Little Green Stars

Chapter 48-Expectations are Weird

None of this is what I expected. Here I am, watching Cece freaking Bundt pretend to party with me and my boyfriend while my sister waits outside with my dad for my soul to leave my body and possibly kill someone. I mean, really? Literally, I didn't expect any of this. I didn't expect Maeve to sell our family home. I didn't expect that my "sleep paralysis" was really me turning into a haunting machine. I didn't expect I'd end up liking and apparently dating the guy I'm haunting. I didn't expect to find my dad. I didn't expect the people I can't stand, aka Maeve, Bundty, and Maverick would be so willing to help me. And I sure as shit didn't expect all this crazy stuff to happen in one freaking week.

"Done," Bundty says, putting her phone away, pleased with herself.

"You tagged me and Rina right?" Jin asks, checking his phone.

"And me?" Maverick says, "That was a solid minute chug at least. You better of got it."

"Yes, to all!" Bundty rolls her eyes, placing her hands on her hips.

"It's almost midnight. You guys better get going," Jin says.

Bundty happily shuffles towards the door, with Maverick following her, asking, "Can we stop at T.Bell on the way?"

"Seriously?" She asks, then shrugs. "Whatever."

"Hey Bundty," I call before she reaches the door.

She doesn't respond. Instead, she turns to fold her arms and gives me her classic what bitch look.

"Thanks." I almost gag as the words come out.

Bundty looks as taken back at my words as I was for saying them.

"Well," she says, removing her arms from their crossed position to place them on her hips. "Not that I believe the bullshit you told me BUT I'd probably miss having someone to make fun of in Dywer's. So, you're welcome, I guess."

I can't help but smile in return. Damnit. I'm smiling AND smiling at Cece freaking Bundt, what has my life come to?

"Call me?" Maverick says, walking a little woozy.

"Really?" She yells as she storms out the door.

"What?" Maverick says, following behind her, slamming the door as he goes, leaving Jin and me alone.

For a second, everything feels calm. I take a deep breath and flop down onto the tattered couch and look up at the ceiling. Holy crap, did this night really happen?

"You feeling better?"

"Actually, yeah," I say, surprised. "It's weird..."

"What is?"

"I feel okay. Maybe it's just because I'm here. Home."

Jin moves to sit next to me, giving me flashbacks to the first time I sat next to him on the bean bag. I remember feeling so nervous, so scared, so weird. But now, it just feels right.

"That's why we know we are doing the right thing," Jin says.

"Scaring your parents shitless so they'll sell the house?" By far, Jin's craziest idea yet.

"Yeah, you're meant to be here."

"But if I'm here, where does that leave you?" I hadn't had time to think about what it all meant. But, if Jin's parents sell the house, what'll happen?

Jin sighs as his body sinks further into the couch. "Onto the next house, my parents don't stay in one house too long anyways..." Jin's voice grows quiet.

"Jin," I say, turning my head away so I can say what I want without being too embarrassed to say it. "I don't want you to go."

There's a quiet pause where I can hear Jin shift towards me, his chest sliding against my side.

"I don't want to go. But I want you to be okay."

This is bullshit. I get a boyfriend that I didn't know I needed or wanted, and now he's just going to have to go? To where? Somewhere I'll never see him again?

"This is a bad idea!" I begin to rant, pushing my way to stand.

"What?" Jin says, scrambling to stand up after me.

"I'll just have Maeve do whatever stupid spell is needed to untie me from the house!"

"Are you insane?!" Jin yells.

Did Jin Caldwell just yell at me? AND call me insane?!

"Excuse me?!"

"Do you want your sister to be cursed and die like your Mom did?" He asks, planting his arms firmly on my shoulders, forcing me to look at him.

I struggle a little from his hands as I answer. "That's not fair..."

"Yes or no!"

"Jin..."

"You just told me no less than twenty minutes ago that hurting your family wasn't an option!"

"I know..." I say as I fight the weak tears wanting to escape. I wish I could answer, yes. But, Jin and I both know deep down that I couldn't do that to Maeve, not if there's another option.

"Come," Jin says, pulling me towards the couch. "Sit back down."

I shrug side to side as he pulls me towards the couch, not wanting to sit down because sitting down would mean I'm okay with all this, and I'm not. I'm just getting to know Jin, and I'm not ready for him to go. I reluctantly plop back down beside him on the couch, my head landing to rest against his chest as his arm moves over my shoulder.

"I still don't want you to go," I whisper, staring straight ahead, my eyes landing on the ceiling and those damn stars carved into them.

"Rina's still here. Maybe I can visit. Maybe my parents will buy a new house somewhere close."

"No," I say firmly.

"What?" Jin almost laughs. "You just want me to leave and never come back then?"

"Yes."

Jin stiffens up a little. "Wait, seriously?"

"If I've realized anything this past week, it's that nothing ever goes as I expect it to. So, if I expect never to see you again, then maybe I will."

"That's a terrible way to live. Always expecting the worst out of a situation."

"It's me we're talking about. I have the worst luck ever. You should know that by now."

"I'm still alive. Maeve didn't flip like you thought. We found your dad, who just so happens to be rich enough to buy this house for you. And Cece isn't going to out us. Sounds pretty lucky to me." Jin says, his hand running along mine. "You just need to look at things in a positive light to see just how lucky you are."

I guess he has a point. I've never thought of myself as lucky.

"While that all may be true, what about you? How is it lucky that I finally meet someone I like, and they're just going to leave?" I ask.

"Well, without all your unluckiness, you wouldn't have met me, to begin with, and that's pretty damn lucky if you ask me."

Freaking Jin Caldwell, the science nerd, right again. I guess I am lucky, after all.  

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