A/N- Sorry about the ***'s towards the end of the chapter. That stuff was suppossed to be in italics but i'm completly illiterate when it comes to HTML so i can't make italics. Anyway. Happy erm...reading.
I had school the next day. Not a good thing. I had English first period, I got there just in time for class. Just as I slid into my seat the teacher walked in holding a note, "Good morning class, we have a returning student with us today, most of you may remember him..." I groaned and put my head down on my desk. "...please welcome Paul Slater to the Mission Academy."
Oh Christ.
Okay let me explain something about Paul Slater. Yes he's hot. Yes I did kiss him once, but it wasn't my fault, well, at least not completely. The point is, that maniacal little glint in his eye? Not really a turn on. So I can honestly say that when he sat down at the desk in front of mine and whispered "Morning Suze" with his lips brushing my ear, I did get shivers down my spine. But they weren't the good kind.
"So," he said, turning towards me, "Did you miss me?"
"Not in the least." I said, opening my binder and becoming intensely interested in the amount of organization I had put into it over the past year, (none whatsoever).
"Oh come on," he said. "You know you did. Hey, are you free after school today? We can go grab a burger or something."
"No."I said. He groaned.
"C'mon Suze. He's DEAD. He's just one ghost out of hundreds. You and me... we're different. We're meant to be together. Jesse... Jesse is just a ghost that seems to be completely incapable of moving on. It's not as if you could introduce him to your mom. I mean, what would you say? "Hi mom this is the 150 year old rancher who lives in my bedroom and I know you can't see him but really I'm not insane, please don't lock me up."?" he asked. I snorted.
"My parents would be so proud." I laughed. Paul frowned.
"You don't seem very worried." he said.
"I get the same thing from Father Dom. This isn't exactly news." I said. Paul looked at me.
"Are you comparing me to a 60 year old priest?" he asked.
"Yeah." I said before going back to fiddling with my binder.
"So are you free after school?" He said, obviously deciding that he wasn't going to win the previous argument.
"No."
"Suze..."
"No."
"But..."
"No..."
"But..."
"NO." I said. Paul sighed.
"Jesse. Isn't. Coming. Back." He said, emphasizing each word as if I had a hearing disability. I just smiled, and then, realizing he wasn't supposed to know Jesse was back, I tried to look as if he'd wounded me deeply or something. Paul just gave me a weird look and turned around so that his back was too me.
He wasn't in anymore of my classes, thank god. I didn't see him until the end of school. He was leaning against the wall watching me walk out to Adam's car.
"I always win Suze!" he called after me. I just walked faster.
When I got home Jesse was there, sitting on the window seat reading. I smiled. He looked up when I came in the room.
"Susannah." he said, his whole face lighting up. He walked over to me and kissed me, then pulled away, leaning his forehead against mine. I was grinning like an idiot but I didn't care. "How was your day?" He asked. I stopped grinning.
"It was...fine." I said. Jesse looked worried.
"Querida? What is it?" he asked softly.
"Nothing."I said quickly.
"Your lying." he said.
"Am not."
"Yes you are. When ever your nervous you pull the sleeves of your shirt over your hands or you play with your hair a lot." he said. I stared at him. I knew Jesse loved me but I never knew he payed that much attention to me.
"Oh." was my brilliant response. He pulled me down so I was sitting next to him on the window seat.
"Something's bothering you." he said.
"Um...No." I said, concentrating very hard not to touch my sleeves or my hair. Jesse just looked at me. I smiled weakly, "Look, Jesse, nothings wrong, I mean, really there's absolutely nothing to worry about. Everything's perfectly fine. Really. It's fine." I babbled. Jesse was still staring at me. He had that look, that stupid, infuriating look that makes me want to slap him and kiss him at the same time.
"Jesse...please don't make me tell you. Please..." Now he just looked worried. He opened his mouth to say something, but right on cue, Matt materialized.
"Oh. Sorry, am I interrupting anything?" he said. I shook my head.
"No! No. You weren't." I said a little too quickly. Matt looked confused. Jesse was still staring at me, then all of the sudden realization dawned on his face and his expression changed to slightly murderous. He kissed me quickly, mumbling something about talking to Father Dominic. Then he disappeared.
"Shit." I said. Matt sat down across from me, leaning against the wall.
"What?" he asked.
"Well, obviously he's lying." I said.
"How do you know?"
"He just...is. He's a bad liar." I said. I slid of my bed and walked over to the window, "And I have a pretty good idea where he went."
"Where?" Matt asked.
"Pau..." I started to say, trailing off when I remembered something.
**"they're kind of the Kraft Easy Mac equivalent of exorcisms, but they serve their purpose if it's a last minute thing."**
"Suze? Suze? SUSANNAH SIMON!" Matt yelled. He grabbed my shoulders and spun me around, forcing me to look at him. "Christ Suze, you look like you've seen a gho..." he stopped, realizing what he was saying and then started again, "Well you look like your gonna hurl."
"How poetic." I said. He smiled.
**"If your trying to exorcize a really powerful ghost this is one's your guy" he said pointing at another article.**
"Oh shit." I muttered. Pulling free of Matt I grabbed my sneakers and stuffed my feet into them. "I gotta go." I said quickly.
"What? Suze, wait..." he said urgently. By this time I was already halfway out the window. He grabbed my arm, "Suze. Hang on a sec. Where're you going?"
"Paul....Jesse, he's gonna....I have to go." I said wrenching my arm out of his grip. He grabbed my hand at the last second.
"No. I'm coming with you."
**"If it isn't the lovely Miss Simon"**
"No your not."
"Yes I am."
"No your not. It's too dangerous. Paul's preforming an exorcism for christsake! You can't be there!"
"You cant' go by yourself. How do you know he hasn't gotten stronger?" he said. At this point he looked like he was worried about my sanity as much as my physical health. I guess I looked kind of desperate.
"Matt, look, I don't have time for this. I'll be careful.. I promise. Just....stay here." I jumped off the porch roof, wincing as my feet connected with the ground. Then I ran, Paul's voice echoing in my ears.
**"Did you miss me?"**
At Cee Cee's house I stopped and grabbed her extra car key out from under the spare tire, where she kept it incase she ever got locked out. I scribbled a note and left it on her door,
Cee Cee,
Had to borrow your car. Really sorry. Emergency. Jesse in trouble.
Love,
Suze
I peeled out of her driveway, raising some cries of "Learn how to drive lady!" from the neighbors.
**"Suze, would I ever leave you?"**
I was almost at his house when the car ran out of gas. I spent about half a second cursing it with all I had before jumping out and breaking into a run again. I didn't realize I was crying until I reached up to brush the hair out of my eyes.
**"I always win"**
If anyone else was exorcizing Jesse I wouldn't be half as frantic, because I knew I could always exorcize myself again and bring him back. But this wasn't anyone else. This was Paul. And he told me once that there was a method of exorcism that would make sure the ghost moved on. They wouldn't just be stuck in that hallway. They'd be forced through one of those doors.
**"I always win"**
I had school the next day. Not a good thing. I had English first period, I got there just in time for class. Just as I slid into my seat the teacher walked in holding a note, "Good morning class, we have a returning student with us today, most of you may remember him..." I groaned and put my head down on my desk. "...please welcome Paul Slater to the Mission Academy."
Oh Christ.
Okay let me explain something about Paul Slater. Yes he's hot. Yes I did kiss him once, but it wasn't my fault, well, at least not completely. The point is, that maniacal little glint in his eye? Not really a turn on. So I can honestly say that when he sat down at the desk in front of mine and whispered "Morning Suze" with his lips brushing my ear, I did get shivers down my spine. But they weren't the good kind.
"So," he said, turning towards me, "Did you miss me?"
"Not in the least." I said, opening my binder and becoming intensely interested in the amount of organization I had put into it over the past year, (none whatsoever).
"Oh come on," he said. "You know you did. Hey, are you free after school today? We can go grab a burger or something."
"No."I said. He groaned.
"C'mon Suze. He's DEAD. He's just one ghost out of hundreds. You and me... we're different. We're meant to be together. Jesse... Jesse is just a ghost that seems to be completely incapable of moving on. It's not as if you could introduce him to your mom. I mean, what would you say? "Hi mom this is the 150 year old rancher who lives in my bedroom and I know you can't see him but really I'm not insane, please don't lock me up."?" he asked. I snorted.
"My parents would be so proud." I laughed. Paul frowned.
"You don't seem very worried." he said.
"I get the same thing from Father Dom. This isn't exactly news." I said. Paul looked at me.
"Are you comparing me to a 60 year old priest?" he asked.
"Yeah." I said before going back to fiddling with my binder.
"So are you free after school?" He said, obviously deciding that he wasn't going to win the previous argument.
"No."
"Suze..."
"No."
"But..."
"No..."
"But..."
"NO." I said. Paul sighed.
"Jesse. Isn't. Coming. Back." He said, emphasizing each word as if I had a hearing disability. I just smiled, and then, realizing he wasn't supposed to know Jesse was back, I tried to look as if he'd wounded me deeply or something. Paul just gave me a weird look and turned around so that his back was too me.
He wasn't in anymore of my classes, thank god. I didn't see him until the end of school. He was leaning against the wall watching me walk out to Adam's car.
"I always win Suze!" he called after me. I just walked faster.
When I got home Jesse was there, sitting on the window seat reading. I smiled. He looked up when I came in the room.
"Susannah." he said, his whole face lighting up. He walked over to me and kissed me, then pulled away, leaning his forehead against mine. I was grinning like an idiot but I didn't care. "How was your day?" He asked. I stopped grinning.
"It was...fine." I said. Jesse looked worried.
"Querida? What is it?" he asked softly.
"Nothing."I said quickly.
"Your lying." he said.
"Am not."
"Yes you are. When ever your nervous you pull the sleeves of your shirt over your hands or you play with your hair a lot." he said. I stared at him. I knew Jesse loved me but I never knew he payed that much attention to me.
"Oh." was my brilliant response. He pulled me down so I was sitting next to him on the window seat.
"Something's bothering you." he said.
"Um...No." I said, concentrating very hard not to touch my sleeves or my hair. Jesse just looked at me. I smiled weakly, "Look, Jesse, nothings wrong, I mean, really there's absolutely nothing to worry about. Everything's perfectly fine. Really. It's fine." I babbled. Jesse was still staring at me. He had that look, that stupid, infuriating look that makes me want to slap him and kiss him at the same time.
"Jesse...please don't make me tell you. Please..." Now he just looked worried. He opened his mouth to say something, but right on cue, Matt materialized.
"Oh. Sorry, am I interrupting anything?" he said. I shook my head.
"No! No. You weren't." I said a little too quickly. Matt looked confused. Jesse was still staring at me, then all of the sudden realization dawned on his face and his expression changed to slightly murderous. He kissed me quickly, mumbling something about talking to Father Dominic. Then he disappeared.
"Shit." I said. Matt sat down across from me, leaning against the wall.
"What?" he asked.
"Well, obviously he's lying." I said.
"How do you know?"
"He just...is. He's a bad liar." I said. I slid of my bed and walked over to the window, "And I have a pretty good idea where he went."
"Where?" Matt asked.
"Pau..." I started to say, trailing off when I remembered something.
**"they're kind of the Kraft Easy Mac equivalent of exorcisms, but they serve their purpose if it's a last minute thing."**
"Suze? Suze? SUSANNAH SIMON!" Matt yelled. He grabbed my shoulders and spun me around, forcing me to look at him. "Christ Suze, you look like you've seen a gho..." he stopped, realizing what he was saying and then started again, "Well you look like your gonna hurl."
"How poetic." I said. He smiled.
**"If your trying to exorcize a really powerful ghost this is one's your guy" he said pointing at another article.**
"Oh shit." I muttered. Pulling free of Matt I grabbed my sneakers and stuffed my feet into them. "I gotta go." I said quickly.
"What? Suze, wait..." he said urgently. By this time I was already halfway out the window. He grabbed my arm, "Suze. Hang on a sec. Where're you going?"
"Paul....Jesse, he's gonna....I have to go." I said wrenching my arm out of his grip. He grabbed my hand at the last second.
"No. I'm coming with you."
**"If it isn't the lovely Miss Simon"**
"No your not."
"Yes I am."
"No your not. It's too dangerous. Paul's preforming an exorcism for christsake! You can't be there!"
"You cant' go by yourself. How do you know he hasn't gotten stronger?" he said. At this point he looked like he was worried about my sanity as much as my physical health. I guess I looked kind of desperate.
"Matt, look, I don't have time for this. I'll be careful.. I promise. Just....stay here." I jumped off the porch roof, wincing as my feet connected with the ground. Then I ran, Paul's voice echoing in my ears.
**"Did you miss me?"**
At Cee Cee's house I stopped and grabbed her extra car key out from under the spare tire, where she kept it incase she ever got locked out. I scribbled a note and left it on her door,
Cee Cee,
Had to borrow your car. Really sorry. Emergency. Jesse in trouble.
Love,
Suze
I peeled out of her driveway, raising some cries of "Learn how to drive lady!" from the neighbors.
**"Suze, would I ever leave you?"**
I was almost at his house when the car ran out of gas. I spent about half a second cursing it with all I had before jumping out and breaking into a run again. I didn't realize I was crying until I reached up to brush the hair out of my eyes.
**"I always win"**
If anyone else was exorcizing Jesse I wouldn't be half as frantic, because I knew I could always exorcize myself again and bring him back. But this wasn't anyone else. This was Paul. And he told me once that there was a method of exorcism that would make sure the ghost moved on. They wouldn't just be stuck in that hallway. They'd be forced through one of those doors.
**"I always win"**
