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too,” Corky said bitterly, slamming her locker door shut. “That’s what I
should
have said to him.”
    Chip put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We’ll have to watch out for him,” he said quietly. “He seems like a bad dude.”
    They made their way back downstairs, where Chip picked up Corky’s backpack. Then they went out of the building, into a blustery gray afternoon. “He’s a bad dude,” Chip repeated.
    How
bad? Corky wondered. Bad enough to do her harm?

Chapter 11
Two on a Grave

    A fter dinner that night Corky went upstairs to Scan’s room, to play a Nintendo basketball game with him. The phone rang and interrupted them. “Don’t answer it,” Sean ordered, his eyes on the screen, his fingers furiously pressing the controller.
    â€œI have to answer it,” Corky said, setting her controller down and hurrying across the room. “We’re the only ones home, remember?”
    â€œWell, I’m not going to pause it. I’m going to keep playing,” Sean threatened. “You’re going to lose.”
    Corky hurried across the hall to her room and picked up the phone on her night table. It was Kimmy.
    â€œOh, hi,” Corky said unenthusiastically. The Nintendo game had managed to push the frightening events of the afternoon from her mind. Hearing Kinimy’s voice brought them all flooding back to her.
    â€œI just wondered how you’re feeling,” Kimmy said.
    â€œOkay. I guess,” Corky answered. “I mean, I can’t really explain—”
    â€œNo need,” Kimmy said quickly.
    â€œI really wanted to come back on the squad,” Corky said, nervously twisting the phone cord around her wrist. “But the screams—”
    â€œDon’t give up,” Kimmy told her.
    â€œI don’t know. I—”
    â€œDon’t give up,” Kimmy repeated. “You can do it, Corky—I know you can. Come to practice tomorrow.”
    Corky unwound the cord from her wrist, then twisted it around again. “I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
    â€œGive it another try,” Kimmy urged. “Come after school tomorrow.”
    â€œI—I can’t,” Corky said, letting go of the phone cord and pressing her hand flat against the green and yellow patterned wallpaper. “I just remembered. I have to take a makeup exam tomorrow. In the science lab.”
    â€œThen come on Friday. That’s our next practice,” Kimmy insisted. “Don’t give up, Corky. Try one more time. We really want you back.”
    Corky felt her throat tighten with emotion. Kimmy was going out of her way to be nice to her. “Thanks, Kimmy,” she managed to utter. “Maybe I’ll come. I really don’t know what to do. I just want things to be normal again. But every time I try, something happens and—” She just had to blurt it out. “It’s the evil, Kimmy. The evil spirit. It’s back. It didn’t disappear that night.”
    â€œWhat? Corky, listen—” Kimmy sounded very concerned.
    â€œNo. Listen to me,” Corky insisted, more shrilly than she had intended. “What do you think caused those awful, frightening screams in my head? The evil spirit did. It was
there,
Kimmy. It was right there in the gym with us!”
    â€œCorky, what are you doing now?” Kimmy asked softly, calmly.
    â€œNothing. Just playing with Sean … putting off doing my homework. Trying not to think about anything,” Corky told her.
    â€œWant to come over here? We could talk. You could tell me what you’ve found out about the evil. We could try to make a plan,” Kimmy suggested.
    â€œWell …” Corky couldn’t decide.
    â€œYou don’t want to be alone in this,” Kimmy said. “If the evil is back, all of us are in danger, Corky. We’re
all
in this. We’re all involved. We have to work together to