Ghost Time

it. I mean, the fact that Ray was there at all, which meant I’d have to deal with him on Sunday morning, and then, just to make matter worse, he’d expect me to introduce him to Cam. Which is the last thing I wanted to do. Gotta go, I said,grabbing the rails with both hands, pulling myself up. Why? Cam said, standing up. My mother’s boyfriend is here, I said, and I can’t. I’m sorry, I said. No problem, he said. Call me tomorrow?
    Sure, I said, smiling. All right, he said, and he leaned over and kissed me, and we were standing far enough back that Raymond couldn’t see, and then he touched the side of my face, and left. I stood there, waiting, and I leaned over the rail to see what would happen. Ray had gotten out of his car, and first thing he did was walk over, checking out Cam’s car, and then he balked, seeing Cam head for the car, taking out his keys, making it clear it was his car. The best part was when Cam gets to Raymond, and then he breezed by him, not a care in the world. Hey, Cam said, raising his hand, being cool, but looking at Raymond, like, Dude, mind if I get in my car now?
    Hey, Raymond said, stepping back and pressing the alarm on his car, standing there, waiting for this kid, who obviously wasn’t from around here, to acknowledge him. And Cam was perfectly nice, chill about the whole thing. Take it easy, Cam said, shutting the door, and I started laughing, knowing Raymond wanted to ask Cam who he was, but not being able to, because Cam wouldn’t give him the opening Raymond needed to ask about the car. Ohmygod, it was so funny, I leaned over the rail, my shoulders shaking. And I thought Cam would leave, drive off, but he didn’t. He just sat there, watching me laugh, waiting for Ray to walk upstairs.
    Hey, Theadorie, Ray said, reaching the top stair, heading toward me, for our door. Ray, I said. Friend of yours? he asked,looking over his shoulder at the parking lot. But I didn’t answer, didn’t turn around. I just smiled at Cam, watching him start his car. Bye, I said, mouthing the words, and he held up his hand, pressing it against the inside of the front window. I held up my right hand and spread my fingers wide apart. When I think about the first time we went out, the first time we kissed, what I remember most is watching my hand, steady in the dark.

MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2011
    (NINE WEEKS LATER)
    7:14 AM
    It was a Monday. For some reason, it was just me and the IV Babies, the Garner twins, standing at the bus stop. It’d been raining all night, and the sky was still gray, and there were all these worms on the road. The twins used to bother me a lot more, but then I thought they were kind of funny, because they’d always freaked Cam out. The first time we saw them we were at the store. Mom called and asked me to pick up some toilet paper on my way home, this list of things we needed, didn’t matter. I was with Cam, and as long as we got to spend more time together, I didn’t care what she needed me to do. So we were walking around, trying to find the paper products, and we turned the corner, and Cam almost screamed. Not like I scream, but like a guy screams, because the freaky twins were just standing there, in the middle of the aisle, like they’d been waiting for us. Lucy and Lucas, that’s their names. They didn’tsay anything, either. They just stared at us, and I pulled Cam away, turning back down the aisle.
    Thee, he said: did you see that? Did you see those kids, the way they were just standing there? Yeah, they ride my bus, I said. Freaky, right? It’s that skin, they have that skim-milky-blue skin. They never talk, either. They just stare at you, I said, opening my eyes, staring at him like the twins stare. They remind me of those twins in The Shining , he said, shuddering. Remembering that, I couldn’t help smiling at them at the bus stop, standing shoulder to shoulder, staring at the worms on the road. When they heard me laugh, they turned and stared, just like always, except I couldn’t take it anymore.
    Why do you always stare at me? I said, and I waited, but they didn’t say anything. Finally, I snapped, Speak! And in unison—in perfect unison, I swear, they go, We know. Their voices had this metallic sound, and I think it was the first time I ever heard their voices, and it was so weird, hearing them, it took me a minute before I understood what they’d just said. You know what? I said. And they go, Lots of things, and I go, Oh, yeah? What things? And they