"So, Jerome I'm afraid I've been thinking," I began as I rolled an apple between my palms.
He was leaning against the countertop, and looked up at me, his eyes shining.
"That's a dangerous way to be spending your time." He smiled. I suppose I like it when he smiles.
"It's for a good cause, I think." I smiled too.
"Go on, then."
"Okay, so I was thinking that this house is old and creepy, right?"
"Right."
"So, wouldn't it only make sense for it to be haunted?"
He was silent, eyeing me skeptically.
"Well," I took a bite from my apple before I elaborated, "how hard could it be, really, to convince my soon to be new friends that ghosts are ambling about?"
He smiled. He had a nice smile.
"How, exactly, do you plan to convince them of this?"
"You mean: how do we plan to convince them of this?"
"Of course." He smiled wider.
"Well, bear in mind that the plan isn't totally fleshed out quite yet," I could tell I was smirking.
"Oh, tell me, tell me," he sort of skipped over to my side of the counter.
I bit down on my smile.
"Well, I was thinking maybe we could do something with ectoplasmic goop. Probably something along the lines of lime jell-o. Maybe, we can keep me hidden from meeting them for the first day and I could come out at night in crazy make-up and freak 'em out."
He just kind of looked at me.
"So," I continued, feeling a bit awkward now, "I guess a finalized plan would be more something like: I stay in my room when everyone's arriving, then I'll sneak out at night and cover one of the kids in lime jell-o, and make some moaning noises, and then spout something about being a harbinger of destruction, then, um, yeah."
"How are you at moaning noises?"
"Better than you'd think."
He was smiling and I was smiling and I think I might've been blushing a little bit, too.
"Anyway," he started, "What is my role in all this?"
"Ah, yes," I bit my lip, feeling a little bad that he might be feeling left out, "You will be planting thoughts of hauntings in all their little heads, and," I added because he seemed let down by so little a role, "I will be needing" I thought he might appreciate that I stressed that word a little more, "you to help me siphon lime jell-o from Trudy's stores in the fridge."
"Hmm," he was still unsatisfied, "how about, I hide under the bed and shake it. Just so I can enjoy the big reveal."
"I guess that could work. Sure."
He then proceeded to empty the fridge of lime jell-o.
"Whoa whoa whoa," I started, grabbing the jell-o from his arms and putting it back in the fridge, "What do you think you're doing?"
"What do you think you're doing?" He was glaring at the jell-o cartons, and snatching them back from me.
"You can't take it all at once," he really should know that much, "or she'll to suspect something. Come on, you should know better."
"Trudy's not going to notice missing jell-o."
"And what if she does?"
"She won't." Well, wasn't he awfully sure of himself?
"Well, aren't you awfully sure of yourself?"
"I am." He paused. "That's good, right?"
I laughed.
"I suppose."
I'm not entirely sure what happened next, but the air got kind of still and he was really close to me. Granted, I'd only known him for a few days, but he was nice and he was sweet and he was cute.
He tucked his head down so he was just an inch away.
"So, um," I turned my head away, "I think I'm going to, um." I pointed to the door and slid out from under him and back to my room.
