Back Home: A Beetlejuice Story

Chapter 17

BJ

Lydia had begged me to go out to lunch with her in town, to a family restaurant she used to really enjoy going to. Apparently, my disguising myself as alive for Thanksgiving gave Lydia ideas to take me into town in my disguise. I think she liked being able to interact with me while I was out in town with her, and I couldn't find it within myself to tell her no.

She grabs a booth the second we walk in the door. She has a menu opened up in front of her before I even sit down, and she hands me one as I reach the table.

"I take it you know this place pretty well?" I joke. She shushes me, saying that she's making sure they didn't change anything.

A waiter walks over to us, a scrawny high school age kid who looks like his job is the bane of his existence. "Anything I can get you two?"

"Strawberry milkshake and a plate of fries," Lydia responds, shutting the menu with a quiet slap of laminated paper. The water writes down her order on his notepad and looks at me, waiting for my order.

"I'll take the same," I shrug, closing the menu. I didn't have much time to look into what they had to offer to make a decision otherwise. The waiter walks off and places the order in the kitchen. "How's your studying going back home?"

"Are you seriously going to make small talk with me?" Lydia asks with a laugh.

"Well, you spend so much time in your studying, I feel like I have to."

"Haha. And studying is fine, I'm just nervous. The test is in three days." Lydia frowns. I can see all her worries and self-consciousness weighing on her.

"Babes, you have nothing to worry about. You got this, you've been studying your ass off. No one is more prepared than you." She smiles at my reassurance.

"Thank you," She says. "Now, if you bring up anymore small talk subjects, I'm jumping out of the window." I hold my hands up in surrender.

"I'd really prefer if you didn't jump out of the window," I say.

"I don't want to do that either. So, don't try to make any small talk."

"Okay. Fine. Then you come up with the conversation topic," I cross my arms and smirk. Lydia sits there, scrunching up her face while thinking. "Harder than you thought?"

"Shut up," She reaches across the table and shoves me lightly. "It's not my fault I've been so busy lately."

"I know, but if I didn't tease you a little bit the world would end." The waiter brings us our food and Lydia thanks him. "I've got a conversational topic. Whatever happened with that whole Christian thing? You came home and never talked about it."

"It's fine. We talked and I told him that now isn't the time for him to be in my life. I've got too much going on right now. He backed off," She says between bites of fries. I'd believe her if it wasn't for how she kept her head down.

"Are you sure? He doesn't seem like the type to just back off." I take a drink of my milkshake.

"Shit, BJ," Lydia snaps. She takes a breath. "He's a difficult guy, okay. But, I've got it."

"I wasn't trying to phrase it that you didn't have it under control. I just don't want you lying to me. You don't have to lie to me."

"I'm not lying because I don't trust you. Sometimes it's just easier," Lydia shrugs.

"I'll cheers to that," I laugh, holding up my milkshake cup. Lydia smiles and clinks her cup against mine.