WOW!! 7 reviews on one chapter! Thank you guys sooo much you have no idea
how much I appreciate them. I was going to post this yesterday when I got 5
reviews (btw I need 5 reviews on this chapter to post the next one. ( ) but
I was lazy. and Jesse just did not want to cooperate.
Many, many thanks to Judith, Stacy, (anonymous), leah, steph (even if I did stay in the hospital for a few days due to my bruised larynx.. Just as an aside, I actually have had the pleasant experience of being strangled. twice.lol. I am just an aggravating person, I guess.), KnightMaria, Hannah Abby (keep writing novels!!), and, of course, Angel. BTW is anyone interested in betaing for me? I don't know if you want to know what happens with this one before I post the whole story, but I AM going to do a sequel, as yet unnamed, so drop me a line..
(A/N: Just so you know I am no longer in control of this story: Jesse and Suze have decided that they will decide what happens to them. I am only here to write it down.))
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Haunted
Chapter 4
I considered alternately banging my head against the window of Kelly Prescott's car and slamming my fist into her nose as she chattered on about Paul and his bod, blissfully unaware of his sinister motives present in our encounter earlier. She was now discussing his butt.
I had just decided on the fist/nose option when we drove by the Coffee Clutch, where, luckily, a familiar VW bug was parked.
"Hey! There's Cee Cee and Adam! They can bring me the rest of the way home!" I said, torn between being relieved at this unexpected reprieve from her inane musings and disgruntled that I had been interrupted from bringing our "discussion" to any sort of nasal-cartilage-destroying climax.
I'm pretty sure she knew it, too, because she seemed all too eager too pull in to a parking spot next to Adam's car and hightailed it over to where her friends were hanging.
I waved and strolled over to where Cee Cee and Adam were sitting and slid into their booth.
"Was that Kelly Prescott?" Adam said, somewhat jealously. I rolled my eyes.
"I had to go with her to get the stuff for the barbecue tomorrow, remember? I'm just glad you guys were here. You don't mind bringing me home, do you?"
Adam didn't seem to mind much at all, being occupied, to Cee Cee's chagrin, with my skirt-and-sweater set, which, if I do say so myself, accentuated my modest curves quite nicely. Cee Cee, looking annoyed, gave Adam an elbow in the side for his troubles while telling me they wouldn't mind at all.
We chatted about the barbeque for a few minutes until Kelly strolled past us on her way out.
"Oh, Suze, I just wanted to say thanks again for letting me have Paul. Even if it might be hard to tear him away from you, by the way he was looking at you in the store," she said, winking at me.
I could see Adam admiring the view as she turned and continued out the door, occupied with regaling her friends with tales of Paul's buffness.
I looked carefully away from Cee Cee, who was shooting me a dangerous look, and Adam, who looked a bit excited at the thought that I was free. He has issues.
I examined an article in a paper someone had left near our table, which was about a girl who had gotten psychic powers after being hit by lightning, as I thought of an excuse to avoid having another embarrassing coversation about commitment with Cee Cee, especially in Adam's presence. And besides, I was really wondering just what Father D was doing, letting a psycho whose humanity was under serious dispute in his school.
"Hey, on second thought, can you drop me off at school? I left a book there I need."
Adam, encouraged by the fact that I had "let Kelly have Paul" picked up the tab and led the way out. Cee Cee, however, was not to be put off so easily, and once again regarded me with a knowing, albeit slightly annoyed, stare. When Adam was busy unlocking the car, she whispered "Fear of commitment," into my ear and ducked into the backseat, brushing her white hair behind her ear.
As if. I had no problems committing, but there was one itty-bitty problem, that the guy I wanted to commit to hadn't been speaking to me for the past few days, except for the occasional "Hi." Or "Met any more of the dead lately?" Well, slight exaggeration, but still.
Of course, that was so not what I told Father Dom after Cee Cee and Adam dropped me off. Father Dom was still recovering from his injuries at my exorcism, and I didn't want to injure his mental state any further, seeing as how his love affair with a ghost had ended up with him becoming a priest. I doubted he'd have a breakdown upon hearing that I was having the same problem, but you could never be too careful. I'd heard some horror stories from the shrink my mom sent me to back home, and I wasn't about to go there with the good Father.
Instead, I went right to the point and asked him what he had been thinking, letting Paul in to the school.
He seemed a bit confused, as he adjusted his collar. "I don't understand, Susannah. Is he not Jack's brother? I thought you and he might get along, considering how fond Jack is of you. Is there some reason he should not have been admitted? He has a stellar scholastic record, and we do have an opening at the school." He frowned, undoubtedly remembering how we had ended up with that particular opening. "Although, of course, academic records are not everything."
Sure. Now you think that, Father D. Glad you learned your lesson BEFORE I got attacked by a multiple murderer with a killer GPA. Nice to know that NOW you're singin' a different tune.
Too late, I remembered that I hadn't exactly gotten around to telling him about Paul, due to his condition after Jesse, Jack, and I had returned from the land of the dead. That, and the thought of Jesse's subsequent kiss had been enough to drive it from my mind.
I told him as much, leaving out, of course, the all-too-brief snogging.
He seemed quite annoyed that I had neglected to mention what little I knew about Paul. "He was in purgatory with you? I don't understand. Why didn't he tell us he was a mediator?"
Reluctantly, I said, "That might be because he claims he isn't a mediator. And I'm apparently not either." I told him exactly what had happened, and how he had been stalking me, shivering again at the vivid memory of his eyes burrowing holes into the back of my head. I surreptitiously rubbed my arm, hoping my bruises would go away by the next warm front so I could wear my new short-sleeve tank without being in fear of unsightly black-and-blue marks.
Father Dom looked even more alarmed at this. "Susannah, you should have told me this immediately! I will have to speak to him about this." In shock at this new revelation, Father D absently got his coat to take me home. He recovered enough to ream me out about my not telling him as he drove me home, conveniently forgetting that I had been a bit preoccupied at losing my one true love in the universe. I tuned him out, my thoughts turning, yet again, to Jesse.
I was beginning to get pretty pissed with him. Where did he get off, leading a girl on like that and then conveniently avoiding the subject altogether whenever he appeared, and for only short periods of time, at that. I mean, you'd think he'd have something to say to the girl who saved his life.
Or lack thereof.
I continued berating him mentally as I picked up the pile of gifts that had come during the day and walked upstairs to my bedroom. One of the roses' heads snapped at a weird angle as I dumped the pile on my bed.
Jesse, you are going to have some major answering to do when you finally decide to get your butt over here, I thought, kicking a shoe viciously into my closet.
"You didn't have to be so rude about it, Susannah." A voice said to my left. I could hear Spike pattering eagerly across the roof, and turned as he pushed his ugly head through the window.
Jesse faced away from me, leaning against the window seat and unfolding his arms to stroke his cat.
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Remember. 5 reviews before I post the next chapter!! Just .click. that little blue button! Oh, and any suggestions/thoughts/guesses as to what will happen in this story or its sequel are always appreciated! Always, SandyKitten
Many, many thanks to Judith, Stacy, (anonymous), leah, steph (even if I did stay in the hospital for a few days due to my bruised larynx.. Just as an aside, I actually have had the pleasant experience of being strangled. twice.lol. I am just an aggravating person, I guess.), KnightMaria, Hannah Abby (keep writing novels!!), and, of course, Angel. BTW is anyone interested in betaing for me? I don't know if you want to know what happens with this one before I post the whole story, but I AM going to do a sequel, as yet unnamed, so drop me a line..
(A/N: Just so you know I am no longer in control of this story: Jesse and Suze have decided that they will decide what happens to them. I am only here to write it down.))
**************
Haunted
Chapter 4
I considered alternately banging my head against the window of Kelly Prescott's car and slamming my fist into her nose as she chattered on about Paul and his bod, blissfully unaware of his sinister motives present in our encounter earlier. She was now discussing his butt.
I had just decided on the fist/nose option when we drove by the Coffee Clutch, where, luckily, a familiar VW bug was parked.
"Hey! There's Cee Cee and Adam! They can bring me the rest of the way home!" I said, torn between being relieved at this unexpected reprieve from her inane musings and disgruntled that I had been interrupted from bringing our "discussion" to any sort of nasal-cartilage-destroying climax.
I'm pretty sure she knew it, too, because she seemed all too eager too pull in to a parking spot next to Adam's car and hightailed it over to where her friends were hanging.
I waved and strolled over to where Cee Cee and Adam were sitting and slid into their booth.
"Was that Kelly Prescott?" Adam said, somewhat jealously. I rolled my eyes.
"I had to go with her to get the stuff for the barbecue tomorrow, remember? I'm just glad you guys were here. You don't mind bringing me home, do you?"
Adam didn't seem to mind much at all, being occupied, to Cee Cee's chagrin, with my skirt-and-sweater set, which, if I do say so myself, accentuated my modest curves quite nicely. Cee Cee, looking annoyed, gave Adam an elbow in the side for his troubles while telling me they wouldn't mind at all.
We chatted about the barbeque for a few minutes until Kelly strolled past us on her way out.
"Oh, Suze, I just wanted to say thanks again for letting me have Paul. Even if it might be hard to tear him away from you, by the way he was looking at you in the store," she said, winking at me.
I could see Adam admiring the view as she turned and continued out the door, occupied with regaling her friends with tales of Paul's buffness.
I looked carefully away from Cee Cee, who was shooting me a dangerous look, and Adam, who looked a bit excited at the thought that I was free. He has issues.
I examined an article in a paper someone had left near our table, which was about a girl who had gotten psychic powers after being hit by lightning, as I thought of an excuse to avoid having another embarrassing coversation about commitment with Cee Cee, especially in Adam's presence. And besides, I was really wondering just what Father D was doing, letting a psycho whose humanity was under serious dispute in his school.
"Hey, on second thought, can you drop me off at school? I left a book there I need."
Adam, encouraged by the fact that I had "let Kelly have Paul" picked up the tab and led the way out. Cee Cee, however, was not to be put off so easily, and once again regarded me with a knowing, albeit slightly annoyed, stare. When Adam was busy unlocking the car, she whispered "Fear of commitment," into my ear and ducked into the backseat, brushing her white hair behind her ear.
As if. I had no problems committing, but there was one itty-bitty problem, that the guy I wanted to commit to hadn't been speaking to me for the past few days, except for the occasional "Hi." Or "Met any more of the dead lately?" Well, slight exaggeration, but still.
Of course, that was so not what I told Father Dom after Cee Cee and Adam dropped me off. Father Dom was still recovering from his injuries at my exorcism, and I didn't want to injure his mental state any further, seeing as how his love affair with a ghost had ended up with him becoming a priest. I doubted he'd have a breakdown upon hearing that I was having the same problem, but you could never be too careful. I'd heard some horror stories from the shrink my mom sent me to back home, and I wasn't about to go there with the good Father.
Instead, I went right to the point and asked him what he had been thinking, letting Paul in to the school.
He seemed a bit confused, as he adjusted his collar. "I don't understand, Susannah. Is he not Jack's brother? I thought you and he might get along, considering how fond Jack is of you. Is there some reason he should not have been admitted? He has a stellar scholastic record, and we do have an opening at the school." He frowned, undoubtedly remembering how we had ended up with that particular opening. "Although, of course, academic records are not everything."
Sure. Now you think that, Father D. Glad you learned your lesson BEFORE I got attacked by a multiple murderer with a killer GPA. Nice to know that NOW you're singin' a different tune.
Too late, I remembered that I hadn't exactly gotten around to telling him about Paul, due to his condition after Jesse, Jack, and I had returned from the land of the dead. That, and the thought of Jesse's subsequent kiss had been enough to drive it from my mind.
I told him as much, leaving out, of course, the all-too-brief snogging.
He seemed quite annoyed that I had neglected to mention what little I knew about Paul. "He was in purgatory with you? I don't understand. Why didn't he tell us he was a mediator?"
Reluctantly, I said, "That might be because he claims he isn't a mediator. And I'm apparently not either." I told him exactly what had happened, and how he had been stalking me, shivering again at the vivid memory of his eyes burrowing holes into the back of my head. I surreptitiously rubbed my arm, hoping my bruises would go away by the next warm front so I could wear my new short-sleeve tank without being in fear of unsightly black-and-blue marks.
Father Dom looked even more alarmed at this. "Susannah, you should have told me this immediately! I will have to speak to him about this." In shock at this new revelation, Father D absently got his coat to take me home. He recovered enough to ream me out about my not telling him as he drove me home, conveniently forgetting that I had been a bit preoccupied at losing my one true love in the universe. I tuned him out, my thoughts turning, yet again, to Jesse.
I was beginning to get pretty pissed with him. Where did he get off, leading a girl on like that and then conveniently avoiding the subject altogether whenever he appeared, and for only short periods of time, at that. I mean, you'd think he'd have something to say to the girl who saved his life.
Or lack thereof.
I continued berating him mentally as I picked up the pile of gifts that had come during the day and walked upstairs to my bedroom. One of the roses' heads snapped at a weird angle as I dumped the pile on my bed.
Jesse, you are going to have some major answering to do when you finally decide to get your butt over here, I thought, kicking a shoe viciously into my closet.
"You didn't have to be so rude about it, Susannah." A voice said to my left. I could hear Spike pattering eagerly across the roof, and turned as he pushed his ugly head through the window.
Jesse faced away from me, leaning against the window seat and unfolding his arms to stroke his cat.
************
Remember. 5 reviews before I post the next chapter!! Just .click. that little blue button! Oh, and any suggestions/thoughts/guesses as to what will happen in this story or its sequel are always appreciated! Always, SandyKitten