Ghost Time

pulled?
    All I knew was I had to get the hell away from Foley, because if I didn’t, he was going to say something else. So I walked out, and I knew Sharon would stall Foley if he tried to follow me—she always said she’d worked in a diner long enough to know a bad egg when she smelled one. Foley must’ve left cash on the table, because I heard the bell above the door chime twenty seconds after I got outside. Not even thinking about it, I grabbed my phone to call my mom and tell her I’d meet her at her office, but when I heard footsteps behind me, I had this feeling that Foley was about to say my name, and I swear, if I had to hear him call me Theadora one more time, I was going to scream. So I turned my phone off, and just started walking as fast as I could. Then, when I heard a car start, knowing it was him, I bolted.
    I don’t know how long I ran or where the hell I was going. I didn’t know that part of town at all; I just kept cutting across people’s back lawns, trying to stay away from the road, dodging a couple of spotted terriers who were looking for a fight. And then, at one point, I was so out of breath, I stopped and hid behind a tree along the dividing line between these two big backyards that must’ve been like two miles from town, at least. There I was, hiding behind a pine tree, my heart and lungs pounding like timpani drums in my ears, trying to remember the last time I ran like that. When I looked up, catching my breath, in the next house over, in this backyard, I saw this blue dome—a tent or something. There were cars parked in the driveway, but I didn’t see anyone moving around inside the house.
    At first, I just wanted to get a better look, see what was beneath the blue dome. I knew Cam would’ve been so proud of me, too, sneaking over to take a look, and it hurt for a second, not having him there. Then it felt like the only way to find him, to be close to him, was to touch the thing, like you have to touch home base in a game of tag: it had to be done, that’s all I can say. Still, the whole time, I kept expecting someone to come out and ask me what the hell I was doing in her backyard, but no one did. And then, once I reached the dome, I don’t know what got into me, but I had to get in, because it reminded me so much of the forts I used to play in when I was a kid. Really, what is it about kids and forts? I guess it’s about having a place in the world we can believe is safe, even if the roof is made of a felt blanket with baby blue teddy bears on it, you know?
    So I got in. And, then, once I was inside, kneeling down, Ihad this wonderful and terrible feeling I was going to get caught. I laid flat on my back, and then I felt the hair on my arms stand on end as I thought, What if Foley knows where I am? Because at that moment, it really felt like he might walk straight into these people’s backyard and knock on the walls of their blue fort, and say, Why, hello, Theadora. What are you doing here?
    At the time, though, watching the light fade through the dome’s opening, I was safe from Foley. I was in a fort, after all, and nothing bad happens to you in your own fort. Most of all, I just needed to close my eyes for a few minutes, and I didn’t think I’d fall asleep, right there, but I did. I totally conked out, and when I woke up, my hands and feet were numb, I was so cold, and I had no idea where I was or what happened. When I remembered what happened, and I knew I was okay, my next thought was, Mom. Ohmygod, my mom’s going to kill me.
    I felt bad, because I knew my mom must’ve shown up at Silver Top right after I ran off, and that she’d be looking for me, and she’d be worried, but then again, you know what? Join the club, lady. So I fished out my phone and called her, and the first thing she said was, Where the hell are you? But how she said it was, Where. The hell. Are you? I go, I’m in a tent in someone’s backyard, and she goes, Are you drunk ? I go, I wish, and she wasn’t amused. She goes, Get home. Right now. Better yet, she said, tell me where you are and I’ll come get you, changing her mind. Oh, I was going to get it, all right.
    I’ll be there soon, I said, and then I just turned off my phone. So I got on my knees, crawling out, getting up. There were lights on in the house, but no one was in the kitchen, so I walked tothe road, in front of the house. I really needed to go home, but I couldn’t. And then I had a thought. I turned my phone back