H A U N T E D

t w e n t y

t w e n t y

After school, I notice Flynn's truck rumbling in the parking lot, while he patiently waits for me. I make my way towards him, eager to tell him of the day's events. I want to ask him for his advice, as I feel like he'd know what to do.

"Ophelia?!", someone calls out across the parking lot for me. I turn my head to see Kofi standing on the other side of the lot, waving at me to come closer. First, he spreads a nasty rumor about me, and now he wants me to follow him like a puppy? Yeah, no.

I raise my hand to show him a very loving gesture with my middle finger, turning my back on him and sprinting to Flynn's truck. I open the passenger door, feeling myself grow angry again at the idea of Kofi's audacity. He probably wanted to talk at lunch to tell me to make up an excuse for the rumor, hoping that I hadn't heard it by lunch and wanting the chance to soften the blow.

"Nice sign language you throwing out there", Flynn mentions gruffly, clearly not impressed with my cussing. I bite my tongue not to turn my anger towards him, but instead, I lean back in my seat, closing my eyes to rest.

"It's a long story - but to summarize it, we don't like my old friends anymore, okay?"

Flynn nods slowly, trying to digest my words, waiting for a reason for this decision of mine. We see Kofi coming closer to the truck, seemingly unsure of whether he should approach the vehicle. Flynn puts the vehicle into 1st gear, pressing his foot down on the gas pedal and rolls his window down. I start to open my mouth, wondering what he's doing, but he hushes me with the wave of his hand. We pull up to Kofi, and Flynn rolls the truck in front of him, giving him the biggest faux smile. Then, without me fully grasping what he's doing, he lifts his arm and repeats the earlier gesture I showed Kofi. The teenage boy's smile drops and his eyes widen, meanwhile I burst out laughing and hold onto my stomach, feeling as though my sides are going to split.

We pull away and Flynn rolls his window back up, acting as if nothing happened.

"Thank you so much, Grandpa", I thank him sincerely, really not expecting that move from the controversial Flynn Lee. My grandfather makes a deep sound at the back of his throat but allows me a glimpse of a small smile on his mouth.

"Let's stop for a milkshake and then you're going to tell me why I flipped off an 18-year-old boy", he proposes. I nod and we silently drive into town. I take in the new environment, noticing the crystal shop I visited last week, and a small bookshop I never saw before. I'll definitely visit it soon. We roll into the parking lot of a diner, and I fidget in my seat when I remember there's one part of my story that may be sensitive to Flynn, a part he won't appreciate as much.

After we're seated and the waitress has written down our order, Flynn turns to me expectantly, his fingers grasping one another and his eyes scrutinizing me, curiosity hidden behind the icy blue. I sigh quietly, not ready to repeat the story but knowing that I have no other choice.

"So Kofi spread this rumor-", I start slowly and start the story off on how Saturday's events played out. Flynn knew I wasn't sober but picked me at around 2 a.m., stating that he'd rather have me drunk and safe than be at the mercy of some ill-intentioned punk. Flynn listens intently and doesn't show any expression or emotion to show on his face, not allowing himself to give away his thoughts on the matter. The waitress brings us our milkshakes, momentarily interrupting us.

I continue through sips of milkshake, and start with what Kofi said on why he landed in the pool. Flynn takes a sharp intake of breath at the mention of his daughter's past sins and how Kofi lied about it to make it seem as if history has repeated itself, the first expression of feeling shown in the past twenty minutes. His icy eyes grow hard and nearly volcanic, as if something within may erupt.