Confessions of a Teenage Zombie
California
Ryan sat on his bed while I cleaned his room. He must have knocked over everything he had in his room, which wasn't much, considering the fact that he was a ghost. I started putting everything on his desk, because to be honest, I never paid enough attention to his room to be able to know where it went otherwise.
I could feel Ryan's stare. I turned around, catching a slight glare before he quickly shifted to a normal stare. Damn, he could shoot daggers with his eyes. Were he alive, I would not want to be on his bad side.
"Can you please maybe not put everything on the desk?" he inquired. I blinked twice. "I kind of like it to be clean. Maybe if you put things in the drawers? But... keep the photo album out."
He sure was being bossy for someone who was asking me to do him a favor. I turned back to the desk and started grabbing the notebooks, shoving them into the desk drawers. I put the photo album onto the center. I opened it, seeing the picture Ryan had shown me before of him and Spencer.
I kind of forgot about Spencer; my plan on asking about Ryan. There was no way for me to get in contact with him, unless I asked Brent, and he would totally look down on me sneaking around and getting a second-hand source on Ryan's life. He'd probably tell me to ask Ryan himself, since it would be mean to do otherwise.
I closed the book and sat down next to Ryan. He looked over at me.
"I guess I did kind of mean a bit of what I told you," he stated. I looked at him, an eyebrow arched. Would he make up his mind? I wasn't angry; I just wanted to know what was going on in his mind. "Yesterday, I mean."
"Yeah, I know what you're talking about." I tried not to sound angry, but damn was his mind scattered when it came to tense situations. I mean, he was crying ten minutes ago just by us talking. He had to pull himself together. "I just don't know what you're trying to tell me. I'm willing to listen if you'll explain."
"Well, I just think that being too close to someone living who doesn't know about our predicament is a horrible idea is all," he explained. "I mean, let's say you and Alex were the best of friends. Twenty years down the road, and he's a few years from being in his forties. You? You'll still be stuck at nineteen. You think he wouldn't wonder about the fact that you hadn't aged?"
"Well, there are ways around it," I mumbled. Ryan arched an eyebrow, most likely waiting for me to explain my statement. "You know, make-up and stuff."
"You know how expensive make-up is? And you'd need to be an expert to do it correctly." He sighed. I could tell he honestly was just trying to help me understand. "Look, I'm just saying that maybe it's for the better that Alex fled."
"I guess." The fact that Ryan seemed more concerned with our secret than my happiness was kind of saddening. I guess I got it; I couldn't be entirely selfish. But still, I can't just be unhappy forever, right?
Even zombies need love.
"I'm not going out with Brent if that's what you're trying to get at," I said. The thought of getting together with Brent was just gross. Not that there was anything wrong with him, but it was just an automatic no. "You get with Brent."
"I'm a ghost, so that's not happening," he replied. He sounded almost sad telling me that. I got it, though. Even if he could go out and get with anyone he wanted, it's not like they could do much together. "And I'm not telling you to go out with Brent. He was just an example, because he knows you'll never age."
We both sat in silence until there was a knock at the door. Poor Shane probably got lonely being downstairs all by himself. I opened the door, my jaw dropping when I saw Art.
"You're not supposed to be back until your mom is all okay, or something!" I shrieked as I pulled him into a hug. He chuckled and hugged me back. "I mean it. What're you doing here?"
"I got back home, and my older sister was there. She insisted my mother go to California to relax, and... I mean, my mother seemed so ecstatic to go." He rubbed his eye as I pulled away. "I helped her pack and came home."
"Oh." I guess I kind of hoped he'd tell me he wanted to patch things up with Shane, but I knew the world just didn't work like that. I smiled. "Well, I'm happy you're back!"
Ryan floated next to me. He stared at Art for a minute before going through him at full speed. Art shivered for a second and glanced over his shoulder where Ryan had gone.
"He's angry," I mumbled, although the look on Art's face told me he already knew that. I bit my lower lip as I looked down at Art. "So how was your mom? Ryan made it sound like she was really sick."
"It was just stress is all," Art stated. "She's always done way more than she actually has to, even though numerous people tell her to maybe take a break once in awhile. She used to have my dad to help her out, but he died a couple years back."
"I'm sorry," I murmured.
"It's fine. My sister and mother are on their way to California, and hopefully that will help her to calm down and just relax for once," Art continued. I watched him, wondering whether or not to bring up Shane. It would probably be a bad subject, since it happened just yesterday, but I really wanted to know what was going to happen.
At the very least, Art would continue to let Shane stay, right? He wasn't heartless; he wouldn't be able to kick out a defenseless vampire who had no way to control himself.
"Have you been okay here?" Art inquired. I nodded my head and smiled. "Good. I felt a little horrible that I left you guys here, but I figured you'd be okay."
"We've been fine. Ryan and I had a bit of a tiff, but we worked it out," I explained. "Which I guess is what always happens; Ryan and I eventually work it out in the end."
"Of course." Art smiled. "As long as both parties are willing, I can't see why you wouldn't be able to get past whatever happened between you two."
I wanted to take it as a sign that he and Shane could work out what happened, but who knew with Art? He could've just been telling me stuff. I nodded my head, because I felt like neither of us were bringing up the elephant in the room.
Art smiled at me and turned to leave. I blinked, wondering if I should just bring up him and Shane. I figured they were grown men, though. They'd work it out.
Right?
I could feel Ryan's stare. I turned around, catching a slight glare before he quickly shifted to a normal stare. Damn, he could shoot daggers with his eyes. Were he alive, I would not want to be on his bad side.
"Can you please maybe not put everything on the desk?" he inquired. I blinked twice. "I kind of like it to be clean. Maybe if you put things in the drawers? But... keep the photo album out."
He sure was being bossy for someone who was asking me to do him a favor. I turned back to the desk and started grabbing the notebooks, shoving them into the desk drawers. I put the photo album onto the center. I opened it, seeing the picture Ryan had shown me before of him and Spencer.
I kind of forgot about Spencer; my plan on asking about Ryan. There was no way for me to get in contact with him, unless I asked Brent, and he would totally look down on me sneaking around and getting a second-hand source on Ryan's life. He'd probably tell me to ask Ryan himself, since it would be mean to do otherwise.
I closed the book and sat down next to Ryan. He looked over at me.
"I guess I did kind of mean a bit of what I told you," he stated. I looked at him, an eyebrow arched. Would he make up his mind? I wasn't angry; I just wanted to know what was going on in his mind. "Yesterday, I mean."
"Yeah, I know what you're talking about." I tried not to sound angry, but damn was his mind scattered when it came to tense situations. I mean, he was crying ten minutes ago just by us talking. He had to pull himself together. "I just don't know what you're trying to tell me. I'm willing to listen if you'll explain."
"Well, I just think that being too close to someone living who doesn't know about our predicament is a horrible idea is all," he explained. "I mean, let's say you and Alex were the best of friends. Twenty years down the road, and he's a few years from being in his forties. You? You'll still be stuck at nineteen. You think he wouldn't wonder about the fact that you hadn't aged?"
"Well, there are ways around it," I mumbled. Ryan arched an eyebrow, most likely waiting for me to explain my statement. "You know, make-up and stuff."
"You know how expensive make-up is? And you'd need to be an expert to do it correctly." He sighed. I could tell he honestly was just trying to help me understand. "Look, I'm just saying that maybe it's for the better that Alex fled."
"I guess." The fact that Ryan seemed more concerned with our secret than my happiness was kind of saddening. I guess I got it; I couldn't be entirely selfish. But still, I can't just be unhappy forever, right?
Even zombies need love.
"I'm not going out with Brent if that's what you're trying to get at," I said. The thought of getting together with Brent was just gross. Not that there was anything wrong with him, but it was just an automatic no. "You get with Brent."
"I'm a ghost, so that's not happening," he replied. He sounded almost sad telling me that. I got it, though. Even if he could go out and get with anyone he wanted, it's not like they could do much together. "And I'm not telling you to go out with Brent. He was just an example, because he knows you'll never age."
We both sat in silence until there was a knock at the door. Poor Shane probably got lonely being downstairs all by himself. I opened the door, my jaw dropping when I saw Art.
"You're not supposed to be back until your mom is all okay, or something!" I shrieked as I pulled him into a hug. He chuckled and hugged me back. "I mean it. What're you doing here?"
"I got back home, and my older sister was there. She insisted my mother go to California to relax, and... I mean, my mother seemed so ecstatic to go." He rubbed his eye as I pulled away. "I helped her pack and came home."
"Oh." I guess I kind of hoped he'd tell me he wanted to patch things up with Shane, but I knew the world just didn't work like that. I smiled. "Well, I'm happy you're back!"
Ryan floated next to me. He stared at Art for a minute before going through him at full speed. Art shivered for a second and glanced over his shoulder where Ryan had gone.
"He's angry," I mumbled, although the look on Art's face told me he already knew that. I bit my lower lip as I looked down at Art. "So how was your mom? Ryan made it sound like she was really sick."
"It was just stress is all," Art stated. "She's always done way more than she actually has to, even though numerous people tell her to maybe take a break once in awhile. She used to have my dad to help her out, but he died a couple years back."
"I'm sorry," I murmured.
"It's fine. My sister and mother are on their way to California, and hopefully that will help her to calm down and just relax for once," Art continued. I watched him, wondering whether or not to bring up Shane. It would probably be a bad subject, since it happened just yesterday, but I really wanted to know what was going to happen.
At the very least, Art would continue to let Shane stay, right? He wasn't heartless; he wouldn't be able to kick out a defenseless vampire who had no way to control himself.
"Have you been okay here?" Art inquired. I nodded my head and smiled. "Good. I felt a little horrible that I left you guys here, but I figured you'd be okay."
"We've been fine. Ryan and I had a bit of a tiff, but we worked it out," I explained. "Which I guess is what always happens; Ryan and I eventually work it out in the end."
"Of course." Art smiled. "As long as both parties are willing, I can't see why you wouldn't be able to get past whatever happened between you two."
I wanted to take it as a sign that he and Shane could work out what happened, but who knew with Art? He could've just been telling me stuff. I nodded my head, because I felt like neither of us were bringing up the elephant in the room.
Art smiled at me and turned to leave. I blinked, wondering if I should just bring up him and Shane. I figured they were grown men, though. They'd work it out.
Right?