talk like she’s black all the time. It’s annoying . She said the N word yesterday. I’m sick of dumb white bitches thinking they’re black. Eden’s a racist.”
“She’s not a racist.”
“This is why I hate females.”
“That makes no sense,” I said.
“There are so many dumb bitches at this camp.”
And then a scream came from Eden’s room, so loud and shrill, my vision blurred. Spider ran out of the bathroom, her face scrubbed clean. She was wearing nothing but day-of-the-week underpants. Tuesdays. Ever since the drastic weight losses from the first weigh-in, it was not uncommon for everyone, except Harriet, to be stripped down to underwear.
Sheena popped her head out her door. “What the hell is going on?”
Harriet reappeared, too.
Eden burst out of her room, still screaming, still wearing her towel, her wet hair now loose on her arms and back. “Someone put cockroaches in my fucking bed!” She stopped screaming and wrapped her arms around herself.
“There are no cockroaches in this part of the country,” Spider said, scratching at a peeling patch of skin on her cheek. “Earwigs, maybe. But cockroaches are city dwellers.”
Eden closed her eyes and balled up her fists at her sides. “Cockroaches. In. My. Bed .”
I looked around. Whitney was looking at the floor. Sheena was looking at Miss, who was twirling a yellow lock of hair around her finger, watching Eden with a face as blank as a plate. Harriet was crying.
“Harriet, what’s wrong?” I asked.
“I hate when people scream,” she muttered, and then she stomped into her room and slammed the door.
“What is everyone’s problem?” Sheena said. “We’re at camp. Bugs get inside sometimes. Deal with it!”
“We’re at a boarding school!” Eden said. “It’s not a real camp.”
“Maybe it was a hate crime,” Spider said.
“Y’all are drama queens,” Whitney said.
Whitney and Miss linked elbows and scurried into Sheena’s room. Sheena followed them in and closed the door.
Eden turned to stomp into Spider’s room. I heard the squeak of the mattress springs when she threw herself on Spider’s bed. “I’m not sleeping in my room!” she shouted. “Ever again!”
“I’ll trade with her,” Spider said.
“You don’t have to do that, Spider.”
“I like earwigs.” She scratched her forehead. It was pink from all the scratching. “I wouldn’t mind having an earwig farm.”
“Yuck.”
“Want me to get them and take them outside?”
I watched the pink spread across her forehead. I nodded. “I hate bugs,” I said. I thought, My sister and I hate bugs. “But it’s not your job, Spider. So don’t do it if you don’t want to, okay?”
“Everyone thinks earwigs crawl into people’s ears,” Spider said. “And lay eggs in their brains.”
I shuddered.
“But that’s an urban legend. Or maybe a rural legend.”
“You’re not afraid?”
“Of bugs ?”
I looked at the antidote necklaces draped around Spider’s neck. “You’re brave,” I told her.
Spider lifted her arms away from her body and then dropped them as she made her way toward Eden’s room. “People are so afraid of things that aren’t even scary.”
I went to Spider’s door and placed my palms on it. For a second, I thought I felt a heartbeat. “Can I come in?”
Eden didn’t answer.
“Spider’s in your room getting the bugs out of your bed.”
After another minute of silence, I opened the door and stepped into Spider’s dim room. The air smelled medicinal. A Japanese flag hung in place of blinds, suspended by the breeze from the window fan. Below it, Eden was sprawled facedown on the bed.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said into the pillow.
I sat on the edge of the bed. “We don’t have to.”
“I don’t want to talk . At all. About anything.”
“Okay,” I said. “But don’t you want to go to the social?”
Eden rocked her forehead right and left on the pillow. No .
I looked at her wet
“She’s not a racist.”
“This is why I hate females.”
“That makes no sense,” I said.
“There are so many dumb bitches at this camp.”
And then a scream came from Eden’s room, so loud and shrill, my vision blurred. Spider ran out of the bathroom, her face scrubbed clean. She was wearing nothing but day-of-the-week underpants. Tuesdays. Ever since the drastic weight losses from the first weigh-in, it was not uncommon for everyone, except Harriet, to be stripped down to underwear.
Sheena popped her head out her door. “What the hell is going on?”
Harriet reappeared, too.
Eden burst out of her room, still screaming, still wearing her towel, her wet hair now loose on her arms and back. “Someone put cockroaches in my fucking bed!” She stopped screaming and wrapped her arms around herself.
“There are no cockroaches in this part of the country,” Spider said, scratching at a peeling patch of skin on her cheek. “Earwigs, maybe. But cockroaches are city dwellers.”
Eden closed her eyes and balled up her fists at her sides. “Cockroaches. In. My. Bed .”
I looked around. Whitney was looking at the floor. Sheena was looking at Miss, who was twirling a yellow lock of hair around her finger, watching Eden with a face as blank as a plate. Harriet was crying.
“Harriet, what’s wrong?” I asked.
“I hate when people scream,” she muttered, and then she stomped into her room and slammed the door.
“What is everyone’s problem?” Sheena said. “We’re at camp. Bugs get inside sometimes. Deal with it!”
“We’re at a boarding school!” Eden said. “It’s not a real camp.”
“Maybe it was a hate crime,” Spider said.
“Y’all are drama queens,” Whitney said.
Whitney and Miss linked elbows and scurried into Sheena’s room. Sheena followed them in and closed the door.
Eden turned to stomp into Spider’s room. I heard the squeak of the mattress springs when she threw herself on Spider’s bed. “I’m not sleeping in my room!” she shouted. “Ever again!”
“I’ll trade with her,” Spider said.
“You don’t have to do that, Spider.”
“I like earwigs.” She scratched her forehead. It was pink from all the scratching. “I wouldn’t mind having an earwig farm.”
“Yuck.”
“Want me to get them and take them outside?”
I watched the pink spread across her forehead. I nodded. “I hate bugs,” I said. I thought, My sister and I hate bugs. “But it’s not your job, Spider. So don’t do it if you don’t want to, okay?”
“Everyone thinks earwigs crawl into people’s ears,” Spider said. “And lay eggs in their brains.”
I shuddered.
“But that’s an urban legend. Or maybe a rural legend.”
“You’re not afraid?”
“Of bugs ?”
I looked at the antidote necklaces draped around Spider’s neck. “You’re brave,” I told her.
Spider lifted her arms away from her body and then dropped them as she made her way toward Eden’s room. “People are so afraid of things that aren’t even scary.”
I went to Spider’s door and placed my palms on it. For a second, I thought I felt a heartbeat. “Can I come in?”
Eden didn’t answer.
“Spider’s in your room getting the bugs out of your bed.”
After another minute of silence, I opened the door and stepped into Spider’s dim room. The air smelled medicinal. A Japanese flag hung in place of blinds, suspended by the breeze from the window fan. Below it, Eden was sprawled facedown on the bed.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said into the pillow.
I sat on the edge of the bed. “We don’t have to.”
“I don’t want to talk . At all. About anything.”
“Okay,” I said. “But don’t you want to go to the social?”
Eden rocked her forehead right and left on the pillow. No .
I looked at her wet
Similar Books
