suit that looked a little
disheveled. His glasses were askew and his dark curly hair was a
mess. He was covered in bruises and blood. My guess was that he had
just been hit by a car or something.
“I’m Bristol,” I said, introducing
myself.
“Hi,” he said. “Jerry. You won’t believe what
happened to me.”
“Hit by a car?”
“No,” Jerry said. “A truck. A big one too. It
just smashed into me and sent me flying. I must have sailed twelve
feet in the air before I crashed into the windshield of that VW
Bug.”
I winced at the mental image, not to mention
the irony. “I’m sorry,” I said. “Was it quick?”
Jerry thought for a moment before he nodded.
“Yeah,” he said. “I barely felt a thing. I guess that’s
good.”
I agreed. “I hate to do this, but I’ve got to
go or I’ll be late. Maybe I’ll see you later?”
Jerry smiled as I left. I didn’t want to be
late for school. People noticed when you were late, and I don’t
like to be noticed.
I didn’t see my parents as I left, but that
wasn’t unusual. I barely saw them anymore. When we were together,
they didn’t have much to say to me anyway.
Wish I could say the same for the ghost who had
decided to follow me. Jerry spent a good amount of time yammering
on about the most mundane details of his life. How he never did get
his mother a birthday gift or about how someone at work would have
to take over the collection for the water club.
When he wasn’t talking, he was singing. The
same song, over and over again. And he never finished it. The
lyrics kept changing from one moment to the next.
“What is that song?” I asked when I was sure
nobody on the bus would overhear.
“Copacabana,” he said. “I woke up with this
song in my head, and I can’t get it out. Weird huh?”
Very .
Jerry wasn’t the first ghost to latch onto me,
but he was definitely one of the most persistent. He kept singing
that damn song, off key, over and over again. And he just couldn’t
get it right.
“Her name was Lucy…” Jerry sang. “Or was it
Lilly? Damn it.”
He would disappear for a while, only to turn up
again. I saw him during math class while I was taking a test. I
could even hear him from outside the stall while I was in the
bathroom trying to pee.
“I’ve always loved this song,” he said as I
went to my locker.
“Uh huh,” I muttered under my
breath.
“I love all of Barry’s stuff,” Jerry continued
to say. “But this song was always my favorite. But I’ve been so
busy, I haven’t had time to listen to music for a while. I can’t
believe I forgot how it goes.”
I rolled my eyes, shut my locker, and turned on
my heel to head to lunch. I crashed into something that sent me
falling on my ass. I looked up and saw some guy with dark hair and
a hoodie looking down at me.
“You ok?” both Jerry and the guy I had slammed
into asked.
“Yeah,” I said to the live guy, not the dead
one. “My fault. Sorry.”
He held out his hand to help me up.
Grasping it, I felt him pull me to my feet, but
somewhere between the floor and the up position, I felt my world
shift.
The kid in the hoodie was standing
out in the rain, staring at a gravesite. Even through the rain, I
could see he was crying.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I wish you
could forgive me.”
There was a clap of thunder and I
was pulled back to the here and now.
Hoodie Boy was looking at me, waiting for me to
say something. I pretended to be lightheaded from the getting up so
quickly.
He nodded and quickly walked away.
“You sure you’re ok?” Jerry asked. “You look
like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
* * * *
“Wait,” Mary said. “What do you mean your world
shifted?”
“I don’t just see ghosts,” I explained. “I also
get these visions. I can see things. They often happen when I’m
asleep. I’ve had a few doozies, let me tell you. I’ll wake up in
the middle of the night and still feel his hands…”
I stopped
disheveled. His glasses were askew and his dark curly hair was a
mess. He was covered in bruises and blood. My guess was that he had
just been hit by a car or something.
“I’m Bristol,” I said, introducing
myself.
“Hi,” he said. “Jerry. You won’t believe what
happened to me.”
“Hit by a car?”
“No,” Jerry said. “A truck. A big one too. It
just smashed into me and sent me flying. I must have sailed twelve
feet in the air before I crashed into the windshield of that VW
Bug.”
I winced at the mental image, not to mention
the irony. “I’m sorry,” I said. “Was it quick?”
Jerry thought for a moment before he nodded.
“Yeah,” he said. “I barely felt a thing. I guess that’s
good.”
I agreed. “I hate to do this, but I’ve got to
go or I’ll be late. Maybe I’ll see you later?”
Jerry smiled as I left. I didn’t want to be
late for school. People noticed when you were late, and I don’t
like to be noticed.
I didn’t see my parents as I left, but that
wasn’t unusual. I barely saw them anymore. When we were together,
they didn’t have much to say to me anyway.
Wish I could say the same for the ghost who had
decided to follow me. Jerry spent a good amount of time yammering
on about the most mundane details of his life. How he never did get
his mother a birthday gift or about how someone at work would have
to take over the collection for the water club.
When he wasn’t talking, he was singing. The
same song, over and over again. And he never finished it. The
lyrics kept changing from one moment to the next.
“What is that song?” I asked when I was sure
nobody on the bus would overhear.
“Copacabana,” he said. “I woke up with this
song in my head, and I can’t get it out. Weird huh?”
Very .
Jerry wasn’t the first ghost to latch onto me,
but he was definitely one of the most persistent. He kept singing
that damn song, off key, over and over again. And he just couldn’t
get it right.
“Her name was Lucy…” Jerry sang. “Or was it
Lilly? Damn it.”
He would disappear for a while, only to turn up
again. I saw him during math class while I was taking a test. I
could even hear him from outside the stall while I was in the
bathroom trying to pee.
“I’ve always loved this song,” he said as I
went to my locker.
“Uh huh,” I muttered under my
breath.
“I love all of Barry’s stuff,” Jerry continued
to say. “But this song was always my favorite. But I’ve been so
busy, I haven’t had time to listen to music for a while. I can’t
believe I forgot how it goes.”
I rolled my eyes, shut my locker, and turned on
my heel to head to lunch. I crashed into something that sent me
falling on my ass. I looked up and saw some guy with dark hair and
a hoodie looking down at me.
“You ok?” both Jerry and the guy I had slammed
into asked.
“Yeah,” I said to the live guy, not the dead
one. “My fault. Sorry.”
He held out his hand to help me up.
Grasping it, I felt him pull me to my feet, but
somewhere between the floor and the up position, I felt my world
shift.
The kid in the hoodie was standing
out in the rain, staring at a gravesite. Even through the rain, I
could see he was crying.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I wish you
could forgive me.”
There was a clap of thunder and I
was pulled back to the here and now.
Hoodie Boy was looking at me, waiting for me to
say something. I pretended to be lightheaded from the getting up so
quickly.
He nodded and quickly walked away.
“You sure you’re ok?” Jerry asked. “You look
like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
* * * *
“Wait,” Mary said. “What do you mean your world
shifted?”
“I don’t just see ghosts,” I explained. “I also
get these visions. I can see things. They often happen when I’m
asleep. I’ve had a few doozies, let me tell you. I’ll wake up in
the middle of the night and still feel his hands…”
I stopped
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