Chapter 10: Friendship
Beetle quietly stepped up to his bedroom door, knocking softly on the old, shackled wood. "Heya...Lyds? You alright in there?"
There was nothing but silence coming from the other side. Maybe she was still passed out? Maybe he'd just slide on in and see...
Beetle opened the door, seeing Lydia face down, snoring. He sniggered, seeing how hopelessly wasted she looked. It was kinda cute, really.
She was so peaceful that he almost didn't want to wake her. Almost. "DEETZ, RISE AND SHINE!" he belted, causing Lydia to thrash about like mad, tossing his blankets off of her in surprise.
"Oh! BJ, it's just you..." she gasped, holding her head.
"The one and only," he grinned, holding out his hands.
"I think I drank way too much last night..." Lydia rubbed her aching head.
"I know ya did, Babe. How 'bout some breakfast? Might help that pesky hangover." he suggested, knowing that would give him a ripe opportunity to tell her his plans.
"Sure. Thanks BJ." she smiled sweetly, slightly wincing from the headache.
Damn, she was cute. Too bad she'd probably be gone soon and all.
Lydia stared down at her plate of freshly scrambled eggs and crispy bacon with toast, smiling to herself. Unbeknownst to Beetlejuice, it reminded her of breakfasts she'd had back in Winter Rivers with Barbara and Adam. It was nice.
"Uh...Don'tcha like it, Deetz?" Beetle furrowed his brow, pointing to her dish with his rusty fork.
"It's perfect..." she cooed, remembering the comforts of home that she'd sorely missed. Hopefully one day she'd find out the true nature of her death, so she could regain her powers and visit her parents and the Maitlands again. "It reminds me of home." she said, before digging in.
"So uh...How are ole' Babs and Adam these days? How bout Chucky and his broad - you know, the one that takes nice things like cement slabs and rocks and turns 'em into garbage?"
"That would be Delia." Lydia smirked, realizing he must have felt the same way about Delia's art as Lydia had. "Honestly, I don't know anymore. They were all doing well when I was alive, but now that I'm restricted and all, I have no idea. I kind of miss them all..."
"That sucks, Deetz. Er...I got some possibly good news for ya, if that helps any." he muttered, looking strangely sober.
"Is it that I can keep these awesome pj's? Thanks, by the way." Lydia mumbled with a mouth full of eggs.
"Yeah, they're yours. I got plenty more where those came from. But the news ain't that, Dollface..." he continued, still strangely serious. "I'm gonna need your help persuadin' ole' Jerrycurl to summon me. You up for that?"
Lydia didn't know what she'd done, but it must've been something right in order to get Beetle to actually move forward with their agreement. Suddenly, her heart lifted just a bit. Maybe she'd get out of this place sooner than she'd anticipated. Then, she could continue the search for her ex fiance. He could fill her in on her death, and poof, she'd have power again.
"Definitely. What's the plan?" she eagerly listened.
"Simple, I get you to chubby boy's apartment and you just talk to him. Convince him to summon me, and then the rest is history." Beetle grinned, apparently feeling quite satisfied with his little plan.
"Okay, but how do I get back? I have no powers." Lydia questioned.
"I'll pull ya back in after...say...twenty minutes, eh? Tell him how wonderful and great I am! Tell him any ole' bullshit story you can, I could literally care less. Just get me in, Babe."
Lydia suddenly felt a little uneasy about the whole thing. Lie to the poor man? Beetlejuice was nothing but trouble, and the man would be better off without him around, really. On the other hand, Beetle was really good at scaring away people, so that was a plus. She'd just have to stick with that angle, she supposed.
"So...When do we start?" she asked warily.
"You finished your food?" Beetle asked, tapping his grimy fingers on the table.
"Yeah..." Lydia replied.
"Good! Now!" he stood up pointing his finger at Lydia, who's pajama's turned into a really nice sweater and skirt. Her hair had been neatly fixed in a long, flowing ponytail down her back. She looked rather dolled up, but in a modest, ladylike fashion. She didn't even realize Beetlejuice was capable of pulling that off. He was smarter than she'd given him credit for.
"Okay, Babe. Now let me tell ya the details..." Beetle grinned maliciously, rubbing his hands together.
"So, twenty minutes, right?" Lydia asked, reassuring herself that she wouldn't be trapped in some strange ghost's apartment forever.
"Yup. You ready?" Beetle raised an eyebrow.
"As I'll ever be..." Lydia muttered.
"Good. Dweeby will be in that back study room hangin' out knitting doilies or somethin'. Now, go talk to him!" Beetle demanded, and before Lydia could so much as open her mouth, he'd juiced her into Gerald's apartment.
Unfortunately, it resembled Beetle's place before he'd cleaned it. Lydia stepped over undergarments, beer cans, and the occasional bong in her search for the study. Man, these girls partied hard. Definitely Beetle's type. Maybe he'd be better off with one of them then he ever would have with her, she pondered.
The day was early, so the two girls causing all the mayhem were likely passed out, much like Lydia had been. Damn, Beetlejuice was a bad influence, she reminded herself.
The faint sound of classical music played hauntingly toward the back of Gerald's apartment, instantly alerting her to his presence. She quietly sauntered up to the door of his study, which was currently closed. Swallowing back her uneasiness, she knocked quietly.
The music instantly stopped, alerting her that Gerald was, indeed, inside. Perhaps he thought she was one of those college girls, and wanted to be inconspicuous.
"Gerald Lunder? Are you in there?" Lydia asked politely, but to no avail. He was probably trying to remain undetected.
"My name is Lydia Deetz, and I'm also deceased. I've come in the name of my friend, Mr. Juice, who's services you are in dire need of."
After that, the door slowly creaked open a couple of inches, and a portly, middle-aged man wearing glasses and a plaid shirt stood warily on the other side. "You know that madman? You certainly don't seem like his type..."
"Is it alright if I come in? I'd like to speak with you, if you don't mind." she continued, trying to do damage control in the form of appearing as curteous and professional as possible. It was the only way to possibly undo Beetle's stupid way of provoking others to do as he wished.
The man looked about himself warily, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead. "He's not here is he?"
"No, it's just me. He's in the afterlife waiting for a reply." Lydia continued.
"Very well, then. As long as he's not here..." Gerald muttered, allowing her into his study. She scanned the the various bookshelves filled to the brim with books of all sorts, many of which were mystery novels or very old works of literature. His walls were lined with fine paintings, and an old record player sat at the ready. It had a pristine vinyl containing the works of Mozart on it, which was where the melodic sound was coming from. Gerald seemed to be a very deep fellow, with a love for the finer things in life - the arts, literature, music, and the like.
"I love your study. It's so refined..." Lydia said, admiring her surroundings. Poor fellow - only wanting his peace and quiet, but having to deal with not only the likes of drunk college chicks, but Beetlejuice himself.
"Oh, thank you. Yes, that crazy fellow you call a friend came to me in the strangest ways. He's very rude and off-putting. He says he can rid my appartment of those noisy girls with his 'bio-exorcism' services, but I'm afraid he'd be even worse than they are. Since you are his representative, tell me the truth. Is he going to actually help me?" Gerald seated himself, clasping his hands together nervously. The poor guy seemed to be a nervous wreck altogether.
Now Lydia stood at a crossroad. Would she completely lie, or tell the truth? In truth, Lydia believed Beetle could help this man, but it wouldn't be neat, it would be messy and there would be strings attatched.
"Look, it's not like I hate the fellow. I just really need those girls gone. I'm so miserable in my own home, and the handbook said I couldn't leave. I'm bound here for another fifty years, and I don't know how long I can take the noise, or how long they'll be here to ruin my life...I just really need this to go away. Can you, by any chance, scare them away, Ms. Deetz? You seem much nicer than that other fellow, anyway. You'd probably be much easier to deal with."
"I'm sorry, I really have restricted powers. Even if I had powers, they would be no match for his. He really is the ghost with the most, I'm afraid. He's a poltergeist, far more powerful than anyone I've seen on the other side so far. If anyone can get rid of them for you, he can." Lydia explained, choosing to be as honest as possible. She would tell Gerald the good, but she'd let him know the repercussions as well. She often wished she had someone to advise her before using Beetle's services herself.
"Well, maybe I should go ahead and try it, then. I am quite desperate." Gerald muttered to himself. Oh no, that was the same desperation Lydia once had. She still needed to warn him, or she'd never forgive herself if things went awry. She hadn't cleared her conscience just to sully it up again.
"Before you do, I think you must know that he intends to not only scare away the two girls, but to marry one so that he can cross over to the other side again. He'll be able to live again somehow. I'm not really sure how all that works, but he tried it on me once, and it's a long story, but it didn't happen..." Lydia rambled on, now panicking because she hoped this wouldn't stop the deal.
"She really won't be affected by the marriage, to my knowledge. He can just get it on paper and go about his way. He intends to scare the girls so badly that there will be an extra stigma attatched to this property and no one will want to live here again. Beetle does have his motives, but overall, he will solve your problem. He helped me, after all. He kept his end of the bargain. He will help you, too." Lydia persuaded, hoping Gerald would give in, even with knowing that Beetle had his own strings attached.
"These girls won't be physically harmed will they?" Gerald asked, looking worried.
"No. He's just going to scare them. That's all." Lydia declared, hoping that Beetle would stick to that and do nothing more.
"Alright then. It looks like I have no other choice, really. I'm kind of stuck in a rut, if you know what I mean. No way out." Gerald looked to Lydia.
"I know exactly what you mean, Gerald. Oh, he told me to tell you to contact him the next time those girls throw a massive party. He said he needs to scope the place out first, so he'll be invisible to the crowd. He just needs to concoct a plan, and then the second time around, he'll get into action. Is that okay with you?" Lydia asked.
Gerald nodded hesitantly. "Yes, Ms. Deetz. I'll give it a try, at least."
"Thanks." Lydia smiled, before vanishing into thin air and arriving in front of an angry looking poltergeist.
"What the fuck was all that, Deetz? You weren't supposed to tell him all the bad shit!" Beetle fumed.
"Look, I had to. It still worked. He said he would summon you." Lydia replied, defensively. She then realized something. "Hey, you were spying on me!"
"Had to. You can't be trusted, Deetz. I give you one simple little task and you fuck it up!" he snapped, causing the lights to dim again. Oh no, not another tantrum.
"Why is it so bad that he knows your other motives? It doesn't affect him..." Lydia retorted, standing her ground.
"He said yes now, but he may say no once his fuckin' wheels start turnin' and he sees that I'm bein' a slimeball! He'll start to worry about what I'm doin' marryin' a breather, and he'll probably get all sappy and do-goody, like you do!" Beetle rambled on, seething.
"Look, I don't know what the problem is, BJ! You're getting what you want out of this! You'll get to marry some hot party chick, and you'll get out! Then I'll go my merry way and try to figure out just how to break this stupid curse or whatever put these restrictions on me. Then you don't have to look at me anymore!" Lydia spouted off, feeling her own temper begin to rise. Nothing ever seemed good enough for him, and that was making her livid. "Look, I get it. You want me to suffer, because I messed your chance up. Well, now I'm helping you like you wanted. I can't help it if I want to have a clear conscience in all of this. I wanted him to know what he was getting into. I sure as hell didn't! Besides, you'd be much better off with one of those girls. You'll be happy and not so damned moody and unpredictable all the time..."
Beetle glared at her, silently holding back his rage. "If you lose my chance again, Deetz..."
"Then what?! I don't care what you do, you asshole! My afterlife can't get any worse...I don't even know how I died, and I can't contact anyone. I'm freakin' alone with you of all people, and all you want to do is make me miserable. God, BJ, I didn't know you hated me that much..." Lydia finally blew her top, now sitting at his kitchen table, waiting to be chained up to the chair or rushed by a horde of insects again.
Beetle paused, furrowing his brow. "Who said this was about hate, Deetz? It's about a deal, and you'd better keep your end of the bargain this time. If this doesn't work, you'll be forced to help me until I'm successful, and I know you don't want that, Dollface."
"Just face it, you want to get my help, and then you want rid of me. I'll gladly oblige. I know you can't stand me, BJ! That's what all this is about! You just want to play all these stupid mind games with me so you'll be satisfied when you've finally driven me crazy! Then you'll get out and leave me stranded, so I can feel like you did! I'll never feel bad enough for you! I'll never do enough to please you in our little deal! UGH, THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING!" she yelled, completely flying off the handle.
"I told you, Deetz. This ain't about hate. I don't...hate you..." Beetle moaned, seeming pained by having to say those words. "It's just all complicated and shit, and I'm not gonna talk about those shitty topics right now cause they suck. But, no. I don't hate you. You said we were friends, right? That's what you told ole' Jerryroll. Is that true, Deetz?" Beetle raised an inquiring eyebrow.
"Well, I kinda thought we were getting there..." Lydia groaned, her head now on the kitchen table. Geeze, why did Beetlejuice make her so crazy?
"Yeah, I believe friends is a good term for...uh...whatever this is..." Beetle grumbled awkwardly. He then looked to Lydia, who stared hopelessly up at him from her pit of despair. "Ugh...Fine! Look, I'm just not used to all this honesty bullshit you do. It kinda freaks me out. You're just...so damn different, Lyds. I don't know what the hell to think. You probably didn't do anything wrong..." he muttered, folding his arms and seeming completely agitated by his own admittance.
Lydia grinned, feeling suddenly better that he didn't just hate her guts. How or why she even cared was still a mystery, but she did feel in better spirits - probably a step further down the spiral of insanity, she figured. "So you don't hate me?"
"No, I already said I didn't..." Beetle growled. "How many times do I gotta' say it?!"
"So, does that mean you like me?" Lydia asked him, suddenly feeling amused by his unexpected behavior. He really didn't like admitting feelings, and that was pretty funny under the right circumstances.
"FUCK! Fine... Feel better now? God, what is up with you?" Beetlejuiced huffed, grabbing a beer bottle from thin air and storming away from her.
"I think that's a 'yes', BJ!" she yelled, snorting and chuckling, unable to hold back. Maybe she did have a friend after all - a friend that would be quite fun to torment when the time was right. It was starting to make sense now. Beetlejuice wasn't getting angry all because of her (well maybe a little, since she told the truth to Gerald), he was getting angry because he wasn't used to someone being nice to him for a change. This changed everything. Lydia Deetz now knew the big bad poltergeist's weakness. She could get pretty used to this.