Teenage Ghost

   Jeff waited patiently in the front yard for Evan, as the morning sun began to creep up into the sky.  It had been several days since he had seen his best friend. His pretend mother was acting strange as well, and he wondered what was going on.
   It was mid morning by the time Evan finally walked out past the screen door towards Jeff. The two climbed up into the only safe haven they had again, the tree house.
   “What’s the deal with your mom?” Evan asked before Jeff could say anything.
   “I was going to ask you!” Jeff shot back. “She’s been acting strange ever since you left. And then you didn’t come back. And what am I supposed to think? She’s going through drawers and looking through closets. Like something was stolen. She just keeps going through stuff. Even stuff she already went through. She’s driving me crazy. And she wont tell me what’s she looking for either. It’s driving me nuts!”
   Evan sat back and looked at his friend strangely. “Maybe our parents are nuts.”
   Jeff let out an acerbated breath of air.
   “Now I don’t know if I should tell you this or not.” Evan felt slightly uncomfortable. “But, the day I left, your mom was hiding in the bushes at the neighbor’s house.”
   Jeff glanced at Evan with concern.
   “She grabbed me by the arm.” Evan pulled up his sleeve to show the light bruise that still remained. “She told me to tell her if you were ever going to hurt someone.”
   Jeff was shocked, “Hurt someone!?!?”
   “I think you need to get your mom to stop taking those pills.” Evan urged. “I don’t feel safe there, I’m not going back without you there. I didn’t show up because I didn’t want to run the risk of being there with her alone. And now you’re telling me she’s acting crazy as well.”
   “Well maybe she’s looking for a weapon, then…” Jeff tried to rationalize her behavior.
   “Your mom is nuts!” Evan retorted.
   “Yeah.” Jeff agreed.
   “I’m not coming back til she stops taking those crazy pills.”
   Jeff was sure his friend was just over reacting to get his way now. “I’ll talk to her about it, but I don’t think she’s going to stop taking them.”
   Evan continued to push, “Hide them from her, do something.”
   Jeff glanced again at his friends bruised arm. “I think you might have a point. I’ll do that, I’ll hide them. I can see if it makes a difference or not.”
   “Bring them here and hide them in the clubhouse. That way she can’t find them. If you hide them in the house…” Evan pointed out, “She’s searching the whole house top to bottom.”
   “I will.” Jeff agreed.
   The two stayed out in the tree house catching up and laughing til the sun began to fade out of the sky. Jeff left and started towards his house with a mission.