Ghost

0703

I was expecting the whole school to be laughing at me when I showed up the next day. Walking through the halls on my way to class, I was relieved to find that my existence remained unknown. Shockingly.

I was even more surprised when I saw Liz for the first time at lunch. When she caught me staring, she shot me a smile and a nod before the rest of the table turned and noticed me. It took me a second to realize they were starting to talk about me.

I looked away, suddenly self conscious as Randy guzzled down the rest of his soda and crushed the can into the table.  After wiping his mouth and letting out a belch worthy of a few disgusted glances, he looked at me. 

"What are you doing after school?" He asked. I felt my chest tighten.

"Uh...nothing?"

"You want to study for that biology test?" We had the same class, but different hours. I nodded.

"Yeah, I guess-I mean, of course." I stopped, realizing how excited about it I seemed. "I mean, I really need help on it, so yeah. Sure."

I was almost hyperventilating. 

"Okay. Would you mind if we went over to your place? My moms kind of a bitch about bringing guests over. I mean, I would say the park, but it's supposed to storm again and-"

"My place is fine," I said, concentrating too much on keeping my voice level and not enough on what I was actually saying. 

"Cool." He said, standing up and grabbing his trash with a nod. "Meet me by the corner after school."

"Okay," I said, then paused. "Wait, where?"

"Just go around the left side of the building. It's that little corner where all the teachers go to smoke. Not too hard to find."

"Okay." I said. 

"Okay," he said. "See ya."

I watched him throw his paper bag into the dumpster and exit through the cafeteria doors before I realized we were going over to my house. My house. As in the place where my sister would be, and possibly her friends would be, and possibly my mother would be. Or my father. Or both.

Or ghosts.