((To all of my non-existent reviewers for that last chapter, thanks. Lol. Come on people! REVIEW!!! Help an author out!))

Chapter Seven: 25 Signs

Katie was sitting at a chair by her computer desk, looking at a paper she had just printed out. The 25 signs of someone who is lying. Hm. How many of these had her dad shown before Mom had found out and he had left?

Let's see... there was constant denial, being loud when there was no need, using odd abnormal hand and arm movements, sweaty palms and brow with no physical activity at all, and the fact that his excuses made no sense. And more. All 25.

How could Katie and her mother not have noticed these?! Here they were- right in front of her face. Katie could remember a time where every single one of these 25 had been used in their lives by dear old Dad! How could they have been so ignorant?

Now that she thought of it, they both had had their minor suspicions. Nothing inside her had wanted to believe that her father was doing something illegal- and his clean record, as well as Best Husband/Dad awards, had added to that notion.

They hadn't wanted to believe it until they actually saw him and his precious stash of imports. They had learned the hard way.

Maybe life with a cheery, go-get-'em housewife and rocking, bass-playing daughter had just finally gotten to him and he needed something more interesting. Never had been one to settle with one version of something for too long. She guessed it was the same with families and stuff, too.

"Katie?" A voice interrupted her thoughts. She whizzed around to find Freddy standing there.

"Freddy?" Katie asked, startled.

He smiled, walking over to her. "No. I'm just a ghost possessing Freddy. Yup. No Freddy's here. Nu-uh."

Katie gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "Oh. Well, Ghost. What would you like?"

"To know what you're doing."

"Oh. Well I just printed out a list of 25 ways to tell if a person is lying to you or not."

"Oh. What if a person uses some of the ways just normally and they aren't really lying?"

"I don't know, I don't care. The point is, is that my father used all 25 of them."

"Ouch..."

"Yeah."

"You gonna come to band practice tomorrow?"

"I don't see why not."

"Okay. Good. I kinda also came to tell you that it's scheduled early. We start at 10 in the morning."

"Oh, thanks Freddy! You only tell me now, at midnight!" Katie cried sarcastically, looking at her clock. "Speaking of which... why the hell are you here this late? And how did you get in?"

Freddy gave a weak smile before plopping down onto her bed. "Just thought I'd check on you... sneak of my house, find your spare key under the flower pot, and come in here to check on you..."

"Oh, I see." Katie smiled, casually walking over to him Freddy was such an idiot. Could he not see that she had other big things taking up her brain than crushing majorly on him. Whoa. Did she just admit to that? Oh, be quiet, another part of herself said. You've known it all along...

Think about the band, your bass, the band, your bass... she forced herself.

"You see?" Freddy asked, nodding.

"I see. And I also see that I am fine so you're done checking on me so you can go home now so I can sleep and get to band practice tomorrow." Katie smirked shoving him off of her bed.

"I knew you'd say something like that..." Freddy commented.

"Oh, so now you're a psychic ghost possessing Freddy, huh?"

"Yup. And I see the future... hang on... it has me... and... you... making out..."

"Get a life, Freddy." Katie scolded, attempting to shove him out of her room again. Then she stopped, and looked at him. "We already went over this... look, maybe if we could get Dewey to take that rule away, but I refuse to loose the band... no matter how much I am losing myself over you..."

Her heart was a bug being crunched slowly under a five year old's shoe as she spoke. The band, your bass, the band, your bass...

Freddy sighed. "Deal."