Tonya Hurley_Ghostgirl_02 by Homecoming Read Free Book Online Page B

anxiously. “What’d they want?”
    “If you’d been here, you’d know,” Maddy chastised. “I’m just glad I was here to cover for you.”
    “Thank you?” Charlotte said sheepishly, now more chagrined than ever.
    “You should know better, Usher,” Mr. Markov chimed in. “These calls can be a matter of life and death to someone.”
    Charlotte frowned and looked up at the video camera above her. Maddy smiled and looked up at the one installed above her. Pam, Prue, and Suzy shook their heads in disbelief and signaled each other to meet in the break room. Charlotte watched them sneak off, but didn’t join them.
    “That was weird,” Pam said, totally immersed in the intern girl talk, sans Charlotte. “Why would Maddy take Charlotte’s call?”
    “Yeah, she knew how desperate she was to get one,” Prue concurred.
    “Maybe Maddy was just trying to be helpful,” Violet chimed in as Prue’s eyes rolled over in disbelief.
    “I liked you better when you were mute,” Prue snapped.
    “You guys are just jealous Charlotte’s getting close to Maddy,” CoCo added, trying to stir things up as usual.
    “Aren’t we all supposed to be ‘next-leveled,’ people?” Suzy Scratcher butted in. “This is all so … last life.”
    “Everyone needs to feel needed, appreciated … wanted,” Simone purred as Simon shook his black mop in agreement. “Charlotte’s feeling lonely.”
    “This from a pair of twins who tried to out-emo each other!” Prue snapped.
    “Look, can’t we just get her a call?” Pam chimed in, agreeing with the tragic twins.
    “You can’t fake a call,” Prue barked back, feeling frustrated. “You can’t go out and solicit troubled teens!”
    “I think we have to trust that this is the way it’s supposed to be,” Abigail interjected. For Abigail speaking up was rare. She’d lost her confidence when she “dry-drowned” on her own tears after getting dumped by her boyfriend following a swim meet, killing herself and her self-esteem right along with it.
    “Easier said than done,” Silent Violet said, giving Abigail an encouraging wink as all the girls nodded, broke their huddle, and went back to their cubicles.
    “Why don’t we go home and just hang out?” Maddy said. “You know, have a girls’ night.”
    Charlotte smiled; she was more eager to get out of the sea of phones than ever after another long, uneventful, ringless day.
    “I don’t know, we’re not really supposed to quit early,” Charlotte noted, pointing to the video cameras above each of their desks. “And considering how often we’ve been late …”
    “Don’t worry,” Maddy nudged. “It’s not like you’re missing anything, right?”
    “It would be more fun than sitting around here, I guess,” Charlotte concluded.
    Charlotte called out to let everyone know she was leaving. Pam and Prue looked up from their calls and stared at each other, but that was all the reaction Charlotte got. Mike was too busy nearly browbeating some poor caller and rocking air microphone windmills: “You do not hope you die before you get old,” Mike pushed back. “Trust me, dude.” Jerry too was deep in conversation and picking his nails. He flashed them a little peace sign as she and Maddy walked by. Charlotte thought it was sweet of him to acknowledge her exit.
    “Peace?” Maddy asked snidely. “How lame.”
    “Oh, Jerry’s sweet,” Charlotte said. “He’s really nonjudgmental.”
    “Good thing for him,” Maddy said, watching him spit out the last fragment of nail he had been chewing, as she nudged Charlotte out ahead of her.
    They walked across the cement courtyard to their apartment building, nodded to the doorman, and headed for the elevators. Just in front of them were a bunch of kids around their age who didn’t seem very happy or friendly. Not boisterous like the younger kids were. In fact, they barely looked at Charlotte and Maddy.
    The down arrow lit up and the doors opened. Everyone but Charlotte and