Phantom ~ [Simon Ghost Riley]

XXV. The bathroom

"Ace" Everson - 3.33 pm - Two months since the incident

"Hey, Kee. Ready for another round?" I yell at Keegan as he rests his hand on his holster

"Don't call me that," He responds in his usual cold tone, though he does stand up. "I'm not responding to you next time.."

"Sure," I nod over the top, fully aware of the fact that he's lying. "You know you love it."

"Ace, be careful. For god's sake," Soap curses as he crosses his arms in front of his chest.

It has been a little over two months since the incident. The past months have been literal hell for me, especially the first few weeks. My body was beaten up to a point where nearly all of my skin was bruised. I didn't dare to look in the mirror for the first month, simply because I was scared to not recognize myself.

I had only taken a good look at myself exactly one week ago. It's when Price allowed me to get back into the office. The moment I laid eyes on myself, I immediately had to look away. The massive scar that ran directly from one side of my face, diagonally towards the other side didn't exactly do much for my confidence.

My mom cried when she saw me. My dad had simply stared with tears in his eyes, though I could tell he tried to stay positive as much as he could.

"You look badass. I'll give you that," he had said.

Now, back at the base, I just try to keep myself as busy as I can. It keeps my mind from traveling back to the incident. The guys have been a massive help ever since that moment. They've all helped me to keep my mind off of things. Even Keegan had tried to make some funny comments here and there.

All except Ghost.

He had been there for me the first couple of days, though afterwards, he just disappeared. For some reason, I didn't really see him much. He was there during meeting hours, and during work, though he wasn't really there. He kept near the back, where he didn't speak as to just blend in with the background.

It pained me, honestly. Even though the other guys were doing everything they could to keep me sane, it was him who I wanted to talk to. I wanted him to be there with the rest of them. I tried to make conversation a couple of times, but most of the time he didn't even dare to look at me.

I don't know what it was.

I don't know what changed in him after they got me out of that building, but it's clear that something inside of him shifted.

"Actually, give me a minute. I'll be right back," I say to Keegan before turning around to head to the bathroom.

I quicken my pace, jogging to get my heart rate up a little. It's when I turn a corner that I bump into something hard. The breath gets knocked out of me slightly and I reach for my shoulder, the still present pain slightly enhanced.

"I'm sorry," I mumble, looking up.

The man who I can't stop thinking about stands in front of me, looking down at me through the sockets of his skull mask. His gaze bounces back and forth between my eyes and I can't help but notice the tiny glimpse of shock in his eyes.

I drop my own gaze, not wanting to talk to him any longer. Irritation has been building up inside of me over the fact that he simply dropped me after the incident. It's as if he didn't see me standing there anymore.

I step past him, not wanting to waste another word.

"Wait," he says. "Are you okay?"

I scoff in response before stopping in my steps. My back is still turned to him as I start speaking. "Since when do you care?"