A/N: After a VERY long hiatus, as I'm sure you know (and a really bad writer's block to boot), I'm back to writing this story. I sincerely apologize to the readers. I promise no more writer's block if I can help it! Even if I have it, I'll still try to finish it by the end of January if I can.

CH 11: THE PROBLEM

JACKIE

"Jackie, over here," Suze waved for me to come over and join her at the lunch table.

"Oh, hey Suze," I said, groggily. After all: staying up all night can to that to a girl.

She patted the empty seat next to her, so I swung my backpack on top of the table, and sunk down. "So… tired…" I moaned, resting my head on my forearms.

"Here, want some of my Dr. Pepper?" CeeCee offered. I gratefully accepted the drink, and took a swig. Ah… caffeine. I was now able to actually raise my head up. "Thanks, C," I nodded appreciatively. It wasn't routine for me to sit at Suze's table, but, in light of recent events, I needed some one to confide in. Someone who would most likely know what I'm going through. So after swallowing my lunch, which tasted like saw-dust, I was that numb (or maybe my drowsiness was finally getting to my taste buds too? Who's to say?). "Suze, listen, is there somewhere we can go to… talk?" I whispered in a low voice.

Suze glanced back at CeeCee and Adam, who were now cuddling together – they had been going out for a while now. She gave a sharp whistle to catch their attention. CeeCee and Adam looked up. "Listen you two lovebirds, Jackie and I are out of here, we have to go to the bathroom. Don't get too busy," she eyed them, warily, "while we're gone." Ah. I understood now what she was trying to do: she knew that they'd take full advantage of the fact that we were gone, and she was making them well aware of the fact that we were leaving. Maybe if they were too preoccupied, with say… making out, they wouldn't be aware of the time, and wouldn't realize how long we'd be gone. And let me just say now, I had a lot of things to discuss before lunch was through. CeeCee snorted, "Yeah, right Simon." But I could tell from the way they were goggling into each other's eyes that they would have no clue that we even left.

Tuesday: 3 days left, I shivered at the thought of it, as we walked under the breezeways, and headed to the girls' bathroom.

After checking in each stall, to make sure no one else was around to hear us, Suze whispered, "All right, Jackie. Did the police find him?"

"Well… it's not as simple as that…" I began.

"But did you find him?" she insisted.

"More like he found me," I said slowly.

"And?"

"And," I looked her dead-serious in the eye. "If we don't come up with the money soon, he's screwed." Cold words, but how else could I have said it? It's the only way I could have dealt with it right now.

"Oh no," she breathed.

"Yeah," I commented.

"But – but…" I could tell she wanted to ask me.

"Why does he owe a ghost money?"

"Yeah," she asked. I shook my head at the wonder of it all – I could scarcely believe it myself when Dad first told me.

"My dad can see ghosts, just like me," that's who I must have got my "Gift" from, most likely, "And not only that – there's – there's a secret society – of ghosts I mean. Dead guys who used to be part of gangs, and who now use their new ghostly-form to their advantage. That's what my dad was part of. He used to run errands for them." I shuddered at the thought of all the murderous – and obviously illegal, too – things my dad must have done to get so much money in his lifetime. Stealing, and more than stealing… I wasn't proud of it, but I wasn't going to sit there and deny it either. "I could hardly believe it when he told me," I paced back and forth. "It sounds just as crazy as it did last night, but here I am, telling you."

"Oh, I don't find it so hard to believe," she said with a nod, and crossed her arms. I paused to look up at her, confused. "I mean, I know some one who used to do that. But it was the other way around. He used the ghosts to do his bidding, I mean. To commit criminal deeds, and obtain money…" My mind still drew a blank.

"Never mind," she shook her head. "He's changed now, anyway. So why dwell in the past?" Simon stated the last part so quietly I could barely catch what she said. (AUTHOR'S NOTE: She's talking about Paul and what he did in the series, but Jackie wouldn't know about it, since she moved in here AFTER Paul redeemed himself and changed most of his ways.)

"Anyway, Jackie," she said, in a louder voice. "How much does his owe?"

"A hundred thousand dollars," I said quietly.

Suze swore under her breath – and she hardly ever swears. "Okay, okay now," she ran her fingers through her hair – in a rather frantic, agitated motion. "Let's think this thing over logically. A hundred thousand dollars -" she looked up at me. Her face collapsed in defeat. "Jackie what are we going to do?" she exclaimed.

"I have no clue," I sunk to the bathroom floor – which was pretty gross, but I didn't care. I felt like crap; I'd never felt so helpless in my life. Usually, I like to face my problems head on, and when things don't work out the way they should, I use my fist – or brass knuckles, if the occasion arises. But my dad? The money? I felt as useful as a wet rag – that is to say, not very useful.

"You'll figure it out," she nodded towards me.

I smiled in return, "You know. I just realized. This is as bad as it gets, I mean. What else can happen, seriously?"