***Sorry people, I changed the end of this chp. I didn't think it was like
Bryce to have a Lexus sports car, or like Suze to be that comfortable with
cheating on Jesse. So...if you've already read this chp, skip straight to
the '*' because after that's the changes. Thank you! Peace, Laala.***
~*Thanks to: vermontopisha (I don't want bryce and gina together n about jesse and suze..u neva no wot I mite do) Emily (she's not that touchy, is she? Whoops. Here's ur update. Don't forget to b eternally grateful!) gorbash~*
"Hey, Father D," I said, pushing the door open without knocking.
"Hello, Susannah," he replied, looking wary, "Susannah, it would be nice of you to knock once in a while."
"I'll keep that in mind next time I visit," I rolled my eyes, "so that would be...um, tomorrow maybe? Or after tomorrow at the most."
"Simon!" G hissed, "Father Dominic is a priest. You can't be that rude to a priest."
"Ah, Gina, is it?" Father Dom said, spotting G.
"Yes, Father," Gina said so solemnly that I almost laughed.
"Come here, child, and sit down," he said, waving his hand to chair. I flopped onto one next to her and looked around. Jesse wasn't there. I couldn't help but feel a little guilty for being so happy that G couldn't tell him about Bryce.
You never know with ghosts.
"Um, Father D? Can we speed things up a bit? I've got to go somewhere."
"Susannah," Father D said in a serious voice, "it will take as long as it will take. I have told you again and again, this is a gift. We must not waste it. You-"
"Ok, Father D, I got the picture."
He shot me a Look and turned back to Gina, "my dear, this is a very precious gift. Very few are chosen to lead this path. And those who are," here he shot me another look, "are very fortunate to talk to those who have ceased existing in the normal sense-"
"Father D, I really don't want to interrupt your speech and everything - I heard the same one, remember? - but can we just get down to the facts? I really do need to go in," I looked at my watch, "twenty-four minutes."
"Susannah!"
"I'll fill her in, I promise - in your words, not mine. Can we just get on with it?"
He looked very old all of a sudden, "I cannot change people who don't want to change," he muttered. Gina shot me a frustrated look. I shrugged. I felt guilty, true, but I wanted to get out of there more. It's not like I didn't visit Father D often...I mean, I generally saw him MORE than I actually wanted to.
"Father Dom, I'm sorry," I said finally.
He looked at me, "I accept your apology, Susannah," he said but it was clear that he was only saying it to fulfil his duty as a priest.
"I really am. Really. But, you know, Father D, I'm always in here with you, when most of the time I've got other things to do," I cringed. That didn't come out right. Gina glared at me again, "ok. How about I go, and you two talk?" I asked, standing up.
"Susannah. Gina does not understand yet. You have to help. You can't go now."
I fought the urge to snap and roll my eyes and slumped back down into my seat just as Jesse materialized.
"Hello, Father Dominic," Jesse said politely before sitting as far away from me as possible - we had come up with this arrangement a couple of weeks back. Whenever Father D saw us together, we'd be as far away from each other as possible. For the first time, I was grateful.
"Hello, Jesse," Father Dom said tensely, giving Jesse a look he saves for him, "as I was saying, child," Father D said, turning back to Gina, "it is a gift embroiled with many responsibilities. You have to -" here he gave a false cough. It was very clear - for both Jesse and me - that he was about to tell her about helping ghosts move on. "You have to make sure you treat it well, and treat ghosts - excuse me, Jesse - will respect and dignity. Not," he shot me another dirty look, "by beating them up."
"Um, Father D?" I said.
"What, Susannah?"
"Gina can't touch ghosts. She can only see them and speak to them," I said, and despite loving Father D I felt a VERY powerful urge to hurt him. It's the way he said my name, the way he was talking to me.
"Excuse me?" he eyebrows shot up and his baby blues widened.
"Yeah, I know," I shrugged, "I thought about it, and maybe she's sort of developing, you know? She couldn't see or speak to them before..maybe she's be able to touch them later."
He looked at me with sudden, newfound respect, "I can see the sense in that, Susannah." He looked at me for a moment, then averted his gaze to Jesse, "Jesse, would you please be kind enough to let Gina demonstrate?"
Jesse shook his head, "of course." He got up and walked over to Gina, who dutifully put a hand right through his midriff.
"Ah," Father D said, "Jesse, can you touch her?"
I looked at Father Dom, "that doesn't make sense."
"It will do. Jesse, if you please?" Jesse put his hand on Gina's shoulder, it didn't go through, but it didn't touch it either. There was about half an inch where Jesse's hand could not grab hold of her shoulder. I could see Jesse pushing down as hard as he could, but he could not grab her shoulder.
"AH," Father D said again. It was getting irritating.
"Ah what, Father D?" I asked.
"I admit - I have no idea. I have seen nothing like this before." He sat, thinking, for the next five minutes.
"Ok, Father D, are we done here?"
"What? Oh, yes," Father D said in a distant voice.
"Thanks," I said, jumping up, "bye!" I dashed out the room, then felt a firm hand around my wrist. I looked around. It was Jesse.
"What, Jesse?" I asked impatiently.
"Where are you going? I thought Adam was picking you up."
"How did you - you know what? It doesn't matter. I got another ride, ok?"
"With who?"
"A friend."
"What about Gina?"
"Get her to call Adam or Andy, ok? I've got to go!" I took a peek at my watch. Three minutes and counting.
"Susannah."
"Jesse, please," I said, dropping my voice to a barely audible whisper as a nun walked by, "I really do have to go, or I'll be late. I'll meet you at home, alright?"
He fixed me with a steely gaze, "Fine, Susannah."
"Thanks, Jesse," I said, wrapping my arms around him for a millisecond, then unwrapping them, "bye!"
~*~
With one minute to spare, Bryce appeared. I smiled at him and he smiled back. We went out for a drink and when he dropped me off at my doorstep, he kissed me goodbye.
"I had a great time, Suze," he smiled, "see you again?"
"Yeah, sure," I said, "call me." Call me? CALL ME? Oh God..I don't say CALL ME! Is this how Adam changed?
"Yeah, bye," Bryce said, leaning in for another kiss just as Jesse materlized behind him.
~*Thanks to: vermontopisha (I don't want bryce and gina together n about jesse and suze..u neva no wot I mite do) Emily (she's not that touchy, is she? Whoops. Here's ur update. Don't forget to b eternally grateful!) gorbash~*
"Hey, Father D," I said, pushing the door open without knocking.
"Hello, Susannah," he replied, looking wary, "Susannah, it would be nice of you to knock once in a while."
"I'll keep that in mind next time I visit," I rolled my eyes, "so that would be...um, tomorrow maybe? Or after tomorrow at the most."
"Simon!" G hissed, "Father Dominic is a priest. You can't be that rude to a priest."
"Ah, Gina, is it?" Father Dom said, spotting G.
"Yes, Father," Gina said so solemnly that I almost laughed.
"Come here, child, and sit down," he said, waving his hand to chair. I flopped onto one next to her and looked around. Jesse wasn't there. I couldn't help but feel a little guilty for being so happy that G couldn't tell him about Bryce.
You never know with ghosts.
"Um, Father D? Can we speed things up a bit? I've got to go somewhere."
"Susannah," Father D said in a serious voice, "it will take as long as it will take. I have told you again and again, this is a gift. We must not waste it. You-"
"Ok, Father D, I got the picture."
He shot me a Look and turned back to Gina, "my dear, this is a very precious gift. Very few are chosen to lead this path. And those who are," here he shot me another look, "are very fortunate to talk to those who have ceased existing in the normal sense-"
"Father D, I really don't want to interrupt your speech and everything - I heard the same one, remember? - but can we just get down to the facts? I really do need to go in," I looked at my watch, "twenty-four minutes."
"Susannah!"
"I'll fill her in, I promise - in your words, not mine. Can we just get on with it?"
He looked very old all of a sudden, "I cannot change people who don't want to change," he muttered. Gina shot me a frustrated look. I shrugged. I felt guilty, true, but I wanted to get out of there more. It's not like I didn't visit Father D often...I mean, I generally saw him MORE than I actually wanted to.
"Father Dom, I'm sorry," I said finally.
He looked at me, "I accept your apology, Susannah," he said but it was clear that he was only saying it to fulfil his duty as a priest.
"I really am. Really. But, you know, Father D, I'm always in here with you, when most of the time I've got other things to do," I cringed. That didn't come out right. Gina glared at me again, "ok. How about I go, and you two talk?" I asked, standing up.
"Susannah. Gina does not understand yet. You have to help. You can't go now."
I fought the urge to snap and roll my eyes and slumped back down into my seat just as Jesse materialized.
"Hello, Father Dominic," Jesse said politely before sitting as far away from me as possible - we had come up with this arrangement a couple of weeks back. Whenever Father D saw us together, we'd be as far away from each other as possible. For the first time, I was grateful.
"Hello, Jesse," Father Dom said tensely, giving Jesse a look he saves for him, "as I was saying, child," Father D said, turning back to Gina, "it is a gift embroiled with many responsibilities. You have to -" here he gave a false cough. It was very clear - for both Jesse and me - that he was about to tell her about helping ghosts move on. "You have to make sure you treat it well, and treat ghosts - excuse me, Jesse - will respect and dignity. Not," he shot me another dirty look, "by beating them up."
"Um, Father D?" I said.
"What, Susannah?"
"Gina can't touch ghosts. She can only see them and speak to them," I said, and despite loving Father D I felt a VERY powerful urge to hurt him. It's the way he said my name, the way he was talking to me.
"Excuse me?" he eyebrows shot up and his baby blues widened.
"Yeah, I know," I shrugged, "I thought about it, and maybe she's sort of developing, you know? She couldn't see or speak to them before..maybe she's be able to touch them later."
He looked at me with sudden, newfound respect, "I can see the sense in that, Susannah." He looked at me for a moment, then averted his gaze to Jesse, "Jesse, would you please be kind enough to let Gina demonstrate?"
Jesse shook his head, "of course." He got up and walked over to Gina, who dutifully put a hand right through his midriff.
"Ah," Father D said, "Jesse, can you touch her?"
I looked at Father Dom, "that doesn't make sense."
"It will do. Jesse, if you please?" Jesse put his hand on Gina's shoulder, it didn't go through, but it didn't touch it either. There was about half an inch where Jesse's hand could not grab hold of her shoulder. I could see Jesse pushing down as hard as he could, but he could not grab her shoulder.
"AH," Father D said again. It was getting irritating.
"Ah what, Father D?" I asked.
"I admit - I have no idea. I have seen nothing like this before." He sat, thinking, for the next five minutes.
"Ok, Father D, are we done here?"
"What? Oh, yes," Father D said in a distant voice.
"Thanks," I said, jumping up, "bye!" I dashed out the room, then felt a firm hand around my wrist. I looked around. It was Jesse.
"What, Jesse?" I asked impatiently.
"Where are you going? I thought Adam was picking you up."
"How did you - you know what? It doesn't matter. I got another ride, ok?"
"With who?"
"A friend."
"What about Gina?"
"Get her to call Adam or Andy, ok? I've got to go!" I took a peek at my watch. Three minutes and counting.
"Susannah."
"Jesse, please," I said, dropping my voice to a barely audible whisper as a nun walked by, "I really do have to go, or I'll be late. I'll meet you at home, alright?"
He fixed me with a steely gaze, "Fine, Susannah."
"Thanks, Jesse," I said, wrapping my arms around him for a millisecond, then unwrapping them, "bye!"
~*~
With one minute to spare, Bryce appeared. I smiled at him and he smiled back. We went out for a drink and when he dropped me off at my doorstep, he kissed me goodbye.
"I had a great time, Suze," he smiled, "see you again?"
"Yeah, sure," I said, "call me." Call me? CALL ME? Oh God..I don't say CALL ME! Is this how Adam changed?
"Yeah, bye," Bryce said, leaning in for another kiss just as Jesse materlized behind him.