Ghost Boy (S.M)

eight

Curling my hair has always been a pain. For hair as thick as mine, it takes way too long. Halfway done, I start to think of giving up and going through with a straightener. Tonight we have dinner with the Norman's and my mother wants to make a good impression. She said, and I quote, "I will not allow my daughter to look homeless in their house. Now take off the leggings and look presentable." She pulled a sundress out of my closet and gave strict instructions on how to look.

The stubborn part of me wants to burn my hair, in spite of her. Which sounds dramatic. Don't worry, it's just a small, small part. I know she's just stressed about the move and her new job. None of us know anyone here. The Norman's are the only ones who've made an effort to be nice.

Plus, it wouldn't be a terrible thing to look good for Jace. I'm not saying I like him, I just met him, but he was nice when we met. He's not ugly either. He's actually quite handsome. He's very tall and has nice cheekbones. I'm sure he's very popular with women.

Sammy opens the bathroom door, in a rush. "We have to leave in thirty minutes, be ready!" He points to me with a threatening expression before slamming the door back.

I chuckle to myself. I've concluded that he has a crush on Sophie Norman. I watched them play soccer from my window yesterday. After when Jace was telling me about it, he sounded very smitten.

Shawn appears right next to my ear. Before I can even process that he's there, he yells, "Boo!"

I jump, dropping the curling iron on the floor. Thankfully, it doesn't fall on my feet. "Shawn!" I whisper-yell at him. If he had a psychical form, I would smack him.

Shawn bursts out laughing and hops on the bathroom counter. "I'm sorry." He chuckles.

"No, you're not."

"You're right because that was hilarious."

I pick up the iron and point it at him. "I could have burnt myself."

"If it makes you feel better, I would've meant being sorry if you did."

I sigh and start curling my hair again. "You suck."

He smiles at me. It's good to see him smile after our awkward talk last night. "So, I saw Sam practicing how he's going to talk to Sophie Norman, in the mirror."

My jaw drops. "No way."

"It was very cute and also very bad."

I can't imagine Sammy practicing in the mirror, with a straight face. What would a 12-year-old even practice? Knowing Sam he's going to ask her on a Minecraft date and get heavily rejected. "That's amazing," I mutter.

"Are you almost ready for your dinner party with the Norman's?" The way he says the Norman's makes them seem bad. Like there was tension between his family and there's.

I drop my last strand of hair and run my fingers through the loose curls. "Why do you say it like that?"

"I don't know." He sighs. "It's nothing, I guess."

I give him a suspicious look and go across the hall to my room. When I open the door Shawn is sitting on my desk chair. "Clearly it's not just nothing. What happened?"

"It wasn't just one thing, per-say." He starts. "I used to be friends with Jace when we were younger. I was sort of like his big brother. When we were in middle school, Jace became one of those people who are different with everyone they meet. Like on his one he's fine, I guess, but when you're in a group of people he can be a dick. After a while, I just kinda got sick of the bullshit and stopped talking to him."