Chapter 6

And the dirt still stains me

So wash me until I'm clean…

The pair sat stunned. Even as the ball rang and the last stragglers of the class came in, they were still staring. Once she recovered over shock, Kat marched up to the desk, an angry look on her face.

"What do you think you're doing here?" She hissed quietly so the others couldn't hear.

"Just being your sub for today, is that so wrong?" He asked innocently.

"It is when you are stalking someone!"

"It's not stalking. It's following from a distance."

At this point Casper came over, throwing his oldest uncle an unfavorable look.

"What is going on Uncle Stretch? Don't tell me you made the deal?"

A devilish grin spread across the now alive ghost's face and for a moment, just a moment, Kat's heart skipped a beat. No way, there is no way I like him, he's not even that good looking… She thought. But as she stood there trying to give him the meanest look she could muster, she found herself reconsidering. He did have a slight James Dean look except with darker hair and strange eyes. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she turned and went back to her seat.

"It's Uncle Jack now, nephew. Remember?"

Casper gave a surprised look; Uncle Stretch hated anything to do with his past life, why was he returning to his fleshie name?

"Ok…" Casper went back to his desk beside a fuming Kat.

Meanwhile, back at the mansion, Stinkie was searching for his eldest brother.

"Stretch! Where'd ya go?

He floated around the manor opening various doors and compartments. Stretch usually liked to haunt the 3rd floor or the study when he wasn't out partying. But Stinkie had checked both places thoroughly, and he wasn't there. Nor was he at the bar. So where was he? Pulling open the kitchen pantry revealed nothing but a bunch of cobwebs and a moldy half eaten sandwich.

"Nope, no Stretch here."

The ghost was about to close the door when he spotted the decaying cuisine. He let out a shriek of joy and picked it up, inhaling its foul aroma.

"Ah, turkey, forty years fresh!"

The lean ghost had just swiveled around to leave when he bumped into his other, stouter brother. Fatso, for once, didn't have something that he was eating, but he glimpsed the sandwich that Stinkie had quickly hid behind himself and narrowed his eyes.

"Whatcha got there?" Fatso asked curiously, peeking around the other ghost.

"Nothing, just some… garlic. You wouldn't know where Stretch is, would ya?"

"Maybe, if you give me that sandwhich I'll know."

Stinkie brought the rotten food out in front of him. He looked at it; then back at his impatient sibling crossing his chubby arms. Hanging his head, he broke a tiny part of the mold off and handed it over.

"Hmm…turkey…" Fatso gobbled it up, despite it falling straight through him.

"So where's da bean pole at? We was supposta get drunk an hour ago!"

Fatso finished his snack and began to lick the crumbs off his fingers, "He left."

Stinkie grew paler, if that were possible. But then he got mad. "He left without me?"

"He didn't go to the bar skunk breath, he's a fleshie now."

Fatso said it so nonchalantly, like it was ordinary. Stinkie on the other hand, felt like he died again. He floated backwards and fell through the counter. Stretch a bonebag? That was the least likely thing to happen next to Fatso dieting! But Fatso seemed unfazed; he began to poke at the remains of his meal on the floor.

"Why are ya just floatin' there lard blob? Stretch is a skinbag!"

"I know, that tacky Reaper character came around and talked to him."

"The Grim Reaper? What did he want!"

"Something about a week, having a pulse, and finding Kit-Kat at school."

"That's all you know?"

The plump ghost thought hard, cocking his head and nibbling on a stale piece of bread. A sputtering light bulb appeared over his head, flickering uselessly a couple of times before going out completely.

"Yeah, pretty much." He went back to munching.

"Some help, I gotta talk Stretch out before he marries da dame!"

He flew out the window in the direction of Kat's school. Fatso watched him go, and then he pulled out a chocolate bar from the far corner of the pantry and hugged it tightly.

"Now it's just me and my Slim Fast." He cooed.