Ghosting Read Online Free PDF Page A

hug.
    I can smell the weed on him,
    strong.
    His hair is the same curly mop,
    but he’s gotten
    bigger and taller.
    And something else about him,
    other than the slower speed
    and smell of pot,
    is different.
    I can’t figure out what it is,
    not right away.
    It’s great to see you,
he says.
    And he means it,
    I can tell.
    Come on,
calls Brendan from inside the car.
We’ve got places to go.
    Brendan says we need
    to make a quick
    fueling stop
    before we head
    to the party
    and I think he means
    a gas station,
    but he pulls into
    the parking lot
    by Centennial Park, near the
    kid’s playground.
    Time for some pre-party refreshments,
says Brendan.
    The playground is deserted.
    Under the nearly
    full moon
    the swing set and jungle gym
    look like skeletons of
    long-ago
    prehistoric creatures.
    What’ve you got?
asks Emma.
    The cooler’s between you two,
says Brendan to me and Felix.
Pop it open.
    Felix is slow to respond
    so I reach down
    and unlatch the cooler,
    opening the lid.
    Nestled in ice
    are about a
    dozen brightly
    colored cans
    of what looks
    like soda pop.
    Emma peers
    into the cooler.
    Holy shit, where’d you find that stuff?
    Craigslist,
says Brendan proudly.
Only fifteen bucks a can.
    What is it?
I ask, amazed by how expensive those colorful cans are.
    Don’t they have MoonBuzz in Colorado?
Brendan says.
    I shake my head.
    Then you are in for a treat,
Brendan says with a big grin.
    I heard it was banned in Illinois,
comes Chloe’s voice from the back.
    Yep. That’s why it was such a rip-off,
says Brendan.
    But believe me, it’s worth it. Cocaine in a can.
    I’ve read about it,
comes Anil’s voice from the back.
They say drinking one can is the equivalent of five beers and a cup of Starbucks coffee.
    Sweet,
says Brendan.
    He grabs one can
    for him and one
    for Emma.
    Help yourselves,
he says to the rest of us.
    It sounds
    really
    bad to me.
    But Felix reaches into the cooler,
    fishes out a couple
    and hands them back to
    Chloe and Anil.
    Then he picks out two more,
    and offers one to me
    with a wink.
    I start to say no,
    but then
    catch Emma watching me
    in the rearview mirror.
    So I take it,
    setting it on the floor
    at my feet.
    Then I open
    the car door.
    I’ll be right back,
I say, sliding my camera out of my pocket.

ANIL
    1. I watch the girl named Maxie
    as she stops just short of the playground.
    She holds a camera to her eye.
    Flash.
    Chloe has popped open her can of MoonBuzz.
    I can hear her take a few gulps.
    Then she says,
    C’mon, Anil, I want to swing.
    I follow Chloe as she runs,
    childlike and a little clumsy,
    to the swing set.
    As I pass Maxie she gives me a small,
    almost embarrassed, crooked smile.
    That’ll make a nice shot,
I say,
with the moon and all.
    It reminds me of dinosaur bones,
she answers with a laugh.
    I look over at the swing set,
    where Chloe is waiting for me.
    I see that,
I say.
    And I do.
    We exchange smiles again.
    Anil,
Chloe calls.
Come push me.
    Chloe is wearing a white dress tonight
    and flying through the air on the swing,
    she looks like the goddess Lakshmi,
    the Hindu embodiment of beauty,
    or she would if the goddess Lakshmi
    had honey-colored hair.
    2. Automatically I push Chloe,
    high and higher,
    but for some reason
    all I can think about is
    that small, embarrassed, slightly crooked
    smile on Maxie’s face.
    Hey,
Chloe says,
I said stop.
    And I realize that I’ve been pushing
    while she’s been trying to slow down.
    Sorry,
I say.
    I look over at the SUV,
    thinking about the MoonBuzz
    and how I do not want to drink it.
    You’re not mad at me or anything?
Chloe asks,interrupting my thoughts.
    Huh?
I say.
Uh, no, I’m not. But, hey, Chloe, maybe don’t drink too much of that stuff of Brendan’s. It’s especially dangerous for girls, I mean, because you’re smaller.
    I know. I won’t,
she says.
You’re so sweet.
    And she slides out of the swing
    and comes right up to me,
    wrapping her arms around my waist,
    her head nestled at my chest.
    It