“Holy crap!” Nearly jumping off the toilet, I threw down my Cosmo at the sight of the two dead people hovering above me. “Can’t a girl get a little privacy?”
Ed nudged Gertrude before pointing at me. “This one’s got a mouth on her.”
Gertrude planted hands on her hips, her eyes taking on a supernatural glow. “Nothin’ a good bar of lye soap won’t fix.”
“It’s not my fault you scared me.” Hastily wiping, I jerked up my pants.
Snickering, Ed shook his head. “You said youz used ta dead folk.”
Feeling the heat rising in my cheeks, I flipped my hair behind my shoulder, trying to forget my total embarrassment. “Not when I’m on the toilet.”
“Sorry, miss.” Ed’s smile quickly faded. “But this couldn’t wait.”
“Yep.” Gertrude moaned. “We got some terrible news.”
“Look.” I blew out a breath, mentally counting to three. How could I put it nicely that I really didn’t care? I had my own problems. “Tonight’s kind of bad. You see, I’ve got this hot guy coming over and—”
“A parking lot.” Ed’s deep voice bellowed, rattling the cosmetics I’d laid out on the sink. Creepy. The action reminded me of how ghosts could make things fly across the room, even though their spirits weren’t solid.
An eerie tremor shot through my insides and that familiar chill raced up my spine. “What?” I choked out through a shiver.
“You know.” Ed threw up his arms. “Where you pen those motor cars.”
How could I be creeped out by this guy? He was too dorky. “Look,” I sighed, “I know what a parking lot is.”
“Did ya know that’s what they’re puttin’ on us?” He shot his fist in the air. “Right next ta that big tradin’ post.”
I bit my lip to keep from laughing. “It’s called a mall.”
“I don’t give a damn what you call it.” Ed fumed. “They got no right tearin’ up my tombstone.”
Once again, his voice shook the room. Only this time, my eye shadow shattered on the floor.
“Now, Ed, don’t go breakin’ all her face paints.” Gertrude scolded.
I bent over, scraping up what was left of the makeup that cost me two weeks babysitting money. My turn to get mad! “I’m really sorry, but this isn’t my problem,” I spat.
“Ain’t your problem!” Ed’s scream rattled the walls so hard the medicine cabinet on the wall flew open, spilling the contents into the sink.
“I can’t stop that mall. I’m only fourteen,” I raged. Was this lunatic determined to break everything in my bathroom?
“Hogwash!” Ed thrust a fist into the air.
“I was already married when I was your age.” Gertrude laughed.
“Well, things have changed, thank God, so could you please leave? My study partner is coming over and I really don’t want him to know I talk to dead people.”
Grabbing a grocery bag from under the sink, I quickly scooped in the contents from the medicine cabinet.
Totally absorbed in getting my bathroom clean before Bryon came over, I had momentarily forgotten the annoying dead people behind me.
Then Ed loudly cleared his throat, although what he was clearing I didn’t know. After all, he didn’t have real lungs anymore.
“S’pose we don’t leave.” Ed clung to each word slowly, as if he enjoyed the flavor of each syllable.
He couldn’t be serious! Turning to the ghosts, I felt my jaw twitch in annoyance at their silly grins. “Excuse me?”
“Seein’ how we got booted from our graveyard, I think we’ll make ourselves at home right here.” Ed made a point of looking around the entire bathroom and resting his good eye on an orderly shelf of lotions. Was he threatening my moisturizers?
Stepping in front of the lotions, I barred Ed’s path before he destroyed any more of my stuff. I could feel my heart racing wildly. Bryon would be here any minute and I hadn’t even retouched my makeup.
“No, you have to go. Do you want my study partner to think I’m a freak?” I tried to fan them away, like they were clouds of smoke, but they just continued to stare like idiots.
At the familiar sound of a distant chime, my blood froze. “The doorbell!”
Crossing her arms across her chest, Gertrude tapped her foot. “Then promise you’ll help us.”
“I can’t.” Turning toward the mirror, I made a hasty attempt to smooth my unruly hair.
“Suit yerself.” Ed shrugged.
The deep, muffled sound of a familiar voice assailed my ears.
“Oh-mi-god!” I shrieked. “I hear Bryon. Dad must have let him in.”
“Krysta, your friend is here.” My dad spoke through the door. “You can study in your room if you leave the door open.”
“NO!” I yelled at the door. Facing the ghosts, I turned my lips in to a pout and batted my eyes. “Please leave. What if I find you an old house to haunt?”
“We want our graveyard back,” Ed answered evenly.
“Who are you talking to?”
I jumped, dropping the contents from the medicine cabinet on the floor.
Bryon was on the other side of the door.
“Nobody.” I tried to sound casual, but I could feel the shakiness in my voice. “Go wait in the living room. I’ll be right out.” I kneeled, and once again, scooped makeup into the bag.
“Your dad and your sister are watching a movie in the living room,” Bryon said.
I rolled my eyes. Dad’s newest girlfriend looked like she’d just graduated high school. “She’s not my sister.”
“Oh. You okay?”
Even through the door, I could feel Bryon’s sincerity. Any other guy wouldn’t have asked if I was okay, but Bryon was different. That’s why I’d been thrilled when Mrs. Jackson made him my study partner. I couldn’t tell him why I was still stuck in the bathroom, though; I needed an excuse.
“Yeah, I’m just putting on my ghosts,” I blurted. “Your what?”
The old people laughed hysterically.
How childish. Weren’t they like 200 by now? When were they going to grow up?
Don’t be an idiot, Krysta. Calm down, breathe.
“My clothes. I just took a shower and I’m putting on my clothes.”
Nice save.
“Okay, I’ll clear off your desk and get started.” Listening to the sound of Bryon’s retreating footsteps, I breathed a sigh of relief, slumping my back against the door. When Ed and Gertrude floated through me and into my bedroom, my pulse jumped. Not cool. They were going to mess with him.
“Get back here!” I threw open the door, running smack into Bryon’s chest.
Stunned, I looked up into the palest blue eyes I’d ever seen. A girl could get lost in the heat of his gaze. Until I remembered them.
Bryon quirked a brow. “I didn’t go anywhere.” “Oh.” Totally embarrassed, I stepped back and felt the flames race up my chest and across my cheeks. He must have thought I was yelling at him.
Hearing Ed’s chuckle, I stole a quick glance at the ceiling and spotted them hovering above Bryon’s head. I bit my bottom lip.
Please don’t do anything I’ll regret.
Resting his chin in his hand, Bryon smothered a laugh while looking at my midsection. “You forgot to zip.”
“Ho!” My feet made a hasty about-face, while I struggled with the zipper which was caught in my underwear. Grimacing, I recalled my response just a few seconds ago. What does ‘ho’ mean, anyway? Get it together, Krysta.
Turning around, I brushed my hand through my hair, a lame attempt at looking cool, but Bryon wasn’t looking at me. His head jerked from side to side before he turned in circles, reminding me of AJ’s dog, Patches, whenever he chased his tail.
Mortified, I watched as Ed and Gertrude spun circles around Bryon so fast their translucent forms had turned to glowing flashes of light.
After what felt like an eternity, a stabbing pain in my chest reminded me that I had stopped breathing. I tried to inhale, but air was only coming in gasps.
A few more rotations and Bryon stopped, looking at me with a glazed-over expression. “Do you feel that?”
“What?” I stammered.
The ghosts were, once again, hovering above my lab partner, holding their stomachs with shouts of laughter.
Clenching my fists, I shot the pair a heated glare, warning them to leave Bryon alone. Although, really, how could I have stopped them?
“I don’t know.” Bryon scratched his head. “It felt like a breeze, a really cold breeze.”
“I think it’s the air conditioner.” I shrugged, chewing on my lower lip.
“Maybe you should turn it down.”
“I can’t. It’s broken and we’re waiting for the apartment manager to fix it.” The perfect excuse to get Bryon out of my apartment and away from the ghosts.
“That sucks.” Raising his eyebrows, Bryon scanned the room.
For the first time, I worried what Bryon thought about my home. Did he think me uncool because I lived in a run-down apartment? My dad had a crappy job as a graveyard shift security guard. I had heard rumors Bryon’s dad was rich. I followed Bryon’s gaze as they rested on a stack of crates holding my old laptop computer.
Smiling softly, his gaze found mine.
Was that pity I saw in his eyes? Even without Sophie here, I could figure out what he was thinking. Poor kid can’t afford real furniture or keep her pants zipped.
Suddenly, I felt very small, like I was shrinking into the carpet. If only I could. I knew getting Bryon interested in me could be challenging. Making him feel sorry for me was not the way I wanted to do it.
Bryon pulled on his jacket. “Didn’t you say there was a coffee house down the street?”
Thinking he was desperate to escape my ghetto home, I nodded toward the door. “Yeah, maybe we should go study there.”
“Sure.” He rubbed his arms. “It’s too cold here. I don’t know how you sleep like this.”
“If you only knew.” I sighed and followed him to the door, leering at the annoying spirits from the corner of my eye.
Before turning out the lights, I caught Ed’s toothless grin and Gertrude’s lopsided smile. Would they tag along? Maybe going there wasn’t such a hot idea. Oh, the tricks they could play with hot coffee.