By Next Thursday

Chapter Three

I sat in my dad's office for another hour in a trance before the shock began to wear off. I curled up in the easy chair in the corner watching him work, like I used to when I was a really young. As the sun began to set, my father continued working, only breaking to give his dinner order to his secretary.

I sighed and stretched, slowly pushing myself off the chair. Honestly, my dad probably would've ignored me even if he could've seen me anyway. Since my mom had died he was distant and obsessed with his job. Hence why he became the best lawyer in the state by my eleventh birthday. I guess you could say my drive to succeed at all costs came from him.

I sighed again and left the room. When I walked out of the building my mind started to wake up from the shock from the whole being some sort of ghost ordeal and I realized three things. First, I wasn't dreaming because the whole day felt all too real. Second, I wasn't dead. I could feel it in my very core that the reason I was still on earth and not in hell or heaven or wherever the fuck souls go when they die was because my heart was still beating somewhere. Some comfort that was. I had no clue where my body could be or who would actually try to kill me.

Third, Jay Carmichael could see me which meant clearly the universe somehow meant for us to work together or something.

"Seriously," I snapped at the darkening sky, "of all people in the godforsaken place you chose my nemesis? Worst enemy? Satan's spawn? I bet that cute guy working at the country club would've loved to help me out." My mind started to drift towards the suggestive conversation we'd had not two days before, when I snapped myself out of it. "Ugh, okay I have some sort of deadline so I better be smart about this. First things first, Jay."

I started to briskly walk towards the west side of town where I knew he lived and checked my watch. Eight o'clock. It was only then allowed my mind to drift. I started to think about the café one block over from the cemetery. It was my favorite place since I was thirteen and it was my thinking spot. Being so close to my mother's grave, I actually grew up going there a lot. I started to wish I was there instead of walking downtown Hudson, ghostly and alone.

The wishing became a deep longing as I thought about my favorite booth and all the little details, like the cracked, fake leather seats and the odd, sticky smudge on the window that never went away. I stopped and closed my eyes to get a better picture in my mind and felt a light breeze. I opened my eyes and gasped.

I was standing directly in from of my favorite booth at Sally's Café.

"Oh my god!" I gasped, "No way, this is so cool! I have ghost powers!" I immediately started to think about some places I knew in extreme detail and each time I opened my eyes, I was there.

"This is perfect! I don't even need my damn car," I smiled. Talk about an easy way to get to the west side of town. I tried to recall Jay Carmichael's bedroom from one time in grade 9 when I saw it. I felt the delicate breeze and peeked opened my eyes...

Jay's bedroom. Score. He wasn't there but I could here the shower running through from the next room so I decided to just wait for him.

I looked around at the dark room and wrinkled my nose in disgust. It was such a typical boy's room, with clothes strewed everywhere, posters of half naked women plastered over the walls, and a bed big enough to fit at least 4 of me. Not made, mind you.

I picked my way over to a couch in the corner, not wanting to touch any of his dirty clothes. Hey, I might be a ghost but I'm still a Diamond. I can't deal with dirt. I thought of home and our sweet little old maid, Ms. Jean, and smiled. I'd have to appreciate her more, she really did a great job.

Next to the couch I noticed a table covered in picture frames and leaned down for a closer look. Aside from one picture of what looked like a little Jay in a peewee football uniform, all of him and very young set of twins. The boy and girl looked about five, tops, in the most recent picture. They were really incredibly adorable, but the real cuteness about the pictures was the goofy grin stretched across Jay's face in all of them. Clearly he loved those little kids, whoever they were. It was good to know at least he wasn't totally heartless, I needed him to save me.