Slow Dance in Purgatory

“And get this. There was this pool of blood on the floor that the police were sure belonged to the 2nd brother. There was a witness, see, and he swears both brothers fell over the balcony and were lying unconscious when he went for help. When he gets back with the police, the older brother is gone. So they searched the school up and down, and they couldn’t find anything. It was like he just vanished. My grandpa says a few days later the kid’s name was written on every chalkboard, like he was trying to tell them something.”

“Whatever, Jasper. Nice try.” Derek was waving him off, dismissing him as he walked toward the door connecting the gym to the men’s locker room. A few of the other guys moved to follow him. Shad tried again, eager to keep the attention he’d held just a second before.

“I’m dead serious, man! My grandpa has seen this guy….more than once! Here in the school…and he never ages. He always looks exactly the same – that’s how my grandpa knew he was a ghost. And he’s not the only one who’s seen him…. there are other people that have, too.” There was no way that Shad was going to tell them Maggie was one of those people, but Derek was listening again.

“This school has a ghost. That story I told you? 100 percent true! And all that strange stuff you’re talking about? It’s probably him.” Shad mentally high-fived himself on that bit of sheer genius. It had just popped right into his head. He continued. “I work here after school, you know. I’ve seen my share of scary shit, man.” Shad threw in the cuss word for good measure, knowing it made him sound more mature.

A shrill whistle blew, and Coach Tenney bellowed through the door. “Let’s go ladies! You’re all late! Get your pink panties out here now!”

Everybody headed for the door, all conversation ended for the time being.

“So, Shad. You’re on our team today.” Derek slung a heavy arm over his shoulders, wedging Shad up between him and Trevor as they walked. “You can tell me a little more about this ghost we got here at Honeyville High, right?”

***

Shad stuck the key in the side door and tried not to let the guys see that his hands were shaking. It took him two attempts, but they didn’t seem to notice. They were too busy laughing and flirting with the girls they had brought along. They had picked Shad up about twenty minutes before and made him sit behind the back seat in Derek’s mom’s suburban. The rest of the seats were crowded with several members of the football team and a few of their girlfriends. One of the girls had researched séances on line and had picked up a bunch of candles and other strange stuff for the big event. It was all stuffed in the back with Shad.

Shad had been excited just to come along. He knew he had been included because he had access to a key, but he ignored that small detail. The guys had been cool to him all week, ever since he’d told them about Johnny Kinross. He had even squeezed some more info out of his grandpa, and he’d exaggerated a little, too, making it possible for him to get a few more days mileage out of it. What good storyteller doesn’t?

In P.E. that morning, Trevor had pulled him aside and sworn him to secrecy. Then he had asked him, all serious and hush hush, if Shad could get them into the school that night for an exclusive ghost buster’s bash. Derek, Trevor, and a few of the guys had come up with a plan to call the ghosts of the dead boys and have a little fun in the process. Shad’s immediate reaction had been stone cold horror. There was no way he wanted to be in the school, at night, playing Ouija board games and contacting ghosts. What if they pissed Johnny Kinross off? Shad knew he existed, even if they didn’t. He had seen that message appear right before his eyes, and he wouldn’t soon forget it. But there was no way he could let Trevor know he was afraid. So he smiled, slapping Trevor’s hand, and told him he could absolutely get them into the school. He wasn’t going to let them down.

Gus thought he’d been invited to a party at Derek’s house, at least that’s what Shad told him. Grandpa Gus didn’t know Derek or the others very well, and it was easy to fudge on the details. His grandpa had fallen asleep in his big chair while watching something extremely boring on public television, and it had been a piece of cake to take his work keys from the rack by the door. He would return them later tonight when he got home, and Gus would be none the wiser. When they had honked for him at nine o’clock, he’d left right through the front door, as natural as you please. Grandpa Gus hadn’t even stirred