The Boy And The Ghost

Chapter 4

I love the smell of wet earth on a cloudy morning. The sun is just mild enough to be pleasant. A good morning after a considerably long time. Summer had been over-bearing.

It had been weeks since that night in the woods, and for all their worry and constant survellance over me, no girl ever approached me, or at least none that they deemed a threat. So we moved on after that, the days rolling in more normally.

I dig my hands into my pocket as I walk down the pathway into college, my books tucked away under my arm. I had tried to comb down my hair for the new start today, had looked at the dark brown bangs with distaste as I stood infront of the mirror, but due to my incessant habbit of running my hand through them, they wouldn't obey. And God knows I don't own a single container of gel.

I scrunch up my nose at the thought.

So thats how they sit atop me. In a disarray of dark brown. My eyes just as dark, on first look people would call them black. I'm no special case, though my friends seem to argue anything but, and I can admit I do get appreciative stares whenever I walk by, but that's all irrelevant. Secondary. Unimportant.

A small smile graces my lips as I spot the jackass up front. Quite literally.

"So I heard you two were awesome at fission experiments," Jack sweet talks the two girls he's cornering without them even knowing it, "could you maybe give me a hand with my work?" I don't even have to see his face to know he's cueing 'the smile'.

They giggle and blush and I swoop in to save them like the hero I am. Jack just wants them to do his work for him. It was very basic homework the professor had given us and knowing him, he didn't bother to do it considering it was so easy.

I clasp a hand on Jack's shoulder. Hard. He gets startled, caught of guard, and I snatch the folder of papers from his hand. "Now don't get caught up in my man's charm, girls," I tell them and they blush redder when they see me, "He's just looking for an easy way out."

The girls point accusatory glances at Jack and pivot on their spots to head off, looking back to give me thankful smiles.

Jack glares at me. "What the hell, man?"

I laugh out loud and thrust his folder back to him. My hand finding it's way back into the pocket of my blue denim jeans, I continue down the pathway. Jack curses beneath his breath but catches up to me as we head for our session today.

I spot Luke and Francis talking up ahead in the hall, and we slow down to a stop next to them, my black sneakers squeeking on the marble.

"You guys seen Kyle?" Luke asks us, a hand holding his books while the other adjusted the slim, sleak tie he wore. It was white today, going quite nicely with his grey shirt, the sleeves dragged up. Luke always wore ties to college. Always ironed those shirts and pants himself in that dorm he and Francis shared. He was a spic and span gentleman. To be honest, I couldn't see him any other way. A man with purpose and calmness in those burning amber eyes hidden behind his spectacles.

He made me reconsider the black T that I had on, it's fabric hugging my body along all my planes. Reconsidered just for a second before I cast the thought away, knowing his style wasn't mine.

"Probably couldn't get up in time," Jack snickers, "I heard May was staying over."

He earns a laugh from us at that.

Francis checks his watch before he tells us, "It's getting late, we better move if we want our usual seats."

Giving him a nod we make our way to the lecture hall, students piling in along with us like ants into an anthill. The lecture room we had our daily classes in was phenomenal. Huge--with rows upon rows of raised platforms holding seats for the students, a small dais at the bottom for the professor, with his podium in the middle, a large interactive screen behind him for explanations. The acoustics themselves were to be marveled at. No matter what the professor said or how low he said it down there, every one of us could hear.