Luna's Ghost

25

I stood by the door, staring across the street at Jackson, unable to believe my eyes. What luck. He was sitting on the porch, looking down at his phone, a cigarette dangling between his lips, soft wisps of smoke wafting into the air.

Will wasn't there, which was something unusual but fortunate. Jackson was engrossed at whatever he saw on his phone and didn't look up. I saw the hardness in his face, as though whatever he was seeing was making him displeased.

"Grace?" I heard Dad say. I startled and looked over at him. I realized I had been just standing there by the car door, just staring at Jackson. Dad was staring quizzically at me over the car roof. "Is everything okay?"

I nodded and couldn't help shooting another glance in Jackson's direction. Of course, Dad noticed.

"Do you know him?" he asked me.

I nodded and got in the car, slamming the door and buckling my seatbelt. "Yeah. He goes to my school."

Dad got in the driver's seat and shot me another questioning look. "And. . .?"
"And what?"

"There's more to it," he said as he slammed the door after him. "Do you have a crush on him or something?"

"Dad!" I snapped, heat rising to my cheeks. "I do not! He was that guy we saw outside the Cinemark fighting."

"Oh." Dad immediately grew serious, the teasing look immediately fading from his eyes. "Does he fight a lot?"

"Yeah, though I've talked to his ex-girlfriend. She said he was really nice and laid back but ever since his uncle died, he's been really angry and depressed and getting into fights."

"Oh," he said again, a frown pulling at his eyebrows. "Sounds like he might need help, but keep your distance since he's been getting into a lot of fights. You don't need to be around people like that."

I nodded distractedly as I kept glancing over at Jackson as Dad pulled out of the driveway. As we drove past Jackson's house, Jackson glanced up and for a split second our eyes met.

His eyes widened with surprise but the car already passed before I could see any other expression register on his face.

As we drove to the restaurant, Dad was telling me about how the landlord was really nice and agreeable but I tuned him out, everything else that was going on in my life playing around and around in my mind.

I thought about Jackson and Will. I made a mental note to text Grandma Marie as soon as I was away from Dad. Dad had the annoying habit of picking up the smallest things and I could just tell if I tried texting Grandma Marie about this that he would catch me and it was not a conversation I wanted to have with him.

I thought of how I was also keeping my abilities from him. I snuck a

guilty glance at him. I knew he would be hurt that I kept it from him but I knew, like my grandma, he would not be happy and right now, with everything going on with trying to figure out how to handle Jackson and Will, that I could not deal with my dad's reaction.

I hoped that he would be reasonable, but, as much as I loved my dad, he was not the most reasonable person.

I sighed, wishing things weren't so complicated, and I hoped he would be able to accept my gifts, because I sure as hell didn't ask for them.

"You alright?" he asked, shooting me a glance before turning his attention back to the road.

I nodded. "Yeah," I lied, "just thinking about school. A lot of tests are coming up."