wore every day Next to each girl’s name they’d draw a smiley face for clothes they liked or a frowny face for clothes they didn’t How did I know this Well one day last week when Beth reluctantly agreed to come over after school I peeked at the notebook while she was in the bathroom Of course I looked for my name Frowny faces for every single day And Beth had even written Yuck next to my manga T-shirt I was stunned Beth had always liked that shirt At least she’d always said she did What upset me the most is Beth knew how much I loved manga comics She knew my dream was to write my own manga-style series one day I knew Beth didn’t love manga as much as I did probably no one did but the fact that she would make fun of it devastated me After she left that day I told my mom I
needed new clothes My mom laughed We just bought you a bunch of new clothes for school she said Yeah a couple new manga T-shirts and a Wonder Woman sweater I knew I’d get more Yucks next to my name if I wore those They’re not the right clothes I muttered But you begged for them at the store Mom said frowning in surprise I gave her my most convincing stare I would like a designer handbag And suede boots And a black skater skirt from Nordstrom I told her Like the one Avery wore today Mom laughed The only way you’re getting those is if you buy them yourself Myself How on earth would I ever save up enough money Another gust of wind jolted me from my thoughts
I was nearing the block of The House Even though Beth and I had made up our stories about it we knew it was definitely haunted It had been abandoned forever a crumbly old mansion with turrets and broken windows an overgrown yard crawling with thorny weeds and a tall wrought iron fence with sharp spires that would poke you you-know-where if you tried to climb over I wouldn’t be surprised if there was even a cemetery in the backyard No one has lived there for years No one could live there I heard Beth’s voice say in my head No one alive that is Only ghosts And for a split second I thought I heard her cackling laughter And the strangest of them all is the spirit of a little girl Lillian I added Lillian was my favorite ghost On a dark and stormy night Lillian fell down the cellar steps into a narrow hole She cried for help but no one could reach her
She wailed and wailed and even after she died down there she kept wailing Sometimes her face appears at the window Beth’s voice continued And instead of just Boo she yells Bibbledy-bobbledy-boo I started to laugh but then I froze A face appeared at the turret window And looked right at me And then vanished I let out a bloodcurdling scream and started to run But then something or someone grabbed me I whirled to see a little girl holding on tightly to my jacket Her skin was so pale I felt I could almost see through it White-blond ghostly hair wafted about her head She stared at me without blinking even once Lillian Lillian the cellar-ghost right before my eyes I tugged my jacket but she held fast She let
