Ghostwriter

No skateboarding in the hall.

Oh. I wasn't using it.

No eating in the hall. We have a cafeteria.

It's okay. I like eating alone.

You can eat alone in the cafeteria with everyone else.

Yeah, that game was so sick yesterday.

-Yeah. It's unbelievable. -Oh, man.

- Hey. - Hey.

Did you guys see what happened yesterday? I passed it to him. I set the pick.

He passed it back. I turned around and I shot--

-Hey, yo! Watch out! -Curtis! Are you okay?

Aah! Oh, my shooting arm.

Here. Take my ice pack.

I'm Ruben.

I'm new.

I like the issue, but why is Sasuke such a jerk all the time?

Dude. He's the last surviving member of his village.

That's, like, super hard to deal with.

Yeah, but he doesn't have to take it all out on Naruto.

It's not easy being the new kid.

You would know. So, how goes it there?

Let's see. There's about a billion people in this city.

There's nowhere for me to ride my skateboard.

The city is always loud, so I can't sleep.

And, oh, today I spilled soup and hurt the most popular kid in school.

You bring soup to school?

My mom's just trying to make my life as difficult as possible.

I hate it here.

At least you get to hang with your grandpa.

So, how's he doing?

It's been hard for him. For all of us.

Being here has definitely helped.

Well, great. Now I feel bad for complaining.

You should. You know who you sound like?

-Don't say Naruto. -

Hey, hon. Have you seen my keys?

Oh. Hey, Kai.

Hi, Miss Reyna.

Call me later, Ruben. And we can watch a movie or something.

Okay, cool. Later.

Listen, bud. I know you love Kai,

but you were gonna make an effort to make friends.

Look, Mom, I've tried, but everyone here is lame.

So it's not my fault.

You were also gonna empty your lunch bag when you got home from school.

Where's the ice pack?

I lent it to this kid who hurt himself. We were sort of having lunch together.

I'm glad you're not eating lunch alone at your locker anymore.

-What's this new friend's name? -Curtis, I think.

Well, since I have a new friend, can I call Kai back?

Huh. No. Go downstairs. Help your grandfather in the store.

And, Mom? Maybe no more soup for lunch?

Hey, Grandpa.

Chevon.

So, what did you think of it?

Cool book. Thanks.

How the Mind Works was cool?

Yeah. Now I don't know what my major should be in college.

I was thinking Data Science, but now maybe Psychology.

-How old are you again? -Twelve.

Hmm. You have time.

So, how are you doing?

Fine. A bit tired, but nothing a little coffee won't fix.

Your energy level has changed since Grandma's death? Not a good sign.

That's it. No more psychology books for you.

From now on, you're on a strict diet of beach reading.

I'm serious.

I'm fine, Chevon. Even though Tess is gone, she's still with me.

Especially here. She loved this store.

What a surprise. Chevon's here.

Grandpa lent me a book.

-Well, it's a bookstore, not a library. -

Pardon me. I'll leave you two to talk about

whatever it is kids talk about these days.

Let me know if you're still tired after your coffee, Grandpa.

He's not your grandpa. He's mine.

Too bad. I don't have grandparents, so I've adopted him.

It doesn't work that way.

I heard about the soup.

But how? It just happened.

Two teachers were talking about it in the teachers' lounge.

-The teachers' lounge? -They let me use the microwave.

Great.

You know, you don't have to eat alone at your locker.

I told Grandpa...

your grandpa...

that you're welcome to sit with me and my friends.

Yeah, but you're always doing geometry proofs at lunch.

What's your point?

I should just restack these.

So, they start yelling.

It was hilarious. And Mia grabs Chloe's arm--

-Donna, that hurt. -If that hurt, you need to lift weights.

It's fine. I just need to ice it.

Whoa. Weird.

-Come on. I need a new book. -No. I don't have time for--

It'll take a second. We used to love this place.

Remember? We used to spend hours looking at books here when we were little.

Yeah, I know, but I'm not little anymore.

I'm getting older by the minute. So, let's go.

Just let me check the fantasy section.

Fine. Two minutes.

What are you doing?

Nothing. Working.

You don't have to whisper. It's a bookstore, not a library, remember?

-Huh? -Hmm.

Oh, it's you.

Oh, uh... Hey, how are you doing? How is your arm?

This one's still pretty good.

Right. Yeah. Well, I better get going--

Whoa!

My juice.

Whoa.

"Hello."

-We're out of here, Donna. Now. -Yeah. I have enough books at home.

So, Dad, I have been thinking of some ways we could improve the store.

Didn't know the store needed improving.

I could tidy it up like with the apartment.

You think it needs improving? Ruben?

Huh?

Oh, well. It's dusty and cold

and some of the floorboards are uneven.

It has character.

Sales are down, Dad.

You have to modernize the store. It hasn't been updated since I was a kid.

-If it ain't broke, don't fix it. -I just said that it is broke.

Who's hungry for dessert?

-Hey, Chevon. - Perfect timing, Chevon.

Hello.

"Hello." What did you mean by that?

Nothing. I just meant hello as in "hello."

Hello, Chevon. What have you got there?

Grandma's famous apple pie. She gave me her secret recipe.

Wait a minute. Don't you have a family?

Yes, Ruben, I do. But they don't appreciate homemade dessert.

Homemade? But Grandma didn't make her own crusts.

I know. That's her secret. Store-bought.

I miss her.

I miss her too.

It's okay to cry, you know. Or not.

Whatever works. There's no one way to grieve.

Well, look, Chevon. We were just trying to have a nice family dinner.

I'll tell you what works, pie.

I'll get the plates.

So how was your day? Anything interesting happen?

No. Nothing.

-Hmm. -Who wants pie?

-I do. -I do.

Hey, man. How's it going?

How's the shoulder? You did what I suggested, right?

Yeah. I rested it last night.

Did you elevate it? Alternate ice and heat? Wrap it?

Okay. So, I didn't actually read your text, but I'm fine, see?

Roll up. Come on. Here we go.

-One more. Come on, man. -Curtis.

What kind of move is that? You're supposed to be a basketball player. Psych.

"Come together." Do you see that?

-What are you talking about? -"Come together." You don't see that?

All I see are cupcakes. Score.

I know you said I'm not supposed to talk to you at school,

but something creepy is going on.

-The menu board says, "Come"-- -"Come together."

Yeah. I see it too.

It's your fault.

How exactly is it my fault?

Ever since you moved here, we're seeing bizarre messages.

I never saw messages where I used to live, so maybe it's your fault.

Guys! Stop it. Do you think anyone else sees it?

Yeah. Chevon.

What do you think it means?

-I don't know what you're talking about. -Drop it.

"Come together." We all see it.

Yeah, but I think we're the only ones, 'cause nobody else is reacting.