusted my position to stretch out my hamstrings.
As usual, the black Dybbuk, as Mr. Flynn referred to these inky spirits, sat motionless on the grass. After seeing Allison’s strange behavior and Ms. Halle’s psychotic break, I knew I should keep a distance but for some reason, this one felt different. It felt more lost, not as malicious.
When I got back into the house after my run, my dad was already gone. So said the hot pink sticky note on the fridge with the words Be Home Late.
After the well-deserved shower, I stood in front of the open closet, staring at my clothes. I caught my reflection in the
Similar Books
