Table of Contents
From Under the Microwave
1. From Under the Microwave
Holshue House was a very nice place to live - until it wasn’t. The darkness that it held had... Read Chapter
The Who of Us and Me
2. The Who of Us and Me
“Pervert. He called me a pervert, and … and it was something from a long time ago. That word �... Read Chapter
Crashing the Formula
3. Crashing the Formula
The next night the moon came up nearly full and very white, awakening the peepers in the cool fres... Read Chapter
Destroyed
4. Destroyed
The bracelet chafed our skin, rubbing a bloody sore on the inside of our ankle. We were allowed to be not in ... Read Chapter
Welcome to Holshue
5. Welcome to Holshue
It was very dark outside when the van picked us up from the county jail in the pre-dawn darkness, a ... Read Chapter
The Bathroom Sink
6. The Bathroom Sink
There was one bathroom for the nine of us who lived on the second floor of Holshue House. The t... Read Chapter
Killa
7. “Killa”
“Hey, Killa,” a sweet high voice with a Southern accent called from behind me.
We were on our way o... Read Chapter
The Ones in the Basement
8. The Ones in the Basement
The girl with the beautiful hands wasn’t in my social studies / American history class. I sa... Read Chapter
The Stench of the Basement
9. The Stench of the Basement
The dream began as thunder, rolling against the river banks and the river rippling against i... Read Chapter
The Girl Next Door
10. The Girl Next Door
That night, as darkness fell outside, I opened my door to find a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich o... Read Chapter
Pretty
11. Pretty
In my dream I was walking through a meadow with purple flowers and sunshine, holding hands with someone. For so... Read Chapter
Finally Phyla
12. Finally Phyla
I could still taste the Johnny Marzetti and the cheddar cheese they had draped all over it as... Read Chapter
Questions in the Middle of the Night
13. Questions in the Middle of the Night
After the wonderful time I had had on the fourth page it seemed that I should hav... Read Chapter
Breakfast with the Harpies
14. Breakfast with the Harpies
Love is not supposed to be like that. Love is something that is built over time, like the o... Read Chapter
The Book Room
15. The Book Room
In therapy we played the Affirmation Game. Everyone writes an affirming statement on a slip of paper, an... Read Chapter
Dirty Laundry at Holshue House
16. Dirty Laundry at Holshue House
After afternoon classes and before dinner, I thought that I would run upstairs, taking ... Read Chapter
The Outside World
17. The Outside World
At breakfast I was disappointed when I scanned the cafeteria and didn’t see Phyla any where, and t... Read Chapter
Naptime Magic
18. Naptime Magic
After lunch I left my door ajar, just as Phyla had said. I hated that I was still stinky with sweat from... Read Chapter
The River Rises
19. The River Rises
There is something hollow in the aftermath of such magnificent love-making, a sense of separation that... Read Chapter
Maggie's Madness
20. Maggie’s Madness
If there was anyone who had slept through the events of the night before, who had not been out on t... Read Chapter
Learning Michele
21. Learning Michele
The repel blast that I had thrust at Garish up on the fourth floor must have taken something more out... Read Chapter
The Pendant
22. The Pendant
The rain had returned and appeared every day for the next several, as summer was winding down, as the trop... Read Chapter
The Hideous Brand
23. The Hideous Brand
Ghosts are scary, but perhaps only because they are a deviation from what we all think of as being �... Read Chapter
A Different View
24. A Different View
So I should have been ashamed and embarrassed that I was caught by my girlfriend with my face practic... Read Chapter
The Trouble with Ghosts
25. The Trouble with Ghosts
I did not sleep very well that night. The air in my room seemed stale and heavy. Maybe it was ... Read Chapter
Dirty Hair Chronicles
26. Dirty Hair Chronicles
With the muddled mush my mind had become, I had somehow forgotten showering. There were moments ... Read Chapter
The Stigma
27. The Stigma
Her ebony skin glistened in the darkness as she tossed her head from side to side. I wanted my dream eyes t... Read Chapter
Failure to Reconcile
28. Failure to Reconcile
The plan to stay in my room forever didn’t last very long. I managed to hide out through breakf... Read Chapter
Fat Girl Trying to Survive
29. Fat Girl Trying to Survive
It was after dinner the next night, which I had eaten all by myself in the general proximit... Read Chapter
