Ghost Perfume | ✔

Chapter 7: Deal with Me (Part 2)

When my ghosts and I walked up the driveway, a vaguely familiar-looking man was knocking on the front door.

However Alexander had fixed it, he did it perfectly - it looked just the same as before he'd broken it.

I noticed that neither Tommy's car nor Alexander's were in their respective driveways; instead, a strange car was parked in ours.

The man turned around and called, "Hiya, psycho, where's Tommy?''

Now I remembered him.

That woman saying Colin, she's Tommy's little sister.

Tommy saying Should I tell you what Jessi and Colin told me?

I did not like him.

"I don't know. He doesn't tell me anything,'' I said.

Colin was pale and pockmarked at the cheeks, with unusually pretty eyes. Long-lashed, and a pale blue. He had his hands in his front pockets, looking down at me from the top step before the door, as he stood between me and the job I had to do.

"You're his sister,'' he said.

He was like Tommy; he didn't move out of my way as I walked up the steps. I edged around him.

But I was reluctant to open the door while Colin was there.

"Are you just going to stand there?'' he asked. "Aren't you going to open the door?''

"Do you need something?'' I asked, hoping he'd take the hint and leave.

"Yeah, I need Tommy.''

I gestured to the empty driveway.

"He's definitely not home.''

"Well, let's just check inside, shall we?'' Colin said.

"I can try calling him for you.''

He raised his arms. "Are you really not letting me in?''

I bit my lip. "No.''

He stepped closer and smirked. "Aren't you cute?''

I kept my poker face.

He leaned against the door. "How old are you?''

"I'm eighteen,'' I said with my poker face.

"So we're basically in the same age bracket,'' Colin told me. "We could be good friends.''

"You can stay Tommy's friend.''

"Look, I left something with Tommy and I need it back.''

"Tommy steals stuff from me all the time.''

He laughed.

"So we could gang up on him, what do you think? I got your back, you got mine.''

"I'd be useless in a fight.''

We went back and forth like this for a while. Jane hovered increasingly close to me and I could tell she got annoyed on my behalf, though she refrained from speaking.

Though she'd gone quiet and I sensed that she was a quiet person at heart, she held strong opinions. They passed over her expressive face like thunderclouds.

It was entertaining.

I wasn't sure anything I said actually got rid of Colin. And I was equally unsure whether he'd have forced me to open the door. But finally his phone buzzed, and I could tell his mind moved to something else once he'd looked at it.

"Okay, psycho. I'll check on you later.''

I watched him drive off.

"Wooooow,'' Jane said. We pulled a face at each other.