I stepped off of the school bus behind my brother, my 3 friends in tow. I grunted at the long walk I was about to take back to my house. It was inevitable; we lived far out, so the school bus would only take us so far. I didn't understand. In the morning, it came all the way to our dirt drive way, but in the afternoon, it stopped over half a mile from the drive. I hated it. Why did they make us walk when it was hot? Oh well. There's nothing I could do about it. Why did I even fuss over such a smile thing? Oh well. I was like that. Like my mother, I suppose. She fussed over small things. Like the time she got mad at me for saying that Nashville was the entirety of Davidson County. I was 12, how was I supposed to know? But, hey, I was right. Hehe, I got her back for that one. "Ugh, Becky?" I turned around. "Ugh, Brenda?" She fanned herself with her hands. "It's hot!" I turned around and kept walking. "I know!" My gosh, these girls were ditzy sometimes. "Well, how about you walk back and then have your dad drive up and get the rest of us or something?" I purposely ignored her. Brenda was constantly complaining. "Bbbeeccckkkyyyy!!!" Danny spun around. "God! We know it's hot! We have to walk back, just as you guys do. Deal with it." He immediately turned back around and started sprinting. In an effort to get home faster, I guess. I turned around, expecting to see my friends stopped with looks of murder. Instead, I found them stopped with looks of amazement. "You guys coming?" They all looked from one to another, smiles forming on all their faces. They then squealed and started jumping. Brenda spoke first. "Girls, he talked to me!" I laughed and rolled my eyes. Interesting.
I opened the screen door and held it open for my friends. Once they were all in, I walked in behind them and shut it. "Just go on up to my room, girls. I'll be up in a minute." Tina grinned. "Your room is the room next to Danny's, right?" I rolled my eyes and sat my book bag down next to the coat rack. "Don't even think about it. I'll be up shortly." They all laughed and ran up the wooden stairs. Surely I could trust them long enough to say hello to my parents. I entered the kitchen, where my mother was washing dishes and humming, and my father was sitting at the table, fixing his watch. "Good afternoon, Daddy." I kissed him on the cheek. He smiled at me. "You too, precious. Have a good day?" I nodded and walked up to my mother, giving her a hug. "What did you do today, Mama?" She sighed and put the last plate in the dish holder. "I stayed around here today. I couldn't think of anything we needed to go to town for," I nodded. "Honey, I'm sorry about that episode of mine this morning." I smiled, weakly. "Oh, it's alright." She shook her head. "No, no. It's not. I was alright for many years, and as your brother got older I just...got worse," I looked at my father. He seemed to be not listening, as his face was emotionless and he was concentrating on his watch. "I'm trying, Becky. I really am. Some day soon I'll be normal again." I nodded. This was bull crap. "Ok, Mama." She smiled and kissed me on the cheek. "Go upstairs, your friends are waiting." I nodded and walked out of the kitchen, and I'll give money at the thought that if my parents knew I was standing right outside the door, they wouldn't have said a word. I heard a chair move, and assumed my mother had sat down. "Rafe, what happened?" "I'm sorry?" "We were doing so good. Well, you still are. We had moved on. So why, 2 years ago, did I have to get bad?" I heard him sigh. "I don't know, Ev. But you can't keep acting like it Danny's fault. If you keep getting worse the older he gets, it'll be the death of you. You can't stop him from looking or sounding the way he does, and you've got to try. We can't keep doing this to ourselves, him, or Becky." "I know, Rafe. I know." I ran upstairs at that. What were they talking about? I was sure that when I found out, I'd feel insanely stupid for not putting 2 and 2 together. But, I wasn't putting 2 and 2 together, so I was still a lost little puppy dog, looking for answers.
I laughed and threw a pillow at Amelia, in reponse to a story she had just told. The 4 of us were sitting in the dark, with nothing but a flashlight, telling ghost stories. "Ok, Becky. We've told all of ours. You have to tell yours now." I looked down. "Sorry, Brenda. I don't really have one." Tina laughed. "Oh, come on! You have to have a ghost story!" "Well, I don't have a ghost story. But there's a grave in my backyard if that helps?" Tina just sat there. She knew, but she was also the only one who had ever been to my house. "No way!" Amelia sat up, fully alerted. I nodded. "Yes, way." "Who's is it?" She asked. "Well, I don't exactly know. I know his name, but as far as relationship or purpose or anything, I'm not sure." "Is it haunted?" Brenda asked. I laughed. "I don't think so. You can see it from my window, so I think I could tell you if there was anything odd going on." Brenda stood up and walked over to my window. "That tall, stone thing?" I nodded and pushed my crop cut behind my ears. She then walked over to my bed and picked up her robe. "Where are you going?" Uh oh. I'd done it. "Forget you guys, I'm going to go look at it!" I protested. "Brenda, no. Don't do it." "Why not?" "Because. We uh..have some crazy people running around these parts. The prison is right up the road, you know. It's dangerous for you to go outside be yourself." So what if that was far fetched? She shrugged. "Then you come with me." I shook my head. "No." Amelia stood up and got her robe from her bag. "Why, Rebecca? You afraid?" "No! I just...don't think it's right. And you guys can't possibly use the excuse that you want to mourn ot anything. You don't even know who the guy was!" Amelia sighed. "Becky, come on. What's the harm?" I grunted and opened my door, hastily. Brenda and Amelia ran out, while Tina just sat there. "Becky, what are you doing?" "i'm just going out there to let them fill their need, that's all." She shook her head and closed her eyes, as if she knew something I didn't. "Whatever you want, Becky. I just think that it's kind of disrespectful. Kind of like playing hide and go seek in a cemetary. You know?" I nodded. "I know. But I'll come right back." I closed my door, and ran down the stairs. When I saw a light on in the living room, I tiptoed to the door and opened it, pushing the feeling of guilt away. The girls were already outside. "Let's go." I whispered, quietly closing the door behind me. Maybe I wouldn't feel so bad if it wasn't 11 o'clock at night. We eventually reached the headstone. It was so..bland. Why did they wish to see it so badly? "Wow! A real grave!" I rolled my eyes. "As if you've never seen one, Amelia. Let's go back in." Brenda shivered. "Yeah, come on, Amy." Amelia just took her eyes away from the grave slowly, and nodded her head in agreement. "Ok, gosh. You girls are no fun." I grunted in disgust. "We're fun, we just have a little something called respect for the dead." "REBECCA!!" I heard my brother's voice screaming from the front porch. "Shit! You guys, hide!" Brenda and Amelia scattered behind the tree, and the only place I could find was behind the tombstone. Oh God, that was the one time I hoped and prayed it wasn't haunted. I felt so...weird. Why were we hiding? That was certainly the most creepiest hiding place I'd ever come up with. At the sound of a stick snap, I turned to my left, only to come face to face with an older looking version of my brother in a military uniform. I screamed at the top of my lungs, and turned to my right to run, only to run into my brother. "Oh my God! Danny!" I caught my breath. He grabbed me by the shoulders, while Brenda and Amelia approached slowly. "Becky, calm down. What's wrong?" I looked around. "You didn't see him?" "See who?" He gave me a funny look. I shook my head and walked past him. "No one. How did you switch sides so fast?" He laughed. "You're going senile. Let's get you inside." I nodded slowly and followed, not saying a word the rest of the night. That was too odd to tell anyone about, so I would keep what I saw to myself for a long time.
I opened the screen door and held it open for my friends. Once they were all in, I walked in behind them and shut it. "Just go on up to my room, girls. I'll be up in a minute." Tina grinned. "Your room is the room next to Danny's, right?" I rolled my eyes and sat my book bag down next to the coat rack. "Don't even think about it. I'll be up shortly." They all laughed and ran up the wooden stairs. Surely I could trust them long enough to say hello to my parents. I entered the kitchen, where my mother was washing dishes and humming, and my father was sitting at the table, fixing his watch. "Good afternoon, Daddy." I kissed him on the cheek. He smiled at me. "You too, precious. Have a good day?" I nodded and walked up to my mother, giving her a hug. "What did you do today, Mama?" She sighed and put the last plate in the dish holder. "I stayed around here today. I couldn't think of anything we needed to go to town for," I nodded. "Honey, I'm sorry about that episode of mine this morning." I smiled, weakly. "Oh, it's alright." She shook her head. "No, no. It's not. I was alright for many years, and as your brother got older I just...got worse," I looked at my father. He seemed to be not listening, as his face was emotionless and he was concentrating on his watch. "I'm trying, Becky. I really am. Some day soon I'll be normal again." I nodded. This was bull crap. "Ok, Mama." She smiled and kissed me on the cheek. "Go upstairs, your friends are waiting." I nodded and walked out of the kitchen, and I'll give money at the thought that if my parents knew I was standing right outside the door, they wouldn't have said a word. I heard a chair move, and assumed my mother had sat down. "Rafe, what happened?" "I'm sorry?" "We were doing so good. Well, you still are. We had moved on. So why, 2 years ago, did I have to get bad?" I heard him sigh. "I don't know, Ev. But you can't keep acting like it Danny's fault. If you keep getting worse the older he gets, it'll be the death of you. You can't stop him from looking or sounding the way he does, and you've got to try. We can't keep doing this to ourselves, him, or Becky." "I know, Rafe. I know." I ran upstairs at that. What were they talking about? I was sure that when I found out, I'd feel insanely stupid for not putting 2 and 2 together. But, I wasn't putting 2 and 2 together, so I was still a lost little puppy dog, looking for answers.
I laughed and threw a pillow at Amelia, in reponse to a story she had just told. The 4 of us were sitting in the dark, with nothing but a flashlight, telling ghost stories. "Ok, Becky. We've told all of ours. You have to tell yours now." I looked down. "Sorry, Brenda. I don't really have one." Tina laughed. "Oh, come on! You have to have a ghost story!" "Well, I don't have a ghost story. But there's a grave in my backyard if that helps?" Tina just sat there. She knew, but she was also the only one who had ever been to my house. "No way!" Amelia sat up, fully alerted. I nodded. "Yes, way." "Who's is it?" She asked. "Well, I don't exactly know. I know his name, but as far as relationship or purpose or anything, I'm not sure." "Is it haunted?" Brenda asked. I laughed. "I don't think so. You can see it from my window, so I think I could tell you if there was anything odd going on." Brenda stood up and walked over to my window. "That tall, stone thing?" I nodded and pushed my crop cut behind my ears. She then walked over to my bed and picked up her robe. "Where are you going?" Uh oh. I'd done it. "Forget you guys, I'm going to go look at it!" I protested. "Brenda, no. Don't do it." "Why not?" "Because. We uh..have some crazy people running around these parts. The prison is right up the road, you know. It's dangerous for you to go outside be yourself." So what if that was far fetched? She shrugged. "Then you come with me." I shook my head. "No." Amelia stood up and got her robe from her bag. "Why, Rebecca? You afraid?" "No! I just...don't think it's right. And you guys can't possibly use the excuse that you want to mourn ot anything. You don't even know who the guy was!" Amelia sighed. "Becky, come on. What's the harm?" I grunted and opened my door, hastily. Brenda and Amelia ran out, while Tina just sat there. "Becky, what are you doing?" "i'm just going out there to let them fill their need, that's all." She shook her head and closed her eyes, as if she knew something I didn't. "Whatever you want, Becky. I just think that it's kind of disrespectful. Kind of like playing hide and go seek in a cemetary. You know?" I nodded. "I know. But I'll come right back." I closed my door, and ran down the stairs. When I saw a light on in the living room, I tiptoed to the door and opened it, pushing the feeling of guilt away. The girls were already outside. "Let's go." I whispered, quietly closing the door behind me. Maybe I wouldn't feel so bad if it wasn't 11 o'clock at night. We eventually reached the headstone. It was so..bland. Why did they wish to see it so badly? "Wow! A real grave!" I rolled my eyes. "As if you've never seen one, Amelia. Let's go back in." Brenda shivered. "Yeah, come on, Amy." Amelia just took her eyes away from the grave slowly, and nodded her head in agreement. "Ok, gosh. You girls are no fun." I grunted in disgust. "We're fun, we just have a little something called respect for the dead." "REBECCA!!" I heard my brother's voice screaming from the front porch. "Shit! You guys, hide!" Brenda and Amelia scattered behind the tree, and the only place I could find was behind the tombstone. Oh God, that was the one time I hoped and prayed it wasn't haunted. I felt so...weird. Why were we hiding? That was certainly the most creepiest hiding place I'd ever come up with. At the sound of a stick snap, I turned to my left, only to come face to face with an older looking version of my brother in a military uniform. I screamed at the top of my lungs, and turned to my right to run, only to run into my brother. "Oh my God! Danny!" I caught my breath. He grabbed me by the shoulders, while Brenda and Amelia approached slowly. "Becky, calm down. What's wrong?" I looked around. "You didn't see him?" "See who?" He gave me a funny look. I shook my head and walked past him. "No one. How did you switch sides so fast?" He laughed. "You're going senile. Let's get you inside." I nodded slowly and followed, not saying a word the rest of the night. That was too odd to tell anyone about, so I would keep what I saw to myself for a long time.