Vlad sat in a booth inside a fast food restaurant, chin sitting in his palm. He doesn't know why he let Jack and Maddie talk him into this.
They were on a double date. They approached him about it, thought that they found a girl he might like. They planned everything out and now here they were. Jack and Maddie, Vlad and…
And…
He couldn't remember her name.
Vlad only agreed to this stupid thing because he figured it would help him get over his crush on not one, but both of his best friends. It wasn't working. It just kind of made it worse.
He watched as they fed one another french fries and snuck cheek kisses, stealing glances at one another. Vlad just wished he could do that too and it was distracting him.
Vlad heard Maddie laugh. "Isn't that right, Vlad?"
His head shot up and he looked at Maddie with wide eyes. "I, uh, what?"
Maddie rolled her eyes. "I was just telling Christine about how interesting ectology is."
Vlad slumped back down and huffed. "Oh, yeah. Very interesting."
Maddie turned back to Christine. "Did you know Vlad grew up in a haunted town? He even had his own encounter with a malevolent specter! Isn't that exciting?"
"It's not nearly as exciting when you're the one being chased." Vlad mumbled.
"What are ghosts like?" Christine asked.
"They're real baddies!" Jack exclaimed. "They escape into our dimension to cause havoc and destruction!"
"Jack have you ever met a ghost before?" Vlad asked, deadpan.
"Well, uh. No, actually. But-"
"Most spirits just wander and cause little bits of mischief. There aren't that many that actually hurt anyone. Most just stay with their families or wander."
Christine looked at the table as she tapped her chin. "I wonder what reason good ghosts would have for staying around. Aren't ghosts supposed to have unfinished business?"
"Maybe unfinished business could apply to such mundane things as making your kids lunch every day or continuing to search for a prize you never got to reach in life."
Suddenly Maddie gasped, hands held up to either side of her face.
"We have a report we were supposed to complete for tomorrow!"
"What?" Vlad said. "We don't have-"
"Mads is right, Vladdie. We better head back and finish it."
Vlad squinted at them. Soon they all payed and walked Christine home safely before heading to their own dorm.
"What was that about?" Vlad asked. "We don't have a report due tomorrow."
Maddie shrugged. "You looked about as miserable as a wet kitten, Vlad. We had to get you out of there somehow."
"I- Thanks."
"No problem! Now we're gonna head home and watch some spooky movies!" Jack exclaimed.
Maddie grabbed both Vlad's and Jack's hands, swinging them as they walked. Vlad felt a smile grow on his face, but he didn't see the knowing look that Jack and Maddie exchanged.