us said a word, though he smiled every time he caught me stealing a look. We parted with a kiss that held so much promise I instantly began considering giving the role of secret steady a try. The moment I walked into the kitchen a few minutes later, Mom handed me one of those phone message slips on which Dad had written call Tyler . I ran upstairs to do it, more than ready to crash for a few minutes before dinner.
He answered first ring. "Did you see how Brynn acted when I fell today?"
I thought back. "Um...yes?"
"She's not sweet on me, is she?"
Hedging, I answered his question with one of my own. "Why do you ask?"
"Things would be way weird if she was."
"Because you can't think of her that way?"
"Exactly." He'd never sounded so relieved.
"I honestly don't know." I didn't lie. Brynn's moods changed as often as the weather.
He groaned. "I hate shit like this."
"And so do I, which is why you should try not to worry about it. That could make things even weirder. Meanwhile, I'll try to find out how she really feels."
Tyler seemed to see the sense in that, so by the time we said our goodnights, I could tell he felt better about everything. Unfortunately, I didn't. How on earth was I going to tell Brynn that he'd taken himself out of the running for possible boyfriends? Rejection was rejection, even if the news was delivered by a friend who loved her, namely me, and she wasn't even sure how she felt about the guy.
On Tuesday I tried to get her alone without making a big deal about it. Did Tyler give me any opportunities? Of course not. He was as stuck to us as Marty had been to that dang baseball of his.
And as for Marty...well, he'd clearly told the dead-grandma-contacts-grandson tale to anyone who'd listen. Wow, did I ever get some looks. I got questions, too, none of them specific until a girl I barely knew from chemistry, Cyndi Caplan, dragged me aside at lunch time. I'd been on my way to the caf to meet Brynn in hopes we could get two seconds of privacy before Tyler showed up.
For that reason, I was a little distracted and not really tuned in to Cyndi until she said, "Is my sister in hell?"
Whoa.
I stopped walking to really look at the girl standing next to me, a slender brunette with tears in her big blue eyes. Opening up my heart and mind, I felt the presence of another girl, probably a couple of years older. Tammy? No, Tanya. Images began slamming me so fast that I really only saw one thing clearly: the movie poster for Girl, Interrupted. That meant suicide. Abandoning my usual method of presenting spirit info, which was sharing something I couldn't possibly know to gain trust, I got right to the point. "Tanya is with you right now, and when she's not, she's with God."
Cyndi burst into sobs. Of course I hugged her.
"She loves you so much and wants me to tell you that she's very sorry she was so selfish. It wasn't your fault, and you couldn't have done anything to save her."
She pulled back, tears streaming down her flushed face. I held onto my own composure, always hard to do in the face of such grief.
"Really?"
"Really. And she's telling me that it's okay for you to wear her watch. In fact, she wants you to, especially if it reminds you of her."
She glanced at a blinged-out watch on her wrist, one with a zebra-print strap and lime green CZs. "It does! Oh my God. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome."
With a huge smile, Cyndi left me. I took a couple of deep breaths to regain my equilibrium and then turned toward the caf doors. Someone's death grip on my upper arm stopped me in my tracks.
Elouise Shock, one of Martinsburg High's history teachers, glared at me through her tortoise shell glasses. "Come along, young lady. We need to talk."
I let her lead me into an empty classroom a few doors down the hall.
With a toss of her salt-and-paper pageboy, she got right to business. "How dare you tell Cyndi that her sister is with God? That's not only blasphemy, but you've given her false hope that will only
He answered first ring. "Did you see how Brynn acted when I fell today?"
I thought back. "Um...yes?"
"She's not sweet on me, is she?"
Hedging, I answered his question with one of my own. "Why do you ask?"
"Things would be way weird if she was."
"Because you can't think of her that way?"
"Exactly." He'd never sounded so relieved.
"I honestly don't know." I didn't lie. Brynn's moods changed as often as the weather.
He groaned. "I hate shit like this."
"And so do I, which is why you should try not to worry about it. That could make things even weirder. Meanwhile, I'll try to find out how she really feels."
Tyler seemed to see the sense in that, so by the time we said our goodnights, I could tell he felt better about everything. Unfortunately, I didn't. How on earth was I going to tell Brynn that he'd taken himself out of the running for possible boyfriends? Rejection was rejection, even if the news was delivered by a friend who loved her, namely me, and she wasn't even sure how she felt about the guy.
On Tuesday I tried to get her alone without making a big deal about it. Did Tyler give me any opportunities? Of course not. He was as stuck to us as Marty had been to that dang baseball of his.
And as for Marty...well, he'd clearly told the dead-grandma-contacts-grandson tale to anyone who'd listen. Wow, did I ever get some looks. I got questions, too, none of them specific until a girl I barely knew from chemistry, Cyndi Caplan, dragged me aside at lunch time. I'd been on my way to the caf to meet Brynn in hopes we could get two seconds of privacy before Tyler showed up.
For that reason, I was a little distracted and not really tuned in to Cyndi until she said, "Is my sister in hell?"
Whoa.
I stopped walking to really look at the girl standing next to me, a slender brunette with tears in her big blue eyes. Opening up my heart and mind, I felt the presence of another girl, probably a couple of years older. Tammy? No, Tanya. Images began slamming me so fast that I really only saw one thing clearly: the movie poster for Girl, Interrupted. That meant suicide. Abandoning my usual method of presenting spirit info, which was sharing something I couldn't possibly know to gain trust, I got right to the point. "Tanya is with you right now, and when she's not, she's with God."
Cyndi burst into sobs. Of course I hugged her.
"She loves you so much and wants me to tell you that she's very sorry she was so selfish. It wasn't your fault, and you couldn't have done anything to save her."
She pulled back, tears streaming down her flushed face. I held onto my own composure, always hard to do in the face of such grief.
"Really?"
"Really. And she's telling me that it's okay for you to wear her watch. In fact, she wants you to, especially if it reminds you of her."
She glanced at a blinged-out watch on her wrist, one with a zebra-print strap and lime green CZs. "It does! Oh my God. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome."
With a huge smile, Cyndi left me. I took a couple of deep breaths to regain my equilibrium and then turned toward the caf doors. Someone's death grip on my upper arm stopped me in my tracks.
Elouise Shock, one of Martinsburg High's history teachers, glared at me through her tortoise shell glasses. "Come along, young lady. We need to talk."
I let her lead me into an empty classroom a few doors down the hall.
With a toss of her salt-and-paper pageboy, she got right to business. "How dare you tell Cyndi that her sister is with God? That's not only blasphemy, but you've given her false hope that will only
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