There's an Invisible Man Sleeping in My Bed

Chapter 14

            “And if we keep this up, we should be ready to go by next week,” Ruth said, grinning in her seat at one of the many cafeteria tables.

            About to suggest they slow things down, Thalia was instead frozen by a very familiar male voice coming from behind her. “Uh oh, sounds like trouble.”

            She spun around then jumped to her feet. “Will!” she said, grinning as she hugged the tall boy. “When did you get back?”

            He laughed and hugged her back. “Last night. Everything quiet here?”

            Thalia hesitated only a moment before shrugging as she pulled away. “Is it ever anything else?”

            “Well with Ruth’s insane plans I can never be sure, now can I?”

            Ruth snorted. “Insane or not, at least my plans never get me hurt.”

            “Only land you with more days of detention than days without. I hope you’re not pulling Thalia into one of your pranks again. We both barely escaped getting caught with you last time.”

            “They’re not pranks. They’re experiments designed to bring out the honest reactions and demonstrate humanity’s truth. And no one asked you to help last time, Liam. You volunteered.”

            Thalia shook her head. “Please don’t argue. Will only just got back. And you should sit,” she said, turning to the brunet boy beside her. “You need to eat lunch while you can.”

            He raised both eyebrows as he dropped into the seat beside her, dumping the bag that held his lunch onto the table. “Do you know something I don’t?”

            “You know every time you’re gone for longer than a day someone tries something as soon as you get back. It’s such a constant I’m surprised you haven’t already been to the park today.”

            He chuckled. “Why do you think I’m late to lunch?”

            “William!” Thalia said. “Are you alright? Why didn’t you tell me?”

            “It was nothing,” he replied, reaching over and patting her hand. “I handled it. And it got started in second period. I know how much you hate to miss class.”

            “I hate seeing you hurt even more! You are alright?”

            He nodded. “Nothing worse than a bruise from one lucky punch. I’ll be fine.”

            Ruth made a gagging noise. As the other two turned to look at her, she wrinkled her nose. “Your little love session’s gone on long enough. It’s cute in small doses but nauseating in large ones. I understand you haven’t seen each other in a week, but bleh. And Liam, one day all that fighting is going to get you seriously hurt.”

            William rolled his eyes. “You tell me that at least once every three days and I’m still fine. You’re just still mad I wouldn’t try your psychological warfare out.”

            She sniffed. “It was for your benefit. And it would have worked.”

            “Somehow I think suddenly clucking and flapping like a chicken would have had the opposite effect.”

            Watching Ruth’s hazel eyes heat up as they met William’s blue ones, Thalia leaned back and sighed silently. She guessed she had at least three minutes before she’d have to intervene. A faint pressure on her shoulder had her turning to look away from them but she saw nothing. Which is why she didn’t jump when she heard Colt’s voice whisper into her ear “Who is the young man?”

            She shifted over more so that Ruth and William wouldn’t see her lips moving. “My cousin Will. He’s a year younger than me but we’ve been close since we were kids.”

            “Ah! I’d wondered at his familiarity with you. But if he’s your cousin that makes sense. He’s not courting you is he?”

            Thalia choked. “No!” she replied, only remembering at the last second to keep her voice low. “That’s gross. Not just because he’s my cousin but because I’ve always thought of Will like the little brother I never had. And my other cousin Karen as my little sister.”

            A much firmer hand was laid on her opposite shoulder, making Thalia jump a bit then whip her head around to stare at William with wide eyes. Both he and Ruth were staring at her. “Are you feeling alright?” he asked at the same time that Ruth said “You look pale.”

            Almost in unison, they said “Do you want to go home?”

            She blinked for a moment then shook her head. “No. I’m fine. Sorry, I just sort of zoned out there.”

            But Will already had a hand to her forehead, while Ruth had taken one of her wrists and was comparing their pulses. “Your heart’s going a little fast but not overly so.”

            “I don’t think you have a fever,” he added, dropping his hand away.

            Ruth frowned. “You’re sure you’re alright? You’ve been a little…off lately. Kind of distracted and a bit twitchy.”

            Thalia shrugged to cover up the slight jerk. She should have realized that Ruth had noticed her little checks for Colt since they were always together at school. Her brain raced as adrenaline fueled her search for a plausible excuse. “It’s almost exam time so I guess I’m worried about failing and having to stay back or something. Especially since U of T gave me that scholarship.”

            “Hmmm…” Ruth said, eyeing Thalia.

            “Well it wouldn’t be completely awful if you had to stay back,” William replied, smiling. “It’d be nice to be in the same classes for once.”

            “You just don’t like the idea of Thalia at a school where you can’t keep an eye on her.”

            “Like you’re any different.”

            As the two descended into another bickering match, Thalia hoped that Colt would take the fact they’d nearly been caught into account and kept quiet for the rest of the school day. She didn’t think Ruth would buy her excuses a second time. As if he’d heard her thoughts, she felt Colt’s hand squeezing her shoulder briefly before the sensation, and she guessed he, disappeared. Another point towards him being a ghost in her mind.