Hey everyone!

Sorry for the late update but I bring to you now, Chapter 8,

Hope you like it.

Oh and the characters mentioned: Suze and Jesse are sooo Meg Cabots and the rest is all mine.

Enjoy!

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CHAPTER 8

As soon as we got home, I stormed my way up to my room and plonked myself onto my bed when Troy materialized. "Hey, what's wrong?". I've always wondered something, where does he go when I'm not around? Ghost Club? Er… who knows?

I sighed and closed my eyes. "Nothing".
"I don't believe you", Troy said sitting on the side of my head. "What happened? Tell me, Cassie".
"Ethan", I sighed. "He just happened to hear me and Joe talking at Big Mac's and decided to join us, only we were finished eating".
"That idiot", I heard Troy grumble. "What else did he to? There's gotta be a particular reason why your so sulky". Sulky? Jeez.

I wasn't even sure if I should mention, Christian. Even though Christian hasn't really done anything to get me upset or anything but a few hints of caution. There was no reason to bring him up.

"Cass!", Joe knocked on the door. "Can I come in?".

I opened my eyes and glanced at Troy who had already disappeared, I grabbed the remote and pushed the button to open the door. "Hey", I greeted. He walked looking around the room. "Something wrong?".

"I thought I heard you talking to someone", he replied.
"Uh, yeah", I replied. "Just talking to myself, weird I know'.
"You can say that again", he said with a sigh.

I sat upright and folded my legs like I was meditating or something. "You wanna know why I did what I did to that jerk, right?".
"Uh huh", he nodded, sitting down on my bed. "Why'd you do it? You guys only met and already, you guys hate each other. Well, Ethan doesn't, he just rang". I rolled my eyes. "He said he likes you and that you haven't given him your answer whether you want to go out with him".
"Oh goody", I said, sarcastically. I just knew Troy was listening to this.
"Come on, Cass. What happened?", he asked. The same question Troy asked, typical.

"He just said some stupid things about someone I care about", I said, slowly making circles on the bed with my finger.
"You mean about Christian?", he asked.

My head perked up when he mentioned Christian. "Um, no, not exactly. Someone else".
"Oh, then who?", he persisted.

Thankfully my Grandma knocked and asked for Joe's help with something but when he left, I wasn't really so thankful when Troy dematerialized and asked, "So, who is Christian?".

And so, I spilt the beans. I told him from start to finish how I'd met Christian, I mean like, it wasn't that a long a story. It practically only happened in the library, twice. But, the look on his face seemed… well, all I can say think of in my head is, jealous much?

"I see", he said, looking a bit hurt which I couldn't understand why.
"What's with that look?", I asked.
"What look?", he asked, looking at me. "Why didn't you tell me about him?".
"Wh-what?", I scoffed. "It's not like he's a threat like Ethan and besides, I don't think he's a mediator. He just so happens to know about the house and I don't know where he got the idea about me going there, in his mind and telling me to be careful".

"I don't believe I'm going to say this", he muttered, walking towards me. "But, I think Ethan may be onto something about Christian. Your cousin seems to agree with Ethan too. Who knows what Christian is thinking and what he is. Just stay away from him".

I could not believe this, at all. My cousin, Ethan and now my dead boyfriend, is telling me to stay away from some guy whom I only met, twice! What freaking vibes are they getting off him? I didn't want to get into an argument with Troy, so I just breathed in and breathed out slowly as I got off the bed and walked towards the door when he got in my way.

"What are you doing?", he asked, looking down at me.
"I can't deal with this right now, Troy", I said, glaring at him. "Christian did nothing wrong and I feel like he's done nothing wrong. I just don't get why your so worked up about him when you haven't met him". I was really getting annoyed about these boys treating him like a freak.
"Cassie, I admit it", Troy sighed. "I am jealous". Ha! Knew it. "But I'm also worried about losing you to someone else". Okay, I didn't know that.

"Hey", I said slowly, taking his hands into mine. "You are not going to lose me to someone else, alright? I love you". I reached up to kiss him on his lips.
"I love you, too", he whispered and we kissed. Oh how I love his kisses, my hands smothering his hair as his hand slid under my sweater and my singlet. Felt ticklish but it did feel good. Though, I was wondering if he could taste the chicken burger I had finished eating on the ride home, pissed about Ethan.

I walked down the steps and heard a knock on the door. "I'll get it", I called into the kitchen, seeing my Grandma and Joe cooking something.
"Oh, okay", Grandma smiled.
"Must be Ethan", Joe said.

I stopped just as I was about to press the button to open the door by the sound of Ethan's name. No freaking way, I thought. But it was too late to turn back but I really, really, did not want to open that door. I basically had no choice but to open the door and I started thinking up a plot on whether on giving him a surprise, by knocking the daylights out of him. Though I haven't really done any boxing lessons or whatever.

As the door slid open, Ethan was there, standing on the porch with his arms folded. Looking at his car, typical play boy.

"What do you want?", I demanded and making my voice a bit low so my Grandma and Joe couldn't hear that my nerves were struck by the sight of a hot guy who treats people like dirt. His ears must've twitched at the sound of my voice when he turned around and grinned. "State what you gotta say and leave".

He found my little threat amusing, as he laughed. "Your funny Cass but actually, I was invited here, Joe invited me". Oh this is just SO not cool. How could he invite him over after the way he treated me? Okay, so Joe doesn't know the full story but still. Cut me some slack. It's my third day now and things still go on as worse as it already is.

At the dinner table, as we all sat down, Ethan winked at me. God, it was like the most natural thing in the world to be doing that. Winking at me! In front of an elderly woman, though she didn't see it of course. "So", Ethan said. "Shall I say grace?".
"That'd be nice", Grandma smiled. "Thank you, Ethan". Ugh, this is pathetic, my kind and heart warming Grandma was letting him grow on her. She really couldn't see the evilness of what he could do behind that carefully formed smile of his.

For all I know, he could very well… exorcise Troy. I didn't want to think about it but it was like he could do it but I'm sure he couldn't, because he didn't have anything of Troy's to exorcise him with. The only thing that Troy had with him the moment he had died from that car accident twenty years ago, was a family photo of his dad, mom and an elder brother.

I helped Troy find his family to see how they were doing, unfortunately, his dad had died from a heart disease. Even though it may seem like a sad and bad thing, it wasn't so bad for Troy though, since… he's already dead too. We managed to find his dad and they talked and talked as they were watching over their mom laughing with Troy's eldest brother who was playing with his little kids and wife. I couldn't really join in the conversation, I was just happy to see Troy happy talking to his dad before he could move on.

"Amen", everyone all said. I seriously didn't know what Ethan's motives were but I was pretty sure he took his job as a mediator, seriously. Like, if he sees a ghost, he either tells them to move on and get an afterlife or force them to move on. It's quite simple for him as it may seem but as for me, having a boyfriend who is dead, doesn't seem to be.

Sure, Troy helped me out when getting rid of ghosts, well, he does most of the saving me than I do to get rid of the ghosts. It just really doesn't add up why I got to meet someone so handsome yet so mean as the mediator I first encounter throughout my whole entire sixteen years. Ethan, I mean.

The phone rang and I was hoping to get it when Joe was closer to get it. Damn it. I glanced at Ethan. How can someone like him, not get angry at me for soaking his model-like body with coke, act so calm and damn comfortable around me?!

Just sitting there - across from me - making conversations with my Grandma. I really did feel the need to excuse myself to go back upstairs and resume snogging my boyfriend instead of looking at someone who can just make my boyfriend disappear.

"So Cass", Ethan said, in a tone that could make a girl feel nervous. Not me. "Have you decided?". I almost choked on my piece of steak. "I didn't mean it as an engagement question". Haha, very funny, I thought, sarcastically.
"Cassandra, are you alright?", Grandma asked me as she got up. "I'll get you some water". Great, my chance to give my regards to this idiot who can't take a hint.

"Why are you doing this to me?", I hissed though my voice was a bit groggy from the steak incident. "Can't you take a hint that I have a boyfriend? It doesn't matter if he's…". I glanced around then looked back at Ethan who was chuckling, pathetic, I know. "Dead".
"You should save all the trouble and just say yes, Cassie", he said. "Don't worry, I won't make a move on you". Again with the wink. I felt like grabbing that eyelid and making it permanently stay down, like it was some kind of curtain.
"I don't know what kind of trouble your on about", I said, clearing my throat.
"About the abandoned house", he replied. My eyes widened as he said it.

"Here's your water, sweetheart", my Grandma said as she came back, setting the water next to me. I looked at it and picked it up then nearly gulped the whole thing down like I thought it was beer or something.

"I talked to your lovely Grandma here for your permission", Ethan said. Taking the napkin and wiping his mouth, carefully. This is driving me insane!
"What?", I asked in surprise as I set the glass of now empty water back down on the table.
"Ethan has asked me if he could take you out", Grandma said with a smile at me. "He's a nice young man, you should spend your holiday having fun while it lasts".

Pfft, fat chance of that happening. I seriously couldn't deal with this but then when he mentioned the house… I didn't know if I wanted to say no.

"What do you say, Cass?", he asked again, breaking my thoughts. "Is that a yes?".

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