I am so sorry for the incredibly long wait for this. I was just trying to get the plot straight with this. I promise I'll try and get the next chapter up sooner. No promises, though.

SECRECY

Chapter 13

Just when I think things cannot possibly get worse, they do.

I think I mentioned Paul. Right?

Well, anyway, if I didn't, he's this guy that I think really likes me. I mean, he never leaves me alone. And he's always...looking at me. Which, you know, is kind of freaky.

And, well, I wasn't really sure before if he liked Jesse or not, but now I'm positive. And another thing I'm positive about? Jesse HATES Paul. With a passion. I really don't think I've ever seen Jesse hate someone before. Seriously. He's not that kinda guy. But I guess Paul just rubs people the wrong way...Jesse included.

I guess it started when we went to school the following Monday. Jesse was still a little upset with what happened with Jake. I tried talking to Jake after I talked to Brad, but he just would not listen. He...oh, my God. He actually shut the door right in my face and locked it. I mean...the NERVE. Can't he just let me explain?

Apparently not.

Well, I guess I can't really blame him TOO much. I mean, yeah, we were technically sneaking behind his back for two months. That's a little...wrong.

I give up. I really do.

But anyway, back to school. Jesse was going to drive me to school, even though I have my own car. But he had to drive his sisters into school, since Marta was "sick", and couldn't do it—I think it's the fact that I saw a hickey on her neck when I went over there last night.

I'll never understand her. Really.

So we saw each other when we got to school. But we soon had to go to home room.

Jesse sat with us when lunch came around, since he thought it wise not to sit at the same table as Jake that day. CeeCee and Adam were okay with it—Cee actually looked a little overjoyed at the prospect of Jesse sitting with us.

Well, okay. I wasn't the only person that noticed how hot Jesse really was.

Jesse smiled at me as he took his place next to me. "I hope you don't mind," he said to CeeCee and Adam, to which CeeCee just shook her head and smiled.

Adam said, "It's nice to have some more testosterone at this table."

CeeCee and I just looked at each other. Then she said, "Was there even any to begin with?" which just had me and her cracking up.

That's the thing, me and her are always making fun of Adam, but you can tell he enjoys it, even when he makes those annoyed faces.

Everything was going great, actually. We were just eating lunch and talking.

But then Paul had to come over to our table. I guess I should have expected it, since he's been laying off me for a while. But, you know, I was hoping he would just leave me alone altogether.

I guess not.

"Suze, long time no see." He had a smirk on his face, like every other time I've seen him.

Inwardly I groaned. "What, Paul?"

He mocked hurt. "What, you aren't happy to see me?"

"Paul, really. What do you want? Can't you see I'm eating?"

He looked down at my food—an Andy-made sandwich—and then he looked at Jesse, who was trying really hard to stay out of it. But I could already tell then that Paul was pissing him off.

"Of course," Paul said. "Well, I just was hoping I could talk to you for a moment. I swear I'll leave you alone afterwards."

I narrowed my eyes at him, then saw that he wasn't smirking anymore. "Okay," I said. "Five minutes." To Jesse I added, "I'll be right back," but he didn't respond.

He nodded and led me away from everyone. When he didn't speak for at least a minute, I said, "What, Paul? What is it you wanted to talk about?"

He snapped his attention back to me. "So I take it you're going out with de Silva," was what he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. So? Paul, look, I don't like you, okay? I...I'm with Jesse, so please don't bother me anymore. Alright?"

Paul wasn't looking at me when I said it. He was looking right at Jesse, who was staring straight back at him. Jesse looked pissed off. Beyond pissed, if that was even possible.

"Paul?"

Even if I had seen what was coming, I couldn't have prevented it. It happened right before my eyes, and so fast that it didn't even seem possible.

In less than five seconds, Jesse was beside me, glaring at Paul.

"Is he bothering you, Susannah?" he asked, his voice full of loathing and malice. Wow, he was really mad.

I looked at Jesse in shock. "What? Jesse, no, he's not. Come on, just go back to the table. I'll be right there."

Paul had a smirk on his face, just like always. But instead of mocking me, it was Jesse who he was mocking. And I could tell Jesse did not like it one bit.

"Yes, Jesse, why don't you go back to your little lunch table and leave Suze and me alone?"

I saw the punch coming even before Jesse lifted his arm up. There's not much I could have really done, anyway.

And for some reason, I didn't even flinch when I heard the sickening crunch of Jesse's fist colliding with Paul's nose. It...well, it made me feel kinda good, actually.

Okay, that sounds mean, but seriously. Paul is just that kinda guy. He lives to piss you off. I mean, he's got Kelly Prescott, the most popular girl in school, so what's he need me for?

"You—you broke my nose! Fuck!"

Paul's nose was gushing blood by then. He was holding his nose with both of his hands, the smirk on his face no longer evident.

"I'll break more than that if you don't leave her alone," growled Jesse. He was about to lunge at Paul, but I grabbed his arm just in time.

"Jesse, no! Okay? Just...stop. Stop, please."

By now we had attracted the attention of every person in the courtyard. Including, unfortunately, the novices.

And Sister Ernestine.

Fuck.

But Jesse and Paul seemed oblivious to that fact. Jesse was yelling at Paul, cursing at him in Spanish. Paul, clearly understanding the foreign language spilling from Jesse's lips, scowled.

I was just glad that they hadn't gotten into a full-blown fist-fight.

"Oh, I'll get her, Jesse. You just wait."

Okay, I shouldn't have said that before. Because, now?

Yeah, Jesse was on top of Jesse, landing another punch to his face. Paul then kneed Jesse in the stomach and wriggled out from underneath him.

I could tell all ready that this would be the talk among the JSMA for a while.

Oh God.

The fight was getting even more intense as the minutes wore on. I mean, I tried breaking them up, but what the hell else could I do? They weren't listening to me. And when I tried to pull Jesse off Paul, he just shrugged out of my grip and punched Paul in the face again.

Finally one of the novices decided to come over.

"Children!" she yelled. "Stop this at once! You two are—"

But that was when Father Dominic came out and saw what was going on. "Paul! Jesse! I insist you stop this at once! You two will be suspended for such acts on school grounds!"

But they still didn't listen. "Jesse come ON. Just stop it, okay? Please—"

"Need a little help?"

I looked to my left and there was...my dad. He was...he was here. I sighed gratefully and nodded. My dad walked over and grabbed the back of Jesse's shirt, pulling him off of Paul. Jesse, a little shocked, looked over at my father.

Father Dominic was looking at my dad, too. Then he looked at me, and then back at my father. It seemed to dawn on him who this actually was.

But then...I saw Paul looking at my dad, too.

No. It can't be—can it? He can't be...a mediator, too? Can he?

That would just be too weird. TOO weird.

I shook my head and went over to Jesse. I put a hand on his shoulder and looked at him, hard. "What the hell were you thinking? God, I—" I shook my head and dropped my hand from his shoulder. "Never mind."

He looked down at me sadly. "I'm sorry, Susannah. I don't know what—"

"Susannah, I would like to see you in my office," came the voice of Father Dominic. "After Jesse and Paul get cleaned up they will be accompanying us," he added when he noticed the look of shock I gave him.

I nodded and followed Father Dominic to his office, but not before giving my dad a farewell glance. Father Dom shut the door behind us when we entered the office.

"Would you mind telling me what that was all about, Susannah?" he asked. His tone was light, but it held a certain hardness.

I sighed. "I'm...not quite sure myself, Father Dominic. I mean, one minute I'm talking to Paul, and the next Jesse's punching him in the face."

He nodded. Then he said, "And did Paul do anything to provoke such actions from Jesse?"

"Oh yeah," I said. "Paul was definitely antagonizing him. But Jesse shouldn't have gone off like that. I mean, I can kinda understand, since he's been under a lot of stress recently, but he knows better."

"Stress?" questioned Father Dom. "What kind of stress?"

"It's...not really my place to say anything."

Father D. nodded in understanding. "I see," he said. "Well, obviously there has to be some punishments here, for both parties."

I nodded. "I know."

But it wasn't right for Jesse to be punished just because he was trying to defend me. Albeit, I didn't really want the defense, but still.

Then again...what could I do? Practically the whole school saw the fight, so its not as if I could just say they were imagining the whole thing.

I mean, Father Dom is a cool guy and everything, but he couldn't get by not punishing Paul and Jesse, could he? Or, at least just Jesse? The novices would be outraged, including—but not limited to—Sister Ernestine.

Oh, goodness.

- § -

I was really surprised to hear afterwards that Jesse and Paul were completely civil in the nurse's office, when she was cleaning up their faces. Paul's face had the most damage—broken nose and all that—while Jesse only had a few cuts here and there.

Another thing I was surprised to hear?

Paul and Jesse got off. Meaning, they didn't get any punishments.

Well, okay, that may be a little false. They did get punishments, just not as bad as I thought it would be.

Father Dominic talked with Sister Ernestine, and they came up with a solution. Jesse and Paul would help set up for the Father Juniperro Serra Feast JSMA was holding this weekend.

The only catch?

I had to come. I mean, I couldn't leave Jesse and Paul alone there, could I? They'd kill each other!

And I seriously did not want a murder on my hands.

God. All of this commotion was almost enough to make me forget about what happened with Paul earlier.

No, not the fight.

The whole...me seeing him looking at a ghost thing. Without me knowing that he could actually see the ghost.

I had to talk to him. Seriously. I had to talk to Paul. I needed to know if he was a mediator, or if I was just imagining things.

But how could I talk to him alone? Now that I know Jesse fully hates the guy, its not like I could do it with Jesse around (meaning, at school). And I didn't know where he lived.

Ugh. Why must my life be so complicated?

Well, anyway, after school I went over to Jesse's house to talk to him. I didn't really get a chance to talk to him alone after everything happened. When I got there, I went up the front walk and rang the doorbell. Jesse's sister Mercedes answered the door.

"Hi, Suze!" she said brightly, ushering me inside.

I smiled kindly at her. "Hello, Mercedes. Is, uh, Jesse here? I kind of need to talk to him."

She cocked her head toward the stairs. "He's in his room."

I nodded and then started walking toward the stairs. I walked up them and to Jesse's room. I knocked on his door, but no one answered. So I knocked again. And again there was no reply.

"Jesse? Jesse, it's me." He still didn't answer.

So I just went in. I mean, maybe there was something wrong with him. Maybe he tripped and hit his head on something, which knocked him unconscious.

Hm, now that I think about it, only I would do that.

Nope, he was in good health (besides the few cuts on his face) when I went in his room. He was just lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He didn't even look at me when I entered the room.

I walked over to his bed and sat down next to him. But, for some reason, I needed to be closer to him. So I laid down next to him and lay my head on his chest. Immediately Jesse's arms came around me, pulling me into him even more. I smiled a little to myself and tried to relax.

After a few comforting moments of that I decided to actually do what I came here to do.

"Jesse?" I said, lifting my head off his chest.

His arm loosened around me as I sat up a little. "Hmm?"

I looked at his face. He was still looking up at the ceiling. But as if he could feel my gaze on him, he turned his head to look at me. "What is it, querida?"

I smiled a little. But then I remembered what I needed to talk to him about. "I...we need to talk about what happened today."

Jesse groaned and looked back up at the ceiling. "Must we? I really don't feel like it."

I exhaled and sat up. "I didn't think you would. But...I just want you to know that I can take care of myself. Paul...he wasn't doing anything. I was handling the situation very well—"

Jesse snapped his head back to facing me. "But what you neglected to notice was the way he was looking at you. Susannah, you are my girlfriend. I have a right to be jealous when another man looks at you that way."

"Huh? What way? What the hell are you talking about?" I was confused. I mean, Jesse was jealous? And of Paul?

Again, Jesse groaned. "I really am not in the mood to discuss this, Susannah. I would rather just forget about it."

I was about to protest, but I saw the look on Jesse's face. He was angry, and I really didn't feel like pissing him off even more right now.

But then another thought crossed my mind, and I just had to voice it.

"Okay, fine," I said in defeat. "But there's something I need to tell you. Paul...I think he's a mediator, Jesse."

Jesse eyes widened considerably. "Susannah, surely you don't think—"

I nodded. "When my dad pulled you off of Paul, I saw him looking at my dad. There was no one near my dad besides you and me, and he wasn't looking at either of us."

Jesse just shook his head. "Susannah, this is crazy. How could he—"

"I don't know, Jesse. But is it any crazier than me or you, or Marta or Father Dominic being one?"

He sighed heavily. "I don't know."

I sighed, too. "I have to talk to him, Jesse. Just...promise me if you see me talking to him you won't go ballistic, okay?"

"Susannah, he is—"

"Promise me, Jesse. I will only be talking to him. That's all."

Jesse sighed again. "Fine. Fine, I...I promise."

I smiled and leaned down to kiss him. "Good."