Cemetery Boys(34)

A laugh bucked in Yadriel’s chest. Did Julian just have zero impulse control? It was almost endearing. But only almost.

He gave a small shake of his head as Julian stood up and continued down the street. Yadriel toyed with the St. Jude pendant around his neck, considering the reckless boy ahead of him. He really seemed to not have a care in the world, didn’t he? Especially for someone who had just found out he was dead less than a day ago. As someone who was filled with anxiety nearly every waking moment, Yadriel didn’t understand it at all.

Julian was certainly a conundrum.

“I bet he’s a Scorpio,” Maritza said.

“Jeez, Itza, not that zodiac stuff again,” Yadriel groaned.

“Left!” he told Julian when he got to the end of the block.

Julian veered right.

“Your other left!”

Julian turned on his heel. “Got it!”

“It’s astrology, and it totally makes sense!” Maritza continued. “His big, obnoxious Scorpio energy is invading your cozy Cancer safe space!”

Yadriel didn’t know about all that. What he really wanted was to find out what happened to Miguel, satisfy Julian’s demands so he’d let Yadriel release him, and get a good night’s rest. His heartbeat felt like a ticking clock, counting down the seconds as Día de Muertos neared.

“Have you heard anything about Miguel?” Yadriel asked, steering the topic toward something useful. Maybe she’d heard news Lita hadn’t yet, though that was doubtful. Abuelitas somehow got word out even faster than teenagers with cell phones.

Unfortunately, there was no news to tell. “Mom said my dad went with Julio and his dogs to try to track down his body, but they just kept wandering around the cemetery.”

“I guess that makes sense?” he mused. “I mean, if he was last seen starting his graveyard shift, then he should’ve been there, right?” Yadriel offered Maritza the spoon.

“Vegan?” she asked.

He nodded, and she took a bite.

“But we can’t find any sign of him,” Maritza said as she chewed.

Yadriel’s stomach churned. “Where the hell is he?”

Maritza tugged on the gold hoop through her ear. “No spirit. No tether. No trace,” she murmured, staring off into the distance.

“Doesn’t make sense,” Yadriel said.

“Do you think Julian is somehow involved?”

At first, the question seemed completely out of the blue, but then again …

“Maybe.” Yadriel frowned. “They did die on the same night, maybe just a couple hours apart.”

“There could be some connection, but what?”

Miguel was a grown adult. He was a good man who helped take care of his elderly parents. Yadriel didn’t think he’d even gotten a ticket for speeding on his motorcycle before.

Then there was Julian, who—well, Yadriel didn’t really know much about him other than he got into trouble a lot at school. He was pretty sure Julian had been suspended at least once for getting into fights, and there were rumors that he was affiliated with one of the local gangs.

How could Julian’s and Miguel’s deaths be related?

With an aggravated groan, Yadriel scrubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t know, but the sooner we get through today, the sooner we can take Julian to his friends.”

“Maybe they’ll have some answers,” Maritza added, but she didn’t sound very convinced.

The closer they got to school, the more crowded the sidewalks got. Julian veered toward a boy and girl leaning against a wall, chatting. He waved his hand between their faces. They continued to talk to each other, not even so much as blinking. Julian laughed.

Yadriel hitched his backpack higher on his shoulder and quickened his pace. “Julian,” he hissed.

Maritza snickered behind his shoulder.

“Hey!”

Julian finally turned. “What?”

Yadriel cut his hand through the air, motioning for him to come close. “Would you knock it off? Get back here,” he snapped, trying to not draw the couple’s attention.

Reluctantly, Julian retreated.

Maritza laughed.

“You’re not helpful.” Yadriel glared at her, and Julian wound his way back to them.

“Hey, he’s your ghost.”

“I ain’t never been this excited to go to school.” Julian beamed as he fell back into step next to them.

“You need to stay close,” Yadriel told him sternly. “I don’t want people thinking I’m talking to myself.”

“Gotcha.” Julian hovered right behind Yadriel’s shoulder.

Cold pressed from Yadriel’s neck down to the small of his back. He shivered. “You don’t have to stand that close.”

Julian took a step back. “Got it, got it, got it,” he said, bobbing his head along in a nod as they melded in with the sea of people heading through the front doors of the school. It was a large cement building that was two stories tall and a dull shade of beige.

Maritza bumped her shoulder into Yadriel’s. “We’ll figure it out; don’t worry so much,” she told him.

“It’s like you don’t even know me.”

She laughed and gave him a shove.

Walking through the halls, it was impossible not to be jostled every few feet by other people. There were too many students, and the school was too small.