Page 15 of The Beginning and End of Everything
"Yeah? Well, you look clean. I managed to get out of shower night on Tuesday." A smug grin worked over his face.
Already annoyed, I nudged Brandon in the ribs, then jerked my head toward Poppy while glaring at him. "Have something you want to say to her, Bran?"
“I didn’t forget.” He waved a dismissive hand through the air, then pushed onto his knees, biting at his lip while he dug around in the pocket of his jeans. "Happy birthday, poss." He placed a little knot of bailing twine into her palm. "Made you a friendship bracelet." He sniffed, then thumbed under his nose. "Ma showed me how to make it. I told her you'd rather have a puppy, but she wouldn't let me give ya one."
Poppy smiled—bigger than she had at my present—and then she hugged Brandon so hard that she nearly knocked him over. Now he was smelling her strawberry hair, and the first taste of jealousy danced over my tongue.
"I love it. Thank you, Brandon." Poppy looped the tatty thread around her wrist, looking up at him with big eyes while he tied the knot. She twisted it, smiling even bigger. "I'll wear it forever."
Brandon’s gaze went to the floor, and his shoulder hiked in an awkward shrug. "Okay."
Poppy kept staring at that bracelet, and Brandon kept stealing glances at her. The only noise in the tent was the soft chirp of the crickets, hiding in the thick grass outside. I wanted whatever moment was passing between them to end, so I cleared my throat, then clasped my hands together, and stretched them out. "So, what do you want to do now?"
"We could tell ghost stories." A twisted grin formed on Brandon’s face.
Poppy crept closer to me, pulling one of the blankets into her lap. "I don't like scary stories.”
"Aw, come on, poss.” Brandon thumped her knee, and she slapped his hand away. “Don't be a baby. It's just a story."
"Yeah," I said, nudging Poppy’s shoulder. I didn’t like those stupid stories either, but I spotted a chance to put my arm around her, so I went with it. And she let me and settled into my side. "It's just a story, Poppy."
She huffed but didn’t protest again, and I guessed Brandon saw that as his go-ahead. His eyes gleamed, and he rubbed his palms together like some greedy swindler preparing to rightfully screw someone over.
"So, there was this girl..." His gaze strayed to Poppy, and his smirk deepened. "Her parents left her all alone one night.” Brandon paused, placing an inquisitive finger to his chin before locking eyes with me. “Now that I think of it, it was Blaire O'Brian. You remember her, right, Connor? The girl that lived in Poppy's house before it was Poppy’s house?"
Blaire O'Brian had lived in Poppy's house, so I nodded.
"Anyway, she was all alone”—he held up a finger—“Mind you, Blaire told me this herself. Anyway, that night, she kept hearing a dripping noise.Drip.Drip." He leaned in close to Poppy, and she shrunk back. "Drip!”
She got up and checked in all the rooms, but she didn’t find anything that could be causing the noise. When she laid back down, she felt her dog, Spunky …” Brandon nodded. “Yeah,Spunky,the dachshund—Blaire felt ole’ Spunky lick her hand, so she knew everything was okay. Only thing, it wasn't. Because that dripping kept going."
By then, Poppy clutched my arm so hard, my skin burned. That was why I kind of wanted Brandon to keep going—even though I felt bad that Poppy was obviously scared.
"She finally got up and looked in the wardrobe, and there was Spunky, hung." Brandon stuck his tongue out and made a choking sound as he clutched his neck. "And that dripping was poor Spunky's blood falling on the floor."
Poppy whimpered.
"And there’s a note that says, 'Humans can lick, too.’"
Poppy screamed, and Brandon laughed so hard he toppled over.
"That's not true!" she said.
"Is, too."
"Is not."
"I mean, I never heard that,” I said.
Brandon glared at me. "Blaire told me herself."
"Blaire was a liar."
Brandon shrugs. "Don't know, butIsure wouldn’t want to sleep in the room Spunky was hung in."
"I hate you, Brandon," she huddled against my side.
He laughed. "It's just a story, Poppy."
