CHAPTER 23
I KNOW THEY KNOW
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"So... now what?" Irsia sunk back into the arm roll sofa. "Hey... why don't we study for math test?"
Elec and I gave her a stare. She sat quiet for like five seconds, and then she rose up with a sharp gasp. "Margo?"
"What?" I bleated. I had just closed my eyes and begun to slowly block my thoughts of what had happened, but yeah... just like every time there had to be someone who disturbed me just when I began doing something useful.
"Grouse all you want but how are you going to explain to your mother about your absence?"
"What have I done?" I quavered, panicking. I just thought I was free of the problems for one second and then new ones started to surface.
"Don't panic. I have an idea." Elec always had ideas, but sometimes they were scary.
"What?" I was picking the nail polish off my nails in anxiety.
"You have to go to your room through your window." She was sitting with her legs stretched over the chair opposite to her. Exhausted but oozing cool.
"I thought you were going say something like that."
"Do you have a better idea?" she challenged, folding her legs and bringing them down in an unfazed mien.
The plan was to climb to my window with a ladder that was in our lawn. We used that when we needed to climb up the terrace to clean the terrace after a storm. The problem was that I hated climbing the ladder. What if I misplaced my foot into the space between the rungs and slip?
I opened the gate like a church mouse and ran like a ninja to the ladder. I raised the heavy thing holding my breath. It was unwieldy to my trembling hands at first, but then gave away to my restive endeavor. As I leaned it against the wall, I let out a loud breath, which I regretted by closing my mouth with my fist.
I also regretted asking Elec and Irsia not to come with me. I had to do it alone. I knew Irsia and Elec watched me from Elec's window and knew to call an ambulance or the fire service if I misplaced my foot or started crying in the middle of my clambering because my dress got caught in some rung. I climbed one-step at a time breathing in and out and as I reached my window, I pushed my body inside the window and fell inside my room with a loud thud. Shit. I shut the window and ran to my laptop to sit there. I acted cool in case my mom decided to walk in the exact moment I fell into my room.
There was no sign of her. I took a moment to catch my breath and I remembered that my phone was still under my bed and that brought the thoughts that I shouldn't exactly be thinking. I slapped myself not to think about it. I needed to think of something else. I leaned back to see if Elec and Irsia were looking into my room. They weren't. Now, I had three things to do. 1. I had to block the thoughts (Hard). 2. I needed to get my phone back (Harder). 3. I had to inform my mom that we were having a sleep over at Elec's house (Hardest).
So I was in the clear if I blocked my thoughts, but if I didn't do it properly, or any sooner, I'd put my friends in danger. I had to go downstairs and declare to my mom that I'd be sleeping at Elec's and I had to grab a torch light from my dad's things. As I climbed down the stairs, I saw my mom watching TV, which cleared the doubt that she couldn't have come upstairs to check on me for the past hour.
"Elec is having a sleep over, mom. I'm going to her house after dinner," I declared.
"Mmm."
"I said I'm going to Elec's house for a sleep over," I said a little louder; thinking she didn't hear me.
"MMM." This time it was a little louder to acknowledge the fact that she heard what I told her but that she wasn't going to give an answer.
I took the torch light and rushed upstairs with a little victory dance in my mind about my accomplishment. I locked the door behind me. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I blocked the thoughts of the ghost. I assured myself that I was not afraid anymore. I opened my eyes and turned on the torch light. I knelt and bent with the support of my elbows. There was light under my bed now. It wasn't completely or unnaturally dark underneath. I crawled under the bed thinking that I was strong. Stretching my hand, I pulled my phone and the pencil out. In a moment of pure excitement, I thought I crawled out entirely and hit my head. Ouch... I crawled out and looked at my phone. The battery was dead.
Well, there went my plan to listen to music and block my thoughts.
I took my notebook. Looking at the pencil and my notebook looked all déjà vu. Block block block. I shut my eyes tight. Ugh... this is so tiring, I thought to myself, and I started tracing my pencil along a fresh page. Maybe I could write the poem that Aiden asked. Because I was pretty sure thinking about him or writing the poem that he asked would block any other thoughts. Good! I could do that, but a poem about love... ugh... I felt disgusted. After about half an hour, I finished writing a sour poem. Well, not exactly a poem. Kind of a poem. A poem that said exactly what I felt about love - something that faded overtime.
After dinner, I left my home carrying my phone and my raincoat. When I stepped out, Elec called me and reminded to move the ladder to its place. Something that I had completely forgotten about. I sighed. What would I do without Elec and Irsia? When I was about to shut the gate, I saw my dad's car approaching; so, I left the gate open and walked away. Fun time!!! I walked faster as the cold air brushed and rushed past me. It had been months since we had a sleep over.
We watched a stupid movie and laughed every time the dialogue got too cringey that even the actors would feel cringey if they watched it now. Elec's bed was wide enough for the three of us. Mine or Irsia's wouldn't fit the three of us. Not after sixth grade. Irsia always lied betwixt Elec and I. Always. Usually, Irsia would beg us to leave the little light on when we went to sleep. This behavior of her reminded me of Damon and how he used to yelp and whine when he was left in the dark when he was a puppy. Under unusual circumstances, I asked Elec to leave her artsy ornate electric lamp lit under the bed and to leave the bedside lamp simmered. I knew it would be hard to sleep with a light in the room, but Irsia was so good at it and it was necessary to save our lives.
Irsia told Elec about how Fiona was ogling all over Aiden the other day when Elec wasn't at school.
"Ewwww..." Elec laughed. "Really?"
"Yeah." Irsia and I laughed.
"You should see that goofy smile on his face whenever she is all come hither." I couldn't help but feel a tinge of irk when I thought about Aiden and Fiona together. But whatever. They were together now.
"Gee, no, thanks." Elec made a retching reaction.
"But he said he wouldn't go to the party with her but they were found together in the party. I just don't understand boys. One minute I think he's crushing on someone else and then he proves me wrong." Irsia declared, throwing her hands in the air.
"What do you mean you thought he has a crush over someone else?" I had to ask. I knew she wouldn't admit the fact that he crushed over me. That was why I asked her that out loud.
I couldn't help but think about Fiona and Aiden's picture. It looked like she leaned in to kiss him, but then again, his gestures, the way he talked to me, were cosmically confusing. Could he be playing me? My broken trust raised a question. Hmm... I needed to stop thinking about him.
"Enough talking about him. He never hangs out with anyone else but us. I thought he'd stop hovering since Edric isn't here. That's what bothers me. We haven't had a girls time in a very long time." Elec was trying to change the subject, but I didn't let her.
"Irsia..." I paused, staring at the ceiling, slightly hesitant to press the matter so much. "Who do you think he crushes on?"
"Why are you so interested in it?" Elec was stirred up now.
"Nothing. I just want to know if Irsia thinks of the same person that I think Aiden likes."
"Who is on your mind?" Their unanimous question startled me.
"Now, what's with your interest?" I asked with a slight erratic heartbeat.
Both of them knew. Both of them had been hiding it from me. I didn't understand why though, and I was pretty sure that was the reason why Elec hated him so much.
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