Don't Be Afraid

Chapter Twelve

EDITED BAYBE :-P

Chapter Twelve

“Why won’t you leave me alone?” I ask Emery in the middle of homeroom. I sat in my usual seat in the back of the room and Emery sits right next to me. Of course he was trying to strike up a conversation with me.

He smirks at me. “Because you’re fun to bother. And also I want to ask you something.” He says leaning closer.

“Well go on.” I told him. He looks down at his hands and then looks back up at me. He looks almost nervous. Imagine that.

“There’s a bonfire at Placid Beach Sunday to kick off Thanksgiving break, and I was wondering if you wanted to come.” He asks. Why did this guy want me so bad?

“Why would I go to the beach in the middle of winter?” I ask him. He smiles.

“No one is forcing you to get in the water. Just dress warm.” He answers.

“No.” I tell him. He frowns at my answer. What did he except? Haven’t I given him the impression that I didn’t want to be friends?

“Why? Why do you hate me so much that you can’t just show up at one social event with me?” He asks sadly. I pang of guilt shot through me. Why did I feel guilty? This is Emery.

“I don’t hate you. I just really really really really dislike you.” His frown deepens for a second and then he smiles widely.

“Then why don’t you let me prove to you that I’m a good guy. Just come to this party with me and I promise you’ll have a different opinion of me by the end of the night.” He tells me. I thought about it. I never really figured out why I didn’t like Emery. There was just something in my gut that told me he was trouble. But other than that, there was no other reason to not like him.

He was not mean to me like I though he was going to be. Actually, he was nothing but nice to me. He was nice, friendly, easy to get along with, and even though I hate to admit it, he’s attractive.

When I think about these things, it makes me look like a big bitch. I sigh heavily. “Why do you keep trying even though I’ve been nothing but mean to you?” I ask. He smiles wider.

“You’re just worth the chase.” He simply says. That makes me feel even more guilty. I mean what do I got to lose? It’s only one party. Just a few hours of putting up with drunk, hormonal teenagers won’t kill me.

I shrug my shoulders. “Sure, I’ll go.” I say smiling a little. Little did I know that that night would change my life forever and not for the better.

***

I was sitting in the library in free period going through my tips on ghost stuff when Ms. Lane approached me. She had a warm smile on her face.

“Hey Athena! Are you feeling better?” She asks with a kind voice.

“Yeah, I no longer have the urge to beat up your furniture.” I told her while smiling. There was something about her that made everything better. Her aurora seemed to radiate through the room filling me with happiness.

She chuckles. “Well that’s great! So I don’t have to hide my expensive vases. What you got there?” She asks pointing to my notes.

I blush for some unknown reason. “Um…they’re notes for a project on…um…stuff.” I tell her. Wow was I bad at lying. I need to practice more.

She takes a glance at what’s written on the page. Her smile vanishes and her eyes flash with something. Maybe anger? But before I could examine more, her face goes back into a smile.