The Haunted - Jessica Verday [71]
My knees gave out in a slow fall. My good mood vanished.
Kristen’s diaries. The ones I’d found in her room. I touched the edge of one, and a jolt of memory ran through me.
Kristen and me shopping for new shoes at the mall. Hanging out under the bridge after the first day of school. Leaving letters for Washington Irving at his grave on Halloween night.
Roaming through the cemetery and making up stories…
I needed to see her again. I needed to go see Kristen.
The Haunted
Chapter Sixteen
INTRODUCTIONS
There was something in the moody and dogged silence of this pertinacious companion that was mysterious and appalling.
—“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”
It looked like rain the entire way to the cemetery, but that didn’t bother me. I’d grabbed my yellow raincoat in case the storm hit while I was out.
When I reached Kristen’s stone, I saw that a pot of red tulips had been left there. I knelt down to read the card sticking out of a long, pronged plastic stake. Love, Mom and Dad, it said.
I smiled to myself. That was typical of Kristen’s parents. Bringing something to make the place look pretty. I should really go visit them sometime soon. See how they’re doing.
There were loose grass clippings stuck to the face of her tombstone—evidence of care-less lawn-maintenance people—and I brushed them away, taking a minute to trace the carved letters of her name with my pinkie.
“Hey, Kristen,” I whispered.
I tucked my legs up under me and rested one palm on the top of the granite marker. “I found your diaries again today. They were in the back of my closet, and I saw them when I was looking for my shoes.” I took a deep breath. “I really miss you. I miss hanging out with you. I miss calling you. I miss seeing how your face lights up when I have something funny to say.…”
Thunder rumbled, and a breeze blew past me, causing the nearby tree limbs to shiver. I shivered too.
“You know, when I first found your diaries and read about the secret boyfriend you were always trying to find ways to be with, a part of me was really mad at you, Kristen. I couldn’t understand why you kept him a secret from me. Why you didn’t tell me about someone who made you so happy.” I ran my thumb back and forth over the center of my clover necklace. “I would have been there for you. I would have been happy for you.…
“But you didn’t let me in. And when I found out, I hated you for that.” I bowed my head, and the tears came, slipping down my nose and falling to the ground below. “I’m sorry, Kristen. I’m so sorry I felt that way. I shouldn’t have. You were my best friend. How could I ever hate you?”
A heavy raindrop landed on the back of my head, and before I had the chance to put on my coat, the sky opened up. Sheets of rain cascaded down around me, and within seconds my hair and clothes were soaked. But I wasn’t done talking yet.
“Whoever D. is, I’m sorry that he hurt you,” I told her, over the sound of the storm. “It must have been heartbreaking, to have to hold it all inside. And I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to talk about… after… your first time.” Rain pounded down on me, echoing off of the plastic jacket I struggled to put on, and splattering on the hard ground. “Oh, Kristen, your words were so full of regret, and that’s not how love is supposed to be.” A smile crept across my face. “Love is supposed to be wonderful, and thrilling, and exciting, and nerve-wracking. It’s amazing, Kristen. I have someone now too, and I can talk to him like I can’t talk to anyone else. Not anyone since… you.
“He’s the boy I told you about on prom night, when I wrote you that letter. He’s gorgeous and funny, and smart. He’s an artist, too. He makes me these necklaces that are just unbelievable. And last night? He climbed into my room and put glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling. Can you believe that?”
Then I frowned as I realized I’d left something out. An important something. “This next part is going to sound crazy. Believe me, I know. But it’s the truth. He’s…” My voice faltered, and I cleared my throat. “He’s… dead.