The Haunted - Jessica Verday [6]
“Ooh, pie! How nice.”
Mom wandered into the house, and Dad leaned over to pick up my stuff. Suddenly I felt shy and awkward around him. Did he think I was still crazy?
“So how did the football game go last week?” I asked.
“Football season hasn’t started yet,” he replied. “But baseball season has, and last week the Yankees beat the Sox.”
I picked up my backpack and put it on the backseat. “I totally knew that. I was just testing you.”
We smiled at each other, and in that moment I knew everything was okay. Even though he’d been the one I’d gone to when I needed help, Dad didn’t think I was a freak.
He shut the back door and then turned to me. “So, your aunt made a pie, huh?”
“Made, not so much. Bought is more like it. I think it’s cherry.” His smile widened. “Well then, let’s not keep her waiting.” An hour later we were back at the car again, this time saying good-byes.
I hugged Aunt Marjorie one last time, pretending that I didn’t notice the way her eyes were getting all teary. “I’ll come back and visit again soon,” I promised. “You still owe me a couple more plane rides.”
She nodded. “You bet. Call me if you need anything.” She lowered her voice and looked me right in the eye. “Anything, okay, Abbey?”
“Okay,” I said. And I promise, your midnight secret is safe with me. I didn’t say it out loud, but she gave me an almost imperceptible nod, and then we were climbing into the van, waving as we backed out of the driveway and pulled onto the open road.
I leaned my head back and settled in, sad to leave Aunt Marjorie behind. Anxious for everything I would be returning to. And nervous about what my future might hold.
Up front Mom chattered away. “We’re so excited to have you back home, Abbey! I can’t wait to show you the new colors I painted the dining room in. And last week I replaced the drapes in the front hallway…” I tuned her out.
I didn’t care about paint colors or new hall drapes. I only cared about what the rest of my summer was going to be like. Had word gotten out about the meltdown I’d had? Did anyone know where I’d been these past couple of months? What were they saying about me?
Trees zipped by, and so did several cars. The clouds shifted overhead, and I peered up at them. The shadows they cast seemed to stretch for miles, and for a while I amused myself with the what-does-that-cloud-look-like game. For some reason I kept seeing hippopot-amuses.
Then my thoughts switched course. School was out now. What would everyone else be doing over the summer? Getting part-time jobs? Throwing pool parties? Hanging out at the beach? Driving around in their cars?
Would I be doing any of those things? I didn’t know what this summer would bring, but I didn’t think it was going to go down as “the one to remember.” Not with Kristen being gone.
Not with me being… me. I wonder what Ben is doing.…
He’d called my cell phone once or twice while I was at Aunt Marjorie’s, but I still hadn’t called him back. I didn’t know what to say or how to act. Not only had I ditched him in the middle of our science-fair project, but then I had to go and have a mental breakdown on top of it. How do you explain that? Baffled as to what to do about Ben, I thought about it until we were almost home.
Dad had to say my name three times to get my attention, and I think he was amused by my obvious daydreaming.
“We’re going to cross the new bridge,” he told me. “In about ten minutes.” I turned to look out my window, grateful for the distraction from my thoughts. I kept my neck craned and didn’t have to wait long. Dad pulled onto the main cemetery road, and even from a distance I could see the massive, looming structure.
The covered part of the bridge appeared to be at least twenty feet tall, and it had been made to look like it was a hundred years old. I couldn’t figure out why it was so big until we crossed it and an eighteen-wheeler drove past us. Of course, trucks would need the extra room.
Thick wooden beams crisscrossed each side, and a rumbling sound echoed underneath us. It was the quintessential covered-bridge