Kissing Paul Slater

Finally… the long awaited FULL LENGTH version of this tale… a tale of the Mediator… and Paul Slater… and… well, just read…

Heads Up: This story starts where the novel "Haunted" begins… but continues into the far future… So really, it starts when Suze begins 11th Grade in Carmel, except in MY story, the events are changed… bear with part of the looooong and tedious beginning, it's just for a summary… Read on… the outcome is nothing like that of the original Mediator. Wink

Disclaimer: All original characters and original Mediator storyline created by the wonderful, very talented author, Meg Cabot!

Dedication: For Scott, my Paul Slater

Chapter 1- What's In a Name?

I don't know where to begin. Seriously, I really don't know where to begin. I want to tell you my story- I want to tell SOMEBODY my story. Hell, I guess I just NEED to tell somebody my story. I have so much going on in my head that I will literally explode if I don't get some of it out. I will be living (well, dead) proof that spontaneous combustion is possible. Stranger things have happened.

For example, ghosts do exists. And there are people that can prove it.

I am one of those people.

I remember in, I think like Grade Eight or something, I had this really cool English teacher. Usually, I wouldn't call any teacher cool, but the one I had in Grade Eight was an exception. She was fascinating to listen too; she really grabbed your attention. Well, one of the first things that I ever learned from her was about relationships. She taught me that, the best way to establish I relationship with someone is to know their name.

This sounded really stupid to me at first, but as she explained, I understood. When you know someone's name, you have already begun to establish a relationship with them. As you strengthen your relationship, you will learn things about the person that will always tie into their name.

I now realize how true this is. When I hear about certain incidences, I can always relate them to people I know, and so on. So, I suppose the best way to start off a relationship would be to start with a name.

My name is Susannah Simon, and I am a Mediator.

Okay, so that was sort of a strange and boring introduction. Honestly, I am way more interesting than that. Well, way more complicated anyways. Most of you know my story by now, I think. I can interact with the dead, there's a hot ghost living in my bedroom, I was recently almost sent to the Great Beyond for good, etc.

But still. I'm starting a new school year tomorrow and I'm freaked out. Trying to be at least semi-normal AND a Mediator is tough business. It doesn't help that I recently met another Mediator, Paul Slater, who is absolutely nothing like me except that he too can see dead people. I just want to forget about him, thank-you very much.

Jesse is perhaps the only good thing around here. I mean, he seems to be sort of freaked out every since he kissed me… which isn't a good thing. I want him to love me, not be scared of me.

I hope everything goes well tomorrow.

Remember the Name-Relationship thing I told you about? Well here is an example of how true my teacher was speaking.

Take the name Paul Slater. Nice name. Short. Simple. Paul Slater. Nothing fancy,it just sounds like a name you'd see in a newspaper or on TV or at a town council meeting or on a book.

"Paul Slater and his family were hiking in the mountains Sunday afternoon and discovered a lost landmine that contained…"

"'Truth Be Told' is a fantastic, well-written novel by acclaimed author Paul Slater. The book debuted at Number Two on the Best-Sellers list, beating out Oprah and trailing only behind everyone's favorite wizard…"

See what I mean? It doesn't sound that bad. When you know the guy's name, Paul Slater, you would think "Hey, Paul. Good looking guy. Nice name. I like him." But once you get to know Paul Slater in the way I have, you start to associate things with his name. Paul Slater is not just a run-of-the-mill name, oh no. To me it inspires hatred and evilness and disaster. Paul Slater is not your typical American boy, but he is your typical jerk.

And he's here. Paul Slater is at school. My school. He's walking towards… me.

I need to get as far away from him as possible. I must avoid confrontation.

"Suze!" Paul strutted over as I tried to turn away without looking too obvious. "Fancy meeting you here, what are the odds that we'd ever meet again?" He threw an arm around my shoulder and tried to embrace me in a welcoming hug. I lunged away.

Paul tilted his head in a "don't-be-that-way" gesture, but I refused to give in. I did take a moment however to gaze over the structure that was Paul Slater. His hair was nicely positioned on his head, the dark curly locks framing his face and accenting the dark tanned color of his skin. His clothing fit him like it was Haute Couture and made specially to fit his figure… and I didn't doubt that it could have been. He was wealthy, at least, his family was. I doubt he ever earned a cent on his own…

If Paul had not tried to exorcize me the last time I had seen him, I would probably start flirting. Nothing Kelly Prescott-ish or Paris Hilton-ish, (same thing, really) but I'd at least been civil. Instead, I scowled and inched away from his grasp.

"Paul. What are you doing here?" I didn't leave room for reply. "I don't want to talk to you- at all. So just leave me alone, okay?" I had hoped this little statement would be enough to get rid of him, but I forgot who I was talking to. It certainly wasn't Simple Slater.

It was Persuasive Paul.

See, now that I've had a relationship with Paul- no, not a relationship- that sounds wrong. It was more of an interaction. Yes, now that I've interacted with Paul, I am able to discover the traits that follow with him name. And, as I continue my interaction, I am able to give him nicknames that suit him more fully.

I would prefer to call him things such as Asshole and Scumbag, but if I said these things to his face it would just cause more trouble.

Then again, I don't call him Persuasive Paul either. To his face, I mean. I use it more as an analogy when referring to him.

Wow. I think I'm really taking a time travel trip back to Grade Eight English.

"Simon, don't knock me off so fast. Hear me out." Paul placed one hand stylishly on his hip and gestured with the other. I read somewhere that if you gesture when you talk, you are smarter than average.

I wonder why Paul was gesturing then.

It must be some chemical imbalance in his well-structured body. Yeah, I bet that's exactly it- everything was perfectly proportioned on the outside of Paul's bod- but on the inside, it was all messed up.

"I know maybe your first impression of me wasn't exactly good…" Paul began. Good? That's the only word he could think of to describe the reverse of our… our situation? That's a pretty first-grade word, he definitely isn't smarter than average.

Well, the average toddler, maybe.

MAYBE.

"Oh no Paul. Your first impression on me was… nothing special. You were just some other guy at the resort I worked at."

Well, a guy that could be vying for "Sexiest Man Alive" should magazines feel the need to report on people other than those who have starred in blockbuster films.

Still though, he oozed the sexiness that was a combination of all of the hot Hollywood actors out there- possibly better than. Upon first glance, I must admit, I liked his smile a lot better than that of Brad or Orlando.

Paul ignored my quip.

"…but think about it Suze. You and I are meant to be friends, in the very least. Perhaps what happened over the summer wasn't ideal, but worse things have happened."

I almost dropped my books, I was absolutely appalled that he had just said that.

"Worse things have happened? WORSE THINGS- PAUL! You tried to off me Paul Slater, Jesse too. Do you understand? YOU TRIED TO KILL US!" Paul looked unshaken and smoothed out his hair effortlessly.

"No I didn't. Jesse is already dead. You can't die twice. And I didn't really mean to hurt you- it was a misunderstanding. It's nothing."

"Oh, it's nothing. So all those news reports about husbands murdering their wives- it's just nothing. Kill! KILL! It means nothing. No one cares. KILL!" I flailed my arms in mock vengeance.

A younger student, probably in David's grade, looked at me as he walked past, and his pass seemed to increase as I yelled kill. Wonderful, I'll just start off my year with a reputation as a raving villain out prowling for the kill. Perfect.

I noticed the muscles in Paul's arms tighten as he lifted one up, no doubt to make a new gesture. Instead, he grabbed my forearm and pulled me towards him. I twisted it around, but my arm would not loosen from his grasp. I was forced to stand with his fingers around my arms and listen to him try and persuade me to give him another chance at friendship, or something.

"That's not what I meant, Suze. I care about you, I know what you are." He made it sound like I was some sort of mutant, which I guess I sort of was. Nothing like in X-men of course, unfortunately, but still, how many people can talk to ghosts?

"You know I am a Mediator, too Suze. But you're wrong. We are not simply Mediators, oh no. We are much, much more. We can do more than just talk, we can move in ways that can create changes larger than simply sending a ghost to the hallway of doors."

He finally let go of my arms and I abruptly fell back on my feet. I stumbled to regain my footing as his words sunk in.

We can do more.

"What if I don't want to do more, Paul? What if I just want to be me- just let things be as they have been?" Right now, I just wanted Paul gone. Class would be starting soon anyways, and I still needed to find CeeCee and Adam.

A smirk stretched the corners of Paul's lips into a long, full shape. "No one ever settles for less Suze. You never turn down an offer for more. You can never have too much of a good thing, which is why I'm going to teach you more about our talent. This way, you won't get sick of me."

He held out his hand as if to seal our deal. I didn't even know what the deal was.

"I don't get it," I said ignoring his hand. "What are you teaching me? What do you mean we are more than Mediators?" Paul slickly pulled out a pair of Dior sunglasses and put them over his eyes, shielding their blue gallows from my gaze.

"Too much to explain now, Susie dear. That's why you will have to trust me. I figure every afternoon or so, or every other, we'll see, you can come over to my place- I'm staying with Grandpa Slater see. There, I will teach you things that you have never heard of before, show you stuff you have never ever experienced. You don't know half of the stuff I do about our gift, our ability to talk to the dead. I'm not going to antagonize you; I'm going to teach you. It's in your best interest really."

I bit my lip, peeling off some Very Violet Vixen gloss that I had just reapplied. The bottle was tiny, and so I was trying to make it last, but apparently it was going to run out faster then I had expected.

Should I trust Paul? Should I forget the past and start anew in the present? The Mediator stuff did seem… interesting. What was I missing out on that Paul knew of? Could I somehow help Jesse?

Jesse.

Oh boy, I bet Jesse wouldn't like this. I mean, he really hates Paul. Really hates him. But Jesse lived with hundred-and-fifty-year-old expectations, perhaps he needed a more modern look at reality.

I looked at Paul. I couldn't see him looking at me through the lenses of his sunglasses, but I bet he was staring at my eyes too, waiting for my answer.

Or maybe he was looking at my chest area. Not that there's anything really remarkable to look at, my sweater set had everything covered, but still. He's a guy. A little unbalanced, but still has the genetic make-up of a human boy.

A guy that, if I were to go to his house, would probably try to get his hands up my shirt. And, knowing Paul, probably further down.

"I don't know, I just don't- Paul, you have to understand why I just can't start trusting you!" I straightened my skirt and nodded at Paul. "I'll decline your offer for now. But…"

Paul wouldn't hear anything from me but a yes, so he tried to persuade me more.

"Suze, come on. When will you be able to trust me Suze, huh? When you're dying and I miraculously save you? I'm sorry Suze but that's bull. What if that chance never comes? You can't sit around forever… you'll never know unless you try. So, you have to trust me or you'll never learn this stuff."

"I will trust you when I feel like it. And besides, Father Dom can teach me Mediator stuff. He's one, too." I skirted around Paul to escape, but he grabbed me again, this time around the waist, and pulled me down as if we were dancing.

"You think Old Man D knows what I know? Come on Suze, seriously. And would you really rather study with HIM for hours or with one of your own peers?"

"Father Dominic never tried to kill me. Or my boyfriend."

I could sense Paul laughing as I said the word boyfriend, but I ignored him.

"Suze, you're not thinking straight. Come on, how about we test it- you come home with moi after school, and then I'll show you what I'm talking about. You can see I'm being earnest and my intentions are nothing but business."

His sunglasses slid down his nose, and his eyes peeked over at me. I was still leaning back in Paul's arms. I tilted myself forward.

"I- Oh for, fine. But let me go now, okay? Class is going to start and…"

Successful, Paul let me go and smiled, flashing his dazzling pearls of teeth.

"Wonderful, Suze. I'll meet you in front at three. Don't be late, or I'll get some of my ghost buddies to haunt you." I stifled a laugh and rolled my eyes.

"Sure Paul. Bye."

I slumped off inside as I held my books close. An afternoon with Paul, what an ideal fantasy for me. Well, at least I had been strong and made amends with Paul. Perhaps Jesse wouldn't be too fond of my choice, but I had to get Paul out of my way somehow. I'd go to his house, learn some useful stuff and be done.

If Paul did something stupid, I'd be gone. We'd be done. It's that simple.

Even if things go as planned- as I plan- the itinerary would be the same: He'd tell me some cool Mediator stuff, I'd learn something, and we'd be done.

Simple Slater Stuff.

Besides, I can't hold a grudge against this guy for too long, seeing as how we'll be going to the same school for the next two years.

It'd make things very flared. And Paul would just pester me more. It's easier just to go along with him, and hold my anger inside as he talks. The way I see it, if I turn against him, he will just look for ways to get revenge on me- and that could put Jesse in danger.

So no, I'm not being a coward. I'm thinking of the best interests of others.

As well as Paul's nice eyes.