CHAPTER 24 - The Boys of Summer
Seth sat alone in the kitchen later on that night, his fingers resting comfortably around a cold can of Guinness. The girls had insisted that they needed to get out and do something by themselves and had been gone for a good portion of the night. He checked the wall clock that ticked back and forth loudly, the sound ringing in his ears. Zeke and Luke were asleep upstairs, they went to bed early that afternoon. Seth figured they were scared; hell he was scared and that wasn't something he was ready or willing to admit.
He raised the can to his lips slowly, deliberately intending on getting himself plastered that evening. It's not like Seth had anything better to do with his time. He suddenly became aware of the person sitting across from him, and Seth cocked an eyebrow over the silver-white framed glasses he now wore constantly. Wordlessly, he cracked open another can of the malt beer and slid it over to the figure who accepted it almost gratefully.
"If you hurt her I'll make your after life miserable." Seth said quietly.
"Don't you go worrying over something like that, Seth." Royce replied, reaching into his letterman jacket pocket and pulling out a worn looking cigarette pack. He put one of the sticks into his mouth and searched his other pockets for a lighter. Seth tossed a book of matches at the ghost.
"Those things will kill you." He muttered darkly.
Royce only grinned and sat back. "So," He began. "forty-two percent. Think we'll make it alright?"
"Nope, I think we're fucked."
"I think you're right."
"Evening gentlemen." Seth and Royce looked up in unison to see Dennis enter the room, taking the seat at the end of the ovular table. "Mind if I join you?"
"Suit yourself. Wanna drink?"
Dennis nodded at Seth and he opened another drink for the psychic. The ghost raised the can to his lips and took a long drink.
"This tastes like shit."
"It's just the malt, makes it an acquired taste. You'll love it after about half a dozen." Seth replied dryly.
"Do you plan on drinking that much?" Royce asked.
"I don't have anything better to do, plus it's healthy for a lad to get smashed once and a while. Reminds me that I'm still human."
The trio sat in silence for a long while, enjoying each other's company and the bitter malt liquor as the night dragged on, the clock ticking forever in the kitchen. A good number of empty cases of the malty liquor lay about the table and kitchen floor and Dennis was opening another lazily. Royce lit another smoke and took a long draw, making little 'o' shapes with the smoke.
"Don'tyou need ta breathe to dothat?" Seth asked curiously, his speech a little off.
"Nope." Royce answered shortly. He giggled and did it again. "See, it's magic!" Seth laughed curtly and tipped out of his chair. Dennis laughed and leaned over then table to check on his companion.
"Dude, are you okay?"
The mortal boy pulled himself back onto the chair and shook his head. "That fuckinhurt guy." He slurred in response. Just then there was the rattle of keys in the door and the sisters tromped into the kitchen with Dana and Susan. The group stopped short and looked stunned at the three males.
"Holy shit, they're TANKED!!" Broadway exclaimed, breaking the silence. She raised an eyebrow at Royce. "And since when did you start smoking?"
"Sincabout fiftyears ago." He replied simply. "Butit's rude to smokein front uvalady."
Mallory grabbed Seth by the collar and pushed him towards the basement. "Alright you guys, party's over. Seth, get to bed right now and I don't want to hear any of you complaining of hangovers tomorrow."
Broadway licked her fingers and put out the end of Royce's smoke. "It's rude to smoke in front of a lady." She said sweetly.
"Ohcome on Dolly, don't denyme the simple thingsin life.." He pleaded.
"Sorry Prince, but if Matron comes home to the house smelling like those, she's gonna have a fit. Now come on, time for bed."
~*~
After she had shooed everyone to bed, Mallory sat in the kitchen and disposed on the empties. She didn't notice Dennis standing behind her and cried out shortly when she turned to face him.
"Dennis! You scared the shit out of me! Don't do that!"
"Do what?"
"You know what I mean." She said shortly. "Wanna help me clean up your mess?"
"Not really, but I can't really say no to a pretty lady." Dennis replied.
"I think you had a bit too much to drink." Mallory laughed.
"Maybe, but unlike those boys, I know how to hold my liquor." The psychic said smugly. Mallory raised an eyebrow.
"Oh good, then get to it." She placed a few empty cans into his hands and grinned.
"Haha, you're funny."
"No, I'm not allowed to be funny. I'm supposed to be the mature and homey one. It's my job, if I wasn't, no one would last a minute without Matron."
Dennis gave her a concerned look. "Do you really believe that, Mallory?" She didn't answer. "Mallory..?"
"My mother was a grand woman. We lived in a house in the country, her and my father and I, but she got sick when I was a young. So my dad moved us into the city so the doctors could help her. When she died, I my dad went crazy. He started calling me Sophia, my mother's name, and he took to gambling. He thought that my mother was still alive so he was trying to get enough money to save her. It's sad really, I don't hate my father..even though he did so many things to me. I thought that he used to beat me because I wasn't good like my mom. I used to think that if I cooked and cleaned he would love me like he used to. Then, one day he just left and I didn't see him for three days - I was seven years old." Mallory's lips trembled and her voice broke. "I don't hate my father, I love him. I'll always love my father. I loved him when children's aid took me away and locked his up and I still do." She looked at Dennis with tears streaming down her face. "That's why I am the way I am. If I can just do this and make people happy.." She trailed off and wiped her eyes.
Dennis was suddenly filled with such compassion and sorrow for her that it felt like his heart would break. Without a second thought he took her hand and brought her forward, taking her lips in his own. All of her terrible memories flooded his head, muting the sound of empty cans hitting the floor but he didn't care, all he wanted to do was to comfort the woman in front of him and make all her pain go away. Mallory didn't pull back or scream or cry, she just trembled and wrapped her arms around the ghosts neck tightly and pressed her lips against his. She felt his body tremor as her memories cascaded into his mind but he only clung to her tighter. When he finally broke the kiss, Dennis looked pleadingly into her eyes.
"Mallory, you only have to be yourself! You are so beautiful and so..incredible and whatever you think you have to do to make people happy is wrong! You only have to be yourself! Do you understand me?" She nodded mutely and sniffed.
"Dennis I.."
"What..?"
"Will you stay with me tonight? Please?" The ghost nodded and took her hand.
"Mal, I'd stay with you for however long you need me too."
Seth sat alone in the kitchen later on that night, his fingers resting comfortably around a cold can of Guinness. The girls had insisted that they needed to get out and do something by themselves and had been gone for a good portion of the night. He checked the wall clock that ticked back and forth loudly, the sound ringing in his ears. Zeke and Luke were asleep upstairs, they went to bed early that afternoon. Seth figured they were scared; hell he was scared and that wasn't something he was ready or willing to admit.
He raised the can to his lips slowly, deliberately intending on getting himself plastered that evening. It's not like Seth had anything better to do with his time. He suddenly became aware of the person sitting across from him, and Seth cocked an eyebrow over the silver-white framed glasses he now wore constantly. Wordlessly, he cracked open another can of the malt beer and slid it over to the figure who accepted it almost gratefully.
"If you hurt her I'll make your after life miserable." Seth said quietly.
"Don't you go worrying over something like that, Seth." Royce replied, reaching into his letterman jacket pocket and pulling out a worn looking cigarette pack. He put one of the sticks into his mouth and searched his other pockets for a lighter. Seth tossed a book of matches at the ghost.
"Those things will kill you." He muttered darkly.
Royce only grinned and sat back. "So," He began. "forty-two percent. Think we'll make it alright?"
"Nope, I think we're fucked."
"I think you're right."
"Evening gentlemen." Seth and Royce looked up in unison to see Dennis enter the room, taking the seat at the end of the ovular table. "Mind if I join you?"
"Suit yourself. Wanna drink?"
Dennis nodded at Seth and he opened another drink for the psychic. The ghost raised the can to his lips and took a long drink.
"This tastes like shit."
"It's just the malt, makes it an acquired taste. You'll love it after about half a dozen." Seth replied dryly.
"Do you plan on drinking that much?" Royce asked.
"I don't have anything better to do, plus it's healthy for a lad to get smashed once and a while. Reminds me that I'm still human."
The trio sat in silence for a long while, enjoying each other's company and the bitter malt liquor as the night dragged on, the clock ticking forever in the kitchen. A good number of empty cases of the malty liquor lay about the table and kitchen floor and Dennis was opening another lazily. Royce lit another smoke and took a long draw, making little 'o' shapes with the smoke.
"Don'tyou need ta breathe to dothat?" Seth asked curiously, his speech a little off.
"Nope." Royce answered shortly. He giggled and did it again. "See, it's magic!" Seth laughed curtly and tipped out of his chair. Dennis laughed and leaned over then table to check on his companion.
"Dude, are you okay?"
The mortal boy pulled himself back onto the chair and shook his head. "That fuckinhurt guy." He slurred in response. Just then there was the rattle of keys in the door and the sisters tromped into the kitchen with Dana and Susan. The group stopped short and looked stunned at the three males.
"Holy shit, they're TANKED!!" Broadway exclaimed, breaking the silence. She raised an eyebrow at Royce. "And since when did you start smoking?"
"Sincabout fiftyears ago." He replied simply. "Butit's rude to smokein front uvalady."
Mallory grabbed Seth by the collar and pushed him towards the basement. "Alright you guys, party's over. Seth, get to bed right now and I don't want to hear any of you complaining of hangovers tomorrow."
Broadway licked her fingers and put out the end of Royce's smoke. "It's rude to smoke in front of a lady." She said sweetly.
"Ohcome on Dolly, don't denyme the simple thingsin life.." He pleaded.
"Sorry Prince, but if Matron comes home to the house smelling like those, she's gonna have a fit. Now come on, time for bed."
~*~
After she had shooed everyone to bed, Mallory sat in the kitchen and disposed on the empties. She didn't notice Dennis standing behind her and cried out shortly when she turned to face him.
"Dennis! You scared the shit out of me! Don't do that!"
"Do what?"
"You know what I mean." She said shortly. "Wanna help me clean up your mess?"
"Not really, but I can't really say no to a pretty lady." Dennis replied.
"I think you had a bit too much to drink." Mallory laughed.
"Maybe, but unlike those boys, I know how to hold my liquor." The psychic said smugly. Mallory raised an eyebrow.
"Oh good, then get to it." She placed a few empty cans into his hands and grinned.
"Haha, you're funny."
"No, I'm not allowed to be funny. I'm supposed to be the mature and homey one. It's my job, if I wasn't, no one would last a minute without Matron."
Dennis gave her a concerned look. "Do you really believe that, Mallory?" She didn't answer. "Mallory..?"
"My mother was a grand woman. We lived in a house in the country, her and my father and I, but she got sick when I was a young. So my dad moved us into the city so the doctors could help her. When she died, I my dad went crazy. He started calling me Sophia, my mother's name, and he took to gambling. He thought that my mother was still alive so he was trying to get enough money to save her. It's sad really, I don't hate my father..even though he did so many things to me. I thought that he used to beat me because I wasn't good like my mom. I used to think that if I cooked and cleaned he would love me like he used to. Then, one day he just left and I didn't see him for three days - I was seven years old." Mallory's lips trembled and her voice broke. "I don't hate my father, I love him. I'll always love my father. I loved him when children's aid took me away and locked his up and I still do." She looked at Dennis with tears streaming down her face. "That's why I am the way I am. If I can just do this and make people happy.." She trailed off and wiped her eyes.
Dennis was suddenly filled with such compassion and sorrow for her that it felt like his heart would break. Without a second thought he took her hand and brought her forward, taking her lips in his own. All of her terrible memories flooded his head, muting the sound of empty cans hitting the floor but he didn't care, all he wanted to do was to comfort the woman in front of him and make all her pain go away. Mallory didn't pull back or scream or cry, she just trembled and wrapped her arms around the ghosts neck tightly and pressed her lips against his. She felt his body tremor as her memories cascaded into his mind but he only clung to her tighter. When he finally broke the kiss, Dennis looked pleadingly into her eyes.
"Mallory, you only have to be yourself! You are so beautiful and so..incredible and whatever you think you have to do to make people happy is wrong! You only have to be yourself! Do you understand me?" She nodded mutely and sniffed.
"Dennis I.."
"What..?"
"Will you stay with me tonight? Please?" The ghost nodded and took her hand.
"Mal, I'd stay with you for however long you need me too."