In the Middle of Summer

“Wait, isn't that the bus that you take?” Jackson says pointing.

I look up just to see my bus take off. Fantastic.

“Yeah, I'll just wait for the next one.” I tell Jackson hoping he would just leave.

“I'll wait with you.”

“Oh. No that's okay I can wait by myself.”

He just smiles and takes a sit next to me on the bench.

I look down at my hands and stare at them. This was so awkward.

“Are you doing okay?” Jackson asks worriedly.

“Yeah, why wouldn't I be?” I reply back offended.

“Well it's just-” he paused tying to think of the right words to say the next part, “your history worries me.”

“That's in the past, so don't worry about it.” I tell him wishing he would just leave me alone.

“I just wouldn't want you to go down the wrong trail, again.”

All I could do was smile, but all I really wanted to do was punch him in the face.

“You know I care about you Bethany, even if things didn't work out between the two of us.”

“I know” I say giving him a forceful smile, even after knowing me as long as he had he still couldn't call me Beth like I had told him a million times.

“You really don't have to wait with me, the bus won't come for another twenty minutes.”

“Take care of yourself Beth, and it was nice seeing you.”

“Yeah you too.” I lie the best I can.

I wave at him as he walks away and the sigh in relief once he's gone. I couldn't believe I actually dated him in high school. And I also couldn't believe he actually came up to talk to me, to say I was surprised would be an understatement, he hadn't talked to me since he broke up with me in high school because he thought I was a bit- off.

Which was true, talking to the dead isn't exactly normal. Except he didn't know I could see and talk to the dead, he just thought I was paranoid and needed professional help.

I show the bus driver my ID and walk to the back of the bus. I sigh and rest my head against the window wondering what Claudine and that guy were up to.

I should have probably asked for his name.

Fifteen minutes later I get off the bus and walk the rest of the way to my house and to my surprise I see both of them sitting at the curb.

"What are you guys doing out here?" I ask curiously, Claudine would usually just go up to my room.

"it seems we have some complications."

"What do you mean?"

"Brendon" she says pointing at the guy "can't seem to do the usual things the dead can"

"Like?"

"Abscond, or be able to go through walls"

I look at Brendon curiously, I hadn't come across anything like this before.

"And he has physicality without needing you to be around you."

"Really?" I ask wide eyed.

Claudine nods. “We also talked to John but he is no help, he keeps everything a mystery.”

“Maybe I should just accept his apprenticeship and have him help me.”

“You know it's not going to that easy, I knew that guy when he was alive and nothings comes for free.”

“But he's dead now so he has no use for mon-”

“Hey hun, what are you doing out here all by yourself?” I stop mid-word as my mom comes out of the house.

She looks at me with a look I know all too well.

“I was just going over my speech for public speaking,” I say casually.

“Why don't you go practice in your room.” She says with an encouraging smile.

“So people don't get the wrong idea.” Claudine says under her breath.

“You know so people don't get the wrong idea.” My mom says with an all too sweet smile.

I nod and walk past my mom towards the front door, I open the door a bit too wide to let Brendon through since he couldn't walk through walls.

I walk quietly up the stairs and head to my room wishing I hadn't agreed to help Brendon.

“I'll be right back,” I say in a low voice and walk out of my room and walk to the bathroom. I lock the door and turn on the light. I breathe in deeply and walk over to the mirror. I splash some water on my face and stare at myself in the mirror.

I can do this.

I can get through this.

“I can do this” I tell myself.

I walk out of the bathroom and walk back to my room, but to my surprise I only see Brendon in there.

“Where's Claudine?” I ask after closing my door.

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“Oh.”

“Look I know helping the dead isn't exactly your cup of tea and I really appreciate you wanting to help me”

“But I just want to let you know that you are not obligated to do so, if this is too much trouble just tell me and I will leave you alone, I'll figure things out on my own.”

I shake my head, “I told you I was going to help you and I won't change my mind.”

Brendon smiles and without notice begins to walk towards me causing me to take a step back.

“I'm sorry,” I say as I notice Brendon's alarmed expression.

“It's just when ghosts touch me my skin crawls with goosebumps.” I explain.

“I'll make sure not to get to close to you.” He says taking a few steps back.

I give him a smile to show my appreciation.

“OH MY GOD BETH!” I hear Claudine shriek seconds later as she appears in my room.

“What?” Both Brendon and I ask in alarm.

“You told Margo you were going to help her deliver a message?”

I sigh remembering the conversation I had with her earlier this morning while waiting for my bus.

“Yeah, she was just so sad and she was crying and she told me she was going to leave me alone if I helped her so I said I would.”

“Well it looks like now we have a problem on our hands.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just look outside your window.”
I walk slowly up to my window and stick my head out just to see a dozen ghosts standing in front of my yard.

“What are they doing here?” I ask looking at Claudine.

“Well apparently they found out you were helping Margo so now they think you're helping the dead again.”

“Well tough luck for them because I'm still retired.”

“Maybe you should help them.”

I turn to look at Brendon with a raised eyebrow.

“What's so bad about helping the dead move on?” He asks with a shrug.

“Nothing, it's just not as easy as it seems.” I tell him

“Most of them just need messages passed on, that isn't so hard.”

I look back at the ghosts in front of my house, Brendon was right passing a message wasn't hard at all. The hard part is trying to convince people that you're not crazy.

“It's not about her not wanting to help them, because believe me she would if she could,” Claudine starts to tell Brendon.

“It's just people aren't as understanding.”

I step away from the window and sit at the edge of my bed.

“So you used to help them?” Brendon asks

I nod.

“What happened?”

“People thought I was crazy, that I was being insensitive, people at school started to avoid me.” I shrug staring at my chipped nail polish.

“My parents thought I was doing it for attention but I insisted that I could speak with the dead and so they sent me to a psychiatric ward the summer after sophomore year of high school and that's when I decided to stop helping, for my sake.”

“I'm sorry,” Brendon tells me as he sits besides me on the bed.

“And thank you,” he says taking a hold of my hand.

I stare at his hand in surprise, his hand felt warm and soft against my own. So different from every ghost that had ever touched me, except--

“What's the matter?” Claudine is the one that asks.

I look at her and stand up, Brendon's hand letting go of mine. I go up to Claudine and as soon as I touch her hand I feel goosebumps.

“Oh my god,” I gasp.

“What is it?”

"We need to find her."

"Who?"

"The only ghost who might be able to help us."