Just to Hold You Close and Tight

We didn’t have any trouble sneaking back into my house at four in the morning. I hadn’t fallen asleep this time either, so I collapsed when I got to my bed.

Once the small thrill of sneaking back in subsided, I fell asleep next to Ray. The next day was spent solely on making up all the schoolwork I had missed when I was in the hospital.

After attacking my books for eight hours (with pauses for meals), we decided we needed a break. My schoolwork was almost finished anyway. It was only seven, and I felt as if I would throw up if I had to read one more word. I suggested that we watch a movie, and Ray agreed.

Because I didn’t have a tv in my room, we had to go down to the family room. I thanked my lucky stars that my parents had gone out. We picked a Sci-fi, and it occupied us for a little over two hours.

I would have snuck out again, but it was raining, so I was stuck in the house for the night. It put me in a bad mood, and Ray noticed.

“Ah, come on,” he said when he saw the look on my face when I looked out the window. “I’m disappointed too, but it had to rain sometimes. We could watch another movie.”

I shrugged in agreement. Halfway through this movie my parents came home. I had to keep from giggling when my mom came in. It was pretty hilarious that my boyfriend was sitting right next to me, and they would never know. I was put in a slightly better mood when I realized there were a few pros to having a ghost for a boyfriend, even if the cons outweighed them entirely.

Just ten minutes after I woke up the next morning, my cell phone started ringing. It was Ben. In his defense, it was perfectly late enough to call someone. I had just slept in.

“Hey,” I said, answering in a slightly drowsy voice.

He noticed how tired I sounded. “Oh,” he said. “Did I wake you up? Sorry.”

“Oh, no,” I said. “I woke up a few minutes ago. So what’s up?”

“I wanted to know if you and Ray wanted to go out to lunch in a few hours,” he replied.

“Sounds good to me. Here, talk to him.” I shoved the phone at Ray.

“Hey, Ben,” he said. “What’s the plan?” Ben probably answered, but I obviously couldn’t hear him. Ray nodded, saying, “That’s fine with me. Where?” Another pause. “Okay. See you at noon.” He hung up and handed me my phone.

“Is that okay with you?” he asked.

I nodded vigorously. I was looking forward to seeing Ben again. It was also delaying the rest of my homework.

As if he could read my mind, he said, “We could so your homework afterward.”

I sighed, muttering, “Of course.”

We ate lunch at a local coffee shop. After ordering our coffee and food, Ben asked, “So what happened to you, anyway?”

I looked at him blankly. “What?”

He nodded towards my casted hand.

“Oh yeah,” I said. “I was walking to school and I guess I was kind of mugged.”

“Here?” Ben asked skeptically, raising his eyebrows.

I nodded. “He broke my hand, a few ribs, and…” I tilted my head so that my scar was visible. “He cut my neck.”

Ben shook his head. “Wow. That kind of stuff doesn’t usually happen around here.”

“Unusual things happen to her,” Ray mumbled glumly.

Ben looked at him. “And you stayed with her in the hospital for weeks?”

Ray nodded, saying, “And never left.”

“And you met her…” Ben prompted.

“The day school started,” Ray finished for him.

“Really?” Ben said. “The where were you when she got mugged?”

Ray looked away from Ben. “I was with her.”

Ben was dazed for a few second. Clearly he hadn’t expected this answer. Then his eyebrows furrowed together, and he said the worst thing possible. “Why didn’t you do anything about it?”

Wow, he really knew how to strike a nerve. He was very lucky Ray could control his temper pretty well. He clenched his teeth and his fists. “Do you have any idea, Ben, what it’s like when someone is hurting the person you love, and you can’t do anything about it?”

Ben was stunned into silence, and he dropped the subject. We left the coffee shot on good terms, and I drove us home slowly. I wasn’t quite looking forward to my homework.