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

I rolled my eyes and groaned as another paper wad hit the back of my head. No one ever laughed or did it to mock me. They simply threw them because they knew I was a good sport about it and wouldn’t get mad. I was friends with everyone and they were just having fun.

Ms. Terry, the calculus teacher, was currently out of the room and trusted us not to do anything stupid. The minute she closed the door, all hell broke loose. Well, actually, it wasn’t that bad, just really loud. Kids were yelling at each other and talking loudly. I, currently, was doing the homework assignment so I wouldn’t have to do it tonight.

“Peytonnnn,” a guy behind me whined.

I set my pencil down and turned around. Ethan Goldman, the head football player and most popular guy in school, was pouting at me. Even though Ethan was popular, he wasn’t that bad of a guy. He had curly black hair that fell in his green eyes, pale skin, and a body to die for. Weirdly, though, I never found him that attractive. He was cute of course, but just not my type.

“What?” I asked.

“You’re going to the game tonight, right?”

I thought about it. I was planning on going to the movies or something, but I guess the football game wouldn’t be that bad either. Yeah, now that I think about it, I’d really like to be around cheering and happy people. I could ask Marie if she’s going to and maybe we could hook up.

“Yeah,” I said smiling. “I’ll be there.”

Ethan smiled. “Great! I’ll be the one making all the touchdowns and points.”

It wasn’t a secret to anyone that Ethan liked me. We used to date back in kindergarten, but then I broke up with him because he stole my animal cracker and I never forgave him. Eventually, we just forgot about it but we still never got back together. I just wasn’t interested in Ethan like that. He was a good friend, which he knew, and that was all he’d ever be, which he hoped wasn’t true.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Suddenly, a familiar cold chill passed into the room.

“Whoa,” Ethan said in a surprised tone. “Did it just get cold in here? I didn’t even hear the AC kick on…”

I don’t know why, but I looked around the room. I don’t know what I was looking for exactly, something out of place, something that shouldn’t be here, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. It was sort of like Mr. Hyde from R.L. Stevenson’s “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. When people looked at Mr. Hyde, they could tell something about him was wrong, like a deformity, but they just couldn’t place it…

“I’m not sure-” I was cut off by another voice.

Peyton…

A shiver ran down my spine and I looked to Ethan. “Did you hear that?”

He frowned. “Hear what?”

I shook my head. I probably didn’t hear anything; it was just in my mind. “Never mind.”

“Well, anyways,” Ethan continued. “I was wondering if you were doing anything tomorrow night. It’s Saturday and you’re not working, right?”

I blinked. Think, think, think! “Uh, tomorrow?”

He nodded.

“I wasn’t really planning on going anywhere. Lots of homework to do and stuff.” God, how lame am I?

“Oh, come on!” Ethan prodded. “Your friend Marie is going on a date with this Adam guy, and I was just going to tag along, but then they came up with the idea that you might want to go too. Said that you needed to get out and, I quote, ‘meet someone’. So, please? You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but it’d really mean a lot to them.” He paused. “And to me. I’d love to spend some time with you.”

Why, oh, why, Marie?! I know she was a good friend and just wanted me to be happy, but couldn’t she just let me find someone on my own? I don’t want to be hooked up with a guy on a blind date or anything like that. I want to find someone on chance. You know, like accidentally meeting in a bookstore, or crashing carts at the supermarket.

I sighed. “Okay. Fine.”

“Yes!” Ethan grinned and leaned forward in his seat. “Okay, so, we’ll pick you up around four, okay? I know it only takes like fifteen minutes to get across town, but you never know when a traffic jam is about to happen. Better safe than sorry.”

I gave a dry smile. “Yeah, okay.”

If there was a traffic jam, that meant I’d be stuck with Ethan for a while in the backseat. Yay. But, if there wasn’t a traffic jam, then that meant we’d get to the theater early, and again I’d have to spend a long time with Ethan. Either way, it was a lose-lose situation.

I did need to get out there and meet new people though. Keyword: new. Ethan wasn’t new. If I wanted to be with someone like him, I would be right now at this very moment. But I wasn’t. What I wanted was someone who I felt a spark with. Someone that could take my breath away just by looking at me. I wanted someone who saw me for who I was, not just a pretty girl, but a smart and independent one too. I wanted a guy who would say how beautiful I was when I just woke up in the morning with crazy bed hair, a guy who would smile when I walk into a room, a guy who would care…

But who was I kidding? A guy like that didn’t exist. Not for me, at least. Prince Charming doesn’t exist, and fairytales don’t exist… No matter how much I wished they did.

RING RING!

“Don’t forget about the game tonight,” Ethan said with a smile as he gathered his things. “My first touchdown will be for you.”

I rolled my eyes and was about to laugh, but didn’t.

The chill came back again, and I was suddenly too scared to show any sign of content