NEW FRIENDS
and ghost hunting
"Okay. So far we've thrown water balloons in the park, played hide and go seek in the lobby, played tag in the elevators, nerf guns by the pool, and prank called all the stores in the area! What's next?" Gustavo asks May, who is slumped over on a chair in the lobby.
"Slow your roll Gus-Gus Goose," May says, rubbing her forehead. "Remember what I said— it's all about balance. We've had tons of fun, but now it's time to work."
"But I don't wannaaaaa," Gustavo whines, plopping into the chair next to her. "All my dogs are avoiding me like the plague, and I thought I was gonna get quality time with them hanging out and playing games."
"I get it, Gustavo, I do," May sympathizes. "But you're dogs are gonna be sent back to Minnesota unless they have an album— one with songs that you have to write."
"I knowwww," he whines again. "I just wish I had a redo button, you know? Got to do my childhood over again. Maybe even make a friend."
"Gustavo," May claps her hands. "Snap out of it!"
Gustavo looks at her and she stands firmly in front of him. "No one gets redos— though I'm sure everyone wants one some time or another. But that's not how it works. All you have is this moment, and what you make of it!" She tries to shake him back to reality. "Just because you're not a kid anymore doesn't mean you can't have fun. We played tons of games yesterday! But now it's time to get to work. Your mansion is unflooded, and you need to write a song!"
"You're right," the man stands now too. "And I did make a friend," he goes to shake her hand. "Thank you, May. This is a memory I will never forget. I guess I have to go pack my things."
"Visit soon!" May calls to him, smiling at her successful job in making the producer happy and getting him to work again.
Seeing Carlos and Logan head down to the lobby, with their camera yet again, May approaches the two. "So, haven't caught that ghost yet? I'm dying to know, is it real or not?"
"Oh it's real alright," Carlos says, a glimmer in his eye. "And we're gonna catch it. Tonight."
"With a fishing net?" Logan asks.
"An ecto-net fishing net," Carlos corrects— making the two go back and forth about what type of net it really was.
"Guys!" May interrupted. "Doesn't matter what type of net it is, it's useless unless we can get the ghost trapped."
"We? You're gonna help us?" Carlos asked hopefully.
"Sure," May shrugs. "I seem to be pretty good at helping recently."
"Well then maybe you can help us!" Kendall storms over to the girl. "Gustavo is driving us nuts! And we need to get him back to his mansion."
"Oh I already—"
"But we have a ghost to catch," Logan disagrees.
"But we need to get Gustavo to write a song!"
"But May is gonna help us—"
"No May is gonna help us!"
"Guys, I already—"
"May is helping us catch the ghost, and that's final," Carlos wraps her in his arms, not letting her go. "Unless James has something to say," he continued shooting a look at his friend.
May turned to look at the now flustered boy, "nope! No, I'm good! Come on Kendall."
"But! I already... oh what's the point," she grumbles as they are now too far gone. "Okay, let's catch this ghost."
"Yes!" The boys cheered.
That night, after May packed her stuff to stay in the lobby with Carlos and Logan, she caught Kendall in the elevator looking worried. "Kendall? What's wrong?" She asked.
"We lost Gustavo," he said stressfully.
"What?"
"We went back to the apartment and he was gone, I can't imagine what he's up to—"
The elevator dinged and James got on too— "he's not on the third floor... May! Oh I mean May," he tried to lean against the door, but they were still open, making him fall out.
May widened her eyes, lurching out to help him up, only for the doors to close behind her, "um, bye Kendall," she furrows her eyebrows before turning back to James who was still on the ground.
"Just leave me here to die. I embarrassed myself in front of May yet again, and now she'll never fall in love with me!" James exclaimed, hands over his face.
May cleared her throat, making him shoot up after realizing it wasn't Kendall who left the elevator, but rather her. "Oh it's you," he said. "I mean oh! It's you. I mean, I totally just embarrassed myself again and this can't get any worse!" He threw his hands up.
"James!" She shouted, shaking his shoulders. "Calm down!"
"Right, right. Sorry, I mean I—"
He fell quiet at her giggles that turned into an eruption of laughter, having her doubled over with her hands on her knees. "What's so funny?" He asked.
"So this whole time," she stood up straight. "You didn't hate me, you were actually just nervous?"
"Nervous? Me—- pshhh never."
"Right," she smiled again. "See ya later James," she got back on the now arriving elevator.
"Wait! Is that a 'see ya later James' like a 'see you for our date James' or as a 'you're a great pal James'?" He asked.
"You never asked me on a date," she shrugged, the doors closing.
"You will be mine!" He shouts as the elevator descended, bringing May down to the lobby, finding Kendall tearing it apart and Carlos and Logan fighting over the net again.
"Didn't find Gustavo under the couch cushion?" She asks Kendall, who looked all disheveled.
"James didn't accidentally vomit on you while trying to get the words out?" He shot back, making her laugh.
"Maybe you can't find Gustavo because he already went back to his mansion?" She suggests.
"Don't be ridiculous May, Gustavo tried to con us into letting him stay another five days! There's no way he left willingly."
"Not willingly, no," she shrugged. "But after my talk with him, he seemed to understand. You guys were way too harsh on him. All he wanted to do was play games with you. After he got all the fun out of his system he went back to the mansion to write the song."
"You mean you spent the whole day playing games with him?"
"No one else was," she shrugged again. "I think he was just lonely, and wanted a friend, or his band."
"Now I feel bad," Kendall looked dejected.
"I think you should apologize," May says. "He's actually a really great guy."
"I wouldn't go that far but— yep, yeah apologizing," he sends himself off after noticing May's stern glare.
"Okay, ghost hunting time begins!" Carlos cheers, looking straight into the camera.
May set up her sleeping bag on the couch, not liking the idea of sleeping on the floor after so many people have walked all over it. "What's the plan?" May asks, lounging on her pillow.
"We set some ghost bait, and wait for the ghost to come, and then trap him!"
"Why is the ghost a him?"
"Pshhh, we would never be scared of a girl ghost."
"And who is this supposed bait?"
Carlos looks over to Logan, who shakes his head instantly. "No, nope, no way!"
"Oh come on! But you're such an easy target!"
"Hey!"
"Fine," May interjects. "I'll be the ghost bait."
"See, she'll be the bait," Logan gestures.
"No! We can't let cute, sweet, beautiful May be ghost bait!" Carlos argues.
"But I can be?" Logan shoots back.
"Well, yeah."
"Cut it out!" May said. "I'll be ghost bait,"
she sits herself up. "And Carlos, you can be my savior when the ghost tries to kill me. Sound good?"
"Did someone say savior?" James hops out of the elevator wearing a vacuum pack. "One knight in shining... ecto-vacuum cleaner... coming right up!"
"Oh wow, I'm saved!" May joshes.
"But May said I can be the Knight!" Carlos frowns.
"May won't need a knight," Kendall says now, "because she gets a vacuum cleaner."
"Psh, the ghost will never go for bait with a vacuum cleaner," Logan explains.
...
"I thought I said no to ghost bait!" Logan shouts, laying in his sleeping bag alone. "So are we gonna be taking turns as ghost bait? Guys? Guys? Okay, I'm alone and scared. I would really like some... the ghost!"
The three boys and one girl jump out, going to attack the ghost— only for it to outrun them. After chasing the ghost around the lobby, and finally trapping it, they took off the cloth to uncover... the new girl.
"Stephanie?" May asks, confused. "But Carlos said there was a ghost?"
"Yeah, I'm the ghost," she waves one of her fake hands sheepishly. "I'm making a no-budget horror movie, and I kind of used you guys as my cast. Say hi to the cameras."
May waved at the camera, smiling at the misunderstanding. "Cool!" She said.
"Are you guys mad?"
"Nah."
"Yes! Please don't tell. It's way past my curfew, and I broke a lot of bitter's stuff in the lobby."
"No worries."