he
stumbled back into the chair.
“I don't need this,” Tiffany said. She
climbed to her feet and stormed out of the room.
“Come back here!” Cindy was only a few steps
behind her.
I stood there staring at Daryl. I was furious
for only a few seconds longer. Then I noticed the look Daryl was
giving me as he rubbed his neck.
He was terrified.
His face had a look like he'd just seen a
monster. And he was staring right at me. What did I do exactly?
Just force him to sit down? Or did he see something about me that
the girls missed?
He finally recovered enough to get out of the
chair. He circled around me to the door, but never took his eyes
off me. I was just scared from the look he gave me. I couldn't move
myself.
“Wait, Cindy!” he said. “We have to
talk!”
Daryl ran out of the classroom. I was ready
to follow when I felt a hand grab my shoulder. I spun to see
Susan.
“Don't, Alex,” she said. “Cindy will be
alright.”
I was speechless for a moment. Susan was
amused by my reaction. She smiled, then shrugged sheepishly.
“Stop staring at me like that,” she said.
“It's making me feel weird.”
It was another ten seconds before I could
talk.
“What in the hell is going on?”
“We've been watching you, just like I said I
would. You saved me. And I couldn't really leave without paying you
back somehow.”
I gestured around the classroom. “This is
payback?”
“Well, we saw your friend was heading for
trouble. We figured you'd want to know.”
Actually I was grateful. The last
thing I ever want to see is Cindy with a broken heart. It was a
good thing to get what kind of guy Daryl was out in the open before
their relationship went crazy-far.
I nodded. “Thank you. Very much.”
She smiled. “After what you did for us. Least
we could do.”
“We. Who is we ?”
As soon as I asked the question there was a
familiar voice from the corner of the room behind me.
“Hi, Alex.”
I turned to see Richard leaning against the
wall near the classroom door. That sight in itself freaked me out.
He was a ghost, right? How could he lean against a wall? He was
dressed in the same clothes as the last time I saw him, which was
when he was trying to stab his wife.
“Alex, this is my husband, Richard.”
I was afraid for a second. But then Richard
smiled, and I could tell right away he wasn't what I dealt with in
Tammy's house.
“Nice to meet you,” I said.
Richard extended his hand. I shook it. Then
he looked at Susan.
“Honey, it's almost time for us to go.”
“Are we out of time already?”
“Afraid so.”
She sighed, then leaned forward to hug me. It
caught me off guard.
“You're gonna do a lot of great things, Alex.
You take care.”
I didn't know what to say. “Uh, you too?”
Susan laughed. “Cindy is out on the football
field. You go take care of her.”
“How do you know-?”
Before I could finish, she was gone. She did
the two second fade-out routine once again. I turned around,
knowing what I'd see. Sure enough, Richard was gone too.
I stood there for a moment, alone in the
classroom in silence. My mind was still processing what just
happened. Like last time, I wasn't sure I could handle it just yet.
So I forced myself to think about the only thing that mattered at
that moment.
Cindy.
I left the classroom and walked back down the
dark stairs. I didn't go through the school gym. I took a side door
and walked across the campus to the football field. I could see a
dressed-up couple on the bleachers on the opposite side of the
field, sharing some time together, and a familiar female with her
back to me on the nearest side all by herself.
I didn't want to look at her too long and
make her feel self-conscious, but I could tell Cindy was crying.
She wiped at her eyes with her hand as I sat next to her. I knew
Cindy better than anyone, and I knew more than anything she
probably wanted to be left alone. But I wanted to make sure she was
okay first.
I sat next to her without
stumbled back into the chair.
“I don't need this,” Tiffany said. She
climbed to her feet and stormed out of the room.
“Come back here!” Cindy was only a few steps
behind her.
I stood there staring at Daryl. I was furious
for only a few seconds longer. Then I noticed the look Daryl was
giving me as he rubbed his neck.
He was terrified.
His face had a look like he'd just seen a
monster. And he was staring right at me. What did I do exactly?
Just force him to sit down? Or did he see something about me that
the girls missed?
He finally recovered enough to get out of the
chair. He circled around me to the door, but never took his eyes
off me. I was just scared from the look he gave me. I couldn't move
myself.
“Wait, Cindy!” he said. “We have to
talk!”
Daryl ran out of the classroom. I was ready
to follow when I felt a hand grab my shoulder. I spun to see
Susan.
“Don't, Alex,” she said. “Cindy will be
alright.”
I was speechless for a moment. Susan was
amused by my reaction. She smiled, then shrugged sheepishly.
“Stop staring at me like that,” she said.
“It's making me feel weird.”
It was another ten seconds before I could
talk.
“What in the hell is going on?”
“We've been watching you, just like I said I
would. You saved me. And I couldn't really leave without paying you
back somehow.”
I gestured around the classroom. “This is
payback?”
“Well, we saw your friend was heading for
trouble. We figured you'd want to know.”
Actually I was grateful. The last
thing I ever want to see is Cindy with a broken heart. It was a
good thing to get what kind of guy Daryl was out in the open before
their relationship went crazy-far.
I nodded. “Thank you. Very much.”
She smiled. “After what you did for us. Least
we could do.”
“We. Who is we ?”
As soon as I asked the question there was a
familiar voice from the corner of the room behind me.
“Hi, Alex.”
I turned to see Richard leaning against the
wall near the classroom door. That sight in itself freaked me out.
He was a ghost, right? How could he lean against a wall? He was
dressed in the same clothes as the last time I saw him, which was
when he was trying to stab his wife.
“Alex, this is my husband, Richard.”
I was afraid for a second. But then Richard
smiled, and I could tell right away he wasn't what I dealt with in
Tammy's house.
“Nice to meet you,” I said.
Richard extended his hand. I shook it. Then
he looked at Susan.
“Honey, it's almost time for us to go.”
“Are we out of time already?”
“Afraid so.”
She sighed, then leaned forward to hug me. It
caught me off guard.
“You're gonna do a lot of great things, Alex.
You take care.”
I didn't know what to say. “Uh, you too?”
Susan laughed. “Cindy is out on the football
field. You go take care of her.”
“How do you know-?”
Before I could finish, she was gone. She did
the two second fade-out routine once again. I turned around,
knowing what I'd see. Sure enough, Richard was gone too.
I stood there for a moment, alone in the
classroom in silence. My mind was still processing what just
happened. Like last time, I wasn't sure I could handle it just yet.
So I forced myself to think about the only thing that mattered at
that moment.
Cindy.
I left the classroom and walked back down the
dark stairs. I didn't go through the school gym. I took a side door
and walked across the campus to the football field. I could see a
dressed-up couple on the bleachers on the opposite side of the
field, sharing some time together, and a familiar female with her
back to me on the nearest side all by herself.
I didn't want to look at her too long and
make her feel self-conscious, but I could tell Cindy was crying.
She wiped at her eyes with her hand as I sat next to her. I knew
Cindy better than anyone, and I knew more than anything she
probably wanted to be left alone. But I wanted to make sure she was
okay first.
I sat next to her without
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