The Ghost and Molly McGee

Chasing Closure

Chapter 2: Ambiguous Cover

Original Release Date: December 31, 2024

Disclaimer: The Ghost and Molly McGee does not belong to me. The show is property of Disney and was created by Bob Roth and Bill Motz.

After spending most of the night scribbling down her rawest, most intimate thoughts about the book by Libby's dad, she sat with it for the better part of the morning. Her next step wasn't as clear cut as she would have wanted it to be. She had her thoughts down, but how could she share them with her best friend without sounding absolutely biased towards her? That was the question she asked her parents, Sharon and Pete, after breakfast. Any advice that they could give to her predicated on themselves knowing precisely what the book was about. Thus, Molly set them up with her copy of it and asked them to skim through it.

"Soooooo what do ya think?" She asked them nervously before they were even finished with it.

"Well..." Both Pete and Sharon exchanged their own silent looks to each other while alternating skimming the pages. Neither could formulate a satisfactory answer to Molly's troubles. "It's...unlike any book I've ever read." Pete kindly said in a failed attempt to diffuse the tension.

"Okay yeah, but that's something someone says when they don't want to be brutally honest." Fortunately, Molly was wise to this and wouldn't let them simply wiggle out of giving her a proper response.

Try as he might, Pete couldn't avoid coming forward with his true feelings. "Ugh, okay, this book is...bad. Kinda bad."

"It's written fine enough, I guess, but it's so self-indulgent." Sharon added. "More than a work of fiction should be."

"Hold the phone, it's not an autobiography?" Pete inquired, only to be met by indecisive shrugs. "And this is Libby's father, right?" This question garnered a silent nod from Molly. "Weird. I don't remember seeing her name mentioned. Or even Leah's name."

"That's what I said!" Molly screeched in a fit of frustration before covering her mouth and regaining her composure. "Add in the fact that he hadn't even talked to them once during his six year escapade writing this book abroad..."

"I'm sorry, he did what?" Sharon and Pete shared in Molly's revulsion over this bombshell.

"Yup. And yet he wants to pass himself off as some sort of inspirational figure? A role model for kids and adults? What role model would up and abandon his family? He has no idea what Libby's become. She's the coolest girl I know! And I just...need to know that I'm not crazy when I say it's terrible."

"It's always good to get second opinions when you're not sure." Pete reassured her. "I...wouldn't want to read this again. But I don't think I can separate the book from the man."

"Man being a very relative term..." Molly bitterly muttered. She took her copy of the book back and sighed heavily. "I have no respect for anyone that wants to bail when times get tough. Especially when you've got a family." She looked over at her folks, who sat down next to her and hugged her. "You know what gets me more than anything? Libby's a way better writer than her own dad." She loudly sighed and took out a copy of Libby's book. "I can read this thing front to back twice in a day and never get tired of it. It took me hours to slog through her dad's book. But...I'm not sure if I can be totally objective about it. She might think I'm only saying it's bad to protect her feelings. And I'm not sure she would be wrong..."

Sharon put a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Sweetie, it's okay if you can't be objective here. We know how much you care about her."

Molly nodded somberly. "I do." She stared for a moment at the cover of Libby's book, her mind temporarily replaying some of her greatest memories with her bestie. "Maybe I need more feedback." She eagerly leaped off the couch and prepped herself. "I've still got plenty of friends with a high discernment to lean on." As she readied herself to depart, her mother stopped her.

"Wait, Mol! Before you go...could you leave Libby's book for us?" Sharon almost looked giddy over the thought of diving into Libby's work. Molly's copy of it was the only one printed at the time, as it had been done purely for the fun of it. It was never a consideration to take it any further than that at that point, so those that wanted to actually read it would unfortunately have to take turns. Molly happily acquiesced and left behind Libby's book for her parents. Once she exited the house with Libby's father's book in hand, Sharon and Pete raced to flip through the pages and resume reading.

"What chapter did we leave on again?"

After having consulted with her family, she opted to console with the only other people that were in her immediate circle that also weren't ghosts: her boyfriend Ollie, her sister June, and Andrea. Conveniently, she had them gathered at Flavor Burger, where she was going to meet them for lunch that day anyway.

"Okay, so...what do you guys think?" Molly asked them awkwardly as their lunches were being delivered to them. She had politely asked if they would give her their opinion on the book. Initially, she had reservations about dragging them into whatever this ordeal with Libby and her father was. As far as she knew, none of them had met him before. There was no need to make it personal. But the more Molly strained herself contemplating how to approach the subject matter, the more open she became to outside feedback. Thus, the decision to consult the aforementioned friends for opinions.

"It's...fine? I guess?" But even Ollie found himself unable to come to a consensus. "I guess it was a good read?"

"I found it to be passable but fairly derivative of substance and overly self-fellating." June chimed in, unfiltered and unafraid. "Pretty concerning tone for a book meant to be a work of fiction."

Ollie turned his head, raising an eyebrow in pure confusion. "It's not supposed to be an autobiography?" Both June and Molly exchanged looks and responded to Ollie's question with a shrug. "Oh, that's helpful. I was just giving it the benefit of the doubt."

"How was that giving it the benefit of the doubt?"

"I don't know, I'm not a critic!"

Molly ignored their little tit-for-tat and turned their attention to Andrea. "So...what did you think?"

Andrea hesitated momentarily before letting out a loud sigh. "I...haven't actually read it yet."

Her answer surprised Molly. "Oh, really?"

Andrea nodded. "I was going to read it. Then my mom and dad read it first, and they won't shut up about it. They've been lambasting it for, like, weeks." While Andrea was visibly maintaining composure, Molly picked up the subtle changes in pitch that indicated Andrea was annoyed with her folks. "Now my dad's been talking nonsense about writing his own book to "one-up" him or something." She huffed, almost in exhaustion. "I almost don't want to read it purely out of spite. I'd rather read Libby's book again."

"Yeah, Libby's dad sure has a way of turning people like us off from him..."

Andrea's eyes shot wide open, as if the words "Libby's dad" were a bombshell to her. "Wait wait hold up, that's Libby's dad?"

"...Yeah...why?"

Bizarrely, Andrea started to visibly panic. "Oh, uh, no reason. No reason, it's not like my parents drilled it into my head that her parents were troublemakers and never to be trusted or respected for any good reason." She started to laugh nervously, trying her damndest to hold it together. "Who-Who's Libby?" And then, an extremely awkward silence followed.

Curious, Molly decided internally to table that sentence and address it later. "...Okay then."

"Molly, not that I don't love sharing interests with you, but you didn't really need our help to decide you don't like this book, did you?" Ollie posed a reasonable question, though Molly countered with a reasonable response.

"No, it's not that. I think the book sucks. I hate the book. But I hate Libby's dad more. I just didn't want it to feel like I was hating on the book just because I don't like the guy."

"But you don't know the guy."

Molly sighed in acceptance. "You're right, I don't. But reading the book and hearing Libby vent about how he's all but ghosted her and her mom over the years does not paint him in a remotely positive light for me."

"That's fair."

While Molly was unraveling her struggles to the group, Andrea seemed to hang onto every word, with extra detail paid to Libby's father. Something within her was stirring, causing her to distressfully recollect certain, vague memories from the past. Luckily for her, she was subtle enough about this that it did not draw any attention from anyone, even the usually attentive June.

Or at least, that's what she thought.

Just as Molly was finishing her spiel and calming herself, she caught a look over from Andrea, which resulted in the girl furiously trying to hide it by looking away at the last moment. It would be typical of Molly to jump on this opportunity to prode Andrea for an explanation. But given the circumstances, all of them - the tension regarding Libby and her dad, her dad's book, Andrea's strange past with Libby - she deduced it would not be productive to pounce on it at this moment in time. She could tuck it away for later. But Molly had enough trouble figuring how out to navigate the Libby trouble right now, and she wanted to keep her focus on that before she moved onto any other friend issues.

"Molly, you know what you want to say to her about this." Ollie finally chimed in again after a prolonged silence. "You just gotta trust yourself and say it."

Molly sat with it for a brief moment but accepted that her boyfriend was right. "No, you're...you're right. What's the worst thing that can happen?"

"She accuses her of lying to protect her feelings." June said bluntly, as she was known to occassionally do. Fortunately, it came with an added step of social correcting. "But I don't think that will happen She knows her well enough."

This got a sigh of relief from Molly; just the thought that they had her back and knew where she was coming from helped relax her. Fortified and motivated, she took the book back, left money on the table for her order, and proceeded to depart. "Thanks guys!" She said with a flurry of joy and vigor in her voice as she dashed out.

Molly caught up with Libby back at Book Marks the Spot. She was helping her mother alphabatize some books. "Libby!" She called out to her friend, which got her attention on the first try.

"Molly!" She excitedly hugged her best friend. Upon pulling away her eyes darted towards the book Molly had. She wasn't expecting any conversation about the book to be happening so soon. "Did you...finish the book?"

"Uh, yeah! Yeah I read it all last night. Y-You know me, when I start something I have to see it through!" A mentality that has never, ever gotten Molly into trouble before. Nope. Not a single time.

"And that's never bit you in the butt before."

"Quiet..." Molly said jokingly back.

"So...what did you think?" Libby popped the question rather quickly. If Molly was so eager to read it and get over it fast, it only made sense to put it all out in the open right away and bury it once and for all.

"What did I think?" The girl took a good, long look at the cover of the book. Chasing Miracles. Just the mere thought of the title churned Molly's stomach. It felt like such an insincere and fake name. Fitting, then, that she felt it to be such an insincere and fake book. She eyed her best friend head on, strung together a few deep breaths, and finally spoke again. "I think...I think I'm too biased to make a totally fair judgment. Her first statement took Libby by a bit of surprised, but sensing that Molly was only getting started, she elected not to say anything. "The more I read, the more I got angry at your dad for...well, everything. The way he's all but ghosted you, his singular focus on his vapid dreams, the heartbreak you went through when you traversed two different states just for him to ghost you again..." Molly stopped and took another breath. She was great at wearing the emotions of others on her sleeve, but more often than she liked to admit, it caused her trouble. "It made it really hard for me to be sure of myself in what I thought.

"I think...that this book is terrible. It's mediocrily written, pedantic, self-indulgent, and insanely vain. Like, the more I read his book, the more I wanted to throw it away and just read yours again. He might have a voice, but it's not a voice that serves any purpose than ego-stroking. But your voice? Your voice inspires, Libby. Your voice says that no matter what you go through, no matter how much disappointment you experience, no matter how hopeless things seem, you always have the power to keep going. To not give up. To get back up and face the world and all of its uncertanties and obstacles. That is a voice I want to lift up, not this self-centered drek!" Molly loudly groaned. "Ugh, it's so not fair! You should be the successful bestseller, not this guy!"

Libby let out a soft chuckle, always proud of her friend's staunch defense of everyone in her life. "Thanks, Mol. That would be a dream come true. But I don't know if I could handle the pressure or the attention."

Molly smiled and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Well if you ever do get famous, I'll have your back. I'll make sure everybody knows your name and nobody takes away everything you've done."

Libby hugged her friend with a proud smile on her face. "Thanks, Mol. But that's a story for another day."

"Oh, ha ha, I see what you did there." Molly laughed it off, prompting Libby to take her dad's book back from her and hanging it off to her mother, who feigned sickness taking it back before shoving it back on the shelf. Thinking the problem was resolved, Molly took a deep breath and started to walk away. Her conscience was clear...that was until...

"Excuse me?"

Molly passed by a lone reader on her way out. It was a slender, mild-mannered, mid-30's gentleman; he was wearing a fancy suit, holding a briefcase near his body, and reading what appeared to be a thick, looseleaf packet of papers. His eyes peered slightly over the stack of papers and shifted towards Molly.

"...Yes?"

"That was her, wasn't it?"

Naturally, Molly was incredibly confused at this statement. Was he talking about Libby? He was, but why? And who starts a sentence like that? "I'm...sorry?" Molly replied slowly..

"The author? Of this book?" The man flipped over the stack of papers, revealing the top paper and its huge bold title, Turtle Riders of Knell, by Libby Stein-Torres. Confused, Molly stepped towards him and asked to examine the packet. To her surprise and complete befuddlement, it appeared to be, word-for-word, a rough draft copy of the actual book.

"W-W-Wait a minute...where'd you get this? And why you of all people?"

"Oh, Molly!" Came the voice of Leah from the distance, as she sprinted into the scene. "It's okay. This is Julien; he's a family friend. He's in town visiting, and when I told him she finally finished that passion project and followed in her dad's footsteps, he was dying to read it. Unfortunately, he, erm, had to settle for this looseleaf."

"Yeah, sorry about that. There's only one printed copy, and my parents are borrowing it for the time being. We can't help it if it's high demand in our little circle."

"Shame." Julian said, continuing to read the rough draft. "But it's nice to know she's following that path and blossoming into her own writer."

"Well," Molly chuckled almost smugly. "I don't mean to brag about my best friend," No, she did. She loved to brag about Libby, and it always warmed Leah's heart knowing her daughter had someone that was hellbent on having her back. "But I'd like to say she's not following in her dad's footsteps, because her book is way better than that guy's!" She was firm in her convictions. The motivation behind those convictions was what was up in the air.

"Oh, you're talking about 'Chasing Miracles.' I mean, I-I liked it fine."

"That's fair. I'm ridiculously biased for Libby anyway. She's my bestie."

"And she's a pretty good writer. Did she really write this whole thing herself?"

"You bet she did."

"She's really come out of her shell ever since Molly and her family moved in." Leah remarked.

"That's wonderful to hear." After that statement, Julian studied the packet for a moment, contemplating.

"...What?"

He looked around to ensure nobody was going to intrude on them, then brought them in for a whisper. "Don't tell anybody I said this, but I've heard sales of Mateo's book aren't too great these days."

Molly grinned rather mischeviously. "Because karma is a...word that I'm not allowed to repeat outside of my house." But once she got over that little moment of weakness, she started doing some thinking again. "But why are you telling us this?"

"Wouldn't it be funny if another Stein-Torres-published book managed to outclass his on the best seller list?" While Julian admitted to ranging from neutral to slightly positive about his feelings for Mateo's book, he wasn't exactly a fan of Mateo as a person either. Add him to the seemingly growing list.

"You mean...Libby's?" Leah asked, slowly putting the pieces together, something that Molly had already done.

"And why do you seem to care about that?" Molly asked. "I mean besides the fact that you obviously don't like him all that much..."

"He's a publishing agent, Molly." Leah explained. "Getting books printed and published is his forte."

"And there's a pretty strong market right now for works of fiction aimed at a young demographic. It's the one her dad's book is lagging behind in the most. If we can-"

"Wait, wait, wait! Stop!" Molly yelled, temporarily halting the conversation. "What are we doing here?"

Julian was taken slightly off guard by Molly's prompt interruption. "Um...discussing demographics and logistics-"

"Yeah, not what I meant. Don't you think there's someone whose imput is missing from this?"

Leah suddenly groaned and gritted her teeth, acknowledging Molly's point. "Libby's."

"Precisely! I appreciate that you're gung ho about her work - as you should be, she's talented as all get out - but last I checked, this is her work. Not yours, not her mom's and certainly not mine." Molly took a deep breath. She recognized that for all intents and purposes, this man she's only just met for the first time did not know a lot about her best friend, and it was time for him to be educated. "Libby is introverted, shy, self-conscious about how she presents herself, a little clumsy, and...frankly a bit of a conspiracy theorist. A little more than I'm comfortable with but that's a discussion for another time. POINT! IS!" She emphasized, determined to stick the landing. "You're talking about this like she's agreed to anything, and she hasn't."

Leah kneeled down and put a hand on her shoulder. "Molly, you are a great friend. But isn't it possible that being your friend has brought out the confidence she would need to pursue a lifelong dream of hers?"

Another deep breath from Molly. "Sure, you're right. It might be true. And that would be great. But that should be her choice. I'm not gonna make the mistake again of thinking I know what she would want." She turned back to Julien with a stern but serene look on her face. "What I'm saying is I'm not the person you should be pitching this to. Nor is Libby's mom. You should be asking Libby."

Julien nodded, agreeing with the sentiment. "That's a good point."

"Or-Or we could ask her on your behalf. She might be...more receptive hearing it from us versus someone that she..." Molly turned to face Leah with a questioning look on her face. "Probably doesn't talk to very much?"

"Would you believe she's talked to Julien more than her own dad over the last six years?"

"Gosh, every time that comes up, it gets more and more pathetic."

"You know what? I like that idea." Julien put the large packet aside and started to rummage through his briefcase. He pulled out a few things - a smaller stack of papers, a business card, and a pamphlet. "Just run it by her. See what she says." Molly and Leah both studied the papers, card, and pamphlet. "I'm still in town for a few days, so no pressure right now."

"Good. The last thing I'm gonna put on my daughter is undo pressure." Leah confirmed, sharing the sentiment with Molly.

With this, Julien stood up, shook both of their hands firmly, thanked them, and took his leave with contentment on his face. While Leah and Molly both shared a similar feeling of calm, it was slowly replaced with a pit in their stomachs, anticipating the conversation that was to be had with Libby about this potential opportunity.

End of Chapter 2!

By the skin of my teeth, I manage to get a new chapter out before the end of the year. I hope everyone had an amazing 2024! And I hope everyone has an even more amazing 2025!

And as always, please read, review, & share!