We Can Only Pretend for So Long

I swear to Pete, this relationship is too good to be true. It seems like, everything is just, perfect.
I hate it.
I’m supposed to hate him. What happened?
I loathed him, I couldn’t stand to see him in the hallways at school, and now I can’t wait for him to come over?
Sickness? Possibly.
That’s a good possibility.
I mean- “Kyle! Wake up spacey.” Jacob chuckled.
Oh there he is!
A smile spread across my face and I hugged him. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
I’m sure we look like idiots right now. Just smiling at each other without saying anything.
“So,” So? Much for the silence? “About that tattoo.”
“Oh come on! I thought you forgot about that already!”
“How could I!? I mean seriously, you really think I’d forget about that?”
“Welp, it was nice seeing you. I’ll catch ya later.”
Quickly I ran in the opposite direction, making my way through the crowded hallways to my best friend.
“Hey, hey, hey, where are you going so fast?” A hand wrapped around my arm, jerking me to a stop.
“Get lost Tayler. I have somewhere to be and you’re kinda ruining it for me.”
Tayler. The ex-boyfriend. He’s pretty pissed at me for some reason.
Probably because I never put out, or even kissed him.
“I’m just seeing how you’re doing. Haven’t talked to you in a while. Maybe we should meet up later, get reacquainted?”
“Yeah, probably not. Have fun sitting by yourself.”
Jerking my arm away I continued down the hallway, Bri now in sight.
“Kyle! Hey! What’s wrong?”
“Alright. Problem number one, creepo Tayler just stopped me in the hallway because he wanted to get reacquainted. Problem number two, Jacob keeps asking. . . About my stomach.”
“One, gag. Two, you should have never gotten that thing.”
“And just whose fault is it that I have it!?”
“I know I know. I’m sorry. But he doesn’t know what it means right? I mean, that could be a lot of trouble for you.”
“No, he doesn’t know what it means. Not unless he learned how to read kanji…..which I seriously doubt.”
“So what’s the worry?”
“Bri.” I sighed, looking down the hallway at where he still stood. “You know just as well as I do how persistent he is.”
________________________
“I’m hungry.”
“You’re always hungry Ky.”
“Shut up Ry. No one was talking to you.”
Tilting his head to the side he raised his eyebrows. “Excuse me? You just said, out loud, that you were hungry. We’re the only ones home. Who else could you possibly be talking to?”
“Hank.”
“Hank?”
“Hank.”
“So are we just going to continue to repeat his name or are you going to tell me who Hank is?”
“Hank is the ghost that sleeps in your room. He came down for a visit.”
“Oh lovely. Does he know I have a girlfriend?”
Smiling I shook my head. “He didn’t, but he does now. He sure looks upset. It’s okay Hank. He’ll come running back to you in no time. He’s terrible in relationships.”
“Sorry to inform you….and Hank, this relationship is going to last for a long time.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes really. We’re going on a date tonight actually. So have fun sitting at home alone with Hank.”
That shit head. He’s really leaving me home alone.
God damn it.
I’d call Jacob to come over, but he’d just pester me about my tattoo. I can’t have that happen.
What am I going to do to get through the boredom?
BANG!
…….What the fuck was that?
BANG!!
“Hank? Are you throwing a tantrum because Ryan left?”
BANG!!!
Okay……This is slightly creepy.
Nothing? Was someone just knocking next door?? But it sounded like it was in the house.
BANG!!!!
“Fuck!!” Freaking out to the brink of tears I got my phone out and quickly dialed Jacob’s number.
“Hello?
“Jacob! Get here, quick1” BANG!!
“What the fuck was that noise? What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
“I don’t know! Hurry up and get here please. I’m freaking out.”
“Stay on the phone with me.”
I could hear the sound of his feet hitting the pavement as he ran my way.
BANG!!!
“Kyyyylllleee.”
Nonononononononono. I am not hearing someone call my name right now.
Nope. That’s not someone calling my name. That was just the wind.
BANG!!!
“Jacob! Why aren’t you here yet!?”
“Open the god damn door!”
So, whenever I watched a scary movie, and the chick was being stupid and couldn’t open the door because she was so frightened, and I’d yell at the tv because I was so pissed off….let’s just say, if this were a horror movie, I’d be yelling at the screen right now.
BANG!!!
“Dude, Jacob, I’m fucking freaking out. What the hell is going on?”
As soon as Jacob stepped through the door, the electricity went out.
Which is the most convenient thing in the world, because I’m afraid of the dark, and we don’t have candles, or flashlights.
BANG!!!
“Jacob.” Tears slowly began to leak from the corners of my eyes. “What’s happening?”
“It’s okay Kyle. The electricity will be back on shortly. There’s just a storm moving through.”
“No there’s not.”
“Um, have you not looked outside lately? It’s kinda, oh I don’t know, storming.”
“Well excuse me for being more freaked out about a random banging sound then a silly storm.”
BANG!!
“Ah!” Even though I had just lipped off to him, I was still using him as my shield.
His rain soaked shirt sent chills down my spine as I clasped onto his arm.
“Hey! Is there someone there!?”
I could feel the muscles in his forearm twist as he clenched his fist.
BANG!!
“Dude, let’s just get out of here. I’m fine with that.”
“Well I’m not. I want to find out what that noise is.”
“Let’s wait for the lights to come back on.”
“What if the sound is gone by the time the lights come back on?”
Shit. He has a point there.
“It’s upstairs…..I think.”
Cautiously we made our way up the stairs, Jacob standing in front of me the whole time, to be sure no one could get to me.
But, as we walked up the stairs I just kept thinking, what if I got it wrong? What if the noise actually was downstairs? They’d be able to get to me just fine.
“It’s coming from your brother’s room….Oh god. I don’t wanna go in there. What if?”
“He’s not home.”
“Are you positive?”
“Yeah, I watched him leave. He went on a date with Bri. Fucking Hank.”
“Who’s Hank?” Jacob stopped suddenly, turning to meet my eyes, in the very dark hallway.
“Just the ghost.”
BANG!!
“I’m sure it’s not a ghost.”
“Bet.”
“Fine. I’ll make a bet with you.” What did I just get myself into? “If it’s a ghost, you get to do whatever you want with me. If it’s not a ghost, you tell me what the tattoo means.”
Yeah. Saw that one coming.
I can’t tell him what the tattoo means though.
“Hank, you better be doing this, or we’re both in for it.”
Hesitantly Jacob opened Ryan’s bedroom door, glancing around the pitch black room.
“Well, I don’t see anything.”
“No shit Sherlock. Who could see something in this?” Instantly I perked at my own thoughts. “Besides a werewolf or a vampire of course.”
“Yeah, too bad I was born without mutations. I feel so unlucky now.”
BANG!!
“When you upset me you upset Hank. I’d be careful about that pal.”
“Because ghosts exist.”
“Ohhh, I forgot you don’t believe in ghosts. What will make you believe? An actual sighting right? Well you’re just in luck! To-”
“Kyle, I know you’re nervous but jesus. Slow down on the talking please.”
“You know I can’t help it.”
“She’s always been like this.”
“Holy fuck did you hear that??”
“Hahahaha. Hear what Ky. You’re just paranoid.”
So he did hear it.
Oh my god!!! There’s a ghost in my house and he’s talking to us!!!!!
I need to get out of here!
“Don’t you dare try running Kyle.”
Damn it!!
Why does he have to know me so well?? Stupid bastard.
“I wasn’t going to run. I was just going to check downstairs again.”
“Sure. Keep ly-”
My heart race kicked up as I felt Jacob tense up.
If Jacob’s scared, there’s something seriously wrong.
“Kyle, I think someone’s in your house. Stay behind me at all times.”
Yep. That helped me calm down.
I don’t want you to worry but I think there’s someone in your house.
Damn it!
“Hank! If that’s you, show yourself!”
What the hell am I doing? There’s not really a ghost in my house. There’s never been a ghost in my house.
………well, there has been some weird occurrences since I came home from the cemetery that one time….
Okay, no, there is not a ghost in my house right now. Ryan just came home early.
“Tayler.”
Tayler? The voice just whispered Tayler?
“Jacob, kick his ass please.” I said annoyed, crossing my arms over my chest.
“How am I supposed to do that when I can’t see?”
Jacob tensed yet again as I stepped in front of him.
Now I could see why he was freaking out, very obviously you could see someone standing in the centre of Ryan’s room.
The stupid fucker, I can’t wait to see Jacob beat him up.
Slapping my hand on the wall I hit the emergency light Ryan always has in case of these situations. Battery powered.
Light shone through room, dimly lighting the surrounding area, and where the person was supposed to be.
“Um, Jacob, wasn’t there a person there just now?”
It seemed as though the burly guy standing behind me was completely speechless, and frozen.
Literally. Like ice.
“Dude, are you okay? Why are you so cold? What’s wrong with you?” The words just spilled out of my mouth when I noticed the blank look in his eyes.
In all the years that I’ve known him, I have never seen him look like this. Never seen this empty, hollow look.
As if someone turned on a switch his blues turned bright, but something was off, something wasn’t right.
A huge foreign smile broke onto his face and he hugged me tightly.
(Oh Yeah, I’m totally doing this right now.)
“Kyle, you’re so beautiful.”
“Jacob? What’s wrong with you?”
Why does he seem so familiar?
“Jacob is asleep right now.”
“Right. Then who are you?” The skepticism in my voice made his smile fade.
“It’s me.”
No fucking way.
___

“Steven?”
“I’m so happy you remember me!” He practically squealed as he swung me in a circle.
“Of course I remember you. Why wouldn’t I? What are you doing here?”
“What? You’re not happy to see me?”
“Um, Steven, you’re kinda taking over my boyfriend’s body, it’s a little weird.”
The long unheard laughter spread through the room, making tears fill my eyes.
“Boyfriend? Don’t make me laugh Ky. Pfft. Boyfriend. Pelter? Yeah, as if I’ll believe that.”
“Dude, ye, okay you know what? Whatever. Why were you saying Tayler?”
“Huh? Oh yeah, that. You gotta watch that boy, he’s trouble.”
“No shit Steven.”
“Then why are you dating him?”
A pang hit my heart as he said those words. “Steve, I haven’t been dating him for a long time. The last time I dated him, was, right before you-”
“No. You just dated him yesterday. Come on Kyle. Is he getting you to lie now too?”
“Steven, do you not know? You’ve been gone for at least, a year now.”
“What are you talking about? A year? I fell asleep for a day.I mean, just because you look so different, and my family can’t see me, and….Kyle, what happened to me?”
“You’re dead Steven. You died in car accident.”
Laughter, this time, the kind I always hated to hear. The laughter he used when he was actually really hurt.
“That explains a lot. Why no one can see me. Why I suddenly look like Pelter, wait, is Pelter really your boyfriend?”
“Uh, yeah, he is.”
“Well I knew that was coming someday, just figured I’d be alive to see it. Listen. I think I came back for a reason. To warn you about Tayler. He’s planning something. I don’t know what it is, but it’s bad Kyle.”
“I’ll watch out for him. Thank you Steven.”
This all sounds so lame. And very cheesy. A friend comes back from the dead to warn me about an ex boyfriend? What’s next? He’s gonna confess his love for me?
“Also.” Shit. “Tell Pelter to take good care of you, or I’ll have to come back and kick his ass. You’re like a little sister to me beautiful.”
Tears streamed down my face as I watched Jacob slowly turn back to normal.
“What? Kyle? What’s wrong? What’s going on? What just happened?”
“You missed a visit from Steven.”
“Steven? Are you okay Kyle? Steven’s been gone for a while now.”
“I’m not stupid Jacob! It was Steven. He wanted to warn me about Tayler, said he’s planning something. He also said that if you don’t treat me right he’s going to come back and kick your ass, because I’ve always been like a little sister to him. AND, he called me beautiful.”
“Oh yeah, that’s definitely Steven. He was always trying to get with you by calling you that.”
“Hey!” The tears dried on my cheeks as I watched Jacob smile. “Maybe he was just always calling me beautiful because he actually thought I was.”
“Nope, he was just trying to get in your pants.”
“I’ll remember that the next time you call me beautiful. Oh wait! You never do.”
Dumb bastard. Why can’t Steven come back? I liked him better.
“Do I have to tell you in order for you to know?”
“Um, duh. I’m a chick, I need to hear it at least every once in a while. I would be nice.”
“Well, Kyle, I think you are absolutely beautiful.” He replied sincerely, taking my face in his hands.
My cheeks burned hotter than the surface of the sun.
Jacob just called me beautiful.
Jacob Pelter just called me beautiful.
This is insane.
I’m still trying to wrap it around my little brain that Jacob and I are a couple.
Who the fuck would think of that?
……apparently everyone. Let’s change the subject on that.
“Let me go Jacob.”
“Why are you being so hostile? I did what you told me to.”
The organ inside my chest known as my heart swelled with disappointment.
He only said it because I told him to.
“I would like you to leave my house right now. Please.”
“But Kylie, are you going to be okay by yourself? You were freaking out just a little bit ago and wanted me to get here as fast as I possibly could and now you want me gone? What’s wrong? What did I do now?”
“Just go douche!”
In the dim lighting I could see the look of shock on his face. Hell, I would be shocked too. I pretty much brought us back to what we were before we got together. Before we even stayed in that damn cabin.
“Alright. Just, call me when you grow up a little okay?”
Heh, I just fucked everything up right there didn’t I?
Well you know what? Who gives a fuck? He started it.
I didn’t.
Whatever.
Dude, it was all fake anyways, so what’s it matter?