"I KISSED A GHOST''
I am walking.
Just walking.
And this damn neighborhood won't end.
The houses stretch on and on in quiet rows, their windows dark and lifeless. The lawns are perfectly trimmed, the sidewalks smooth and empty. My footsteps echo faintly in the silence, and the night air feels heavier the farther I go.
Maybe I should go back now.
But then the street slowly begins to change.
I start seeing stores. Light. So many lights. Cars pass by in quick flashes, headlights slicing through the dark. People walk along the sidewalks like everything is normal, like the night is just another ordinary evening.
They're all going on with their lives.
Then I see a bus stop.
Three people are standing there. A bus must be coming.
I sprint toward it, my breath catching slightly as I slow down and join them, trying to look like I wasn't just running through half the neighborhood.
I can't stop myself from looking at them.
There's an old bald man standing closest to the pole. He's staring down at his phone with intense concentration, his face glowing faintly in the bluish light of the screen as he reads something very carefully.
Next to him stands a skinny girl with pink hair.
Her style is… peculiar.
She's wearing long black lace boots that climb almost to her knees, translucent net leggings, a bright pink mini skirt, and an oversized graphic pink T-shirt that drapes loosely over her frame.
Wow.
She reminds me of a girl named Zoe from my class. Back when I actually used to go to school.
She's looking at her phone too, scrolling lazily.
Then there's a middle-aged guy standing slightly away from us, loudly munching on a burger like he doesn't care that everyone can hear him.
The bus arrives with a tired hiss.
The doors fold open.
Inside, there are barely any people. The overhead lights glow a dull green and flicker every few seconds, like the bus itself is struggling to stay awake.
I step inside and walk toward the driver.
"Um… do you know where the Ormond Foster Home is?"
The driver pauses.
He turns his head slowly, studying me for a moment.
"Ormond?" he repeats.
He scratches his chin thoughtfully.
"Haven't heard that name in a while… yeah, I pass that road. I'll tell you when to get off."
"Okay, thank you."
I walk down the narrow aisle and sit next to the pink-haired girl. I'm not even sure why I chose that seat. Maybe because she seemed the least..weird.
Still, I suddenly feel nervous.
She glances up from her phone.
"What are you looking at?"
Her tone is casual, but her eyes feel sharp, like they're staring straight through me.
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to be rude," I say quickly.
She chuckles softly.
"I'm playin withchu."
She looks back at her phone for a moment before glancing at me again.
"What's your name?"
"Odessa. And yours?"
"Valerie," she says. "Short for Valy."
She tilts her head slightly.
"Where are you going at this time?"
"Even your name is cool," I say before I can stop myself. "Uh… I'm going to the Ormond Home."
"Oh," she says slowly. "So it's curfew and you're still out?"
"Uh… yeah. First time sneaking out, you know. What about you?"
"I'm just going to my dorm," she shrugs. "And I'll probably hear things from my roommate."
I'm about to say something when the bus driver calls out from the front.
"Hey kid, this is your stop."
I quickly stand up.
I turn to Valerie.
"Goodbye."
"Take care, kid."
I hop off the bus.
The doors close behind me with a dull metallic thud, and the bus drives away, leaving the street strangely quiet.
I look around.
The road stretches endlessly in both directions, lined with tall trees whose branches lean over the street like they're whispering to each other.
This place looks nothing like the neighborhood I live in.
The houses aren't as big. But everything is clean. The streets almost squeak beneath my shoes.
Then I see it.
The house right in front of me. There's a wooden board on the porch.
Ormond Home.
The lights inside are still on.
Thank God.
I walk up the path slowly. My legs feel strangely shaky, though I'm not sure why.
I ring the doorbell.
Nothing.
I ring it again.
A few seconds later, the door opens.
A guy who looks around my age stands there. He has jet-black curly hair and icy blue eyes. He looks at me with open curiosity.
"Yes?"
"Uh… does Cade live here?"
Of course he lives here. But I still ask.
He turns his head and calls inside.
"Hey Cade! There's a girl here for you!"
Then he shuts the door right in my face.
He doesn't even invite me in.
Huh?
I'm still standing there when the door opens again.
But it isn't Cade.
It's the red-fucking-head.
She looks me up and down slowly, like she's evaluating something she already doesn't like.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Odessa," I say politely. Too politely. "I'm here to meet Cade."
"What do you want from him?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.
"I—"
I don't get to finish.
Cade suddenly appears behind her.
The moment his eyes land on me, his entire expression changes.
Like he's seen a ghost.
"Odessa."
He pushes past the redhead and wraps his arms around me, hugging me so tightly it knocks the breath out of me.
And suddenly all the anger and stress sitting inside my head melts away.
Seeing him after so long makes me want to kiss the fuck out of him.
Behind him, the redhead is still standing there.
Still staring.
Like bitch… go.
When Cade finally releases me, she's looking at me like she wants to kill me.
"Hey Ruby," Cade says calmly. "This is Odessa. Odessa, this is Ruby… my friend."
Friend.
Can he see that I'm jealous?
My expression stays composed, but I'm not sure about hers.
From somewhere inside the house, I hear an older woman's voice.
"Who is at the door?"
"It's Cade's girlfriend," Ruby calls out before anyone else can answer.
A woman in her mid-forties walks into view.
She has round glasses and curly salt-and-pepper hair. She looks warm and gentle, like the kindest nanny in the world.
She smiles brightly when she sees me.
"Hello dear, you must be Odessa. Cade talks about you a lot."
I smile softly.
"Yes. Nice to meet you, ma'am."
"You're even more lovely than the pictures," she says kindly. "Oh! I have to check the cookies in the oven. Excuse me."
She disappears down the hallway.
Pictures?
Cade turns back to me.
"You look really pretty," he says. "So… do you want to go for a walk, or would you rather come inside?"
"Thanks. I'll walk."
"By the way," he adds, still sounding slightly surprised, "I still can't believe you're here."
Behind him, Ruby walks inside and slams the door shut with a sour expression.
And somehow, that makes me feel satisfied.
Cade and I start walking down the road.
The street stretches endlessly ahead of us.
And so do the things I tell him.I tell him about Ethan's change in behavior.He listens.
I tell him about the diary.
He listens.
I tell him everything I've learned about my family from it.
He listens without interrupting even once with an emotionless expression.
Eventually we stop under a flickering old tube light. The pale light buzzes softly overhead, casting strange shadows across the cracked pavement. Dry leaves scatter around our feet, shifting slightly in the faint wind.
The tension that once filled the air between us is gone.
But something else replaces it.
Something heavier.
"Odessa…" Cade says quietly.
"I have to tell you something."
He looks apologetic at first.
Then suddenly serious.
"Yeah," I say. "Go ahead."
He sighs deeply and turns toward me.I look up with anticipation and slight fear of what he is going to say.
"Eugene was my dad."