I decided to edit this chapter a bit. it's a little longer. I will try to
have the next chapter up tomorrow. I just was not up for it today..
Thank you for reviewing! I can't believe how many reviews I've gotten! I'm just blown away here. Keep them coming! Many thanks to *drumroll please*: Judith (Thank you! That's the best compliment I've received in a long time!), DarkFairy (yay! Someone besides me uses the word wicked in everyday language! Are you from Massachusetts?) Angel (ssh! You're on to me.but that's for a later chapter..), steph (Sorry. talk to my stupid body.. I've tried talking sense into it. hasn't worked so far.), cashmere (I wrote that lil note explaining to you. I'm trying! Lol), Rarity88 (trying, trying! Thanks ^o.o^), Morgaine of Ithil (thanks for the advice! Also, I want Suze to beat up Paul too. he is just a major creep), LeXi (thanks! As much as I love fluff, too much and I start to choke.), Willow (No way! Paul is such a creep. Suze would never go for him.), RunnerNDA (I know. I'll try not to do many more cliffies. I think there is one more. I'm not sure yet. And, I know that Jesse, under normal circumstances, would give Suze a chance to explain the gifts.. But people do weird things when they. well.. You know..), KnightMaria (thanks! Lol. One of my faithful reviewers..), Yoi (lol! Keep going with the long (and funny) reviews! I had a close call there reading one of your reviews. almost choked on an overlarge wad of phlegm. anyways. TMI.. OH! Does Chichiri have any hot friends? Where does he live? How old is he? Does he look like Jesse? (I'm assuming he is a cute male. hee hee.)), It_Gurl (lol. hmm. hot chocolate is a good caffeine substitute.), {anonymous}, Smiley (I'm working on sending the chapters to ya.they is coming.), Hannah Abby (Your efforts are not in vain! Yay), Vi (I love the name Violet. my favorite color! Also, keep being nitpicky! My computer sometimes does weird things .. Sometimes I do weird things..), Impulse_k9 (lol. Thank you thank you thank you! I thought the puppy was kind of funny. stuffed animals can be good tings to bash against walls), and Dreamer (right on right ON sistah! You go girl!).
*pants* Okay, that is the longest sentence in the history of the universe and it took me (checks watch) about twenty minutes. *faints*
Story. now that I'm too tired to write it..
*********
Haunted
Chapter 6
(Last time: I sank onto my bed and cried into my pillows. What was with this? Ever since I had met Jesse, I thought, letting out a fresh wave of tears, I seemed to have absolutely no control over tears. Pretty soon I'd need to start being like those old ladies, carrying tissues wherever they went. This thought did nothing to cheer me up, and I was still crying as I fell asleep. )
I woke up the next morning far from refreshed. Some of my hair had plastered itself onto my face, and if you've ever slept on a tear-drenched pillow, you'll know what I'm talking about when I say the crud in your eyes does not make for a pleasant morning face.
And really, the more I thought about it, as I showered, dressed, and attempted to repair the heinous damage to my face, the more I got angry.
Very angry.
I couldn't bring myself to think about what I'd done to Jesse. I slipped once when I saw the pile of chocolate boxes and flowers next to my wall, and had to rush over to my mirror and reapply my makeup as a fresh wave of tears came. But then I realized.
None of this, none at all, would have happened, if it hadn't been for Paul.
Well, other than what I already said I wouldn't think about.
I captured a stray tear before it could cause streak damage.
So yeah. Instead of being sad about possibly losing my one true love in the universe, a cute, sweet, and funny guy who was always there for me, I was going to change this. I, Susannah Simon, was a girl on a mission.
My mission had two main points.
One: apologize to Jesse, throw myself on his mercy, grovel, beg, whatever it took. I know, what happened to the tough, no-nonsense Suze who singlehandedly kicked ghosts from coast to coast? Well, I was still trying to figure that out. I think she was off somewhere daydreaming about how in love, in LOVE! she was with a certain hot cowboy ghost. And besides, that was where Mission #2 came in:
Dismember Paul, then slow-roast him over an open flame before dicing and basting thoroughly with honey-mustard sauce.
And I was totally dressed for it too, in my new calf-length black boots, black mini, and leather jacket.
I was applying deep red lipstick using the mirror when Doc stuck his head in and informed me that I was going to be late for the cookout if I didn't get a move on.
"Are you okay?" he asked, seeming concerned.
I gave him the best smile I could manage, which probably didn't turn out very well.
"Yeah, why do you ask?" I hoped he didn't notice the mucusyness of my voice.
He looked a tad suspicious, but he wisely didn't push it. "No reason," he said, as Sleepy loudly declared he would leave without me if I didn't come soon, from the downstairs.
Doc and I both rolled our eyes as I grabbed my purse, in the process knocking a stuffed dog off my vanity. As we made our way downstairs, I saw Dopey, who was still grounded, glaring at me from the confines of his room before he shut the door with a snap. This time, I was glad to note, no 'Queen of the Dead' comments were forthcoming.
Doc didn't say anything regarding Dopey's attitude toward me, but I could see the back of his ears turning red as we left.
I, however, had bigger problems on my hands to waste my time thinking about Dopey's ill-fated remarks. I twisted the straps of my purse as I thought about ripping Paul limb from limb. Strangely, I had no fear of him now. Just anger.
I guess being partially responsible for the destruction of what could have been my first non-psychopath involved relationship will do that to you.
I noticed Sleepy eyeing me oddly as he drove, and I loosened my grip on my purse.
I did not, however, stop plotting my revenge on Paul, who was conspicuously absent from the cookout when we got there. However, I was remotely pleased that he seemed to be the only one missing. It looked like our whole school was there, and having a great time. A few people congratulated me on putting the kibosh on the whole dance thing and having the cookout instead on my way over to where Cee Cee was camped in the shade of a huge beach umbrella, chowing on some nachos she appeared to have liberated from the food table.
I snacked on a nacho next to Cee Cee as I surreptitiously cast a glance around at the partygoers.
Cee Cee, who had also snagged a nacho, sighed audibly in the direction of Adam, who was busy scoping nearby. He leered at a passing group of girls, one of whom 'accidentally' showered him with sand. He glared at her back, then brushed himself off and redirected his leer at less hostile prey.
I pushed down my sunglasses a little on the bridge of my nose.
"So what's the deal with you two?" I asked, still looking for signs of Paul. He had said he was going to be here, to talk with me. As if. What was his defect, anyway? A 'romantic' place to talk? Well, at least that gave me an excuse to get him alone, so I could beat the snot out of him without too many untoward glances from my peacefully clueless classmates. Little did they know of my plans to drop-kick the cute new kid into next Tuesday. Kelly Prescott would be crushed.
I stifled a snicker.
"Nothing. We've been friends since first grade." Cee Cee said, a bit defensively.
I watched a car pull in. Not Paul. "Girl, I'm not blind. Why don't you just tell him?"
Cee Cee looked scandalized at the very idea. "Tell him what?" she said, not very convincingly. She suddenly became very interested in drawing patterns in the sand with her shoe.
I shook my head, not taking my eyes off the parking lot.
Cee Cee looked up from the shade of her umbrella as a shadow fell over me. She smiled knowingly.
"Hey Paul," she said. I spun around.
"Hey, Suze," he drawled evilly. I suppressed a shudder in spite of myself as I got to my feet and fixed him with my best evil death glare. Somehow, he still managed to be creepy even in the bright California sunshine.
I didn't let it distract me from my mission. "Paul," I said, as civilly as I could manage, what with Cee Cee there and all. "Can we go somewhere to talk?"
He seemed surprised, and then grinned. Creepily, I might add. What was up with that?
"Sure," he said, and we walked off. Mission in progress, I thought with some satisfaction, keeping a safe distance from Paul.
I glanced back at Cee Cee, who grinned and gave me a thumbs-up. Kelly Prescott, I noted, had also caught sight of us, and was glancing at me murderously.
As if there was anything SHE could do to me that would make me feel worse.
I tell you, people should have more gratitude when they are being saved from falling into the clutches of creepy psychopaths. But nooooo.
When we had walked far enough away from the beach that we couldn't hear the sounds of the happily oblivious beach-goers, he turned to me, grinning.
"I see you've decided you want to know the answers to your questions," he said. Creepily. However, I did not let the ever-increasing level of creepiness distract me.
I never really knew what people meant by 'shaking with rage' before now, but my hands, to my amazement, were starting to shake. Of course, I wasn't sure how much of that was due to me being in such close proximity to him and his creepiness.
"No," I said. Said? Make that shouted. "I do not want to know whatever 'answers' you might have for me. I," and I said this very slowly, but no less loudly, to be sure he understood, "want you to leave me, and everyone I know, alone. Completely. No gifts, no letters, no phone calls, no nothing." I took a deep breath, some small part of me glad that no one was around to hear me shouting myself hoarse at, to all outward appearances, a pretty darn cute guy who was new to the area and was sending me gifts.
I continued. "I am not interested in you. Do you understand? And," I paused for effect, "I don't like stuffed animals, and I especially don't like you." I said, feeling satisfied that there was no way this could be misinterpreted.
As it turned out, I was right.
If the way he decked me was any indication.
Now, I don't think of myself as a poor fighter. In fact, I think I could take on pretty much anyone at school and leave them down for the count.
However, I didn't even see him coming.
Furious, I turned around, prepared to make good on my original plan of ripping him limb from limb, when I saw his face. And, to put it mildly, he was livid. Murderous, in fact. It appeared he didn't take kindly to his (creepy) advances being rebuffed. And let me tell you, his murderous face was a heck of a lot more terrifying than Kelly Prescott's.
"I told you I don't like losing, Suze," he said, and hit me again, with enough force to send me sprawling backwards.
I didn't understand it. It was like, he was just suddenly THERE, and there was nothing I could do about it. I put up a good fight for awhile, but he was killing me. I was pretty sure that he wasn't using his hands, at least not entirely. It was as if he had some sort of ghostly power without-
Well, without being a ghost.
Talk about creepy.
That was what I was thinking as I, by some lucky chance, shoved my fist into his nose, to the familiar sound of his nasal cartilage crunching.
He stopped for a moment. I tried to stop the bleeding from a particularly large cut on my leg as I realized my phenomenally large lapse in judgment in following Paul to a secluded area near the woods where no one could hear me scream, even if I was so inclined.
His eyes grew, if such a thing is possible, more murderous. They took on an almost glazed look. I personally felt he was outdoing himself in terms of abject creepiness. He touched his crushed nose once, then lowered his hand. He looked at me for a moment, as I swayed rather unsteadily. My head was pounding, and I was pretty sure that something, if not sprained, was probably broken.
Then, he grinned, which I found especially disturbing, on account of his nose being at an odd angle and the blood pouring down his face, and slammed me against a nearby tree.
Without using his hands, if I might add.
Can I just say that this was a tad unfair?
I saw black, and in addition to my back, my lip was bleeding from where I'd bitten it on impact. My vision winked back, and I saw Paul standing over me. Still grinning, even more widely.
I began rethinking my whole mission as I stared at Paul, even though my vision was getting that black fuzz around the edges that usually comes when you're about to lose consciousness.
Next time, I thought, apologize to Jesse BEFORE you attempt to beat up a guy who has some really rather alarming supernatural powers, not to mention a grudge against your would-be boyfriend.
And now, he never would be.
I tell you, being a mediator sucks.
I could see Paul coming towards me through the black fog, which, I noticed, was gradually moving toward the center of my vision.
"I thought we would be a good match, you and I," he said, quite casually under the circumstances. He stepped closer. "Our powers together would have been unstoppable. But, I suppose you and I are not as alike as it first appeared." I did not, and never had, anything in common with him. Or his creepiness, I said. Or at least tried to.
Unfortunately, for some reason my vocal skills appeared to have deserted me sometime around when I hit the tree.
"I guess it was not meant to be, Suze," he finished, a bit melodramatically, I felt.
"Goodbye."
As he raised his hand to deliver some sort of crushing blow, I thought, Great. He decides to kill me now, when even if I become a ghost, I won't get to be with Jesse, my one true love, because I was such a jerk to him. Maybe I did have something in common with Paul, after all.
I don't know if I said it out loud, or I just thought it. At the time it was kind of hard to tell, but I went, "I am so sorry, Jesse."
And then I saw Jesse tackling Paul, and throttling him quite forcefully.
And then the black fog reached the center, and I passed out.
******* Next chap coming asap.likely tomorrow..
Thank you for reviewing! I can't believe how many reviews I've gotten! I'm just blown away here. Keep them coming! Many thanks to *drumroll please*: Judith (Thank you! That's the best compliment I've received in a long time!), DarkFairy (yay! Someone besides me uses the word wicked in everyday language! Are you from Massachusetts?) Angel (ssh! You're on to me.but that's for a later chapter..), steph (Sorry. talk to my stupid body.. I've tried talking sense into it. hasn't worked so far.), cashmere (I wrote that lil note explaining to you. I'm trying! Lol), Rarity88 (trying, trying! Thanks ^o.o^), Morgaine of Ithil (thanks for the advice! Also, I want Suze to beat up Paul too. he is just a major creep), LeXi (thanks! As much as I love fluff, too much and I start to choke.), Willow (No way! Paul is such a creep. Suze would never go for him.), RunnerNDA (I know. I'll try not to do many more cliffies. I think there is one more. I'm not sure yet. And, I know that Jesse, under normal circumstances, would give Suze a chance to explain the gifts.. But people do weird things when they. well.. You know..), KnightMaria (thanks! Lol. One of my faithful reviewers..), Yoi (lol! Keep going with the long (and funny) reviews! I had a close call there reading one of your reviews. almost choked on an overlarge wad of phlegm. anyways. TMI.. OH! Does Chichiri have any hot friends? Where does he live? How old is he? Does he look like Jesse? (I'm assuming he is a cute male. hee hee.)), It_Gurl (lol. hmm. hot chocolate is a good caffeine substitute.), {anonymous}, Smiley (I'm working on sending the chapters to ya.they is coming.), Hannah Abby (Your efforts are not in vain! Yay), Vi (I love the name Violet. my favorite color! Also, keep being nitpicky! My computer sometimes does weird things .. Sometimes I do weird things..), Impulse_k9 (lol. Thank you thank you thank you! I thought the puppy was kind of funny. stuffed animals can be good tings to bash against walls), and Dreamer (right on right ON sistah! You go girl!).
*pants* Okay, that is the longest sentence in the history of the universe and it took me (checks watch) about twenty minutes. *faints*
Story. now that I'm too tired to write it..
*********
Haunted
Chapter 6
(Last time: I sank onto my bed and cried into my pillows. What was with this? Ever since I had met Jesse, I thought, letting out a fresh wave of tears, I seemed to have absolutely no control over tears. Pretty soon I'd need to start being like those old ladies, carrying tissues wherever they went. This thought did nothing to cheer me up, and I was still crying as I fell asleep. )
I woke up the next morning far from refreshed. Some of my hair had plastered itself onto my face, and if you've ever slept on a tear-drenched pillow, you'll know what I'm talking about when I say the crud in your eyes does not make for a pleasant morning face.
And really, the more I thought about it, as I showered, dressed, and attempted to repair the heinous damage to my face, the more I got angry.
Very angry.
I couldn't bring myself to think about what I'd done to Jesse. I slipped once when I saw the pile of chocolate boxes and flowers next to my wall, and had to rush over to my mirror and reapply my makeup as a fresh wave of tears came. But then I realized.
None of this, none at all, would have happened, if it hadn't been for Paul.
Well, other than what I already said I wouldn't think about.
I captured a stray tear before it could cause streak damage.
So yeah. Instead of being sad about possibly losing my one true love in the universe, a cute, sweet, and funny guy who was always there for me, I was going to change this. I, Susannah Simon, was a girl on a mission.
My mission had two main points.
One: apologize to Jesse, throw myself on his mercy, grovel, beg, whatever it took. I know, what happened to the tough, no-nonsense Suze who singlehandedly kicked ghosts from coast to coast? Well, I was still trying to figure that out. I think she was off somewhere daydreaming about how in love, in LOVE! she was with a certain hot cowboy ghost. And besides, that was where Mission #2 came in:
Dismember Paul, then slow-roast him over an open flame before dicing and basting thoroughly with honey-mustard sauce.
And I was totally dressed for it too, in my new calf-length black boots, black mini, and leather jacket.
I was applying deep red lipstick using the mirror when Doc stuck his head in and informed me that I was going to be late for the cookout if I didn't get a move on.
"Are you okay?" he asked, seeming concerned.
I gave him the best smile I could manage, which probably didn't turn out very well.
"Yeah, why do you ask?" I hoped he didn't notice the mucusyness of my voice.
He looked a tad suspicious, but he wisely didn't push it. "No reason," he said, as Sleepy loudly declared he would leave without me if I didn't come soon, from the downstairs.
Doc and I both rolled our eyes as I grabbed my purse, in the process knocking a stuffed dog off my vanity. As we made our way downstairs, I saw Dopey, who was still grounded, glaring at me from the confines of his room before he shut the door with a snap. This time, I was glad to note, no 'Queen of the Dead' comments were forthcoming.
Doc didn't say anything regarding Dopey's attitude toward me, but I could see the back of his ears turning red as we left.
I, however, had bigger problems on my hands to waste my time thinking about Dopey's ill-fated remarks. I twisted the straps of my purse as I thought about ripping Paul limb from limb. Strangely, I had no fear of him now. Just anger.
I guess being partially responsible for the destruction of what could have been my first non-psychopath involved relationship will do that to you.
I noticed Sleepy eyeing me oddly as he drove, and I loosened my grip on my purse.
I did not, however, stop plotting my revenge on Paul, who was conspicuously absent from the cookout when we got there. However, I was remotely pleased that he seemed to be the only one missing. It looked like our whole school was there, and having a great time. A few people congratulated me on putting the kibosh on the whole dance thing and having the cookout instead on my way over to where Cee Cee was camped in the shade of a huge beach umbrella, chowing on some nachos she appeared to have liberated from the food table.
I snacked on a nacho next to Cee Cee as I surreptitiously cast a glance around at the partygoers.
Cee Cee, who had also snagged a nacho, sighed audibly in the direction of Adam, who was busy scoping nearby. He leered at a passing group of girls, one of whom 'accidentally' showered him with sand. He glared at her back, then brushed himself off and redirected his leer at less hostile prey.
I pushed down my sunglasses a little on the bridge of my nose.
"So what's the deal with you two?" I asked, still looking for signs of Paul. He had said he was going to be here, to talk with me. As if. What was his defect, anyway? A 'romantic' place to talk? Well, at least that gave me an excuse to get him alone, so I could beat the snot out of him without too many untoward glances from my peacefully clueless classmates. Little did they know of my plans to drop-kick the cute new kid into next Tuesday. Kelly Prescott would be crushed.
I stifled a snicker.
"Nothing. We've been friends since first grade." Cee Cee said, a bit defensively.
I watched a car pull in. Not Paul. "Girl, I'm not blind. Why don't you just tell him?"
Cee Cee looked scandalized at the very idea. "Tell him what?" she said, not very convincingly. She suddenly became very interested in drawing patterns in the sand with her shoe.
I shook my head, not taking my eyes off the parking lot.
Cee Cee looked up from the shade of her umbrella as a shadow fell over me. She smiled knowingly.
"Hey Paul," she said. I spun around.
"Hey, Suze," he drawled evilly. I suppressed a shudder in spite of myself as I got to my feet and fixed him with my best evil death glare. Somehow, he still managed to be creepy even in the bright California sunshine.
I didn't let it distract me from my mission. "Paul," I said, as civilly as I could manage, what with Cee Cee there and all. "Can we go somewhere to talk?"
He seemed surprised, and then grinned. Creepily, I might add. What was up with that?
"Sure," he said, and we walked off. Mission in progress, I thought with some satisfaction, keeping a safe distance from Paul.
I glanced back at Cee Cee, who grinned and gave me a thumbs-up. Kelly Prescott, I noted, had also caught sight of us, and was glancing at me murderously.
As if there was anything SHE could do to me that would make me feel worse.
I tell you, people should have more gratitude when they are being saved from falling into the clutches of creepy psychopaths. But nooooo.
When we had walked far enough away from the beach that we couldn't hear the sounds of the happily oblivious beach-goers, he turned to me, grinning.
"I see you've decided you want to know the answers to your questions," he said. Creepily. However, I did not let the ever-increasing level of creepiness distract me.
I never really knew what people meant by 'shaking with rage' before now, but my hands, to my amazement, were starting to shake. Of course, I wasn't sure how much of that was due to me being in such close proximity to him and his creepiness.
"No," I said. Said? Make that shouted. "I do not want to know whatever 'answers' you might have for me. I," and I said this very slowly, but no less loudly, to be sure he understood, "want you to leave me, and everyone I know, alone. Completely. No gifts, no letters, no phone calls, no nothing." I took a deep breath, some small part of me glad that no one was around to hear me shouting myself hoarse at, to all outward appearances, a pretty darn cute guy who was new to the area and was sending me gifts.
I continued. "I am not interested in you. Do you understand? And," I paused for effect, "I don't like stuffed animals, and I especially don't like you." I said, feeling satisfied that there was no way this could be misinterpreted.
As it turned out, I was right.
If the way he decked me was any indication.
Now, I don't think of myself as a poor fighter. In fact, I think I could take on pretty much anyone at school and leave them down for the count.
However, I didn't even see him coming.
Furious, I turned around, prepared to make good on my original plan of ripping him limb from limb, when I saw his face. And, to put it mildly, he was livid. Murderous, in fact. It appeared he didn't take kindly to his (creepy) advances being rebuffed. And let me tell you, his murderous face was a heck of a lot more terrifying than Kelly Prescott's.
"I told you I don't like losing, Suze," he said, and hit me again, with enough force to send me sprawling backwards.
I didn't understand it. It was like, he was just suddenly THERE, and there was nothing I could do about it. I put up a good fight for awhile, but he was killing me. I was pretty sure that he wasn't using his hands, at least not entirely. It was as if he had some sort of ghostly power without-
Well, without being a ghost.
Talk about creepy.
That was what I was thinking as I, by some lucky chance, shoved my fist into his nose, to the familiar sound of his nasal cartilage crunching.
He stopped for a moment. I tried to stop the bleeding from a particularly large cut on my leg as I realized my phenomenally large lapse in judgment in following Paul to a secluded area near the woods where no one could hear me scream, even if I was so inclined.
His eyes grew, if such a thing is possible, more murderous. They took on an almost glazed look. I personally felt he was outdoing himself in terms of abject creepiness. He touched his crushed nose once, then lowered his hand. He looked at me for a moment, as I swayed rather unsteadily. My head was pounding, and I was pretty sure that something, if not sprained, was probably broken.
Then, he grinned, which I found especially disturbing, on account of his nose being at an odd angle and the blood pouring down his face, and slammed me against a nearby tree.
Without using his hands, if I might add.
Can I just say that this was a tad unfair?
I saw black, and in addition to my back, my lip was bleeding from where I'd bitten it on impact. My vision winked back, and I saw Paul standing over me. Still grinning, even more widely.
I began rethinking my whole mission as I stared at Paul, even though my vision was getting that black fuzz around the edges that usually comes when you're about to lose consciousness.
Next time, I thought, apologize to Jesse BEFORE you attempt to beat up a guy who has some really rather alarming supernatural powers, not to mention a grudge against your would-be boyfriend.
And now, he never would be.
I tell you, being a mediator sucks.
I could see Paul coming towards me through the black fog, which, I noticed, was gradually moving toward the center of my vision.
"I thought we would be a good match, you and I," he said, quite casually under the circumstances. He stepped closer. "Our powers together would have been unstoppable. But, I suppose you and I are not as alike as it first appeared." I did not, and never had, anything in common with him. Or his creepiness, I said. Or at least tried to.
Unfortunately, for some reason my vocal skills appeared to have deserted me sometime around when I hit the tree.
"I guess it was not meant to be, Suze," he finished, a bit melodramatically, I felt.
"Goodbye."
As he raised his hand to deliver some sort of crushing blow, I thought, Great. He decides to kill me now, when even if I become a ghost, I won't get to be with Jesse, my one true love, because I was such a jerk to him. Maybe I did have something in common with Paul, after all.
I don't know if I said it out loud, or I just thought it. At the time it was kind of hard to tell, but I went, "I am so sorry, Jesse."
And then I saw Jesse tackling Paul, and throttling him quite forcefully.
And then the black fog reached the center, and I passed out.
******* Next chap coming asap.likely tomorrow..