Ghost Time

spinning a big pink cloud on a white cone, it’s the happiest smell in the whole world. That’s how I felt, and I just couldn’t stop thinking of Melody all week, and I kept wanting to give her something, share something.
    So I called Knox a few days later and asked him if there was a time I could drop by their house, because I had something for Melody. It was just a picture I found, but I wanted it to be a surprise, I told him. He said that was very thoughtful of me, and I could stop by on Wednesday, after five o’clock, so I went over,right after school. He let me in, and I go, You didn’t tell her I was coming, did you? He goes, I told her you were coming, and she’s been waiting for you since Sunday, he said, and I just looked at him, like, that’s so mean. Now I feel bad, I said, and he said, She’s in her room, go on up. I didn’t even make it to the door before I heard her, yelling my name: Thea?!
    She sounded so excited, I almost started laughing. Because no one ever gets that excited to see me. It’s me, I said, knocking on the door and walking in. I was afraid you weren’t coming, she said, and I go, It was supposed to be a surprise, walking in, smiling as I stepped around her chair, so that she could see me. There’s always that moment she strains, when she tries to move, but her body just won’t cooperate. I try to smile through it, seeing her like that, because I want to fix it, and I can’t. It’s something I can’t fix.
    Surprise! I said, bending over, and she goes, Hi! and her body got all stiff with excitement. Her hair was in braids, and they were cute—I wanted to screw them up, twist them like a milkmaid, but I didn’t want Mel to feel like I’m always trying to change her. She’s perfect, really, exactly as she is—just not the way Heather dresses her. I said, Here, I brought you something, and I took the picture out of a folder in my bag, holding it up for her to see. It’s a picture of this girl, and you don’t know if she’s jumping off a ledge or a trampoline, or what, but she’s wearing shorts, and she has these long, long legs, and her blonde hair is in a ponytail, and it looks like summertime, but it’s a world where it’s always summer.
    Melody goes, Did you take that, Thea? gasping, twisting in her chair, she was so impressed. I love that about her. It’s like some people wear their hearts on their sleeve; well, Melody wears her heart on her voice. No, I said, I found it on Flickr. And she goes, What’s that? And I go, Flickr, thinking she hadn’t heard me. You know, Flickr, I said, and she shook her head no, and I go, You mean you’ve never seen Flickr ? She goes, No , and I was just like, Ohmygod, I said, Seriously, Mel, you’ve been living in a cave, and she goes, Uh, what have I been telling you? I said, Listen. We’ve got to fix this immediately, Mel, but she wasn’t listening, she was staring at the picture.
    Do you like it? I said, trying to guess what she was thinking, and she goes, I love it. Will you hang it up for me? Yes, I said. Where do you want me to hang it? Anywhere , she said. No, wait , she said, will you put it on the wall, by my bed? So I can see it when I wake up? And I go, Of course. Do you have any tape? I asked, looking around. Yes, but I don’t know where my mom keeps it , she said. I’ll ask your dad later, I said, looking at the picture again. Do you really like it? I asked again, realizing I’d asked her once already, but I couldn’t help it. Because I chose it for her, and I spent all weekend, trying to decide.
    I sat down on her bed, and turned her around to face me, and I go, I’ll bring you more pictures. I have thousands of pictures, so just give me some direction, and she goes, What do you mean? And I go, Well, what do you like about this picture? And I held it up for her again, and she goes, I don’t know , sounding shy all of a sudden. Then she goes, I like the… well, her legs. God, look how long and straight her legs are! I like how strong she is, the way she’s just firing into the sky. Is that stupid? she asked, seeing me smile, and I go, No, no! Why would you say that? And she goes, Well, because you looked like I made a joke or something.
    I go, No, Melody. I was smiling because I couldn’t have put it that way. Honestly, and she goes, You want to know why I like it? Really? I go, Yes. Tell me, and she goes, I like it, because I want to be her, and I want to jump into the sky like that. Because I look