I Disappeared Them by Preston L. Allen

I Disappeared Them by Preston L. Allen

Author:Preston L. Allen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Akashic Books, Ltd.


14

The next day, you meet Andrea at her locker. You will try to work it out. You will try to explain, but she—

—She is overjoyed to see you.

She forgives you for the funny way you’ve been acting, and you know what else she wants to tell you? She loves you, that’s what. She loves you, and no matter what you’re going through that’s making you act this way, she loves you. She is saying this to you as you stare at someone behind her.

She turns to see who it is behind her that intrigues you.

The ghoul is there. Tina stands next to her, holding her hand, grinning. Next to Tina are Jefferson and Chucho, your weed man, both grinning.

The ghoul is draped in a loose-fitting blouse with a basketball under it. Andrea wonders why you are focused on the ghoul.

The ghoul takes a step back. The loose-fitting blouse is from the maternity section at Kmart. The basketball is a baby. The ghoul is four months pregnant.

Andrea turns to you, a question on her face. Is it yours?

You nod.

How?

But now it makes sense to her. The nights you got there late. The nights you fell asleep early. The days you skipped school without her. The missed lunches. The missed—

She slaps your face.

* * *

—Andrea sniffs back tears as she unclasps your father’s chain. She hands it back to you. “Take it.”

“No.” You won’t take it.

You go to hold her, but the ghoul hooks your arm.

That’s all she has to do. Hook your arm. Everyone can see that it has come full circle. Her vengeance is complete.

You want to hold Andrea, but the ghoul won’t let you.

Who is Stupid Mary now? Stupid Andrea, stupid you, but not the ghoul. The ghoul may not be smart, but she is impressively wise. She is tremendously wise. She is unabashedly wise. The ghoul is wise beyond her years.

Andrea opens her hand. Dada’s chain slips through her fingers and to the ground. The ghoul tells you to pick it up. You do, and she sets it in place around your neck and fastens the clasp while Andrea watches, pushing tears from her face. As she walks away through the parting crowd, everyone is laughing.

It’s your fault. You did this. You promised you’d never hurt her. You promised you’d always protect her, but they are all laughing at her.

The loudest laughers are Jefferson and Chucho, your weed man.

—They are big, but you are bigger. There are two of them, but you bench 370.

Jefferson takes off down the hall.

Chucho, your weed man, attempts his escape in pants that droop below the waist, revealing scarlet boxers and the crack of his butt. He stumbles. You catch him. You get your hands around his throat. “I’m gonna fuck you up.”

You give him a good beating and he spends a week in the hospital. Your suspension is a week and would’ve been longer, but you couldn’t find Jefferson, though you tried.



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