Me and My Ghoulfriends by Rose Pressey Read Free Book Online

attire; when you don’t date, you don’t need date clothing. I had a serious dilemma on my hands. All right, my closet was overflowing, but going out with Callahan required donning something extra special.
     
    “What am I going to wear?” I screeched into the phone.
     
    The bell chimed again, and I looked up to see a woman with a small child walk in. I covered the phone and greeted them.
     
    Mindy was still chatting away about my pitiful wardrobe. “We’ll just have to go shopping,” she finished, finally taking a breather.
     
    “Fine. Meet me here at six and we’ll go. But do not even suggest going to Brianna’s shop. I refuse to go in there. She saw Callahan leave the store and I’m convinced she’ll probably put out a hit on me. You know, murder for hire, that sort of thing.”
     
    “What? Don’t be ridiculous! That’s exactly where we are going. I can’t wait to rub it in her face,” Mindy snorted.
     
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                  Me and My Ghoulfriends
     
    Chapter 4
     
     
    I couldn’t say for sure where Mindy’s hatred of Brianna had come from, but it was evident. She couldn’t have made it more apparent if she’d rented a billboard along the I-65. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t say I blamed her for her loathsome feelings, either.
     
    Unquestionably, Brianna didn’t have many friends in town. More than likely because she was the kind of friend who’d tell you that you looked fabulous as you walked out the door for a date with Mr. Wonderful when, in reality, you looked like a deranged clown.
     
    I could hear Brianna now, “Oh, yeah, Larue…” She’d snicker . “You look g orgeous . Just like a model …I think you need just a smidgen more paint … er , I mean, here use some of my blush.”
     
    Brianna certainly didn’t hesitate to give lots of people reasons to hate her. I had my own living grown-up version of Nelly Olsen. All Brianna needed were the golden ringlets and petticoat.
     
    “Ugh. I have a bad feeling about this. It can’t turn out good.”
     
    “What’s the worst that can happen?”
     
    “What’s the worst that can happen? I’ll tell you. First, one thing that could happen is I’m giving her some of my hard-earned cash. Secondly, she may kill us both.”
     
    “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll even pay for the outfit.”
     
    “You must really hate her if you’re willing to let go of money.” A free outfit was tempting.
     
    “You got it.” Mindy grunted.
     
    “Fine, meet me here at six and we’ll go. Listen, I have to run. I have a customer and I don’t want people to think I’m nuts by hearing my conversation with you.”
     
    “Are you sure someone is there or are you just saying that to get me off the phone?”
     
    I didn’t answer that question.
     
    “All right, I’ll see you at six then.”
     
    “Bye.” I hurried off the phone.
     
    It probably didn’t matter if the lady had heard the conversation because it looked as if I might lose the shopper anyway. The slightly frazzled-looking woman was standing in the corner, trying to read a book jacket as her little girl zealously yanked on the leg of her pants and yelled, “Mommy, Mommy, Abraham Lincoln is standing beside you.”
     
    Poor kid. The mother was telling her to be quiet.
     
    Watching the confused little girl brought back memories from when I was a child. I’d caught the same kind of treatment when I was small. No one had ever believed me when I told them I saw an invisible person. It was always my “ imaginary friends ,” as they’d say.
     
    I supposed I’d started seeing spirits since birth. My mother said I’d stare at invisible things when I was a baby.
     
    The first apparition I remembered was my great-grandmother Annie. She’d come into my bedroom at night, read me bedtime stories and carefully tuck the covers up tightly around me.
     
    My mother finally started to believe it was more than an imaginary friend when I described my great-grandmother to a