Ghost Girl Short Story

‘ “I never thought…” Silence. “I don’t know. Something like this happens close to you and you spend gobs of time mulling it over. It’s made me grow up a lot this year. It’s made me face things I’d sort of ignored before” ‘ (26/27, Hayden).
Jadie Ekdahl almost never speaks, but her family insist that she speaks all the time at home despite showing no evidence. When Torey Hayden starts teaching her class, everything about Jadie’s life as she knows it changes. Abuse has been suspected by the school before, but with Jadie reaching out to Hayden, it is almost certain now; all they need is solid evidence. Torey Hayden is determined to reach out and help Jadie Ekdahl through trust with her suspected abuse and odd behavior in Ghost Girl. With Torey’s experience with mute and abused children, she seems like ‘ “...wonder woman.” Mortally embarrased, I ducked my head to hide my blazing

The others suspect sexaul abuse as well. The school year arrives once more, and with a new student, Brucie. Brucie is on the opposite side of the spectrum; he is the perpetrator. Being left to his devices because of his physical conditions, “All that time flopped about in a heap had not been wasted; Brucie had an unusual savvy about what made other tick, no doubt acquired from so much observation, and his sole joy appeared to come from disrupting relationships. In fact, my gut feeling about Brucie was that he had devoted so much effort to manipulation those around him that he’d had no time left over for normal development” (123/124, Hayden). This is a form of abuse from the inside that Hayden has to worry about with Jadie too. Abuse coming from both sides is worrisome; one day Jadie snaps again at school. This time she is with Jeremiah and a neighbor’s puppy. Both snuck off to they gymnasium with the dog; Hayden soon found them, but waited to see if Jadie would pull something again. Soon