"G," I said, feeling a little queasy, "are you sure you can see him?"
"Yes," G replied, "what about him? What? That he's hot? Yeah, he is."
"Oh, God," I said, "oh my God!"
"What is up with you? God, Simon," G stared at me, "you get weirder every time I see you."
Oh, shit, I thought, now I HAVE TO explain everything.
"G, sit down. This is going to take a while." She sat down on a patio looking at me strangely.
"What? Jesus, Simon, stop looking so sober!"
"G, that guy - he's called Jesse - is a ghost."
"What? You mean a real ghost? The types you see?"
"Ye-ah," I said, feeling floaty. This was so... odd. How could Gina be a Mediator? It was like, impossible! Can you actually TURN INTO a Mediator? 'Cause she sure was not one when I was back in New York. The number of times we had ghosts hanging out with us. Well, you can't count 'em all, "G, you're sure he's there?"
"YES!" she shouted, springing up. "For God's sake! I can see him. Get over yourself and explain all this shit to me, will you? 'Cause, if you're so freaked by my company I'll just go join Jake!"
"You can't snog now, G, he's got a girlfriend," I replied automatically.
"Oh, right, like he wouldn't cheat on her with me," she scoffed, "you saw the look on her face when he hugged me."
"Look, forget Sleepy-"
"JAKE!"
"Fine, Jake. Forget about him a minute, ok? We need to get you sorted out." I cannot believe this. You could knock me over with a feather. Of all people, Gina? Gina, my best friend? A Mediator?
"I do not need to get sorted out. I don't see what the big deal is."
"Trust me, G, a whole lot of other people will." I said, feeling a heavy weight my me. As usual, "Look, let's go to Father D."
"Father Dominic? He's a Mediator too?"
"Yes," I said impatiently, "come on."
"No. I don't feel like going out. I wanna hang out here," G said, getting up again, "look, I'm just going to see what Jake's up to." She went in and I felt tears form in my eyes. I don't like crying, and I don't do it often. But she's dumping me for Sleepy and she cares so much that he's going out with Tami for some reason. I don't see why - I thought he was just a fling.
I felt Jesse sit down next to me.
"Susannah," he said softly.
"What?" I sniffed.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Leave me alone, Jesse," I said. Jesse always appears at the worst times. Thankfully, he was keeping out of my way while Gina was here cause I asked him to, but he can't keep out of my way forever. Besides, I would miss him if he did.
"Susannah, there is something wrong."
"Jesse, forget it. It's just G, ok?"
"What about her. I saw you looking at me."
I finally turned to look at him, "She can see you."
"She can what?" he said, staring at me, shocked, "but.. she couldn't see me last time. How did this happen?"
"I don't know! I don't know how, ok? All I know is that she can. And that she's also dumping me for Sleepy."
"Suze? Gina?" Andy called out, "Are you up there?"
"No, it's just me, Andy," I yelled back, "I'll be there in a minute."
"I could've sworn I heard you talking," he said poking his head in the room and looking at me gently.
"I was singing, Andy. Did I sound that bad?"
He smiled, "no, no, you sounded fine. Well, what I could hear, anyway. You were almost whispering."
"Yeah, well," I grinned, "I don't think I'm much of a singer, so I'll whisper-sing till I get better."
"Alright, honey," he said, "don't be too late coming in. The food'll get cold." Andy had defiantly sensed something wrong -- normally dinners were this big thing, so it was really sweet of him to leave me alone for a couple of minutes.
I walked a little further away from the door and Jesse followed me, "Susannah, you've got to tell Father Dominic."
"I want to. But I'm not going to till G agrees to come with me!"
"Why are you so angry that she likes your brother?"
"STEPbrother!" I snapped, then said. "Because she's dumping me. She cares so much about Sleepy that she doesn't care about me anymore."
"That's not true, Susannah."
"Look, Jesse, stop trying to make me feel better. It's true. Besides, G's being a total whore. Sleepy's going out with Tami now and G just can't accept it."
"Whore?"
"Slut. Bitch. Take your pick."
"Susannah, look at me," Jesse said. I looked at him in a 'what-now' way, "your friend is not doing anything indecent. Or anything that you don't do."
"What IS she doing?"
"Last time I checked, just talking."
"Check again." I commanded. He dematerialized and I waited for him and he came back, "So? What are they doing now?"
"Um." Jesse shifted.
"Jesse! What were they doing?"
He looked uncomfortable, "Kissing."
"That... bitch! Jesse, go back tell me what they're saying. Poor Tami, she doesn't deserve this."
"Don't you think they're entitled to privacy?" he asked.
"No! Jesse, just do it." He went, grumbling. Andy called me, "Sorry, Andy. I'll just be a sec!"
Jesse came back looking a little less uncomfortable, "everything's ok, Susannah."
"Ok how?" I asked, squinting at him suspiciously.
"He told her not to go see him again alone, because he didn't want to cheat on Tami. She seemed a little embarrassed and said something about liking him. He said he liked her too but he loved Tami and besides, she was going back to New York in two weeks."
"Go Jake!" I exclaimed, "He still shouldn't have kissed her. See you later, Jesse." I went in to find G seated as far away as possible from Sleepy looking VERY awkward. As I passed Sleepy I gave him a hug.
He looked up at me. So did the rest of the table, "WHAT?" I asked, putting my hand on my hip.
"Nothing," Mom and Andy echoed looking away. I swear they both had little satisfied smiles and tried to look at each other discreetly.
"What the Hell is up with you?" Dopey said eyes wide.
"Oh, for Gods' sake. He's my stepbrother, isn't he? You jealous, Do - Brad? Here you go then," I said giving him a hug as well, much to his discomfort.
"Ok, who are you and what have you done to Suze?" Sleepy remarked.
"Oh, ha ha," I said dryly, sitting down next to Mom. G threw daggers at me. I think she's a little pissed at me. First I hug the guy she's after - it doesn't matter that he's my stepbrother - and then I sit next to my mom and not her, when she's only here a week. And, though I wouldn't tell Gina this (duh), I only hugged Sleepy cause he actually did something I WANTED him to do. Ditch G.
"Honey, aren't you going to have any?" Mom said, talking to G and gesturing towards the plates.
"No, I am, I was just.. thinking," she said, looking at me evilly. Oh well. Ain't life great?
"Yes," G replied, "what about him? What? That he's hot? Yeah, he is."
"Oh, God," I said, "oh my God!"
"What is up with you? God, Simon," G stared at me, "you get weirder every time I see you."
Oh, shit, I thought, now I HAVE TO explain everything.
"G, sit down. This is going to take a while." She sat down on a patio looking at me strangely.
"What? Jesus, Simon, stop looking so sober!"
"G, that guy - he's called Jesse - is a ghost."
"What? You mean a real ghost? The types you see?"
"Ye-ah," I said, feeling floaty. This was so... odd. How could Gina be a Mediator? It was like, impossible! Can you actually TURN INTO a Mediator? 'Cause she sure was not one when I was back in New York. The number of times we had ghosts hanging out with us. Well, you can't count 'em all, "G, you're sure he's there?"
"YES!" she shouted, springing up. "For God's sake! I can see him. Get over yourself and explain all this shit to me, will you? 'Cause, if you're so freaked by my company I'll just go join Jake!"
"You can't snog now, G, he's got a girlfriend," I replied automatically.
"Oh, right, like he wouldn't cheat on her with me," she scoffed, "you saw the look on her face when he hugged me."
"Look, forget Sleepy-"
"JAKE!"
"Fine, Jake. Forget about him a minute, ok? We need to get you sorted out." I cannot believe this. You could knock me over with a feather. Of all people, Gina? Gina, my best friend? A Mediator?
"I do not need to get sorted out. I don't see what the big deal is."
"Trust me, G, a whole lot of other people will." I said, feeling a heavy weight my me. As usual, "Look, let's go to Father D."
"Father Dominic? He's a Mediator too?"
"Yes," I said impatiently, "come on."
"No. I don't feel like going out. I wanna hang out here," G said, getting up again, "look, I'm just going to see what Jake's up to." She went in and I felt tears form in my eyes. I don't like crying, and I don't do it often. But she's dumping me for Sleepy and she cares so much that he's going out with Tami for some reason. I don't see why - I thought he was just a fling.
I felt Jesse sit down next to me.
"Susannah," he said softly.
"What?" I sniffed.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Leave me alone, Jesse," I said. Jesse always appears at the worst times. Thankfully, he was keeping out of my way while Gina was here cause I asked him to, but he can't keep out of my way forever. Besides, I would miss him if he did.
"Susannah, there is something wrong."
"Jesse, forget it. It's just G, ok?"
"What about her. I saw you looking at me."
I finally turned to look at him, "She can see you."
"She can what?" he said, staring at me, shocked, "but.. she couldn't see me last time. How did this happen?"
"I don't know! I don't know how, ok? All I know is that she can. And that she's also dumping me for Sleepy."
"Suze? Gina?" Andy called out, "Are you up there?"
"No, it's just me, Andy," I yelled back, "I'll be there in a minute."
"I could've sworn I heard you talking," he said poking his head in the room and looking at me gently.
"I was singing, Andy. Did I sound that bad?"
He smiled, "no, no, you sounded fine. Well, what I could hear, anyway. You were almost whispering."
"Yeah, well," I grinned, "I don't think I'm much of a singer, so I'll whisper-sing till I get better."
"Alright, honey," he said, "don't be too late coming in. The food'll get cold." Andy had defiantly sensed something wrong -- normally dinners were this big thing, so it was really sweet of him to leave me alone for a couple of minutes.
I walked a little further away from the door and Jesse followed me, "Susannah, you've got to tell Father Dominic."
"I want to. But I'm not going to till G agrees to come with me!"
"Why are you so angry that she likes your brother?"
"STEPbrother!" I snapped, then said. "Because she's dumping me. She cares so much about Sleepy that she doesn't care about me anymore."
"That's not true, Susannah."
"Look, Jesse, stop trying to make me feel better. It's true. Besides, G's being a total whore. Sleepy's going out with Tami now and G just can't accept it."
"Whore?"
"Slut. Bitch. Take your pick."
"Susannah, look at me," Jesse said. I looked at him in a 'what-now' way, "your friend is not doing anything indecent. Or anything that you don't do."
"What IS she doing?"
"Last time I checked, just talking."
"Check again." I commanded. He dematerialized and I waited for him and he came back, "So? What are they doing now?"
"Um." Jesse shifted.
"Jesse! What were they doing?"
He looked uncomfortable, "Kissing."
"That... bitch! Jesse, go back tell me what they're saying. Poor Tami, she doesn't deserve this."
"Don't you think they're entitled to privacy?" he asked.
"No! Jesse, just do it." He went, grumbling. Andy called me, "Sorry, Andy. I'll just be a sec!"
Jesse came back looking a little less uncomfortable, "everything's ok, Susannah."
"Ok how?" I asked, squinting at him suspiciously.
"He told her not to go see him again alone, because he didn't want to cheat on Tami. She seemed a little embarrassed and said something about liking him. He said he liked her too but he loved Tami and besides, she was going back to New York in two weeks."
"Go Jake!" I exclaimed, "He still shouldn't have kissed her. See you later, Jesse." I went in to find G seated as far away as possible from Sleepy looking VERY awkward. As I passed Sleepy I gave him a hug.
He looked up at me. So did the rest of the table, "WHAT?" I asked, putting my hand on my hip.
"Nothing," Mom and Andy echoed looking away. I swear they both had little satisfied smiles and tried to look at each other discreetly.
"What the Hell is up with you?" Dopey said eyes wide.
"Oh, for Gods' sake. He's my stepbrother, isn't he? You jealous, Do - Brad? Here you go then," I said giving him a hug as well, much to his discomfort.
"Ok, who are you and what have you done to Suze?" Sleepy remarked.
"Oh, ha ha," I said dryly, sitting down next to Mom. G threw daggers at me. I think she's a little pissed at me. First I hug the guy she's after - it doesn't matter that he's my stepbrother - and then I sit next to my mom and not her, when she's only here a week. And, though I wouldn't tell Gina this (duh), I only hugged Sleepy cause he actually did something I WANTED him to do. Ditch G.
"Honey, aren't you going to have any?" Mom said, talking to G and gesturing towards the plates.
"No, I am, I was just.. thinking," she said, looking at me evilly. Oh well. Ain't life great?