You're a Ghost, So Why Can I See You?

Somehow, Marie had already arrived at Subway before I did. I left before her and plus she had to go in to discuss with the principal about the upcoming dance. Then again, she was always known to have the most speeding tickets…

“Peyton!” Marie greeted me as I came back out from the bathroom with my uniform on. “Okay, the guys are gonna be here in a few minutes, so don’t have dressing all over you or something, okay?”

I rolled my eyes and walked over to put a tray of unbaked bread in the oven. “Marie, I told you already, I don’t want to meet this guy. I don’t want anything to do with him.”

She scoffed at me and placed a hand on her hip. “This guy is totally gorgeous, okay? Once you see him you’re gonna go head over heels for him. I invited this guy specifically for you, so you’re meeting him no matter what you want. You haven’t had a boyfriend in forever, Peyton! This guy could be it!”

I put my hands on the counter and stared down into the yellow peppers. It wasn’t that I didn’t wantto, there was just no point. I wouldn’t feel anything for him. I never did. Every guy that ever liked me, I never returned the feeling. There wasn’t that spark…that connection. Of course they were super cute, but it just never happened.

What if it never happened? What if I never felt that spark and spent the rest of my life in a tiny apartment with a dozen cats? What if I was asexual like Barton was talking about yesterday? Does that mean I’ll be a virgin for the rest of my life? And if that happened, then I’d never end up having my own kids…

Whoa, calm down, Peyton. You’re not asexual and proof of that was the amazing feeling you had for that guy yesterday. I wonder if he’ll come in today… Probably not. Why would he? There was nothing special about me and my life definitely wasn’t a fairytale. My future didn’t contain a prince charming and a happily ever after. With my luck, I’ll probably end up being denied at every college I apply to, work at Subway for the rest of my life, and marry a co-worker twenty years older than me.

“Peyton!” Marie hissed my name harshly, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I raised my eyebrows. “Wha-“

I stopped suddenly when I realized there were two guys standing in front of the counter, one smiling politely and the other with a big smirk on his face. The first had short brown hair with brown eyes and was slightly tan. Really cute I might add. And the second one had longish blonde hair that fell slightly in his crystal blue eyes. I could tell by looking at him and his tanned body that he was a surfer boy. Oh, how I hated surfer boys… The question at hand, though, was which one was Ben?

“Peyton,” Marie said happily. “This is Adam and this is Ben. Guys, meet Peyton.”

I tried not to hold back my disgust when I shook Ben, the surfer boy’s, hand. The stupid smirk on his face was starting to piss me off. It was one of those smirks that said, “Yes! An easy one! I’ll be getting some tonight for sure.”

“Nice to meet you,” Ben said. I tried to pull my hand away, but he kept a firm grip on it, brought it up to his lips, and kissed it. Finally, he released my hand and I wiped it on the side of my pants.

“It’s our break,” Marie said, “so let’s go sit down or something.” She walked around the counter and smiled at Adam who happily returned it. At least he seemed like a good and genuine guy.

I hesitated before following Marie. I could say I felt sick and stay in the bathroom until the guys left. That’d work, right? Nah, probably not. They’ve already seen that I’m perfectly fine and healthy. God damn it!

“Coming?” Ben asked with his hand outstretched, wanting me to take it.

I stared at it and suddenly felt an unexplainable coldness wash over me. I shivered.

“Cold?” Ben asked surprised.

Yes.I ignored his hand and pushed past him, shaking my head. Why was I cold? It was like eighty degrees in here. Everyone was practically sweating.

I tried to ignore the coldness and slide in the booth across from Adam and Marie who were absorbed in their own conversation, while Ben scooting in next to me. And way too close, I might add.

“So, Peyton,” Ben started. “Do you like to surf?”

Just ten minutes. I could handle this for ten minutes. “Uh, no, I’ve never been.”

A smile spread across his face. “You should try it. I’m the best so maybe I could take you sometime. You can learn from a real master. All the guys call me ‘The King’.”

I had to bite my lip from rolling my eyes at his cockiness. “Uh, maybe.”

More quietly he added, “You know, they call me the king at another other thing too…” He slowly moved his hand to my upper thigh and squeezed lightly.

I lost my breath and couldn’t breathe, and not in the way that you probably think. It wasn’t the shock of Ben’s hand on my thigh; it was the extreme, unbearable coldness that gripped my body and heart. It hurt to breathe and think.

This wasn’t my pain…I think. I couldn’t really explain it. Obviously I was feeling the coldness, but it wasn’t really hurtingme because it wasn’t my pain. That probably didn’t make sense, I know, but there’s no way I could explain it.

“Ow,” I muttered quietly so no one else could hear.

Once I said that, the coldness quickly left me and my body started to heat up.

“Maybe after you get off work,” Ben said, moving his hand up slowly. “I could pick you up and you could come over to my place. I’m in college, you know, and my roommates are out of town-”

“Get the fuck away from me,” I said quietly so it wouldn’t interrupt Marie and Adam’s conversation.

Ben’s smirk went away for a moment, then he tightened his grip on my leg and whispered harshly into my ear. “Watch what you say, little slut. I have plenty of friends who would be more than happy to join me in strapping you to a bed and fucking you senseless. Conscious or not.”

I took a sharp intake of breath and gritted my teeth. First my father, and now this guy? I think not!

I gripped Ben’s hand and flung it away from me. “Maybe you didn’t hear me correctly,” I said in a normal voice, causing Marie and Adam to look at us. “Get fuck away from me!”

Ben looked shocked for a moment and then removed his hand from my thigh quickly. Meanwhile, Adam was already out of the booth and was pulling Ben away from me. Ben didn’t have time to react before he was flung to the floor with a loud CRUNCH sound.

I slid out of the booth, fuming with anger, and kicked Ben in the side before storming out of the building.

I’d be back later. Right now I really, really needed an ice cream. There was a great ice cream place across the street and was always open. Ice cream was my comfort food and it helped me relax. There was no need telling Marie where I was going because she would know. I worked alone yesterday so she’d be fine for a half hour on her own. Plus she was the one who insisted on me meeting the jerk. I should stay away an hour on purpose.

God! Were there no decent guys left in this world!?