A/N: Sadly, there is no fun to be had with Paul at the moment. Since this is technically a rewrite, he's not (physically) appearing until way, way, way later. As in the fourth installment, like he did in the real series. Personally, I hold Paul in the same disdain I hold Maria, but try not to let bias show in the actual fics. (points to the giant character flip-flop hint)
Answers to two specific reviews: The title I kept because I wasn't originally intending on putting this on FF.net, so it was for my own file reference. And secondly, who wouldn't stare if Jesse walked into a room? I know I would (as discreetly as possible anyway…)
Chapter 5:
I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do at first. If I were anywhere else, I could just pull him aside and talk, but with an entire classroom staring at me it was a bit impossible. So I did the only thing I could. I ignored him. Mr. Haulin led me to the front of the classroom when he saw me hesitate and asked me a few general questions for the class's benefit. I replied simply about my new stepfamily and my previous home and school in Carmel-by-the-sea, California.
Haulin was merciful enough to let me sit down after only a minute or two. I was then asked to pick a seat. There was only one seat available, two if you were normal and couldn't see the ghost boy in the second row. But since this obviously did not apply to me, I skipped the ghost-occupied seat next to the girl with high boots and took the seat in the fifth row behind the girl with a nose ring. For some reason, a boy near me took the moment to comment to his friend, "Jeez, pick the freak, why doncha?"
It looked like the girl with the nose ring was going to retort, but I asked him darkly, "You've got something to say to me or her?"
He hastily replied, "I wasn't calling you a freak."
"Yeah? Well, that's why I'm going to break your face instead of just your arm." The tone of my voice must have made him reconsider his reply since he turned back around quickly. Hey, I may be polite, but I've kicked a few butts in my spare time even if most were of metaphysical sort. But shouldn't I get extra points for those anyway?
The rest of class went much smoother. I could almost pretend the ghost in the second row was just a normal classmate, even if he did glow a bit. When the bell rang for second period – which was something else I had to readjust to since Carmel just went by the hour – the nose-ring girl stood up with me and said bluntly, "I don't need you to stick up for me." She was quite impressive since she was nearly as tall as I was. I could see her clearly now. She had café au lait skin and bright coppery hair that was done into many braids.
I blinked and said, "Never would have dreamed it."
"Oh, yeah? Then what was that little display before with Josh?" she asked. "Comin' all up in here like Don Juan saving a damsel in distress. Let me tell you right now, I ain't no damsel." She put her hand on her hip and looked up at me stubbornly.
I couldn't help but be reminded of Susannah's "I am not a lady" rage. The girls in New York seem so touchy about that. "I didn't do it because you needed help," I explained, "I did it because Josh is an ass."
She had to smile at that. "I'm Gina," she said as she offered her hand. "Welcome to New York."
"Jesse," I replied unnecessarily as I took it.
Gina was one of those free-spirited rebels people usually write books about. Rebelling against what, I'm not sure. She despised the snobbish fashion club at the school, but still made a point of scoring a fifty percent off Prada handbag. When I asked her about that, she said, "Attitude makes or breaks ya. But that doesn't mean you can't be stylin' at the same time." I admit I can't really refute that logic.
We walked out of first period and I noticed that the ghost-boy had left as well and I hadn't seen where he'd gone. Oh, well. If it was really important, he'd show up again. I wish I'd had the foresight to see how right I was.
At lunch, I bought a simple lunch of chicken tenders and a soda then sat with Gina a few of her friends on a bench in the garden. There were four lunch periods, the last of which the seniors had to themselves. Gina's friends were happy to meet me and bombarded me with questions about California. You could tell they weren't the most popular kids in school, but they were fun and entertaining. Steve, a guy with baggy jeans and long hair, asked, "Did you do any surfing there?"
"A little. But not as much as my other friends, Adam, Jake, and Brad." Jake and Brad were the two eldest of the three Ackerman brothers. Jake was my age and Brad was two years behind us. If you didn't know Jake well, you might've thought he was a druggie, but he's just sleepy and out of it most of the time. He worked as a lifeguard during the day in the summer, and as a pizza delivery guy by night. Jake even tended to shorten words out of laziness, like pizza into "za." Brad on the other hand, I was exasperated with most of the time. I didn't hate him, but he seemed like such a lump when he wanted to be. He was admittedly dependable though when it came to any sort of fight or defense I needed, although that may have been because I could introduce him to girls easily. The littlest Ackerman was David who often helped with any research I needed, ghost-related or otherwise. I think he suspected the whole mediator thing, but never questioned me. I added, "Jake is thinking of coming to New York for college."
A pretty girl with purple highlights in her black hair named Sarah said, "Damn, it's like a hottie invasion here." I just laughed.
Just then I happened to notice Carrie and the girl with high boots sitting together on the lip of the fountain. And to my unbearable luck, ghost boy was glowing there as well, slightly glaring at the girl, who looked upset. I knew he was up to something.
Gina must have thought I was looking at the girl because she said, "Oh, her? That's Shannon McKinley." She took a sip of her Cherry Coke and continued, "I think everyone was surprised when you picked the seat behind me instead of next to her."
"Why?"
"Because she's like the school idol, duh. And she's recently single." Raising her eyebrows slightly she added, "But that might've been best that you didn't sit there, Jess. Her old boy-toy Bryan used to sit there."
"What happened?" Even though I got the sinking feeling that I already knew.
Sarah supplied, "Died in a car accident during break. They were driving upstate and the roads must've been slick or something. Ran right into the woods and hit the biggest tree there."
I muttered a Spanish curse they didn't understand and looked back over to Carrie and Shannon. My stepsister had gotten up to get another soda. But then I saw Bryan stand up as well and turn his glare away from Shannon and on to the modern sculpture. The cube-thing rumbled ominously and I already knew what was going to happen.
By instinct, I stood up and ran for the fountain, snatching Shannon out of the way as the sculpture fell on to the fountain lip and partly on the paved walkway right where she had been, shattering bits of stone within a seven foot radius. Water gushed out of the giant crack and made a mud puddle to the right of it. Shannon and I had landed a small ways away from the impact, lightly dusted in stone powder. I had twisted my body as we fell so that she would land on top and not hit the ground with too much force. I opened my eyes and saw that she was still on top of me, staring not at the wreckage, but at me. I cleared my throat and made a movement to get up. She got the message and got off to sit beside me. Shannon whispered as she looked at the ruined fountain, "Oh my god…"
I sat up slowly to check for broken bones, but everything seemed to be in order. I rubbed a slight bump on my head and asked, "Are you all right?" I looked around for Bryan, but he was already gone.
She only managed to say "Oh my god…" again.
Carrie came running back while Gina and her crew promptly exclaimed, "Holy shit!"
A balding man with a saggy face came up to us through the murmuring and excited senior crowd. "What happened here?!" His impeccably neat blue suit and general need-to-know tone told me he was the principal.
Gina answered, "It was the sculpture, Mr. Preston. It almost fell on Shannon but Jess saved her."
Mr. Preston looked down his nose at me, or at least, he did until I stood up. I was about six inches taller. I offered my hand to Shannon to help her up and she stood as well. You could tell Mr. Preston didn't believe a word of it and probably thought I had somehow caused it, but at the time he could only say, "Escort Miss McKinley to the clinic, Mr. De Silva." I just did as I was told, even if I didn't exactly know where the clinic was. But Shannon did. As we left, I heard Mr. Preston talking to another teacher, "First the security system blows up without reason, now this…"
So the two of us walked down the hall and were quiet most of the way. Shannon probably had lots of things on her mind, but I was busy thinking about what Bryan was up to. Obviously, he wants to kill Shannon, but since that isn't an option I had to find some other way to get him to leave. Shannon suddenly looked up at me and said, "You know, if it wasn't for you, I'd probably be dead by now."
I replied, "Just doing what I thought anyone would do."
"But they didn't, and you did," she said. I wasn't sure what she was getting at so I remained quiet. Shannon continued, "My horrible luck getting almost killed twice in a month."
"Yeah, I heard about that. Sorry about your boyfriend." Well, I wasn't really since I saw what he had tried to do, but she didn't have to know about that.
"I guess everyone's talking about me, huh?"
"A little," I admitted.
We arrived at the open door way which had a small sign that said "clinic" in gold lettering. Before going in, she turned to me and asked, "What are you doing Friday night?"
I blinked and answered lamely, "Nothing, I suppose."
She smiled. "How about I show you around the hot spots in New York? A small thanks for saving my life."
Oh, she was asking me out on a date. Not that this was anything new, but she certainly got to what she wanted quickly. No note-passing to girlfriends or ill-disguised attempts to find out more about me. They just have a different attitude here in New York, I guess. I answered with a smile, "It'd be a pleasure." We exchanged phone numbers and Shannon finally went into the clinic. I made my way back to class wondering what I was getting myself into.
A/N: Like I said before, there will be some major plot changes to fit the setting after this first rewrite. I think those will be more enjoyable than this one. And in case you're curious, there are a more reappearances from pre-existing characters in later chapters and/or installments. Want a teaser? Here (for those of you who just really wanted to see Paul):
I had only just stepped out of the bathroom when I felt the familiar chill. Nombre de Dios, was she back already? I was about to reach for the first "weapon" I could grab, the plunger, when I saw someone else of the ghostly-persuasion looking around my room in wonderment. And this one was not wearing a dress.
He was as tall as I was, with broad-shoulders and look of slight amusement on his face as he saw what I was reaching for. He offered his hand cordially with a broad smile, "Hello, I'm Paul Slater. You're the mediator, I presume?"
Too bad Book 4 is such a long way away, huh?