I'm glad that you think chapter 11 wasn't as notorious I thought it would
have been among readers. So I don't suck so much? YAY! I thought I was
going to be a total loser for writing something like that. I guess I didn't
do as badly as I thought I did. *Wobbly smile* Oh, you guys rule, you know
that, right? Well, Like I said at the bottom of Chapter 11, I think I've
got a pretty good plot idea for the rest of the story. I don't want to do
anything too extravagant yet, things like that will come in later stories .
. .
And now, ladies and gentlemen, I pleasure you to another chapter of "Twisted World" . . .
I know, I'm a loser . . .
**************************************************************************** *******
Suze's POV.
I didn't sleep at all that night. Well, duh, I was kind of at Father Dom's house, but still. I totally wasn't going to fall asleep, and leave myself vulnerable for Paul to kill. I mean, Father Dom was sympathetic and all, but since I like, didn't tell him the truth about how I'd acquired my second helping of injuries, he didn't feel there was any real danger of leaving me alone.
But as I was sitting on his couch with my muffin man hands and my dully throbbing head, reality started to sink in.
And oh, did it hit me hard.
I'd almost died.
And not in some little pissy battle between me and some random ghost. I'd known Paul. I'd slept in my own bed, with him just meters away the whole time. I'd had a conversation with him, even. I mean, he really wasn't that bad when he put his mind to it.
But what he did . . . That hurt so much . . .
How I couldn't fight back, how he'd been banging my head against the floor like that, throttling me, staring at me with such ferocity in his chilly blue eyes. He'd tried to kill me, and I'd been so powerless against him. He'd been too strong. I didn't think that there was a ghost stronger than me . . . Welcome to the real world, Suze. Things aren't as perfect as you thought they were.
I mean, this was a real eye opener. Unfortunately, it was about as welcome as a terrorist attack. It proved Father Dominic right: I wasn't invincible.
Oh God . . .
I'd almost died.
That's when the tears came on, fully fledged. They made rivers down my slightly swollen cheeks, and stung like toxic waste. I sat on the couch, cuddling my knees close into my chest. I felt as though I couldn't breathe through my bawling. I was hyperventilating and choking on my own sobs, the works. I couldn't stop, once the tears started. I was shaking, I was crying so hard. Just visualizing what had happened, over and over again. The bashing, the choking, the yelling, the blue eyes . . .
It went on for hours, the same thing. I kept reliving it, remembering every dark detail as clear as crystal. How I'd been so helpless against his strength, and his determination to execute me.
I never wanted to see that homicidal ass wipe again . . .
Ever.
It was just too painful
~*~
The sun was just rising through Father Dom's window. It cast murky daybreak rays in the gloomy sky, lifting the darkness from Carmel. My spirits didn't climb with the sun, they stayed scared and paranoid and distraught. Slowly and warily, I sat up and walked out from Father Dom's little . . . what do you call it? Convent or something? Anyway, I went for a stroll to the cemetery just outside the school zone, trying to sort out all the terrified and chaotic thoughts inside my sore and puffy head.
. . . Was he still after me?
. . . Would he go after Jesse?
. . . Did he still want me dead?
. . . What if he found me RIGHT HERE?!
I stopped, but shook my head angrily and continued to the cemetery, where I sat under a tree near Heather Chambers' grave. I gave a shuddering sigh, as more dismal sunshine illuminated the sky with grey and muted yellow streaks. Everything looked grey, from the sky to the grass I was stilling on. There was a light fog encircling all the headstones. It reminded me of the Shadowland . . .
'Suze, isn't it?'
I was jerked sharply out of my thoughts. I turned around, with a thudding heart, scared to see who was standing there.
But it was only Bryce.
Thank God . . .
I hastily wiped away my tears, and sniffed, trying to make it look like I wasn't sniveling hysterically. He sat down next to me. 'What was with the look?'
I frowned distractedly. 'What look?'
'You looked at me like I was the Grim Reaper or something. But then, you've probably already met him, and you'd be like, "So yesterday," or something.'
I smiled in spite of what had happened to me. I turned my head to face Bryce. He was a real looker, in a surfie, blond, dim-witted kind of way. He had straw coloured hair that fell glossily across his forehead and into his eyes, and had a very lazy face, with sleepy eyes. Like Sleepy's. Maybe they had both been on something when they were alive that made them look that way. Because, hadn't Adam mentioned that they were friends? Yeah . . .
'Er, should I go?' he asked uncertainly, going to stand up.
'Nah, don't,' I objected faintly, 'Trust me, you being here is better than me being on my own. I've got issues, you see.'
He looked a little weirded out. 'Uh, okay. What's up?'
'The sky,' I replied dully. 'That large expanse of nothingness that goes on forever, and gives the impression that it will be a happy day, but it lies. Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day, and look how it ended . . . '
I glanced at Bryce, and saw he was staring me in bewilderment, his mouth slightly open.
'Sorry,' I said ruefully, 'I got a lot on my mind, is all.'
' can tell,' he said, not too tactfully. 'What's your dilemma then, babe? Get dumped or something? I remember Heather when I broke it off, she . . .' He trailed off, looking aggrieved. 'Oh well, it doesn't matter now . . . She's not moping. She got the last laugh, when she shot me.'
I turned back to him. 'She didn't kill you, you know,' I said softly.
This was news to him. 'Huh? Of course she did. She was there, she wrote that letter on the wall. I know her hand writing-'
'She was there, but she didn't pull the trigger on the gun,' I interrupted. I believed Heather when she said Paul murdered him. He seemed to have a thing for homicide by now, what with the attempted murder of Adrianna De Silva, and most recently, myself. Bryce had just been the real thing . . .
'Who did?'
'The same guy who tried to off me last night,' I revealed, staring at the grass, feeling lower than dirt. Remembering how I'd screamed, how alive his eyes had been, so aroused, enticed by my pain-
'Yeah, I want names!' he said angrily, ripping up a tuft of grass and blowing it, so it carried in the only partially existent breeze, and landed limply a foot away.
I wasn't going to give him Paul's name, for God knows why. But then I thought, hey, do I care what happens to the bastard? No, not after last night.
'His name's P-' I stopped again. No, if Bryce went after him, it would probably result in something even more violent.
'Yeah?' he prompted.
I shook my head, and lied. 'Uh, Peter . . . no, Patrick? No, Percy . . .Oh, I give up, I don't know.' Ah, aren't I a first rate con artist? Yeppers, totally, that's so me.
Sigh . . .
His gaze fell. 'Oh,' he said, sounding lost again. He looked out beyond the school, opposite to where the sun was rising from. The ocean. So deceptively calm, and knowing. Still, and free from anxiety. Unlike . . .
'God, if there's two things I miss,' he muttered, staring wistfully at the distant waves, 'It's surfing . . . And Heather.'
That floored me. I twisted to face him. 'What?!' I gasped. 'But – but, she plotted your murder! She wouldn't have gone through with it, but she still inspired the whole thing!'
He shrugged. 'I know,' he said, 'But I did love her. You think I'm an idiot,' he said – er, yeah, in a big way – 'But she was the first person I loved.'
'And you broke up with her why?' I scoffed.
'Because I can't stand commitment,' he said contritely, his eyes downcast. 'I got scared when she pointed to that damned wedding ring and all. It freaked me out, you know? Not the kind of thing that I wanted to be thinking about just then.'
God, this was unexpected . . .
'When I heard that she was dead,' he said monotonously, 'I was full sad, aye? I mean, yeah, I can't commit like that, but she didn't have to go and blow her brains out. I didn't mean for that to happen. I did love her, really . . .' He stretched, looking really remorseful.
'So, what's your deal, babe?'
I sighed, and repositioned myself so I was lying under the tree, not just sitting. I was SO tired . . .'
'Well, that guy that killed you and tried to off me? Well, he kind of had a thing for me, I think. When he saw me kiss my boyfriend, he got way jealous, and went all, 'If I can't have you then no one will' on me, and tried to strangle me. Oh, that was after your Heather dearest, I'm embarrassed to admit, beat the snot out of me.' I pushed my hair back, and showed him the damage on my forehead. He whistled. 'Jesus Christ,' he wheezed. 'Packs a punch, doesn't she?'
'And a kick,' I said bitterly. 'And plenty of dumb blond lines. No offense, dude,' I added hastily. He might get all pissed if I dissed his girlfriend.
'Nah, it's all right. She wasn't the smartest,' he said longingly. Speak for yourself, Bryce. 'But she did love me. She died for me, Sue.'
'Suze.'
'Whatever . . .'
My eyes fluttered. 'Crap, I'm tired.'
'Then sleep then.'
'I can't. I'm . . . er, nervous that he might find me and finish off what he didn't last night.'
Bryce frowned. 'Oh yeah. See your point.' Then he brightened. 'I'll watch you. And if he comes, that'll give me a good chance to twist his guts.'
Charming.
'Well,' I said, 'If you don't mind, 'that'd be full cool. It's a real drag, staying awake all paranoid, you know.' I shut my eyes, and while he was still saying something, sleep claimed me.
~*~
'Yo, Suze?'
Kick.
'Get up, Suze. Up and away. Jeez, you in a coma or something? What's wrong with you?'
Nudge.
I peaked through heavy eyelashes. The hazy outline of a boy was standing in front of me. PAUL!
'Get away from me!' I screamed opening my eyes fully and scrambling away from him . . .
'Hey, Suze? What's up with you?' That voice, it wasn't as deep as Paul's . . .
Adam McTavish was giving me a seriously weird look. 'You're not on anything, right?' he checked uncertainly.
I rubbed my eyes. 'Just a nightmare,' I said. I looked around and just saw Bryce dematerializing. Well, at least he was polite.
'What time is it?'
'It's recess,' he informed me. Then he noticed what must have been a hideous abrasion on my face. 'Shit! Suze, what the hell happened to you?'
I rolled my eyes, and stood up carefully. 'Oh, went to a polite tea party with four proper English ladies. Then they got pissed when I commented on their corsets and threw their scolding coffee at me. Really,' I said crabbily.
He eyed me doubtfully. 'Uh huh. Come on Suze, you're really smashed up.'
'Thanks,' I smiled mordantly.
'If you haven't noticed, I'm actually being serious,' he snapped. 'Suze, tell me what happened. Did someone . . . bash you?'
I gave him a sarcastic look of shock. 'Nah. Ya think?'
His concern deepened. 'Oh God . . . Suze, what h-'
'I don't wanna talk about it, okay?' I said, turning away from him. 'I'm not going to school. I already told Father Dom about it, and I'm not going home.'
'Why?'
I stopped. I shouldn't have said that. Now he's gonna know that there was something at my house that I didn't want to go home to . . .
'Just, I'm staying here to clear my head,' I said in frustration, walking away. 'God, Adam, just go-'
'No,' he broke in and followed me determinedly, looking all righteous and everything. 'Suze, if someone's harassing you, you know I'm here. I know I'm no WWF wrestler, but I'm a guy, and I'm supposed to be strong, so we'll just pretend for my pride's sake that I am-'
'You're way in over your head,' I said, spinning around to face. 'Just . . . just forget about it, Adam. You don't know what you're dealing with. I'm not sure I do anymore-'
'Suze, just tell me!'
'No!'
The air was thick with our furious shouting.
'Why not, for God's sake?'
'You'll think I'm crazy, so just piss off Adam, I'm really-' I started, leaving again, but he ran in front of me.
'Try me! I'm not leaving until you tell me who's doing this to you!' he shouted, getting angry. 'You're a friend, and one of the strongest chicks I know, and if someone can knock you around that bad, then it's something worth knowing! Tell me! Suze, I'm ser-'
'IT'S A GHOST, OKAY?!' I screamed in his face.
What had I just done?
He went very still, and his face paled a bit. He swallowed hard. 'What?'
I buried my face in my hands, but surfaced, looking stubborn. 'I'm joking, can't you take a joke?' I said, and released a deadly fake chuckle. 'Really. It's nothing, I just fell.'
'Whatever, Suze,' he said stiffly, still not moving. Not an inch . . .
'But . . . a ghost? You mean, haunted houses, white floating sheets, rattling chains, unexpected "boos" ghosts?'
I refused to answer.
'Come on Suze,' Adam glared, 'Tell me the truth.'
'That was the truth. Told you you wouldn't believe me. Now you just run off and tell my mum I'm still a mental case and that all that New York therapy didn't do a thing. You do that, Adam!' I screamed at him. I realized too late I was crying. I sank down to the grass again, hiding my leaking face in my lap.
Adam's hand rested on my shoulder.
And then, he said the three words I've never expected anyone non-mediator to say.
'I believe you.'
I froze horribly. Then I lifted my tear stained face to look at him. I saw there was no humour in his usually laughing eyes. He was dead sincere about this.
'No you don't,' I answered, 'You're a nice sane person, give or take a few brain cells. You're messing with-'
'Not messing,' he butted in. 'Suze, if you said that this was a ghost, I believe you. It's weirder than I can say, but I do. Face it.'
I saw Adam in a new light at that beautiful moment in time. His face looked so rugged and genuine, not wimpy and light-hearted anymore. He believed me.
He believed that I could talk to ghosts. Oh my God . . .
I realized that my mouth was open, but I didn't even care. I just threw my arms around his neck, going 'Thank you, thank you, thank you . . . you don't know what it meant to hear you say that.'
He patted my arm uncertainly. 'I kinda guess this is a big thing,' he said, his mind clearly blown.
'You have no idea,' I whispered, hugging him. Oh, what a great friend he was. It was staggering that he didn't think I was a nut job. Everyone did-
'OH MY GOD! I FULLY KNEW THIS!'
I jerked away from Adam, and turned around to see none other than CeeCee. She was standing about five meters away, very rigid. But even from there, I could see her glassy eyes welling up.
She turned on her heel, and bolted away. Oh, shit . . . What was she thinking?
'Stay here!' I shouted to Adam, and sprinted after her speedily.
One thing: Ever tried running with a black and blue balloon sized head? It's totally not cool.
I reached the school, and saw CeeCee tear around the corner as if she'd just heard the library was giving out free books. Accept she wouldn't be crying as hard as she was now if that happened, you know?
I pelted after her around the corner, and arrived to see the door to the ladies' swinging. Sighing, I slumped in, and saw that two of three cubicles were locked. Yay. These had been repaired since Heather demolished them last, mind.
'CeeCee?' I called. 'I know you're in here.'
'Oh, Suze, is that you?' bubbled an annoyingly familiar voice.
'Shut up, Kelly,' I snapped. 'CeeCee, get your butt out here.'
'No!' Her voice came out all crackled. 'Buzz off, Suze.' Only she didn't say "buzz."
'Are you two fighting?' Kelly's voice came from one of the cubicles. I couldn't tell which one, though.
'Nah,' I said indignantly, while CeeCee answered, 'None of your business, Prescott!' with a rather uncalled for "f" word in there. Whoa, CeeCee was giving the resident potty mouth Kevin Doyle a run for his money. She wasn't usually such a swearhead.
'CeeCee, I'm serious. You saw that all wrong,' I insisted. I was just about to kick the cubicle door down when it burst open. I saw CeeCee standing there with the matchlessly ugliest glare on her face. Her white hair even seemed to have a Medusa omen to it. 'You kissed him, I saw you. How could you?' she hissed, her eyes in slits of fury.
'Whoa!' I said. 'CeeCee, I gave him a hug. He said something really nice, and I gave him a hug. It is totally platonic between us, okay?'
'Yeah, whatever, Simon,' she snapped.
'Are you talking about McTavish?' the salacious Kelly wanted to know.
'SHUT UP!' we roared at her cubicle, and she fell silent.
She continued to glare. 'I don't know if you're doing this because you like him or you genuinely hate me, Suze, but-'
'CeeCee!' I said, scandalized, 'Look! I don't like Adam more than a friend. If you haven't noticed, I'm not as healthy looking as I have been today. And you wanna know why? Some guy bashed me. Yeah, Kell, tell that to all your friends,' I snapped at her cubicle. 'Adam totally went defensive, and said that if I ever needed help with guys I was scared of, I could count on him, okay? I hugged him when he said that, because that is something a REAL friend would say. Last night I had the roughest night of my life, and Adam was there this morning to comfort me. Which is a hell of a lot more than you're doing,' I added spitefully. 'Are you happy? I'm a loser. I got bashed. Two points for me. CeeCee, Adam's a great guy. But I don't love him, and I'm not messing around with him. Jesus, I would never do that to you . . .'
I watched her eyes well up again with a noxious look on my face. What? I really wasn't having a magnificent day, you know? Not too thrilled to bits, me.
'Suze,' she said, her hand on her mouth in horror, 'Oh God, Suze, I'm so sorry-'
'You know what?' I snapped, closing my eyes, 'I don't want to hear it. Really, Cee.' I walked out of there, feeling so low and ashamed of myself, it was unbearable. I could hear CeeCee calling my name, sounding heavily apologetic, but I didn't give a damn. Make her feel the guilt. Why did I have to be the only one with pain? Why couldn't I share this DAMN FEELING? It wasn't fair.
But then, nothing was anymore . . .
'Suze, please!'
I was walking out the school, and CeeCee was still following me.
'Go and kiss Adam,' I said bluntly. 'I'm not in the mood for this.'
'Suze,' she ran in front of me, putting both her hands on my shoulders, 'Please, I'm so sorry. I'm the biggest bitch that ever walked the earth. I shouldn't have assumed that you were into Adam. You're too loyal a friend to ever betray me like that. I totally hate myself, please, I'm so sorry . . . '
I stared at her in what I hoped was an inscrutable expression. I didn't want her to see how torn up I was inside, how traumatized I felt. I blinked at her steadily.
And for God's sake, Bryce showed up then, right beside CeeCee.
'Suze!' he yelled. Uh oh, why did he sound so mad? Oh, God . . . 'Some ghosts just told me . . . you exorcised Heather! As in, sent her packing!' he roared at me. I took a step back, trying to hide the fact that I had a ghost screaming at me from CeeCee. She was still looking desperately at me, but then frowned uncertainly, obviously at how wide my eyes had become.
I couldn't deal with Bryce now! Take him back!
But the guy was relentless. 'I just told you this morning what she meant to me, and you go and exorcise her! Why? Mediators are supposed to play fair!'
With that, his eyes flashed, and I was totally thrown against a tree six meters away. I didn't expect that, and CeeCee didn't know what was happening. I crumpled to the ground. No, not now . . . Not after everything, please . . .
And that's when a flock of scandal hunting sophomores, lead by Kelly, homed in on me. 'Suze, Kelly just told us about what happened!' rambled Debbie Mancuso, 'She's like, fibbing right? You didn't let a guy beat you up, right? Is it like, true?'
'Yeah, and what happened to Juniperro Serra's fricken head? And the breezeway? Suze!' Brad's jock friend Scott sneered.
'Bring her back!' Bryce yelled, advancing on me.
'Suze, please say something!' CeeCee said, her eyes streaming with shining tears.
'Fess up! We need to know all about it!'
PLEASE! THIS IS TOO MUCH! NOT NOW! NOT AFTER ALL I'D BEEN THROUGH! THIS WASN'T FAIR! NOT FAIR! JUST GO AWAY, GO AWAAAAAAY!!!!!
. . . And I shifted.
I escaped the terrible mess that I'd created . . .
**************************************************************************** *****
Upcoming chapters are going to be better, trust me, but this bit had to be done before it, you understand, right? It's an important chunk for later on. PLEASE REVIEW. I can't believe the support I've gotten from anyone. I just love you all so much. You all know how it feels to get a really special review. Thanks so much for making me feel special. I thought this story was going to be a dud at the start . . .
High regards, Princess Roxanne.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, I pleasure you to another chapter of "Twisted World" . . .
I know, I'm a loser . . .
**************************************************************************** *******
Suze's POV.
I didn't sleep at all that night. Well, duh, I was kind of at Father Dom's house, but still. I totally wasn't going to fall asleep, and leave myself vulnerable for Paul to kill. I mean, Father Dom was sympathetic and all, but since I like, didn't tell him the truth about how I'd acquired my second helping of injuries, he didn't feel there was any real danger of leaving me alone.
But as I was sitting on his couch with my muffin man hands and my dully throbbing head, reality started to sink in.
And oh, did it hit me hard.
I'd almost died.
And not in some little pissy battle between me and some random ghost. I'd known Paul. I'd slept in my own bed, with him just meters away the whole time. I'd had a conversation with him, even. I mean, he really wasn't that bad when he put his mind to it.
But what he did . . . That hurt so much . . .
How I couldn't fight back, how he'd been banging my head against the floor like that, throttling me, staring at me with such ferocity in his chilly blue eyes. He'd tried to kill me, and I'd been so powerless against him. He'd been too strong. I didn't think that there was a ghost stronger than me . . . Welcome to the real world, Suze. Things aren't as perfect as you thought they were.
I mean, this was a real eye opener. Unfortunately, it was about as welcome as a terrorist attack. It proved Father Dominic right: I wasn't invincible.
Oh God . . .
I'd almost died.
That's when the tears came on, fully fledged. They made rivers down my slightly swollen cheeks, and stung like toxic waste. I sat on the couch, cuddling my knees close into my chest. I felt as though I couldn't breathe through my bawling. I was hyperventilating and choking on my own sobs, the works. I couldn't stop, once the tears started. I was shaking, I was crying so hard. Just visualizing what had happened, over and over again. The bashing, the choking, the yelling, the blue eyes . . .
It went on for hours, the same thing. I kept reliving it, remembering every dark detail as clear as crystal. How I'd been so helpless against his strength, and his determination to execute me.
I never wanted to see that homicidal ass wipe again . . .
Ever.
It was just too painful
~*~
The sun was just rising through Father Dom's window. It cast murky daybreak rays in the gloomy sky, lifting the darkness from Carmel. My spirits didn't climb with the sun, they stayed scared and paranoid and distraught. Slowly and warily, I sat up and walked out from Father Dom's little . . . what do you call it? Convent or something? Anyway, I went for a stroll to the cemetery just outside the school zone, trying to sort out all the terrified and chaotic thoughts inside my sore and puffy head.
. . . Was he still after me?
. . . Would he go after Jesse?
. . . Did he still want me dead?
. . . What if he found me RIGHT HERE?!
I stopped, but shook my head angrily and continued to the cemetery, where I sat under a tree near Heather Chambers' grave. I gave a shuddering sigh, as more dismal sunshine illuminated the sky with grey and muted yellow streaks. Everything looked grey, from the sky to the grass I was stilling on. There was a light fog encircling all the headstones. It reminded me of the Shadowland . . .
'Suze, isn't it?'
I was jerked sharply out of my thoughts. I turned around, with a thudding heart, scared to see who was standing there.
But it was only Bryce.
Thank God . . .
I hastily wiped away my tears, and sniffed, trying to make it look like I wasn't sniveling hysterically. He sat down next to me. 'What was with the look?'
I frowned distractedly. 'What look?'
'You looked at me like I was the Grim Reaper or something. But then, you've probably already met him, and you'd be like, "So yesterday," or something.'
I smiled in spite of what had happened to me. I turned my head to face Bryce. He was a real looker, in a surfie, blond, dim-witted kind of way. He had straw coloured hair that fell glossily across his forehead and into his eyes, and had a very lazy face, with sleepy eyes. Like Sleepy's. Maybe they had both been on something when they were alive that made them look that way. Because, hadn't Adam mentioned that they were friends? Yeah . . .
'Er, should I go?' he asked uncertainly, going to stand up.
'Nah, don't,' I objected faintly, 'Trust me, you being here is better than me being on my own. I've got issues, you see.'
He looked a little weirded out. 'Uh, okay. What's up?'
'The sky,' I replied dully. 'That large expanse of nothingness that goes on forever, and gives the impression that it will be a happy day, but it lies. Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day, and look how it ended . . . '
I glanced at Bryce, and saw he was staring me in bewilderment, his mouth slightly open.
'Sorry,' I said ruefully, 'I got a lot on my mind, is all.'
' can tell,' he said, not too tactfully. 'What's your dilemma then, babe? Get dumped or something? I remember Heather when I broke it off, she . . .' He trailed off, looking aggrieved. 'Oh well, it doesn't matter now . . . She's not moping. She got the last laugh, when she shot me.'
I turned back to him. 'She didn't kill you, you know,' I said softly.
This was news to him. 'Huh? Of course she did. She was there, she wrote that letter on the wall. I know her hand writing-'
'She was there, but she didn't pull the trigger on the gun,' I interrupted. I believed Heather when she said Paul murdered him. He seemed to have a thing for homicide by now, what with the attempted murder of Adrianna De Silva, and most recently, myself. Bryce had just been the real thing . . .
'Who did?'
'The same guy who tried to off me last night,' I revealed, staring at the grass, feeling lower than dirt. Remembering how I'd screamed, how alive his eyes had been, so aroused, enticed by my pain-
'Yeah, I want names!' he said angrily, ripping up a tuft of grass and blowing it, so it carried in the only partially existent breeze, and landed limply a foot away.
I wasn't going to give him Paul's name, for God knows why. But then I thought, hey, do I care what happens to the bastard? No, not after last night.
'His name's P-' I stopped again. No, if Bryce went after him, it would probably result in something even more violent.
'Yeah?' he prompted.
I shook my head, and lied. 'Uh, Peter . . . no, Patrick? No, Percy . . .Oh, I give up, I don't know.' Ah, aren't I a first rate con artist? Yeppers, totally, that's so me.
Sigh . . .
His gaze fell. 'Oh,' he said, sounding lost again. He looked out beyond the school, opposite to where the sun was rising from. The ocean. So deceptively calm, and knowing. Still, and free from anxiety. Unlike . . .
'God, if there's two things I miss,' he muttered, staring wistfully at the distant waves, 'It's surfing . . . And Heather.'
That floored me. I twisted to face him. 'What?!' I gasped. 'But – but, she plotted your murder! She wouldn't have gone through with it, but she still inspired the whole thing!'
He shrugged. 'I know,' he said, 'But I did love her. You think I'm an idiot,' he said – er, yeah, in a big way – 'But she was the first person I loved.'
'And you broke up with her why?' I scoffed.
'Because I can't stand commitment,' he said contritely, his eyes downcast. 'I got scared when she pointed to that damned wedding ring and all. It freaked me out, you know? Not the kind of thing that I wanted to be thinking about just then.'
God, this was unexpected . . .
'When I heard that she was dead,' he said monotonously, 'I was full sad, aye? I mean, yeah, I can't commit like that, but she didn't have to go and blow her brains out. I didn't mean for that to happen. I did love her, really . . .' He stretched, looking really remorseful.
'So, what's your deal, babe?'
I sighed, and repositioned myself so I was lying under the tree, not just sitting. I was SO tired . . .'
'Well, that guy that killed you and tried to off me? Well, he kind of had a thing for me, I think. When he saw me kiss my boyfriend, he got way jealous, and went all, 'If I can't have you then no one will' on me, and tried to strangle me. Oh, that was after your Heather dearest, I'm embarrassed to admit, beat the snot out of me.' I pushed my hair back, and showed him the damage on my forehead. He whistled. 'Jesus Christ,' he wheezed. 'Packs a punch, doesn't she?'
'And a kick,' I said bitterly. 'And plenty of dumb blond lines. No offense, dude,' I added hastily. He might get all pissed if I dissed his girlfriend.
'Nah, it's all right. She wasn't the smartest,' he said longingly. Speak for yourself, Bryce. 'But she did love me. She died for me, Sue.'
'Suze.'
'Whatever . . .'
My eyes fluttered. 'Crap, I'm tired.'
'Then sleep then.'
'I can't. I'm . . . er, nervous that he might find me and finish off what he didn't last night.'
Bryce frowned. 'Oh yeah. See your point.' Then he brightened. 'I'll watch you. And if he comes, that'll give me a good chance to twist his guts.'
Charming.
'Well,' I said, 'If you don't mind, 'that'd be full cool. It's a real drag, staying awake all paranoid, you know.' I shut my eyes, and while he was still saying something, sleep claimed me.
~*~
'Yo, Suze?'
Kick.
'Get up, Suze. Up and away. Jeez, you in a coma or something? What's wrong with you?'
Nudge.
I peaked through heavy eyelashes. The hazy outline of a boy was standing in front of me. PAUL!
'Get away from me!' I screamed opening my eyes fully and scrambling away from him . . .
'Hey, Suze? What's up with you?' That voice, it wasn't as deep as Paul's . . .
Adam McTavish was giving me a seriously weird look. 'You're not on anything, right?' he checked uncertainly.
I rubbed my eyes. 'Just a nightmare,' I said. I looked around and just saw Bryce dematerializing. Well, at least he was polite.
'What time is it?'
'It's recess,' he informed me. Then he noticed what must have been a hideous abrasion on my face. 'Shit! Suze, what the hell happened to you?'
I rolled my eyes, and stood up carefully. 'Oh, went to a polite tea party with four proper English ladies. Then they got pissed when I commented on their corsets and threw their scolding coffee at me. Really,' I said crabbily.
He eyed me doubtfully. 'Uh huh. Come on Suze, you're really smashed up.'
'Thanks,' I smiled mordantly.
'If you haven't noticed, I'm actually being serious,' he snapped. 'Suze, tell me what happened. Did someone . . . bash you?'
I gave him a sarcastic look of shock. 'Nah. Ya think?'
His concern deepened. 'Oh God . . . Suze, what h-'
'I don't wanna talk about it, okay?' I said, turning away from him. 'I'm not going to school. I already told Father Dom about it, and I'm not going home.'
'Why?'
I stopped. I shouldn't have said that. Now he's gonna know that there was something at my house that I didn't want to go home to . . .
'Just, I'm staying here to clear my head,' I said in frustration, walking away. 'God, Adam, just go-'
'No,' he broke in and followed me determinedly, looking all righteous and everything. 'Suze, if someone's harassing you, you know I'm here. I know I'm no WWF wrestler, but I'm a guy, and I'm supposed to be strong, so we'll just pretend for my pride's sake that I am-'
'You're way in over your head,' I said, spinning around to face. 'Just . . . just forget about it, Adam. You don't know what you're dealing with. I'm not sure I do anymore-'
'Suze, just tell me!'
'No!'
The air was thick with our furious shouting.
'Why not, for God's sake?'
'You'll think I'm crazy, so just piss off Adam, I'm really-' I started, leaving again, but he ran in front of me.
'Try me! I'm not leaving until you tell me who's doing this to you!' he shouted, getting angry. 'You're a friend, and one of the strongest chicks I know, and if someone can knock you around that bad, then it's something worth knowing! Tell me! Suze, I'm ser-'
'IT'S A GHOST, OKAY?!' I screamed in his face.
What had I just done?
He went very still, and his face paled a bit. He swallowed hard. 'What?'
I buried my face in my hands, but surfaced, looking stubborn. 'I'm joking, can't you take a joke?' I said, and released a deadly fake chuckle. 'Really. It's nothing, I just fell.'
'Whatever, Suze,' he said stiffly, still not moving. Not an inch . . .
'But . . . a ghost? You mean, haunted houses, white floating sheets, rattling chains, unexpected "boos" ghosts?'
I refused to answer.
'Come on Suze,' Adam glared, 'Tell me the truth.'
'That was the truth. Told you you wouldn't believe me. Now you just run off and tell my mum I'm still a mental case and that all that New York therapy didn't do a thing. You do that, Adam!' I screamed at him. I realized too late I was crying. I sank down to the grass again, hiding my leaking face in my lap.
Adam's hand rested on my shoulder.
And then, he said the three words I've never expected anyone non-mediator to say.
'I believe you.'
I froze horribly. Then I lifted my tear stained face to look at him. I saw there was no humour in his usually laughing eyes. He was dead sincere about this.
'No you don't,' I answered, 'You're a nice sane person, give or take a few brain cells. You're messing with-'
'Not messing,' he butted in. 'Suze, if you said that this was a ghost, I believe you. It's weirder than I can say, but I do. Face it.'
I saw Adam in a new light at that beautiful moment in time. His face looked so rugged and genuine, not wimpy and light-hearted anymore. He believed me.
He believed that I could talk to ghosts. Oh my God . . .
I realized that my mouth was open, but I didn't even care. I just threw my arms around his neck, going 'Thank you, thank you, thank you . . . you don't know what it meant to hear you say that.'
He patted my arm uncertainly. 'I kinda guess this is a big thing,' he said, his mind clearly blown.
'You have no idea,' I whispered, hugging him. Oh, what a great friend he was. It was staggering that he didn't think I was a nut job. Everyone did-
'OH MY GOD! I FULLY KNEW THIS!'
I jerked away from Adam, and turned around to see none other than CeeCee. She was standing about five meters away, very rigid. But even from there, I could see her glassy eyes welling up.
She turned on her heel, and bolted away. Oh, shit . . . What was she thinking?
'Stay here!' I shouted to Adam, and sprinted after her speedily.
One thing: Ever tried running with a black and blue balloon sized head? It's totally not cool.
I reached the school, and saw CeeCee tear around the corner as if she'd just heard the library was giving out free books. Accept she wouldn't be crying as hard as she was now if that happened, you know?
I pelted after her around the corner, and arrived to see the door to the ladies' swinging. Sighing, I slumped in, and saw that two of three cubicles were locked. Yay. These had been repaired since Heather demolished them last, mind.
'CeeCee?' I called. 'I know you're in here.'
'Oh, Suze, is that you?' bubbled an annoyingly familiar voice.
'Shut up, Kelly,' I snapped. 'CeeCee, get your butt out here.'
'No!' Her voice came out all crackled. 'Buzz off, Suze.' Only she didn't say "buzz."
'Are you two fighting?' Kelly's voice came from one of the cubicles. I couldn't tell which one, though.
'Nah,' I said indignantly, while CeeCee answered, 'None of your business, Prescott!' with a rather uncalled for "f" word in there. Whoa, CeeCee was giving the resident potty mouth Kevin Doyle a run for his money. She wasn't usually such a swearhead.
'CeeCee, I'm serious. You saw that all wrong,' I insisted. I was just about to kick the cubicle door down when it burst open. I saw CeeCee standing there with the matchlessly ugliest glare on her face. Her white hair even seemed to have a Medusa omen to it. 'You kissed him, I saw you. How could you?' she hissed, her eyes in slits of fury.
'Whoa!' I said. 'CeeCee, I gave him a hug. He said something really nice, and I gave him a hug. It is totally platonic between us, okay?'
'Yeah, whatever, Simon,' she snapped.
'Are you talking about McTavish?' the salacious Kelly wanted to know.
'SHUT UP!' we roared at her cubicle, and she fell silent.
She continued to glare. 'I don't know if you're doing this because you like him or you genuinely hate me, Suze, but-'
'CeeCee!' I said, scandalized, 'Look! I don't like Adam more than a friend. If you haven't noticed, I'm not as healthy looking as I have been today. And you wanna know why? Some guy bashed me. Yeah, Kell, tell that to all your friends,' I snapped at her cubicle. 'Adam totally went defensive, and said that if I ever needed help with guys I was scared of, I could count on him, okay? I hugged him when he said that, because that is something a REAL friend would say. Last night I had the roughest night of my life, and Adam was there this morning to comfort me. Which is a hell of a lot more than you're doing,' I added spitefully. 'Are you happy? I'm a loser. I got bashed. Two points for me. CeeCee, Adam's a great guy. But I don't love him, and I'm not messing around with him. Jesus, I would never do that to you . . .'
I watched her eyes well up again with a noxious look on my face. What? I really wasn't having a magnificent day, you know? Not too thrilled to bits, me.
'Suze,' she said, her hand on her mouth in horror, 'Oh God, Suze, I'm so sorry-'
'You know what?' I snapped, closing my eyes, 'I don't want to hear it. Really, Cee.' I walked out of there, feeling so low and ashamed of myself, it was unbearable. I could hear CeeCee calling my name, sounding heavily apologetic, but I didn't give a damn. Make her feel the guilt. Why did I have to be the only one with pain? Why couldn't I share this DAMN FEELING? It wasn't fair.
But then, nothing was anymore . . .
'Suze, please!'
I was walking out the school, and CeeCee was still following me.
'Go and kiss Adam,' I said bluntly. 'I'm not in the mood for this.'
'Suze,' she ran in front of me, putting both her hands on my shoulders, 'Please, I'm so sorry. I'm the biggest bitch that ever walked the earth. I shouldn't have assumed that you were into Adam. You're too loyal a friend to ever betray me like that. I totally hate myself, please, I'm so sorry . . . '
I stared at her in what I hoped was an inscrutable expression. I didn't want her to see how torn up I was inside, how traumatized I felt. I blinked at her steadily.
And for God's sake, Bryce showed up then, right beside CeeCee.
'Suze!' he yelled. Uh oh, why did he sound so mad? Oh, God . . . 'Some ghosts just told me . . . you exorcised Heather! As in, sent her packing!' he roared at me. I took a step back, trying to hide the fact that I had a ghost screaming at me from CeeCee. She was still looking desperately at me, but then frowned uncertainly, obviously at how wide my eyes had become.
I couldn't deal with Bryce now! Take him back!
But the guy was relentless. 'I just told you this morning what she meant to me, and you go and exorcise her! Why? Mediators are supposed to play fair!'
With that, his eyes flashed, and I was totally thrown against a tree six meters away. I didn't expect that, and CeeCee didn't know what was happening. I crumpled to the ground. No, not now . . . Not after everything, please . . .
And that's when a flock of scandal hunting sophomores, lead by Kelly, homed in on me. 'Suze, Kelly just told us about what happened!' rambled Debbie Mancuso, 'She's like, fibbing right? You didn't let a guy beat you up, right? Is it like, true?'
'Yeah, and what happened to Juniperro Serra's fricken head? And the breezeway? Suze!' Brad's jock friend Scott sneered.
'Bring her back!' Bryce yelled, advancing on me.
'Suze, please say something!' CeeCee said, her eyes streaming with shining tears.
'Fess up! We need to know all about it!'
PLEASE! THIS IS TOO MUCH! NOT NOW! NOT AFTER ALL I'D BEEN THROUGH! THIS WASN'T FAIR! NOT FAIR! JUST GO AWAY, GO AWAAAAAAY!!!!!
. . . And I shifted.
I escaped the terrible mess that I'd created . . .
**************************************************************************** *****
Upcoming chapters are going to be better, trust me, but this bit had to be done before it, you understand, right? It's an important chunk for later on. PLEASE REVIEW. I can't believe the support I've gotten from anyone. I just love you all so much. You all know how it feels to get a really special review. Thanks so much for making me feel special. I thought this story was going to be a dud at the start . . .
High regards, Princess Roxanne.