Disclaimer: you know the drill
A/N: OMG, I luv you chickies so much for reviewing!! I am tres sorry its been AGES since I updated but, hey, you know school! They have it in their heads that, for some reason, we have to actually do work and HOMEWORK instead of writing trashy teen stories, I was like "No, Mrs Bob, that is way uncool of you" but alas, she/he ignored my pleas of rest and instead told me to concentrate on something more worth-while, like helping the starved. I told her/him I did – "When I'm hungry, Mrs Bob, I eat. That helps" but again, she/he chose to ignore me.
Mystique Angelique: I LUB LONG REVIEWS!!! HOW DID YOU KNOW??? Seriously, we have a connection, do you feel it? I do. It sparkles. It says, "Woooo". It is soooo possible to love three guys at once, I don't love Sean, however I do love Paul, Jesse and Rob (from Missing). And, there may be a little guy-on-guy action (fighting, btw, nothing dodgy), so stay tuned! I love the whole Jeseapaul – but would you honestly marry a guy named that? Poor guy. Plus your kids would be ashamed of him. Won't somebody think of the children???? You kick ass. Please continue to kick ass.
muzacgirl: I don't even know where the square (soon to become pentagon (I think)) will end up...but do keep reading to find out! I would love to read to find out, but I can't, seems my psychic powers aren't working...damn them
travis'_gurl_iwish: the Suze-Paul romance MAY go somewhere (I dunno if you noticed, I been trying to get Suze appear as if she's like "wait a minute, Paul doesn't have feelings for me...does he?" so she's a bit confused...kinda... Also, Suze said Sean was more of a guardian angle, cos Jesse is now her boyf, so Suze wants to try and get more of a real boyf-girlf thing going on with him, as opposed to the usual ghost-mediator thing they have going on...if that makes any sense at all... And Suze may end up with anyone in the end, but let's consider this, Suze considers Paul to be the fruit that sprang from Satan's loin, Sean is a ghost (and true, so is Jesse but) Jesse has admitted he loves Suze and Suze loves Jesse. But you never know, things may change...especially if Louisa and Paul get their way...
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After lunch, during the rest of the school day I had a new stalker.
No, not Paul. Which scared me slightly – where was Paul? Whenever he went quiet, it usually meant he was concocting some evil scheme. That guy seriously played me. He either had me on tenterhooks, or he had me relaxed...but still waiting.
Back to my new stalker.
Louisa.
Man, was I beginning to regret taking her in. She had now taken to following me around everywhere. Into my classes, next to me in the corridor. And constantly chitchatting in her annoying chirpy way.
Seriously, this girl would not shut up.
The only reason I didn't smack her in her fast-moving gob was that I was already considered a freak after the whole party incident.
After Sean dematerialised, I stood a little while longer in the breezeway. I was still in shock, to be honest.
I was broken out of my daze by a sharp poke in the ribs and a high pitch, too cheerful "Hey!" I whipped around and found Louisa grinning at me, head cocked to one side, hands on hips. What was she so goddam happy about? She was dead, for Christ's sake! I will never understand the deceased as long as I live, which, judging by the way I live, won't be very long.
I glared at her but she still stood there, this huge plastic Barbie smile on her face. I exhaled gustily then said hi back.
And she continued to stand there.
She wasn't even blinking.
I just stared at her; I leant forward slightly to see if she was just blinking so quickly I couldn't see it.
I started to count.
I mean, even if you're dead, you still blink.
OK, this was getting stupid now.
Blink! Blink you stupid freak, blink!
Come on!
When is this girl ever gonna-
She blinked.
"What classes do you have?" She asked in her chirpy cheerleader manner.
I continued to stare.
OK, now it was me who needed to blink.
Louisa waved her hand in front of me.
"Coo-ey! Susie, you still there?"
I blinked and stood back.
"Uh, I gotta go...you know, classes."
"Can I come?" She gushed out. She looked a little apprehensive at asking.
Taken aback, I quickly agreed. I regretted it instantly. Louisa took it as some sign of us becoming best friends or blood sisters or something. She started talking really fast. Like when I do when I'm nervous.
But I realised she didn't talk fast when she was nervous.
She just talked fast. Full stop.
"I miss school, you know? I had all my friends and stuff and we'd used to have so much fun. Gossiping and passing notes in class. I remember one time, in Chemistry, Marissa caught her hair on fire-" she opened her mouth really wide and raised her eyebrows really high, as if telling me that was the expression I should be wearing. One of complete unconcerned shock it made me want to laugh hysterically. "-and she was screaming and running round, and Claire was running behind her, and they both kinda looked like, oh what's the phrase people use? Oh yeah, headless chickens – I never did get that, I mean, headless chickens? Wouldn't they just stop moving completely?"
I was about to tell her that they wouldn't, but she just continued nattering at me.
"So yeah, our teacher, Mr Greenhorn, he was yelling at them to hit the fire out, when this big guy in our class, Pete, he grabbed a beaker, filled it with water, and then threw it on Marissa. It was so funny! You would not believe."
I didn't.
"School was just so much fun. I really do miss it." I waited expectantly for the words, "This one time, at band camp" but when I realised they weren't coming, I started walking to my class.
Louisa followed.
It went on like this for the rest of the day. She nattered at me like some drugged-up monkey while I was trying to listen to the teacher, answer the teachers when they directed questions at me (which is amazingly hard when I have this leprechaun talking about how she hated algebra).
I whispered to her angrily that it was really hard to concentrate with her talking and she shut up apologetically...
Then started talking again.
CeeCee and Adam gave me really odd looks when I kept nodding at random things they were saying and saying "cool, that's really great" when they started talking about how unfair it was that Adam's parents weren't letting him have a hot tub party, when I was actually trying to reply subtly to Louisa incessant and pointless (and to be frank, boring) chatter.
She even talked to me through the cubicle door when I peed.
Come on! What was this girl on??
When it was the end of the day, I almost died with relief. Surely Louisa would leave me alone and go stalk Paul or something?
(I did actually drop hints that Paul was into that kinda thing – the whole girls-stalking him thing - but she just said, "Oh, but I can do that later")
Unfortunately, it seemed that I had made a friend for life. Or, should that be leech for life?
When I clambered into the car at then end of the day, getting an odd look from Doc as I sighed gustily and made the cross sign with my hand in front of me as I prayed silently to God telling him I would totally chop up the plastic ring things that kill unsuspecting animals, if He would just, I don't know, banish Louisa to the Shadowland?
As Dopey started the engine and I sank into my chair, I heard something that made me want to throw myself out of the moving vehicle.
"But after the party I was telling you about, I totally told Michael that I wasn't into that thing, but you know guys. So then..."
That was one long car ride, let me tell you.
As soon as I got home, even before the car had officially stopped moving, I pelted upstairs and threw myself on the bed.
"Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease..." I muttered over and over again. "Don't let her come up here, pleasepleaseplease..."
"Querida?" I heard the tentative voice but continued my mad muttering.
"Susannah?" I felt him plonk his cute Latino butt down next to me on the bed but I didn't stop. One break from me and the Devil Woman would be up here so fast; I feared I would commit suicide.
"Susannah, stop that, please, Susannah." I opened one eye and turned my head away from my pillow so he could see it. I shook my head slightly, but didn't stop my murmurs.
This time, Jesse grabbed me by the shoulders and twisted me round to face him. I was still clutching the pillow stiffly to my face. I peeled it away and looked around.
"Huh?" I realised Jesse had turned me round. I quickly slammed my eyelids closed and continued muttering.
"Pleasepleaseplease...."
"Susannah stop. Now."
I didn't.
Jesse pinched my lips together and I opened my eyes. I tried to ask him what he was doing, but my lips were being forced together by his fingers.
"Are you finished now, Susannah?" I nodded my head and he released me.
"Ow" I said as I massaged my lips. "You'll regret that when I can't kiss you because you battered my delicate, beautiful lips." Jesse just cocked an eyebrow.
"Why were you doing that?" He asked.
"Doing what?" I asked back.
"Doing –" he waved his arm about vaguely, "-that. Your pleases."
"Oh, well, I've picked up a bit of a stalker." Jesse' face darkened. "Slater" he growled.
"What? No no no no, although, he did try and hit me after he cornered me today. But not that. It was-" Just as I was about to say her name, the thing herself materialised next to the bed.
"Susie!" She squealed, "Oh my God, I've been looking all over for you! Where did you disappear to? I didn't finish telling you about the time Marissa bought this completely heinous top from- Oh hello, and who are you?" She stopped mid-sentence and adopted her husky voice to talk to Jesse.
Jesse looked at me with a raised eyebrow, which he quickly lowered to greet Louisa.
"Hello, my name is Jesse." He was such a gentleman. My gentleman.
"Why hello Jesse, I'm Louisa. It's so nice to meet you," she leant forward to shake hands with Jesse, conveniently giving him a good view down her top. Like she had anything to show, I thought cattily. Then I felt bad for being mean. Then I didn't when she looked Jesse up and down, real slow and deliberately, and then licked her lips.
I sat up, sharpish.
"Jesse, this is the other person I'm trying to mediate," I said calmly, trying to hide the fury that was pulsing through me.
"Oh," Jesse smiled. Then he hooked his arm round me and kissed me on top of my forehead.
Ha!
Louisa looked a bit shocked, then a bit angry, then just plain devilish. I knew that look.
Bitch.
Like she could get Jesse away from me.
Could she?
No. No, she couldn't.
...
Suddenly Sean materialised next to Louisa. Could this day get any more complicated???
I sighed dejectedly. "Hey Sean, join the party." He looked from Jesse to Louisa to me, and a frown appeared on his pretty little face.
"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" Louisa let out a slight squeal then said, "Susie, how come all your friends are so good-looking? And how come they're all after you?" OK, I got slightly offended at that last comment she made. She kinda said it scornfully. I mean, sure, I may never win Miss America (do I look like I want to?) but I have nice hair, a nice bod, and a nice face. I'm not pug. I'm no raving beauty. I'm perfectly fine.
When I saw Jesse's face after what she said about them all being after me, and I saw him glare at Sean, the offended part of me died down and I laughed nervously.
"They're not after me, Louisa. What are you talking about? Haha."
And can I just say, that was meant to be rhetorical. She was not supposed to start counting them off on her fingers.
"Well, let me see. There's Paul. And you can't say that he's not good- looking," she laughed and looked at me, expecting me to answer. I glanced at Sean and Jesse. Neither looked particularly amused.
I laughed nervously again and then said, "Well, you know," but obviously this wasn't a good enough answer. "I supposed he's good-looking. Although, I have seen, and met, better," I glanced meaningfully at Jesse, then felt guilty and glanced at Sean, but then I felt the glare of Jesse and smiled forcefully at him.
My life would make great day-time tele. Louisa continued.
"Then there's Jesse, here," she smiled angelical at him. You could see the envy, disbelief, and hatred at the fact that I had him. "I don't know what's going on with you and Jesse here, so please, correct me if I'm wrong," she turned her sickly smile to me which briefly turned into a grimace when her eyes met mine, then turned back into a smile when she looked at Jesse. "But you two seem like, maybe, you're a couple? Please please, tell me if I'm completely wrong or out of line or something..."
She looked hopefully between Jesse and I.
I smiled victoriously.
"No no," I reassured her, "we are a 'couple', as you say." I smiled warmly at Jesse who looked a little confused.
Louisa's face was contorted with disbelief and sheer incredulity.
"But-but he's a ghost." The smile on her face was now so forced it looked as if she would have to staple it on soon it was that hard to keep up.
I smiled forcedly back at her.
"Yes. I had noticed that." I said through gritted teeth.
"He's dead." OK, now this was just getting rude, and annoying.
"Yes." My patience was fading rapidly.
"You're alive." She pointed accusingly at me.
"I am indeed."
"But, you're alive. And he's dead." She repeated.
"I think we've established that, Louisa. Jesse is a ghost. I am not. Ghost," I pointed to Jesse, "Not," I pointed to myself. "Ghost – not, ghost – not," I did this action several times, just to make sure it had sank into her tiny little mind.
It hadn't.
"But how are you guys gonna, like, make out and stuff?" She blurted out.
OK, that took me by surprise.
"Urm, like normal couples do?" My patience by now had gone and my fist was twitching by my side.
"How are you gonna go on dates?" She asked again.
I had to physically sit on my fist to stop it from racing into her annoying face.
"We won't. We will just stay at home, and have fun there."
"But, he's dead!"
I lunged forward and she squealed and dematerialised...only to materialise cowering behind Sean. Jesse caught me around the waist before I fell off. My fist is like a bloodthirsty dog. When it gets the scent of blood, I just can't control it. My fist leads me, not the other way around.
And I like it that way, thank you very much.
"I think we have established the fact that Jesse and I are very much opposites in the world of living and dead, Louisa." Jesse was gripping a struggling me round the waist and his voice was a very forced calm.
I counted to ten like mum's therapist had told me and took some very deep breaths. I stopped trying to break free of Jesse's grip and sat down on my haunches slowly. I took one more deep breath then looked at Louisa.
"Jesse and I are a couple. And that's the end of it, Louisa. No if's, no but's. Just-a-couple." I talked slowly as if she were a toddler.
"Fine," she pouted, then linked arms with Sean and smiled sweetly up at him, "it's just a bit odd, isn't it?" You're telling me.
Sean coughed lightly and we all looked up him.
"I was just wondering, Father Dominic said that we should start discussing how to move on and stuff. Maybe we should start?" I smiled appreciatively at him. He was always so calm and collected.
Before I could speak, Louisa cut in and clung to Sean harder. "You know, Sean, seeing as we're both dead and we're both going through the same thing, maybe we should, you know, sit down and have a quiet chat. Just the two of us. Share stories. Get to know each other a little better," she rubbed herself lightly against him and bit her lip.
Per-lease. How obvious could this girl get. She was starting to piss me off, majorly. First she was rubbing herself up against Paul, and now Sean! Had she no restraint or self-respect?
"Sean's been going through a really tough time, Louisa, he probably just wants to be on his own right now," my words were laced with meaning, but Louisa continued to gaze up at him, her big blue eyes getting bigger.
"Oh, poor baby. Would you like to talk about it? A shoulder to cry on? I'm always here for you, Sean, you do know that, don't you? If Susie's ever too busy to help you, you just come to me, OK?" She was rubbing his shoulder with her hand. Sean looked quite startled.
"If Sean ever needs to talk, I would never be too busy to listen to him, Louisa. He knows that. Any time. That's what I'm here for." OK, even I could here the anger in my voice. Jesse shot me a look but I was staring hard at Louisa, who was gazing up at Sean...who was staring hard at me.
Could my life be any more complicated???
Just then, Andy yelled up for dinner.
"Thanks Suze, that means a lot to me," Sean smiled gratefully at me. Then he felt the tug at his is arm and saw Louisa looking up at him expectantly. "Oh, and-and you Louise."
"Louis-a," she replied sourly. Then she dematerialised with a huff.
Sean grinned at me then winked.
"See ya," he said, then was gone to, in a haze of twinkling blue and white.
I sighed contentedly.
As I was clambering off my bed, I heard a slight humming noise. I turned round and saw my mirror shaking. I shot Jesse a startled look, he was staring lividly at where Sean had been standing. His scar was white as his shirt.
"Jesse! What are you doing? Stop right now!" Jesse turned slowly to look at me.
"You seem to be very protective of this Sean, querida."
OK, I did not like the way he said that 'querida'. Kinda, accusatively.
"What? He's going through a tough time! His girlfriend effectively cheated on him! I don't think he needs a sap like Louisa hanging onto him and pressuring him! I'm just doing my job!"
"Your job, Susannah, is to help trapped souls move on. Not worry about their love lives! Sean can cope on his own."
"I'm just trying to make it easier for him! He's had it hard, Jesse, and he's being really nice and polite to me. Like today, when Paul was hassling me, he got really upset and was totally about to pound on him, for me. So I'm just trying to act a little graciously. That's all! Sean is a good guy. A good ghost. And I haven't met one of them in a long time." I pointed this out.
Then I saw the look of open hurt on Jesse's face.
"Oh, Jesse, I didn't mean-"
"Paul was hassling you again?" He asked I a flat voice, completely ignoring my pleas.
"Well – yes, kinda. But like I said-"
"And Sean helped you?" He continued in his monotone.
"Ye-yeah..."
Jesse looked at me piercingly.
"I don't want you to see Sean. I'm going to tell Father D to help him. You can help Louisa." I was flabbergasted.
"What?"
"You heard, Susannah." The mirror had stopped shaking, but with all the anger I was feeling, I bet I could've made it shake myself.
"No." Now it was Jesse's turn to be flabbergasted.
"Pardon?" His eyes lit up again and flashed with anger.
"You heard. I am going to continue helping Sean. He's my ghost. He came to me for help. He trusts me, Jesse, he likes me and confides in me. I'm going to help him, and you can't stop me." I stood defiantly.
The mirror started shaking again and Jesse stood up on the other side of my bed. Which, might I add, was starting to shake to...
I swallowed. It was a teensy bit scary.
Before either Jesse or I could say anything though, my mum called upstairs.
"Susie, dinner! Now!"
I stared at Jesse for a split second longer, than whipped around and stormed out of my room with a flurry. I didn't turn around to see if Jesse was still there or not. I didn't care. I just slammed my door, and went downstairs. Leaving a trail of anger, hanging like a mist behind me.
I had never been so angry with Jesse in my life.
So this is what your first couple's row is like, huh?
A/N: OMG, I luv you chickies so much for reviewing!! I am tres sorry its been AGES since I updated but, hey, you know school! They have it in their heads that, for some reason, we have to actually do work and HOMEWORK instead of writing trashy teen stories, I was like "No, Mrs Bob, that is way uncool of you" but alas, she/he ignored my pleas of rest and instead told me to concentrate on something more worth-while, like helping the starved. I told her/him I did – "When I'm hungry, Mrs Bob, I eat. That helps" but again, she/he chose to ignore me.
Mystique Angelique: I LUB LONG REVIEWS!!! HOW DID YOU KNOW??? Seriously, we have a connection, do you feel it? I do. It sparkles. It says, "Woooo". It is soooo possible to love three guys at once, I don't love Sean, however I do love Paul, Jesse and Rob (from Missing). And, there may be a little guy-on-guy action (fighting, btw, nothing dodgy), so stay tuned! I love the whole Jeseapaul – but would you honestly marry a guy named that? Poor guy. Plus your kids would be ashamed of him. Won't somebody think of the children???? You kick ass. Please continue to kick ass.
muzacgirl: I don't even know where the square (soon to become pentagon (I think)) will end up...but do keep reading to find out! I would love to read to find out, but I can't, seems my psychic powers aren't working...damn them
travis'_gurl_iwish: the Suze-Paul romance MAY go somewhere (I dunno if you noticed, I been trying to get Suze appear as if she's like "wait a minute, Paul doesn't have feelings for me...does he?" so she's a bit confused...kinda... Also, Suze said Sean was more of a guardian angle, cos Jesse is now her boyf, so Suze wants to try and get more of a real boyf-girlf thing going on with him, as opposed to the usual ghost-mediator thing they have going on...if that makes any sense at all... And Suze may end up with anyone in the end, but let's consider this, Suze considers Paul to be the fruit that sprang from Satan's loin, Sean is a ghost (and true, so is Jesse but) Jesse has admitted he loves Suze and Suze loves Jesse. But you never know, things may change...especially if Louisa and Paul get their way...
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After lunch, during the rest of the school day I had a new stalker.
No, not Paul. Which scared me slightly – where was Paul? Whenever he went quiet, it usually meant he was concocting some evil scheme. That guy seriously played me. He either had me on tenterhooks, or he had me relaxed...but still waiting.
Back to my new stalker.
Louisa.
Man, was I beginning to regret taking her in. She had now taken to following me around everywhere. Into my classes, next to me in the corridor. And constantly chitchatting in her annoying chirpy way.
Seriously, this girl would not shut up.
The only reason I didn't smack her in her fast-moving gob was that I was already considered a freak after the whole party incident.
After Sean dematerialised, I stood a little while longer in the breezeway. I was still in shock, to be honest.
I was broken out of my daze by a sharp poke in the ribs and a high pitch, too cheerful "Hey!" I whipped around and found Louisa grinning at me, head cocked to one side, hands on hips. What was she so goddam happy about? She was dead, for Christ's sake! I will never understand the deceased as long as I live, which, judging by the way I live, won't be very long.
I glared at her but she still stood there, this huge plastic Barbie smile on her face. I exhaled gustily then said hi back.
And she continued to stand there.
She wasn't even blinking.
I just stared at her; I leant forward slightly to see if she was just blinking so quickly I couldn't see it.
I started to count.
I mean, even if you're dead, you still blink.
OK, this was getting stupid now.
Blink! Blink you stupid freak, blink!
Come on!
When is this girl ever gonna-
She blinked.
"What classes do you have?" She asked in her chirpy cheerleader manner.
I continued to stare.
OK, now it was me who needed to blink.
Louisa waved her hand in front of me.
"Coo-ey! Susie, you still there?"
I blinked and stood back.
"Uh, I gotta go...you know, classes."
"Can I come?" She gushed out. She looked a little apprehensive at asking.
Taken aback, I quickly agreed. I regretted it instantly. Louisa took it as some sign of us becoming best friends or blood sisters or something. She started talking really fast. Like when I do when I'm nervous.
But I realised she didn't talk fast when she was nervous.
She just talked fast. Full stop.
"I miss school, you know? I had all my friends and stuff and we'd used to have so much fun. Gossiping and passing notes in class. I remember one time, in Chemistry, Marissa caught her hair on fire-" she opened her mouth really wide and raised her eyebrows really high, as if telling me that was the expression I should be wearing. One of complete unconcerned shock it made me want to laugh hysterically. "-and she was screaming and running round, and Claire was running behind her, and they both kinda looked like, oh what's the phrase people use? Oh yeah, headless chickens – I never did get that, I mean, headless chickens? Wouldn't they just stop moving completely?"
I was about to tell her that they wouldn't, but she just continued nattering at me.
"So yeah, our teacher, Mr Greenhorn, he was yelling at them to hit the fire out, when this big guy in our class, Pete, he grabbed a beaker, filled it with water, and then threw it on Marissa. It was so funny! You would not believe."
I didn't.
"School was just so much fun. I really do miss it." I waited expectantly for the words, "This one time, at band camp" but when I realised they weren't coming, I started walking to my class.
Louisa followed.
It went on like this for the rest of the day. She nattered at me like some drugged-up monkey while I was trying to listen to the teacher, answer the teachers when they directed questions at me (which is amazingly hard when I have this leprechaun talking about how she hated algebra).
I whispered to her angrily that it was really hard to concentrate with her talking and she shut up apologetically...
Then started talking again.
CeeCee and Adam gave me really odd looks when I kept nodding at random things they were saying and saying "cool, that's really great" when they started talking about how unfair it was that Adam's parents weren't letting him have a hot tub party, when I was actually trying to reply subtly to Louisa incessant and pointless (and to be frank, boring) chatter.
She even talked to me through the cubicle door when I peed.
Come on! What was this girl on??
When it was the end of the day, I almost died with relief. Surely Louisa would leave me alone and go stalk Paul or something?
(I did actually drop hints that Paul was into that kinda thing – the whole girls-stalking him thing - but she just said, "Oh, but I can do that later")
Unfortunately, it seemed that I had made a friend for life. Or, should that be leech for life?
When I clambered into the car at then end of the day, getting an odd look from Doc as I sighed gustily and made the cross sign with my hand in front of me as I prayed silently to God telling him I would totally chop up the plastic ring things that kill unsuspecting animals, if He would just, I don't know, banish Louisa to the Shadowland?
As Dopey started the engine and I sank into my chair, I heard something that made me want to throw myself out of the moving vehicle.
"But after the party I was telling you about, I totally told Michael that I wasn't into that thing, but you know guys. So then..."
That was one long car ride, let me tell you.
As soon as I got home, even before the car had officially stopped moving, I pelted upstairs and threw myself on the bed.
"Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease..." I muttered over and over again. "Don't let her come up here, pleasepleaseplease..."
"Querida?" I heard the tentative voice but continued my mad muttering.
"Susannah?" I felt him plonk his cute Latino butt down next to me on the bed but I didn't stop. One break from me and the Devil Woman would be up here so fast; I feared I would commit suicide.
"Susannah, stop that, please, Susannah." I opened one eye and turned my head away from my pillow so he could see it. I shook my head slightly, but didn't stop my murmurs.
This time, Jesse grabbed me by the shoulders and twisted me round to face him. I was still clutching the pillow stiffly to my face. I peeled it away and looked around.
"Huh?" I realised Jesse had turned me round. I quickly slammed my eyelids closed and continued muttering.
"Pleasepleaseplease...."
"Susannah stop. Now."
I didn't.
Jesse pinched my lips together and I opened my eyes. I tried to ask him what he was doing, but my lips were being forced together by his fingers.
"Are you finished now, Susannah?" I nodded my head and he released me.
"Ow" I said as I massaged my lips. "You'll regret that when I can't kiss you because you battered my delicate, beautiful lips." Jesse just cocked an eyebrow.
"Why were you doing that?" He asked.
"Doing what?" I asked back.
"Doing –" he waved his arm about vaguely, "-that. Your pleases."
"Oh, well, I've picked up a bit of a stalker." Jesse' face darkened. "Slater" he growled.
"What? No no no no, although, he did try and hit me after he cornered me today. But not that. It was-" Just as I was about to say her name, the thing herself materialised next to the bed.
"Susie!" She squealed, "Oh my God, I've been looking all over for you! Where did you disappear to? I didn't finish telling you about the time Marissa bought this completely heinous top from- Oh hello, and who are you?" She stopped mid-sentence and adopted her husky voice to talk to Jesse.
Jesse looked at me with a raised eyebrow, which he quickly lowered to greet Louisa.
"Hello, my name is Jesse." He was such a gentleman. My gentleman.
"Why hello Jesse, I'm Louisa. It's so nice to meet you," she leant forward to shake hands with Jesse, conveniently giving him a good view down her top. Like she had anything to show, I thought cattily. Then I felt bad for being mean. Then I didn't when she looked Jesse up and down, real slow and deliberately, and then licked her lips.
I sat up, sharpish.
"Jesse, this is the other person I'm trying to mediate," I said calmly, trying to hide the fury that was pulsing through me.
"Oh," Jesse smiled. Then he hooked his arm round me and kissed me on top of my forehead.
Ha!
Louisa looked a bit shocked, then a bit angry, then just plain devilish. I knew that look.
Bitch.
Like she could get Jesse away from me.
Could she?
No. No, she couldn't.
...
Suddenly Sean materialised next to Louisa. Could this day get any more complicated???
I sighed dejectedly. "Hey Sean, join the party." He looked from Jesse to Louisa to me, and a frown appeared on his pretty little face.
"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" Louisa let out a slight squeal then said, "Susie, how come all your friends are so good-looking? And how come they're all after you?" OK, I got slightly offended at that last comment she made. She kinda said it scornfully. I mean, sure, I may never win Miss America (do I look like I want to?) but I have nice hair, a nice bod, and a nice face. I'm not pug. I'm no raving beauty. I'm perfectly fine.
When I saw Jesse's face after what she said about them all being after me, and I saw him glare at Sean, the offended part of me died down and I laughed nervously.
"They're not after me, Louisa. What are you talking about? Haha."
And can I just say, that was meant to be rhetorical. She was not supposed to start counting them off on her fingers.
"Well, let me see. There's Paul. And you can't say that he's not good- looking," she laughed and looked at me, expecting me to answer. I glanced at Sean and Jesse. Neither looked particularly amused.
I laughed nervously again and then said, "Well, you know," but obviously this wasn't a good enough answer. "I supposed he's good-looking. Although, I have seen, and met, better," I glanced meaningfully at Jesse, then felt guilty and glanced at Sean, but then I felt the glare of Jesse and smiled forcefully at him.
My life would make great day-time tele. Louisa continued.
"Then there's Jesse, here," she smiled angelical at him. You could see the envy, disbelief, and hatred at the fact that I had him. "I don't know what's going on with you and Jesse here, so please, correct me if I'm wrong," she turned her sickly smile to me which briefly turned into a grimace when her eyes met mine, then turned back into a smile when she looked at Jesse. "But you two seem like, maybe, you're a couple? Please please, tell me if I'm completely wrong or out of line or something..."
She looked hopefully between Jesse and I.
I smiled victoriously.
"No no," I reassured her, "we are a 'couple', as you say." I smiled warmly at Jesse who looked a little confused.
Louisa's face was contorted with disbelief and sheer incredulity.
"But-but he's a ghost." The smile on her face was now so forced it looked as if she would have to staple it on soon it was that hard to keep up.
I smiled forcedly back at her.
"Yes. I had noticed that." I said through gritted teeth.
"He's dead." OK, now this was just getting rude, and annoying.
"Yes." My patience was fading rapidly.
"You're alive." She pointed accusingly at me.
"I am indeed."
"But, you're alive. And he's dead." She repeated.
"I think we've established that, Louisa. Jesse is a ghost. I am not. Ghost," I pointed to Jesse, "Not," I pointed to myself. "Ghost – not, ghost – not," I did this action several times, just to make sure it had sank into her tiny little mind.
It hadn't.
"But how are you guys gonna, like, make out and stuff?" She blurted out.
OK, that took me by surprise.
"Urm, like normal couples do?" My patience by now had gone and my fist was twitching by my side.
"How are you gonna go on dates?" She asked again.
I had to physically sit on my fist to stop it from racing into her annoying face.
"We won't. We will just stay at home, and have fun there."
"But, he's dead!"
I lunged forward and she squealed and dematerialised...only to materialise cowering behind Sean. Jesse caught me around the waist before I fell off. My fist is like a bloodthirsty dog. When it gets the scent of blood, I just can't control it. My fist leads me, not the other way around.
And I like it that way, thank you very much.
"I think we have established the fact that Jesse and I are very much opposites in the world of living and dead, Louisa." Jesse was gripping a struggling me round the waist and his voice was a very forced calm.
I counted to ten like mum's therapist had told me and took some very deep breaths. I stopped trying to break free of Jesse's grip and sat down on my haunches slowly. I took one more deep breath then looked at Louisa.
"Jesse and I are a couple. And that's the end of it, Louisa. No if's, no but's. Just-a-couple." I talked slowly as if she were a toddler.
"Fine," she pouted, then linked arms with Sean and smiled sweetly up at him, "it's just a bit odd, isn't it?" You're telling me.
Sean coughed lightly and we all looked up him.
"I was just wondering, Father Dominic said that we should start discussing how to move on and stuff. Maybe we should start?" I smiled appreciatively at him. He was always so calm and collected.
Before I could speak, Louisa cut in and clung to Sean harder. "You know, Sean, seeing as we're both dead and we're both going through the same thing, maybe we should, you know, sit down and have a quiet chat. Just the two of us. Share stories. Get to know each other a little better," she rubbed herself lightly against him and bit her lip.
Per-lease. How obvious could this girl get. She was starting to piss me off, majorly. First she was rubbing herself up against Paul, and now Sean! Had she no restraint or self-respect?
"Sean's been going through a really tough time, Louisa, he probably just wants to be on his own right now," my words were laced with meaning, but Louisa continued to gaze up at him, her big blue eyes getting bigger.
"Oh, poor baby. Would you like to talk about it? A shoulder to cry on? I'm always here for you, Sean, you do know that, don't you? If Susie's ever too busy to help you, you just come to me, OK?" She was rubbing his shoulder with her hand. Sean looked quite startled.
"If Sean ever needs to talk, I would never be too busy to listen to him, Louisa. He knows that. Any time. That's what I'm here for." OK, even I could here the anger in my voice. Jesse shot me a look but I was staring hard at Louisa, who was gazing up at Sean...who was staring hard at me.
Could my life be any more complicated???
Just then, Andy yelled up for dinner.
"Thanks Suze, that means a lot to me," Sean smiled gratefully at me. Then he felt the tug at his is arm and saw Louisa looking up at him expectantly. "Oh, and-and you Louise."
"Louis-a," she replied sourly. Then she dematerialised with a huff.
Sean grinned at me then winked.
"See ya," he said, then was gone to, in a haze of twinkling blue and white.
I sighed contentedly.
As I was clambering off my bed, I heard a slight humming noise. I turned round and saw my mirror shaking. I shot Jesse a startled look, he was staring lividly at where Sean had been standing. His scar was white as his shirt.
"Jesse! What are you doing? Stop right now!" Jesse turned slowly to look at me.
"You seem to be very protective of this Sean, querida."
OK, I did not like the way he said that 'querida'. Kinda, accusatively.
"What? He's going through a tough time! His girlfriend effectively cheated on him! I don't think he needs a sap like Louisa hanging onto him and pressuring him! I'm just doing my job!"
"Your job, Susannah, is to help trapped souls move on. Not worry about their love lives! Sean can cope on his own."
"I'm just trying to make it easier for him! He's had it hard, Jesse, and he's being really nice and polite to me. Like today, when Paul was hassling me, he got really upset and was totally about to pound on him, for me. So I'm just trying to act a little graciously. That's all! Sean is a good guy. A good ghost. And I haven't met one of them in a long time." I pointed this out.
Then I saw the look of open hurt on Jesse's face.
"Oh, Jesse, I didn't mean-"
"Paul was hassling you again?" He asked I a flat voice, completely ignoring my pleas.
"Well – yes, kinda. But like I said-"
"And Sean helped you?" He continued in his monotone.
"Ye-yeah..."
Jesse looked at me piercingly.
"I don't want you to see Sean. I'm going to tell Father D to help him. You can help Louisa." I was flabbergasted.
"What?"
"You heard, Susannah." The mirror had stopped shaking, but with all the anger I was feeling, I bet I could've made it shake myself.
"No." Now it was Jesse's turn to be flabbergasted.
"Pardon?" His eyes lit up again and flashed with anger.
"You heard. I am going to continue helping Sean. He's my ghost. He came to me for help. He trusts me, Jesse, he likes me and confides in me. I'm going to help him, and you can't stop me." I stood defiantly.
The mirror started shaking again and Jesse stood up on the other side of my bed. Which, might I add, was starting to shake to...
I swallowed. It was a teensy bit scary.
Before either Jesse or I could say anything though, my mum called upstairs.
"Susie, dinner! Now!"
I stared at Jesse for a split second longer, than whipped around and stormed out of my room with a flurry. I didn't turn around to see if Jesse was still there or not. I didn't care. I just slammed my door, and went downstairs. Leaving a trail of anger, hanging like a mist behind me.
I had never been so angry with Jesse in my life.
So this is what your first couple's row is like, huh?