I'm in love with a..ghost? [forty three]

I've always liked to think I'm just an average, normal girl. I have normal friends who don't think leg warmers are the “it" thing, and know who Rihanna is. I go to a normal tiny high school, in a normal tiny town in Michigan, where the crime rate is literally nonexistent, save for any crimes I commit while on the job. I live in a normal house in a normal sub division, where Mrs. Bryant waters her petunias everyday, and Mr. Bryant watches Matlock reruns. I even have what is universally accepted as a “normal” family. So why do I feel like I am the biggest freak alive?1

Because I see ghosts. Worse- I'm in love with one, which led me to break and enter into a cemetery, and dig open his grave.2

And not only am I freak, I'm a closet criminal. And because of this ghost busting business, I was currently climbing the oak tree at the end of my house and crawling along my roof at 2:30AM. After those few heart stopping seconds where I, being the incredibly big idiot that I am, thought James was alive, I quickly dumped the dirt back into place, and threw the snow back on top of the grave, flattening out the lumps with my shovel. Needless to say, I got away with the whole thing. So the guard may not have caught me, but my dad probably would.3

Which is how I found myself scaling the house this late at night. With the agility and grace only a cat would have, I swung my black leathered body up out of the tree and onto the gray shingled roof, without a sound. Ghost busters such as myself have to work that way, how else could we sneak up on the unsuspecting dead?4

I strained my frost bitten ears and listened hard. As far as I could tell, no sound was coming from inside the house. I didn't have to worry about Jake the flake or Justin, they could sleep through a nuclear bomb exploding. Carol knows about this ghost business, but I doubt even she would be that understanding about me striding in at 2am, if she should happen to wake up. But dad? Be understanding? Oh no. You have a better chance of surviving being a redhead in Nazi Germany then surviving any punishment he would inflict. And dad was a light sleeper. He could wake up at the slightest sound being made- and he has. Once when I was really little I woke up in the middle of the night because I was hungry. All I did was close the fridge door and he heard it from down the hall. He came barreling down that hallway, shotgun in hand, demanding to the “criminal” that he drop whatever it is he had and leave.. or else. Of course it was just me holding an egg salad sandwich,which isn't worth much (unless you have a thing for them like this weird kid at school). So forgive me if I was being extra cautious. Besides, the dog would bark if I went through the back door. No..my window was the way to go.5

I crawled along those hard, gray shingles and stopped in front of Jake's window. He never bothered to close the blinds so I peered in on impulse. And wouldn't you know it. The cereal scarfing android was snoring away, unmindful I had just witnessed him sawing logs in his scooby doo boxers. “Haha, knew it,” I muttered to myself with a small laugh, “wait till I bust him for this one.” I pulled my face back from his window and crawled another few feet, when for the second time that night, a light went on next to me. Gasping quite loudly, I dropped onto my stomach and flattened myself underneath the window. With my luck it would be dad. Figures. 6

“What are you doing?” a sudden deep voice asked me curiously.7

I looked up startled. “James h-hi. What are you doing here?”8

“Funny I thought I asked you that first,” a smirk crept onto his face, paled in the moonlight. Must he always look SO GOOD? His longish, black hair hung over his left eye sexily, and was very dark in contrast to his dimly glowing complexion. If he was alive, which he clearly was not, I thought bitterly, I would have some serious issues with fighting chicks off. James was so gorgeous he'd probably be like an Abercrombie Model. And you have to admit, they're sexy as hell.9

“Hiding from whoever's in the bathroom,” I whispered and began to crawl soldier style towards my room.10

“Is it customary nowadays to hide on house roofs from people who are using the facilities?” James asked. Wow. Even when he's not trying he can make me sound like a total idiot. Hiding from people in the bathroom on the house roof? Well..thats one to tell the grandkids.11

“James shut up,” I whispered rudely, “you're really loud.” 12

“Kris you feeling alright? You do know no one can hear me but you. And see me for that matter.. What's really going on here?” he demanded.13

As he asked the question I pulled myself upright and swung my window outwards. I quickly jumped down on my window seat,slunk in, and swung the window tightly behind me. Safe!14

“Whose out there?” I heard my dad's low voice call from the next room over.”I've got bathroom air freshener over here. I'll use it!” 15

Aw crap. As quickly as he shouted that virtually useless threat into the velvety night sky, the toilet flushed and I heard him headed my way. 16

“Kris.. is something wrong?” James asked in a suspicious tone, even though he was absolutely clueless. Wow, lucky him. It must be so nice to be so out of the loop about the events that go on in your own home. I quickly dove into bed and yanked the blankets over my black leathered body, just as my dad barged his way into my room. My green eyes were clamped shut and I repeated the words “please don't check on me, please don't check on me,” over and over inside my head. He quickly searched and seized the room, brandishing his weapon of choice- the lysol can- and aiming it in the dark corners of my room. Apparently good old dad found it burglar and odor free so he left. Seconds later I heard his bedroom door shut softly with a resounding click of the lock. I'm telling you, sneaking around may be a specialty of mine, but I think I'm really starting to push my luck.17

“Would you mind explaining to me what that was about?” James interrogated as I hopped out of bed again. I grabbed a pair of plaid sweatpants from my dresser drawer, and an Oakland University t-shirt off my floor, and began changing in my connected bathroom. 18

“Not really.”19

“Oh so your just not going to tell me why I caught you on the roof, sneaking around at 2AM, and why your wearing your ghost busting outfit? And why your dad just attacked your room with a can of lysol?” 20

I stripped out of my dirty black turtle neck, and punched my fists through the t-shirts armholes. “No,” I whispered loudly to him from inside my bathroom. “If I tell you you'll get all mad at me, and disappear like you do when you get angry. And I do NOT have a ghost busting outfit,” I lied horribly, trying to sound resentful.21

“I don't disappear when I get-”22

“Ya, you do. As a matter of fact you did that last time we got in an argument.”23

“Did not,” James sing songed to me. 24

“OK whatever,” I said sarcastically coming back into my messy room. “And I do not have a ghost busting outfit,” I avoided his black eyed stare. James who had been leaning over from turning down my bed stood upright, and folded his arms across his muscular chest. Then he did the one thing that he knows annoys me when he doesn't believe me. He arched a solid black eyebrow and waited for my answer.25

“Oh fine,” I said jumping into bed, “fine maybe I do have a ghost busting outfit, geez. No need to tease me for it,” I pouted.26

James smiled his perfectly white smile and kissed my forehead. “I would never dream of teasing you Ace, you'd beat me up if I did,” he teased. Wow, leave it to James to tease me as he's saying he won't do it. Figures.27

James smiled again, making me believe he'd been using my crest white strips, and he kissed me goodnight. It wasn't until that point I realized how tired I actually was. With a deep yawn,I sank down into my warm orange colored sheets, and closed my eyes. I had to face a very long 8 hour day of school in the morning and I wasn't looking forward to it. With my luck Lauren would come in saying she got discovered at the mall, or Shane would show up with a bouquet of red roses trying to win me over. Both instances would be severely traumatic for me. With that last thought I dozed off into a deep sleep, James standing guard over me all the while.28

And unlike some people, he wasn't aiming Lysol at anything.29

***30

High school-the gathering place for sullen teenagers everywhere. The barrier that separates “teen world” from the “real world” which lies just outside those highly polished metal and glass doors. The threshold of youth. Psh, I'm not buying that. 31

High school- the torture chamber where I daily inflict the misery of sitting in the front row, and having a teacher that spits when he talks. The personal hell of mine where the only edible thing at lunch, is the week old salmon patties that have mold growing on it. The nightmare where I regularly cannot get into my locker because Danny F and Melissa P are always making out in front of it.32

And at 7:30 the next morning, I was back. After being forced once again to listen to the student council drone on and on during the morning announcements, I began zoning out. Personally, I didn't care that the wrestling team came in 3rd at regionals. I didn't care that it was Susan Yang's birthday, and I was even less thrilled we were being wished a Magnificently Melodious Monday. Wanna know what I did care about?33

The fact my boyfriends body is missing. Ok, my hot, dead boyfriends body which apparently went missing 90+ years before. So forgive me I don't give a damn that in edition to announcements,Lauren Powers got freakin Gwen Stefani tickets. And yet there she was, in all her black maned glory, flaunting them to my whole first hour class.34

“So I said, 'but daddy, you absolutely know how much I ADORE Gwen. daddy it would be so cruel to deny your only daughters dearest and truest wish.I absolutely must go. If i don't I'll just die!' and then he totally bought it, and he gave me 50 bucks for a new outfit too!” I heard her say.35

“Can you believe her?” Alex asked, looking up from our worksheet on polynomials. Thank God we got broken into partners for class today. I might have lost my mind had I had to figure these problems out and deal with that prissy little moron on my own.36

I looked up from the problem and glared in Lauren's posse's direction. “No, I really can't,” I muttered. Ugh, I hated Lauren. I hated her. While she's off getting all glam and going to this fabulous concert, I'll be sitting in my room trying to figure out where my boyfriends body is, and planning a break in at the hospital. Worse than that..37

I'd be trying to plan a date I could go on with a ghost. How many places could I go with James and not be thought of as insane? Not many. I couldn't go to the movies, what would i do? Sit alone and make out with the invisible man? Um, no. That wold be beyond pathetic. I pulled my dark curls into a ponytail and tried to concentrate on my problem of (-7X^5) (5x^3). Somehow, I didn't think I'd figure it out today if at all.