He nodded. “Yeah, but it’s not his fault. Momo’s making him do it.”
“Did he tell you that?”
“He told me Momo would come for all of us if we didn’t do what she said. And Momo doesn’t like you. Momo wants badthings to happen to you. Momo’s the one who told me to take your phone… And Momo made me give away your photos…”
“What?” I stood. “What photos, Cameron?” As I interrogated him, I walked over to my desk, looking for the box where I kept all my old photos—photos of myself with friends, private photos. And it wasn’t there. “Who did you give the box to?”
I could tell my brother felt terrible about what he’d done, but he was so scared. “George,” he said.
Unbelievable. So the little brother of my ex-boyfriend was behind this: the same ex-boyfriend who had sworn to ruin my life if I wouldn’t get back together with him. “Cameron, this Momo bullshit is over as of tonight. I promise you that. No one is going to threaten you or scare you again. All right?”
He didn’t seem very convinced.
How the hell could Danny stoop so low that he’d bring a six-year-old kid into this? He knew where the box of photos was, of course. There were lots of photos of us in there. He must have been having a ball watching me suffer, the jerk. Fucking with me, that was one thing. But my little brother? He had no idea who he was messing with.
***
I spent the morning in the café baking cakes and brownies, making sandwiches, blending batter for the muffins. By two in the afternoon, I was exhausted.
Mrs. Mill told me to take a break for half an hour, and she gave me a tuna sandwich and pointed to the door. I didn’t need her to say it twice. I threw on my coat, grabbed my sandwich, and walked outside, ready to soak up the good cheer of the Bonfire Fest. Posters and lights had been strung up all over. The entire town did its part; everyone wanted the night to be magical. It was supposed to snow until midafternoon, leaving the night calm butchilly, with a beautiful blanket of white snow atop it. For the first snow to hit so early, in November, was unusual, but you never knew what to expect anymore in this crazy world.
I walked through Carsville and remembered years past: gathering beside a bonfire, even building one; toasting marshmallows; making s’mores… Kate loved the Bonfire Fest. She used to say that the sight of fire took her back in time and she could just stare into the flames for hours. I got that; bonfires had a similar effect on me. I don’t know what it was, but gathering around the fire with your best friends was just special somehow.
I remember with Danny we used to stay until everyone else had left. He was sweet and attentive back then; he’d let me lie back with my head in his lap and comb his fingers through my hair until I’d nearly fallen asleep. Once, I remember him picking me up and carrying me to his car to drive me home. He had to shake me awake and tell me to go to my room before my parents had a heart attack.
Danny had always struggled to keep a grip on himself. That wasn’t news to anybody, but treating me this way? It was weird. He was always impulsive, rash, but he had never been the type to deliberately manipulate a little kid so people would hate me.
I walked around as I ate the sandwich Mrs. Mill had given me. Thankfully, she’d let me off the hook that evening—she and her husband would watch the stall, the way they always had, and I could have fun.
I crossed the square to buy a Coke from the corner store. Julian was coming out with Kate, but they were arguing heatedly and didn’t notice me.
“It’s over, Julian,” she said.
“Kate, you can’t do this to me,” he whined.
Kate frowned, seemingly disgusted by what he was saying. Then she saw me. Her face and Julian’s both changed. Julian smiled softly and said, “Hey, Kam. Out for a walk?”
Did he honestly think I hadn’t seen those videos of him and everyone else having the time of their lives at a party I hadn’t been invited to? I realized the rest of them had written me off by that point, but Julian was supposed to be my friend.
“I’m just on break from the café,” I said, noticing Kate was doing everything she could not to look at me.
“I’m outta here,” she announced, jerking away from Julian, who hadn’t seemed to notice that he was still gripping her arm.
The look he shot her made it clear that the conversation they’d been having wasn’t over, but he turned back and devoted all his attention to me. “We fight a lot. I guess it’s normal between brothers and sisters.”
I couldn’t stop staring at Kate. She seemed like a different person all of a sudden. She had everything she wanted: she was the captain of the cheerleading squad now, the most popular girl in school. But she looked anxious, depressed even. She’d lost weight, she had dark circles under her eyes, and no amount of makeup could cover them. Being on top was hard work—especially at a school like ours—and I guess she was learning that.
“I’ve got to go back to Mill’s,” I said, turning around. I’d grab a lemonade there instead—I wasn’t in the mood to hang out with Julian.
But he took my arm and pulled me closer. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” I said simply, shaking him off.
“Come on, Kam. We know each other…”
Did we, though? “Did you have fun at the party atyourhouse?” I asked.
Julian was surprised at first but then tried to shrug it off. “I didn’t organize it, Kam, my sister did.”
