Ghost Time

mom wants you to come over for dinner, Friday, and then we can look through the stuff she’s selling before dinner. Okay? he asked, grabbing the red plastic ketchup bottle, giving it a good hard shake. I watched him squeeze it out, thinking it sounded just like my stomach felt, and I nodded yes.
    I actually lost sleep over it, too, Thursday night, trying to figure out what to take over, what to wear. Getting ready for dinner that night, my room looked like an explosion had gone off in my closet, leaving clothing shrapnel and shoes everywhere. Saturday, Cam offered to pick me up, but he was helping set up for their yard sale, so I asked my mom. She was in one of her good moods that she gets in when I do something or have one of those coming-of-age moments, and she gets all misty on me. But I’m glad I asked her, and I probably should’ve invited her in, but she knew. So I got out, and I walked up their walk, and I turned back, and my mom was leaning over the wheel, peeking, and I waved her off, like, Stop, would you? Go! She knew what I was saying, too, but she just sat there, waiting for me to knock, waving. I was just like, Ohmygod, Mom, could you be any more obvious? I mean, I wasn’t really annoyed, I was just nervous.
    So I walked up, I took a deep breath, and I knocked on the door. I swear my hand was shaking, knocking, too, and then Iheard a woman’s voice that had to be Cam’s mom, answer, Coming! Then the door opened while I was still trying to swallow. And she was beautiful. That sort of long, curly white-blonde hair. Fine nose, light freckles, tall, thin. And she has this gap between her two front teeth, but Nordic looking. Nothing like me. Kind of intimidating, and nothing like me at all. Hello! You must be Thea, she said, opening the screen door. Yes, I said, not sure if I should call her Mrs. Conlon, because you know some mothers don’t like that, because it makes them feel old or something; it’s complicated. So I didn’t call her anything, I just said hi and held up my hand.
    Come in, come in, she said, smiling, standing back so I could walk past her. Cam? Thea’s here, she called, and then she asked to take my jacket. I had a whole breakdown about what to wear, and I settled on a black dress and flats, and then I saw myself in the hallway mirror and I looked a little Tuesday Addams. That’s what my mom called the look, Tuesday Addams, Wednesday Addams’s older sister, ha, and I almost lost it with her, too, because I heard it enough at school, you know? Thea, I love your dress, Karen said, and I smiled. She goes, Is it vintage? And I said yes, smiling. Honestly, I wanted to fall on my knees and thank her for saying that, because I’d changed like twenty times, trying to figure out what to wear.
    Hey, Cam said, walking down the front hall. You’re here, he said. I’m here, I said, trying to smile, but feeling like my lips were doing something strange, pursed, I don’t know. Come sit down, Thea, Karen said, turning and then turning back. Oh, do you want me to hang your bag? she asked. No, it’s fine, I’ve got it,thanks, I said, following her into the living room, and Cam following behind. I took a seat at the end of the couch, and I looked around the room, and it was… stylish. I didn’t see many stylish rooms. Style, period. In magazines, yes. But here, in this town, people chose floral wallpaper and matching drapes and carpeting and American Colonial dining room sets. But this, this was, this was stylin’. I wanted Karen to decorate our place. Except that I never ever wanted her to see our apartment.
    Cam, why don’t you get her something to drink? she said. What would you like? he asked. Anything, I said, realizing how stupidly agreeable I sounded, and he nodded. Coming right up, he said. I love your house, I said, smiling at Karen, sounding stupid again, wanting to pound my head against the wall first chance I got. Thank you, she said, smiling, still taking me in. I brought you something, I said, remembering why I’d held on to my bag. I didn’t have any money to bring anything, and Nanna drilled it into me, you always take something with you when you’re invited to someone’s house, so I drew her a picture of flowers. I looked up a bunch of things online, and I chose the flowers, just like I would if I actually had the money and we had a posh florist who’d have flowers like those. I didn’t have a chance to go to the flower shop, so I drew these instead, I said,