Meanwhile Dr. Babcock had started the therapy session inside the library and was instantly surprised upon the Ghostly Trio willingly go inside and not give him a hard time. Instead they just snooped through his stuff and used his framed items for target practice.
"Johns Hopkins University." Fatso (Prenderghast) read Dr. Babcock's diploma. "Very impressive."
"Very...pull!" Stretch (Hopkins) said.
Fatso (Prenderghast) tossed it and Stretch (Hopkins) used his finger like a gun to blast a hole into it.
"Pull!" Stinkie (Hardwick) said, knocking Stretch (Hopkins) aside.
Fatso (Prenderghast) flung two more framed items and Stinkie (Hardwick) got them with his finger-guns.
"Pull!" Stretch (Hopkins) said.
Fatso (Prenderghast) this time tossed a photo of Sandra but Dr. Babcock caught it.
"Not...! This one." He remained calm. "Thank you gentlemen."
"Hey what a dish Doc." Stretch (Hopkins) smiled as he saw the photo.
"The little missis perhaps?" Stinkie (Hardwick) guessed.
"Hubba-hubba!" Fatso (Prenderghast) exclaimed before howling.
Stretch (Hopkins) slapped him upside the head.
"Fatso you animal!" He scolded. "Is she available Doc?"
"She's my wife...Sandra." Dr. Babcock said. "She's deceased."
"Even better." Fatso (Prenderghast) remarked.
"But we are not here to talk about me." Dr. Babcock said sternly, walking away to put the photo aside.
"See?" Stretch (Hopkins) scolded his brothers. "Now don't you just feel awful?"
"Aw I was just goofin..." Fatso (Prenderghast) said apologetically.
"Well don't be goofin on Sandra! She's as nice a person as they come." Stretch (Hopkins) said sternly. "She's always treated you right huh Stinkie?"
"I got no complaints." Stinkie (Hardwick) agreed. "She's always been an angel to me."
Dr. Babcock froze.
"Wait a minute...what are you saying?" He asked.
"I'm saying: she's a peach!" Stretch (Hopkins) said. "None better why?"
"You've actually seen her?"
"What you think I'm blind? Of course I've seen her, who hasn't?"
"What you're not looking for her are you Doc?" Stinkie (Hardwick) realized.
"Well that's not really the focus of our sessions here is it?" Dr. Babcock said. "But...as long as you raised the issue...you wouldn't have ways of contacting others like yourself...would you?"
The Ghostly Trio made a hesitating noise.
"I didn't think so." Dr. Babcock scoffed, starting to walk away...only for the Ghostly Trio to cut him off.
"Now that's not generally allowed there Doc." Stretch (Hopkins) said. "I mean, you gotta go through channels."
"Paperwork." Stinkie (Hardwick) held out some papers.
"Red tape." Fatso (Prenderghast) pulled Stinkie's (Hardwick) tongue out.
"A holy mess, you know what I'm sayin'?" Stretch (Hopkins) finished. "But for you...I dunno maybe we can work something out. You keep that ghoul Crittenden off our backs, and I'd say we got a deal. Right boys?"
"Mm-hm." Stinkie (Hardwick) and Fatso (Prenderghast) agreed.
"Deal?" Stretch (Hopkins) asked Dr. Babcock.
"Deal." Dr. Bacock smiled, not minding the terms; he didn't like Carrigan anyway so he understood why the Ghostly Trio wanted her kept away.
"Very well then." Stretch (Hopkins) said. "First Crittenden is sent packing, then you'll see your wife again."
"Got it." Dr. Babcock understood.
Later that day, Norman and Courtney came home.
"Come on Courtney, we'd better tell dad about the party." Norman said.
"Okay." Courtney smiled as she followed Norman towards the library.
She actually loved the idea of the party because she hoped it would help Norman make some more friends. Plus she had already made friends who knew about where she lived and didn't mind, so she at least didn't have to worry about her popularity waning.
Norman knocked on the door.
"Come in." Dr. Babcock said.
Norman and Courtney entered and saw that the Ghostly Trio wasn't there. Instead Dr. Babcock was there reading one of the books he had found in that room.
"Therapy session is already over huh?" Courtney said.
"Yeah...ended hours ago actually." Dr. Babcock said. "So, how was school?"
"It was great, I think I'm gonna like it here after all." Courtney smiled.
"Same here, I even already made a couple friends." Norman grinned.
"That's great son!" Dr. Babcock beamed.
"Only...well the school holds a Halloween dance every year, but they can't this year because of the asbestos being removed." Norman said. "So one of my friends, Neil, suggested...the party being held here?"
Dr. Babcock did such a jolt that the book he was reading flew onto a chair a few feet away.
"Nice aim dad." Courtney remarked dryly.
"What? Here?" Dr. Babcock said nervously. "Uh, Norman, what about Stretch, Fatso, and Stinkie?"
"Uh-oh." Courtney now wasn't so sure about the party.
"Um..." Norman hadn't thought of that. "Well I warned Neil and Salma - my other friend - about them, and don't worry about the rest of the school, I'll make sure that those three don't harm anyone. Or maybe you can distract them during the party."
"I guess so...is it kinda too late now anyway?" Dr. Babcock asked.
"Sorta...I mean the principal did say that I'd have to ask you first but she'd really like the dance to take place this month instead of in December." Norman said.
"Well...all right." Dr. Babcock gave in.
"Great!" Norman grinned before hugging Dr. Babcock. "Thanks dad."
He then left to look for Aggie.
"Is it just me or has Norman gotten more chipper ever since we moved here?" Dr. Babcock asked Courtney.
"I think it's because he finally made some friends." Courtney guessed.
"You're probably right."
Not too far away, Norman was still looking for Aggie when he heard a knock on the door. He opened it to see...
"Victoria?" He said, surprised. "What are you- I mean...hi?"
"Hi." Victoria smiled. "Can I come in?"
"Um...no" Norman hesitated before coming outside and shutting the door. "It's so much nicer out here."
He then walked around Victoria so that Victoria's back would face the door. This turned out to be a good thing because Aggie had just poked her head through the door and frowned at Victoria. Aggie then started mocking Victoria behind her back as she began talking:
"So did you ask your dad about the party?" Victoria asked.
"Yeah...he kinda hit the ceiling but it's okay." Norman said.
"Cool. So I was wondering...would you like to go to the dance with me?" Victoria asked.
Aggie then pretended to hang herself while making a silly face. Norman tried to ignore Aggie and keep his focus on Victoria, which wasn't hard to do after Victoria asked him out.
"Really?" Norman smiled. "Sure, I'd like that."
Aggie was instantly heartbroken, and she floated back inside. However Norman didn't notice since he was still paying attention to Victoria.
"All right. See ya." Victoria smiled before starting to leave.
"Bye." Norman smiled back before heading inside.
Victoria continued walking down the path until she met up with Alvin, who was hiding behind the tree.
"Well, did you ask him?" Alvin asked.
"Yeah." Victoria sighed unhappily.
"And he actually believed you?" Alvin was surprised.
They both got onto their bikes.
"This really bites." Victoria frowned.
"No, it's absolutely perfect." Alvin grinned.
Around the same time Norman headed upstairs to look in his closet. He had to come up with a good costume for the dance...but he kept getting distracted by Aggie popping up everywhere.
"I'm a good dancer." She first said once Norman entered his bedroom, twirling around gracefully in the air.
Norman just opened a drawer...and suddenly there was Aggie looking like a folded shirt.
"Don't need a costume." She pointed out.
Norman shut the drawer and opened her closet...and there was Aggie as a balloon.
"Always the life of the party." She said.
"Aggie, I know you want to go." Norman sighed. "But aren't you forgetting that your mere presence will scare everyone away? I'd rather go alone-"
Aggie looked crushed.
"At first, to prepare the other students and let them know that they shouldn't be scared of you." Norman finished.
Aggie smiled a little, feeling a lot better.
"Can I still go with you though? I mean, after you prepare everyone else about me?" She asked.
"Uh, I can't go with two girls at once." Norman pointed out. "And it would be rude to turn Victoria down after I already agreed to go with her...especially if it's to go with another girl."
"Oh what does she have that I don't have?" Aggie frowned before realizing what she just said. "Uh, don't answer that..." She cringed, now already knowing the answer: a living body.
Norman stared at her as if he had suddenly realized something.
"Wait a minute..." He said. "Aggie you...you don't have a crush on me...do you?"
"Um..." Aggie looked away, knowing that if she had any skin it'd be as red as a tomato by now. "Yeah...ever since I...first saw you on the news... I had...never seen anyone so handsome before..." She now figured that if she had skin it'd be as red as a beet by now.
"Really?" Norman now blushed heavily. "Gee..."
There was an awkward pause, and then Norman cleared his throat.
"Don't worry about Victoria, I'm only going with her because of her good social status in the school." He said. "I'm hoping it'll help some of the other kids befriend me."
"You mean you're only going with Victoria in hopes of making more friends?" Aggie asked.
"Yeah...with her being one of them since she's actually nice for a popular girl." Norman nodded. "But she'll only be a friend...at least for now. I prefer getting to know a girl for a while before dating her."
Aggie smiled, now feeling a little more better. Not entirely better though, since she was a bit worried that Victoria would win Norman over since she had the advantage of being alive. On the other hand Aggie did have the advantage of having known Norman a little longer...
"Oh, and also after the rest of the school is used to you you can dance some of the dances with me." Norman added, smiling. "I promise."
Aggie now felt a lot better, realizing that she did have a good chance at winning Norman over after all. She still wished that she could be alive though, she knew it would be hard for a ghost and a living person to have a real relationship.
"Say...would you like to go to my special spot outside?" Aggie asked.
"Um...I don't think dad will let me leave the house this close to dinnertime." Norman said.
"Don't worry, we'll be back in time if I fly you there and back."
"Fly?" Norman was still unsure since he had never flown before; however he also knew that Aggie would never let any harm come to him. "Okay."
"Great." Aggie grinned.
She then gently grabbed his arm and flew him out the window. He was very nervous at first, but soon relaxed and actually enjoyed the flight. Eventually they came to the top of a lighthouse, and there Aggie landed. Norman gazed at the view.
"So...you really want a lot of friends that badly?" Aggie asked.
"Yeah...before you I never had a friend before. Well, unless you count my dad and sister...in a way." Norman admitted.
"I've never had a friend before either." Aggie admitted.
"Really? Not even when you were alive?" Norman was surprised.
"Um...well I don't know about when I was alive..." Aggie hesitated.
Norman gave her a sad look.
"You mean...you don't remember anything about being alive?" He realized.
"No...only my name and the fact that dad asked my uncles to look after me before he died. And I only remember that because my uncles told me decades ago."
"Gee...don't you even remember anything else about your dad?"
"No."
"What about your mom, or any games or books you enjoyed?"
"No...is that bad?"
"No...it's just...kinda sad."
Aggie sighed sadly.
Eventually Norman had to head back for dinner, so Aggie flew him back before Courtney and Dr. Babcock realized that he was missing. After dinner Norman got ready for bed, and once in bed he asked a question that had been bugging him ever since Aggie flew him home:
"Aggie...why don't you remember anything?"
"Hm...I think it's because once you die life doesn't matter anymore, so you just forget." Aggie said, lying down next to Norman.
"Sometimes I worry that I'm starting to forget..." Norman said sadly.
"Forget what?"
"My mom. Just certain things, like the sound of her making breakfast...the way she laughed..." Norman said. "I do remember that she smelled like Ivory Soap whenever we hugged though. I also remember that the first time someone made fun of my eyes she made me feel better by saying that my eyes were really sapphires from Heaven."
"They do look like that." Aggie said shyly.
Norman turned over to look at her, and she looked away shyly.
"Yours do too." He smiled.
Aggie turned back and saw his smile. She knew that if she had a heartbeat it would be beating too fast to feel right now. She smiled back, but stopped smiling when Norman's smile faded as well.
"Aggie...if my mom's a ghost...did she forget about me?" He asked.
"No." Aggie said sincerely. "She could never forget about you."
Norman smiled again and started to fall asleep.
"Um...Norman?" Aggie asked shyly.
"Yeah?" Norman opened an eye.
"If...if I were alive...you think we'd...actually have a chance together?"
Norman opened both eyes and looked at Aggie for a moment. He then smiled reassuringly.
"Probably...can't say for sure now though." He admitted.
"Okay..." Aggie was at least relieved that he didn't say no or anything like that. "Um...is it okay if I...kiss you?"
"Do you mean a kiss goodnight or a kiss-kiss?" Norman asked.
"Er...whichever you prefer."
"Kiss goodnight. Let's save the kiss-kiss for after we start dating...you know, hypothetically."
"Okay." Aggie kissed Norman on the cheek before lying back down and closing her eyes.
In doing so, she missed the slight blushed that automatically appeared on Norman's cheeks.
"Geez, my heart's even beating a little harder..." He thought. "But do I actually like her back that way or is it just a reaction to the fact that she's the first girl ever to have a crush on me?"
Not knowing how to answer his own question, Norman decided to just fall asleep.