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Chapter Five
I decided to leave after that little incident. After an awkward goodbye, I went home.
I couldn't believe my mom called me. Well, maybe I can. I mean, she has caught me making out on the couch with Jesse a little too many times.
But of course every time she did, Jesse would apologize, make up some excuse for something he needed to do, and then leave. Which was totally unfair, but hey, that's what I get for having a guy from the 1800's as my boyfriend.
Don't get me wrong, my mom would at least try to make him stay, but it never worked.
As soon as I got home, the phone rang. Before my mom had absolutely any chance of saying something to me, I picked it up.
"Hello?" I said into the phone.
"Suze? Oh my gawd. You'll never guess what happened to me." Cee said, pretty seriously, to me.
"Hmm, let me guess. Adam asked you out?"
"No, but your close."
Cee left me hanging there for a moment. Still confused, I answered. "How am I close?"
"Well, somebody else asked me out." CeeCee said.
"I'm dying, really." I said sarcastically. I was still in a pretty bad mood from the whole mother-interrupting-intimate-moment-with-Jesse thing. "Who?"
"Paul. Paul freakin' Slater. Can you believe it!" Cee squealed.
I didn't answer. I was pretty much in shock.
"I'm not even kidding." Cee continued. "He was so serious when he did it too. Ask me out I mean. He has ignored me for the past 2 years and all the sudden, bam, he asks me out. What the heck is he thinking? Doesn't he know you've told me everything?"
"Whoa." I couldn't believe she was being serious. "Spill."
"Okay, so I was in the school paper's office right? Getting ahead on my next story for Monday and he walks in. Walks right up to me too. I really didn't notice him for a while, until he cleared his throat." She stopped.
"And…" I said.
CeeCee sighed. "And he asked me out. That's all."
"What did you say?" My mom was getting really annoyed at this moment.
"Call her back later!" My mom said. I sighed.
"I said I'd get back to him." Cee said.
She continued, "Oh and right before he left he said that I should answer 'with my heart' and not what you say. Give me a break! I didn't say no right then and there because I wanted to know what you would say. We could totally use him right?"
"For what? Using him I mean." I replied.
"Well didn't you get that creepy feeling? Don't you want to know what that's all about?"
"Uhh…yeah. Maybe." I paused to think. It took me a minute to realize that this was a great idea. "Yes. Okay, you should definitely go out with him."
"Great." CeeCee said sarcastically.
Hearing her say that I decided to be a good friend and ask, "You don't have to Cee." Even though I really really wanted her to.
"I know. But I want to help. Plus It would make a great story for the…"
"NO!" I interrupted. "You promised you wouldn't use my life as a breaking story. Come on Cee, we've been through this before."
"Yeah yeah yeah, I know. I was kidding. Relax Suze." CeeCee said. I heard my mom tap her shoes on our hardwood floors.
I looked over at her in a last pathetic plea to stay on the phone longer, but it didn't work. "Hey listen, I gotta go. Talk to ya later?"
"Yeah sure, see ya." Cee said and hung up.
"FINALLY!" My mom said.
I hung up and gazed at her with a blank face.
"Oh so now you don't care about your own brother getting married?" My mom said in her disappointed tone of voice.
I let the brother not stepbrother thing slide this time and said, "Is it that Stephanie girl?"
"Yes, and she's coming over for dinner tonight to meet the whole family. Jake's coming too of course. Think of it as a big, happy, family reunion or something Suze. It'll be fun." She said.
"Sure mom, fun's the word." I rolled my eyes and went upstairs. She cut short Jesse and I kissing for that? She could have just waited until I got home or something.
With Jesse on the mind I decided to call him. It had only been a half hour later, but I missed him already and wanted to apologize for just leaving like that. He wouldn't leave for work until 3:30, and it was only 3:00.
So I dragged myself into my room and fell onto my bed. I closed my eyes for a few minutes only because a wave of tiredness hit me like a sack of flour. I need to remember it's the weekend before Saturday morning comes around.
I yawned and picked up the phone. Brad was on it. Hadn't I just gotten off it? Oh well.
I started thinking about Gina. I wondered where she was for a second, and then decided to call her. Or at least try to.
So I tried.
And tried again.
No use…I hadn't gotten the calling thing down yet.
What was I supposed to do for 3 hours?
I hit the beach. It only took a second for me to think of it, so why not?
I pulled on my bikini and grabbed a towel and some sunscreen and I was gone.
A few minutes later I was soaking up the rays. What else was I supposed to do in California? Homework? I don't think so.
5 minutes later some guy was talking to me. "Miss? Uh, excuse me?" He said. I guess he didn't notice that I was half-asleep with my Ray-Bans on.
Drowsy, I said, "Oh, uh, sorry, I was dozing off." It wasn't until then did I notice that he had an aurora around him.
"Great." I thought.
I checked out my surroundings to make sure nobody was there looking at me talking into thin air.
He looked like he was about my father's age. He had short black hair and broad shoulders.
When everything was clear, I said, "Look can you meet me later at my house or something? Here is not a good place to chat if you know what I mean."
Then he disappeared.
Why are ghosts running and hiding from me all of the sudden?
There was no possible way that I was going to go ghost hunting right now. No way. This was supposed to be my down time. Peaceful downtime. Not look-another-ghost-in-trouble-must-go-help-him time.
I brushed this little visit off and went back to sleep.
It wasn't until an hour later when I woke up.
I realized the time and went back home to get ready for the 'family reunion' dinner.
Seriously. Family reunion? Family reunion my butt. And it's not like any of us are going to be happy. It'll probably be like old times…eating cereal for dinner.
But it wasn't. It really wasn't. By the time everybody had gotten settled at the dinner table I noticed this. Jake was so…different. He had matured quite a bit. His eating habits on the other hand, didn't change at all.
I noticed that today Max didn't plunge his head onto my lap. I felt…free. I know, totally stupid for me to feel 'free'. You would too if the last 2 years you had a head of a big slobbery dog on your thigh every time you sat down at the dinner table.
Maybe he was just too busy sleeping on Andy and my mom's bed now. He did, after all, have the whole day since my mom hasn't gotten a chance to shoo him off. She has been occupied these days ruining my social life 24-7.
"Pass the salad." I said to anyone near it.
"Sure." My mom said. Then she turned her head toward Stephanie and said, "So Stephanie where was your hometown? Where you grew up and all."
Stephanie had long black hair and brown eyes. She looked fit and up to beat. Like she could have been a cheerleader at one point.
Stephanie smiled and took a breath. "Oh, I lived in New York—"
"I thought you said you lived in Washington…" Jake interrupted.
Stephanie paused. "Yes, I've lived there too. I've been all over. You see, my father was in the army."
I saw Jake open his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he quickly closed it.
"Interesting." Andy said while nodding his head, trying to sound fascinated.
There was definitely something up with Stephanie. I just needed to figure it out.
Small talk consisted of jobs, food, and marriage details. Probably much more things were brought up but I was too busy sneaking peeks at Stephanie. I really wanted to find out what was so fishy about her.
"Suze, honey. Susannah." I heard a familiar voice say my name.
I guess I started daydreaming. "Hmm? What?" I responded.
"Susie would you clear your plate please? You may go after that. I know how tired you are." My mom said.
I did as my mom said and then went upstairs. I was really tired. But I usually was by this time.
I decided to call Jesse, knowing that now the phone was free. He'd be back from work by now.
Rang once.
Rang twice.
Three, four, five, six rings. No answer. Finally the answering machine picked it up. I left a short but sweet message and hung up.
I guess Jesse was still at work or something. Being a doctor can take up a lot of your time.
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emma
