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Chapter 3: Friday
Friday couldn't come fast enough. For the remainder of the week Hailey and I had acted as if nothing had happened. I would bug her, she would hurt me, it was a vicious cycle. And each time we would part I couldn't help but turn and watch her go. With Suze I would have followed her and tried to make a move on her, but with Hailey it was different. It's like I want to get to know her or something…it's a weird feeling…one that I've never really experienced before.
"Hey Paul!"
I rolled my eyes as Hannah put her hand in mine and squeezed it.
"You wanna do something tonight?" she smiled, "My parents are gone for the weekend to some meeting in New York so I have the house to myself. You could come over and we could catch up."
The way she looked at me suggested that she meant something else. A few days ago I would have jumped at the offer…but now…
Hailey walked by and glanced at my hand that was clasped in Hannah's, then she frowned and walked away.
I slipped my hand out of Hailey's, "Sorry Hannah. I can't."
I have a date with Hailey.
Well…kind of…
Hannah frowned and followed my gaze. She looked back at me with big hurt eyes.
"Hailey!" she gasped, "Do NOT tell me that you are cheating on me with that freak!"
I glared at her, "One: we are not even together so it would be impossible for me to cheat on you. Two: if you call her a freak again, you will regret it!"
She looked up at me as if I had slapped her. That wasn't the worst I could do if she said that about her. I knew a few shifting tricks that would put her in her place. My grand father had hidden a box of old manuscripts in his room that he hoped I wouldn't find. He obviously doesn't know me very well. When he had gone to the hospital for a check-up I had gone into his room and taken the box. Each of the papers had various spells on it that I had been trying to learn over the past year or so. So far I have mastered shifting from place to place, shifting objects, and traveling through time if needed. The rest of the manuscripts were so old and discolored that I had been unable to read then.
"Paul baby, you don't mean that!" Hannah exclaimed.
"Oh, but I do," I said.
Then I turned and walked away.
…………………LATER THAT NIGHT…………………
I gave myself a small spray of axe just as the doorbell rang.
"Paul!" Jack's voice echoed down the hall, "Some girl is here!"
I smiled as I entered the room to see Hailey sitting at the kitchen table, helping Jack with his English homework.
"What are you doing there bro?" I asked over her shoulder.
She jumped a bit when she heard my voice.
"Greek Mythology," he smiled, "Hailey knows a lot about it! She practically did my homework for me!"
She smiled, "But you won't be telling your teacher that will you?"
Jack smiled and shook his head.
"Sorry bud but I have to take your study buddy away now, we have work to do," I said, resting my hand on her shoulder.
"Paul." she said.
"Yes?"
"Get your hand off me, now."
Jack laughed as I removed my hand slowly.
"I like her Paul," Jack whispered to me as Hailey got up.
Ignoring him I led her down the hall to my room. Watching her reaction when I gestured for her to sit beside me on the bed I was surprised when she didn't hesitate at all. Even Suze had been hesitant the first time.
"So," I asked, "You like Greek Mythology?"
She smiled, "I guess you could say that. I studied it in my old school and I got hooked on it. But anyway, about Jack, does he have the gift as well?"
I nodded, "Yeah he does, how did you know?"
She shrugged, "Lucky guess."
"So tell me, what really happened to get you expelled at your old school? I heard that you had a freak out in the hall, but I suspect that there's something else to it"
She nodded, "I asked the teacher if I could get a drink. When I went out in the hall there was a ghost waiting for me. I had been trying to help him before but I couldn't figure out his case. Anyway, he was furious that I hadn't gotten anywhere, so he attacked me. It turned into a pretty bad fight and some teachers and students came out into the hall to investigate. I guess I didn't look to good. They must have been pretty freaked to see me punching air."
"It happens to the best of us," I said, "God knows I've been attacked a few times."
"Some ghost didn't like you digging in his business?"
"No, more like some ghost didn't like me making moves on his girl," I regretted the words the second they came out of my mouth.
"You hit on a ghost?" she laughed.
I blushed, no point in lying now, "No she wasn't a ghost. Her name was Suze Simon, the other shifter. She was in love with a ghost and I tried to get between them. It got to the point where I went back in time to keep them apart, but it ended with him coming back to life in the present time. So now she is with him."
I had never told anyone about that before, it felt good to say it out loud.
"So that's why you left Carmel?" Hailey frowned, "because you didn't get the girl?"
"Pretty much."
"Serves you right."
I looked at her in shock, she had her arms crossed over her chest and she was glaring at me, "Excuse me?" I gasped.
"You heard me Paul. After all you did to try to break them up, they deserve to be together."
I nodded, "I know that now, I just never realized that she actually loved a ghost, someone who doesn't really exist."
"He was real to her so that's all she cared about," Hailey smiled, "Its cute actually. I don't hear about love stories that turn out happy very often."
We just sat there and stared at each other for a moment. Then Hailey blushed and looked at her hands.
"So, how far have you gotten with the whole shifting thing?" she asked.
I smiled knowing that my skills would so impress her, "Well beside the basics of touching, seeing and hearing ghost I can shift from place to place, shifting objects, and I can even shift through time and the shadow world."
My smile faded when she looked at me with a bored look on her face.
"What?" I asked.
"Time travel is dangerous you know that right? It's forbidden for us to use that power unless its an emergency!" she exclaimed then her face showed understanding, "you used it to bring Suze's boyfriend back to life right?"
I nodded.
"What about you?" I asked.
"Well I can shift from place to place, I can put up barriers around me and small objects, I can shift to the shadow land, I have heard of the time travel but I have never tried it." she said.
"You can create barriers?" I breathed.
She nodded.
"How?" I asked.
"It's kind of complicated," she mumbled, "but if you really want to learn then I could probably teach you."
"That would be awesome!" I exclaimed, "and I could teach you how to shift objects."
She nodded and stuck out her hand, "so it's a deal?"
I took her small, soft hand in my large tanned one and shook it.
"Friends?" I asked her with a hopeful smile on my face.
She smirked back at me, "Partners."
Ouch.
"When do you want to start the lessons?" she asked as she got up to leave.
No! she can't leave yet! What about dinner? What about making out? What about-- oh never mind…
"Tomorrow?" I asked.
"Tomorrow is Saturday Paul, and I do have a life. How about Monday after school?"
I nodded, "Sounds good to me. So do you want to go and get something to eat? I know a great place downtown that--"
"Actually Paul, let's skip dinner ok? I'm not really hungry," she blushed slightly and I knew she was lying.
I walked up to her and smiled, "Oh come, it's one hour! What could happen? I won't bite…"
Hard……..
Ahem.
She shook her head and turned to go, but I grabbed her arm. Deciding that I was done dancing around the subject I pulled her to me and kissed her. Her lips were soft and warm. I was surprised to taste strawberry lip chap. Yummy…
She froze.
Wow, she taste's good…
At first I expected her to punch me in the jaw or slap me or something.
But no.
She had to be cruel.
Suddenly her knee came out of no where and jabbed me in my family jewels. With I high pitched gasp and fell to the floor holding my pride and joy.
"Not cool Slater."
Then she turned and left.
…oh yeah…she so wants me…