Just to Hold You Close and Tight

I didn’t feel so lonely as I walked to my locker, even though I knew I would look alone to everyone else. Ray way good company, though.

He followed me to my first class and sat in the empty desk next to me. I tried as hard as I could to concentrate on my worksheet, but I kept feeling Ray’s eyes on me and looking up. Finally I finished the worksheet, although I was pretty sure I did horrible on it. I spent the rest of the class examining Ray, and I didn’t feel ashamed. So what if he was a ghost and he was also my friend? I couldn’t help thinking he was cute. And besides, he couldn’t read my mind. He probably thought I was staring at him because he was a ghost.

My first class ended, and Ray followed me silently to my locker. He actually reminded me of a loyal puppy-dog. No, a poodle, I corrected myself. I chuckled, knowing he wouldn’t think it was very funny.

“What?” he asked.

I just shook my head. There were already a few people looking at me strangely. I didn’t need to draw more attention to myself. At least he seemed to understand this, and let it go.

I had to take a quiz in my next class. I was finding it even harder to focus with Ray looking at me than before. I kept stealing glances at him.

After about ten minutes of alternating between answering a question and glancing at Ray, he smiled slightly. “I’m distracting you, aren’t I?”

“No,” I answered automatically. It was loud enough that half of the class glared at me, and I blushed.

Ray frowned. “Careful.”

I gave a slight nod, and got out a pencil and a blank piece of paper as quietly as I could.

“I am distracting you,” he stated.

I wrote on the piece of paper, No.

He just rolled his eyes. “I should leave.”

I underlined the ‘no’ I had already written, changed the period to a comma, and added more. No, don’t. Then we would both be alone. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate any better.

“I guess you’re right,” he admitted. “Please, try, though. I don’t want to be the reason you fail.”

I smirked. I won’t fail. This test is easy. It’s just taking me longer than usual, I wrote.

Ray looked at the clock and said, “Well, you better finish. Second period is almost over.”

I did end up finishing on time, and the rest of the day went by quickly. I sat at my lunch table alone, except for Ray, of course. I was happy to have company. I knew he felt the same way when he said, “Do you know how much I missed people? I couldn’t talk to anyone for over three months. I think I was starting to go insane.”

I just smiled.

In history, my last class, the teacher started lecturing us on the beginning of the Revolutionary War. I tried to keep up with my notes, but I started to fall behind.

Ray saw this, and walked to the front of the room without a word. He looked over the papers on the teacher’s desk, and then smiled. He started reading off the teacher’s noted. Unlike the teacher’s lecture, it was straight, to the point, and he waited patiently for me to finish writing before continuing.

Because the teacher’s notes were slimmer than his long lecture, I finished before he was done talking.

Thanks, I wrote on the piece of paper I was now carrying about with me.

“No problem,” he replied. “I can’t see anything wrong with it. It’s not like I was just giving you the answers to anything.”

I smiled slightly, wishing he would give me the answers sometimes, but I knew he wouldn’t.

At last, school was over. Although it hadn’t been that bad with Ray ther, I was still relieved to get out.

While walking home, I noticed that Ray had some kind of spring in his step, and he wasn’t wearing his usual scowl.

“What’s up with you?” I asked.

“I’m in a good mood,” he replied.

“Why?” I said, a little suspicious. Nothing that great had happened to him. Had it?

“You’ll see.”