Rebecca and I managed to roll our eyes in unison.
“We’re with you, mate,” she said, raising her tea in the air. We cheersed her with our own mugs and though she was smiling pleasantly, her posture was rigid. She was probably more worried about losing her job than she was letting on. Of course, I knew she’d be all right in the long run but I guess she didn’t see it the same way. It was Dex and I that I needed to worry about.
I knew someone, though, that would be happy with this news.
As soon as the two of them started going over the freaky shit that Oldman had told them, I took my phone and excused myself into the hallway.
Though I’d texted Ada just yesterday to tell her about Uncle Al, I hadn’t called her in a while. It was no wonder then that she sounded shocked when she answered her phone.
“Perry?” she cried out.
“Hey,” I said, leaning against the wall with the phone cradled to my ear and smiling absently at a pair of teachers who were walking past. “How are you? This a bad time?”
I heard something muffled, then she said, “No. I’m fine. I was just exercising.”
“Exercising?” My sister did not exercise. She was thin as a rail and never needed to.
“Yeah,” she said. “You know, you break a sweat, move your muscles and shit like that?”
“Smartass,” I muttered. “I mean, why are you exercising? You’re fifteen and look like a model.”
“I’m sixteen next month,” she said. “And it’s not about weight-loss, you douchecanoe.” I nearly snorted at her choice of word. Her voice dropped a register. “Exercise helps your brain. It makes you feel better – happier.”
I frowned. “Happier? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, fine.”
“Ada. Come on, you can tell me.”
She sighed. A moment passed on. “I don’t know. I just…I really wish you were here, Perry. I really need someone to talk to. Someone that understands. Sometimes I think I’m going crazy and I get so fucking scared and then I get angry because you’re with Dex. Don’t get me wrong and stuff, I like, like the guy. But you guys both have each other. You both understand each other.”
I had to read around the lines there. “Are you seeing ghosts?”
Another weighty pause. “Just one. Just sometimes. It’s an old man. He’s not scary and I only see him on the walk home from school. Once I get my license I’ll be zipping past that floaty fucker.” She let out a nervous laugh.
Suddenly, I felt for my sister. I felt everything that I did at her age, all the shit that I went through and the way I buried it all with food and drugs and everything bad for you. I could only hold onto the hope that if I could be there for Ada, that she wouldn’t turn to that and turn to me instead. I mean, it’s not like either of us could ever go to our mom or dad about our affliction.
“Hang in there,” I told her. “I’ll see you in a few days and then we can really talk.”
“You better not be bailing on us.”
“I’m not. I promise. Anyway, I called because I have good news.”
“Shut the front door!” she squealed. “What, what is it?”
She sounded way too excited already. “Why, what do you think it is?”
“Either you’re moving back to Portland or Dex proposed to you.”
I nearly choked on my own spit. “What?” I hissed, my eyes flitting to the door to the breakroom as if he’d hear her over the phone.
“No?”
“No!” I whispered harshly. “Are you crazy?”
“Whoa, dude, why so defensive?”
I rubbed at my forehead. “I don’t know. Uncle Al said some stuff to me that kind of rubbed me the wrong way.”
“Like what?”
I wanted to tell her but unfortunately I didn’t have the time for it. “I’ll tell you later. But no, no one is getting…that. And we aren’t moving to Portland. But we did decide to end the show.”
Another pause. “EIT?”
“Yes, Ada.”
“Is that what you want?”
I pursed my lips, wondering why she was trying to sound rational. “Yeah, it’s what I want. I’m tired of this Ada. I need something more.”
“And Sexy Dexy?”
“Please don’t call him that,” I groaned.
“Why not?”
“It’s weird. Anyway, Dex agrees. He worries about me as much as you do.”
“Well, if you’re happy Perry, I’m happy. It’s one less worry for all of us. I know I never tell you this, but you’re pretty awesome and you can do anything you want with your life. You should hang out with the living more often.”
“Thanks, sis,” I said, my heart warming over.
“It’s too bad he hasn’t proposed,” she mused thoughtfully. “The two of you would make beautiful babies and I could be the kick-ass fashion designer aunt.”
“We’ve only known each other eight months,” I reminded her with a sigh.
“Is that what Uncle Al told you?”
“Well, yeah.”
She scoffed. “Old people. They don’t know shit. This generation is moving faster. Just last week my friend Amber slept with Cole Phillips on the first date. I mean, hello, way to welcome him into your hidey hole so soon.” And then Ada went off into a rant about these people I didn’t know. When she was finally done I told her again that we’d talk more as soon as I got to Portland and we hung up.
I put my head back against the wall and took in a deep breath. I thought about what Ada said, that Dex and I would make beautiful babies together. Hopefully they’d have all of his genes with my hair and eyes. Actually, they could all just look like Dex and I would be happy with that.
And once again I was getting ahead of myself. He hadn’t proposed and, aside from the fact that we’d known each other less than a year, I wasn’t really sure if Dex was the marrying type. After seeing the devastation of his parent’s marriage, the way his father just up and left one day and never contacted his sons again, the way his mother went crazy – I couldn’t imagine that was something he wanted. Not to mention his former man-whore ways and his fly by the seat of his pants personality. I just didn’t see it. Not saying I didn’t want it but…it takes two. And I couldn’t set myself up for disappointment.
Just then, Dex appeared in the doorway, his arm above his head, lazily leaning against the frame. ”You all right here, kiddo?”
I stuck my phone back in my pocket and gave him a smile that felt stiff. “Just talking to Ada.”
“How is Little Fifteen?”
“She’s fine.”
He pointed inside the room. “Do you want to see the plan for the next couple of days? It kind of involves you.”
I nodded and followed him back into the room where Rebecca had her planner out. In the short time I’d been on the phone, they’d managed to make progress.
I peered over the table and saw the terms “room of blood”, “demon on the ceiling”, and “Shawna’s ghost” scribbled on the pad of paper in Rebecca’s elegant cursive.
A blanket of unease came over me. Perhaps the best time to quit the show would have been before we came to the hospital of death. Still, I pulled up a chair and let them talk me through the game plan.
One last time.