I dedicate this chapter to you all, especially to those who motivate me to update! Thank you guys for your support! I appreciate it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kris' POV
Shit, shit, shit! Why did I do that?! I don't fucking know! Wait, I shouldn't swear. I am a calm, composed, chivalrous man. Oh, that's 3 C's!
Anyway, back to the kiss. I didn't mean to kiss her...That sounded offensive. What I mean is it's complicated. I liked the kiss honestly. It's just that our situation is not that simple. I don't want to complicate things.
Kylie is a strong, kind, cheerful, crazy but somewhat funny, and beautiful girl. I can't deny that I'm attracted to her. And I think we're connected in some way because she can touch me, and I can feel what she's feeling sometimes.
But I don't want to hope for something that is impossible to happen. Plus, she deserves the best. She deserves someone better than me. She deserves someone who is not a ghost.
And that kiss just started something. It started something that was not supposed to be started. It's all my fault! I just couldn't control myself when I'm that close to her.
I know that I deserve to be ignored by her after what I said to her, but I couldn't stand it, so I kept apologizing. When she arrived home earlier than expected, I knew something was wrong.
I felt her fear not a long time ago. I was tempted to go to her and see what was happening, but I figured out that she doesn't want to see me and I thought she could handle it since she's strong, so I stayed here.
I felt happy and relieved when she talked to me. However, when I saw her dripping wet (not that kind of wet, you pervs), I concluded that someone was bullying her and asked what happened.
The moment she mentioned Crystal, I stiffened.
"I should've known that she would do this to you. That girl never change." The last part was not meant for Kylie to hear.
"What?" She seemed to be putting two and two together. "You knew her when you were alive, didn't you?"
Okay, Kris, calm down. We can still get out of this.
"Uhh, did I say something like that?"
"Kris," she said in a serious tone.
I sighed in defeat and thought of ways how to break it to her.
"Crystal was...she was my girlfriend." I couldn't look her in the eyes.
Silence engulfed the room. I gathered enough courage to look at her properly. She was staring at me in shock and incredulity. She finally blinked and sat limply on her bed, not caring if she stain the bed.
"That bi- that girl was your girlfriend?..." She asked for confirmation.
"Yes," I nodded.
"Wait, I heard you passed away 3 years ago?" What's with the sudden change of topic?
"Yeah..." I eyed her, confused at what she's on about.
"When you died, you were 19?" She asked with curious eyes.
"Obviously," I replied. Do I look like I'm older than 19?
"So, if you're still alive, you're 22 now?"
"Obviously."
"If you dated her 3 years ago, she was 15 and you were 19, right?" She rubbed her imaginary beard.
"Obviously."
"So that means you're a pedophile?"
"Obviously..wha-no!" I glared at her. She got me there.
She bursted out laughing. She even wiped a tear away. I felt myself slowly smiling as I stared at her.
She suddenly sat properly and turned to me with a serious face. "Seriously though, how the hell did that happen? You couldn't have liked someone like her, right?"
I had this urge to defend Crystal when she said that. "You don't know her, so don't judge, okay?"
Kylie's POV
I looked down and sighed. "You're right. Sorry."
He must've liked her or still likes her to defend her like that. I know it was wrong of me to judge her like that, but after what she's done to me? And who would've thought that she could steal this man's heart? I'm jealous.
Wait, what? I didn't just think that I'm jealous of her, right? Nope, no.
"How did you two meet? If you don't mind me asking." I looked at him and saw him staring at me, studying my face carefully.
He sat down beside me and stared ahead, as if recalling the past.
"You can call her my childhood friend. We were friends since I was ten. Since she and Mark were best friends then, she always visit him and play with him. We just moved in here at that time, so I was a loner. The two of them offered to be my friends and since then the three of us were best friends."
I stared at him in shock and astonishment. What the- Mark and Crystal?! Best friends?! Mark and Kris?! Best friends?! Whaaaattt?!!!Noooo, it couldn't be! How could this be?!
"You're joking, right?"
He turned to face me with a serious look. "Do I look like I'm joking?"
Maybe. Yes, you look like you're joking.
"No? Oh, my God..." I mumbled under my breath.
What the hell happened then? Why does he hate Mark now?! Why does Mark hate Crystal now?! How do I know Mark hates Crystal? Simple, from the looks Mark was giving Crystal, you could see that he despised the girl.
Anyway, if Crystal was friends with these two guys, she must've been a very good and kind girl. What the hell happened to her now? Why is she acting like she's the devil's spawn?
Oh, wait! What if the problem with their friendship is what keeps Kris from crossing over? I should help him then. But he's going to leave after that, right? Why is it so hard to decide whether to help him or not? I should help him, right? Because it's what I should do.
"What are you thinking?" His voice brought me back to reality.
"Huh?" I turned to face him. He had his eyebrows furrowed while staring at me.
"What are you thinking?" He repeated.
"Nothing, just wondering why you guys seem to hate each other now." Well, it's not entirely a lie.
Does Kris hate Crystal though? I mean, he let me punch her. But he stayed with her. He even looked worried.
"Duh, it's his ex-girlfriend who was punched. Of course, he'd be worried." My subconscious deadpanned.
Well, it's not like she's still his girlfriend.
"Well, what if they really love each other? What if they were only separated because Kris died?"
Then, I have no place in his heart. Wait, why do I want a place in his heart anyways? Ugh! This is really messing with my mind! I'm not thinking properly. I'm stressed. Yeah, that's right. I'm just stressed.
"Stressed, my butt." My subconscious butted in.
I pursed my lips, stopping myself from punching myself.
A hand waved in front of my face. "You zoned out again. Do you want to listen to what I'm going to say or not?"
"Of course, I do!" I answered almost immediately.
Kris chuckled and shook his head sideways. He took a deep breath, as if readying himself.
"She...she cheated on me." He smiled bitterly.
What? She cheated on him? Who the heck would dare cheat on this masterpiece made by God?
I saw Kris looking at me with wide eyes. Seconds later, his lips trembled, and he coughed out a laugh.
Is he having a mental breakdown?
"You were just talking about your girlfriend cheating on you and you're laughing? Are you crazy?" I eyed him like he's some crazy person who escaped from a mental hospital.
"I'm one crazy masterpiece made by God then." He grinned playfully.
What's he talking abou- oh, shit.
I facepalmed and turned away from him. This moment was supposed to be serious and depressing. Why do I have to ruin the mood? And why does he have to laugh that loud? Geez. Well, I guess it's better than seeing him depressed and all.
"Well, I guess it's time to stop the story-telling and you should take a bath now. You stink." He teased as he stood up and started to walk.
I glared at him and remembered something. "Hey, just one more question."
"Shoot." He stood in front of me and folded his arms over his chest.
I bit my lip nervously. "Why do you hate Mark so much?"
His mood suddenly changed. I thought he was going to disappear like he usually does when he's not in the mood, but he didn't.
"Why did you have to ask?! You totally ruined the mood!" My subconscious scolded.
I'm curious! You can't blame me for asking!
"Ever heard of 'Curiosity killed the cat?'"
Shut up!
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to." I immediately said.
He clenched his jaw and looked me in the eyes. "Crystal cheated on me with Mark."
I...shouldn't have asked that. But seriously? She cheated on him with Mark? I can't imagine Mark betraying his best friend. Mark was...a good guy. He's very nice to me.
I suddenly remembered the night when he started hyperventilating when he saw Kris. The human Kris. If he acted like that, it meant that he's guilty. If he didn't do anything wrong, he doesn't have a reason to panic or to be nervous.
Kris must've really liked Crystal to kill himself because she cheated on him. Or maybe he didn't have anyone to talk to that's why he committed suicide. I really can't imagine Kris doing that because of Crystal. But then, strong emotions can drive us crazy.
Kris was still standing in front of me. I stood up and threw my arms around his neck. I felt him stiffened, but then relaxed after a few seconds.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that. It's normal to have circumstances like that. You must've really liked her to do that to yourself." I said in a soothing voice.
"Wait, do what?" He pulled away and sent me a confused look.
"Suicide." I answered.
"Suicide? Who committed suicide?"
"You. Didn't you commit suicide because you're depressed that Crystal cheated on you with Mark?"
"What?! Do you really think I would do something like that? Me? Kris Robertson will commit suicide just because I was cheated on? You must be joking." He looked offended.
"Sorry. It was just a conclusion. Many people nowadays kill themselves just because their girlfriends/boyfriends broke up with them, so I thought you..." I trailed off. I looked down in shame.
I heard him chuckle and felt his hand ruffling my hair.
"Hey!" I stepped back and fixed my hair while glaring at him. There it is again, his stupid smirk.
He suddenly brought his head down to my level. "Well, I would gladly kill myself if you tell me to."
Is it just me or his voice became sexy and seductive?
I felt my face heat up, and I pushed him away. "Shut up!"
I turned my back on him and muttered. "I wouldn't tell you to kill yourself anyway."
"What was that?" I heard him ask.
"Nothing!" I glared at him and made my way towards the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower."
"You want me to join you?" I turned around to glare daggers at him. He immediately put his hands up in surrender.
"You better behave yourself Robertson or else." I threatened.
Thankfully, he didn't try anything to bother me. When I was about to open the door, I remembered that he's outside. And I realized that I'm only wearing a towel.
Why do I always forget to bring my clothes with me?! Damn it!
"Ugh!" I slammed my hands on the sink in frustration.
Kris suddenly appeared beside me. "What? What's wrong?! Did someone hurt you?!"
I stood there, not moving. Then, my mind registered that Kris is here and I'm only wearing a towel.
"Aaaahh!!!" I screamed while hitting him. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Why are you here?!"
"I'm sorry! I just thought something happened to you because I heard something slam against something!" He apologized while dodging my attacks.
And something much worse happened. I didn't notice my towel began slipping down until it was already on the floor. We both stopped and stared at the towel lying silently on the floor.
Shit, SHIT!!!
I freaked out, of course. I slipped because of my wet feet, of course. Kris caught me, of course. I'm wearing nothing, of course. Yay! I have another embarrassing moment to add to my list!
Our position was very awkward. It's like the dance position where the girl will slowly lean back with the help of the guy. Yeah, we're like that at the moment, but the difference is I'm naked.
We stared at each other for a while. At each other's eyes specifically. None of us were moving. I could hear my heart beating loudly. Shit. If his eyes were to glance down, I swear, I'm going to beat the shit out of him.
I didn't move a millimeter because he might touch something uh, not supposed to be touched by some guy who is not your husband. I felt him grip my shoulder tightly. He looked up ahead and bit his bottom lip as he slowly kneel down and removed his other hand from my waist to reach behind him.
His eyes lit up as his hand found my towel. He handed me my towel without looking in my direction.
"Here," he said awkwardly.
I took it with shaky hands. "Thanks."
When he was sure that I am covered, he helped me stand up.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, his ears and neck were as red as a tomato. He then vanished into thin air. I'm sure my face is redder than a tomato. That was so embarrassing!!!
I opened the door and glanced around the room, making sure that Kris is nowhere to be found. I hastily put on my clothes.
What am I going to do now? I can't go back to school. I'm already late anyway. I'm just going to think of ways how to help Kris cross over.
Kris' POV
I'm in the living room right now. Is it just me or the house is getting hotter by the second? I fanned myself and calmed myself down. If I'm human, I'd be sweating like crazy right now.
Why did that towel have to drop? It's that fucking towel's fault. If it didn't-
Kylie appeared out of nowhere. The image of her in just a towel flashed in my mind.
Okay, Kris. Calm down. Just calm down. Breathe in, breathe out. Fuc-fudge!
I glanced at her and saw her fiddling her fingers. I decided to apologize again.
"I'm very sorry, Kylie. I didn't mean to suddenly appear in the bathroom. I just thought that something happened to you. You have a nice body anyway. You don't have to be embarrassed about it." I said in an attempt to comfort her.
She stared at me with wide eyes. "Y-you saw? Y-you looked?! You looked, didn't you?! You pervert!"
"I didn't!" I waved my hands furiously.
"Keep lying, Kris." My subconscious laughed evilly.
I said I didn't!
"How would you know that...that I have a nice body then?" Kylie glared at me and advanced towards me.
"I just said it because I thought it would comfort you!" I walked around the coffee table to keep some distance.
"How can knowing that you saw me naked comfort me?!" She stopped advancing. Her eyes turned glassy.
My eyes widened. "No, no, no. Please don't cry."
She sniffled and sat on the couch, covering her face with her hands. I knelt in front of her.
"Hey, I swear I didn't saw you naked." I said in a very sincere voice.
She slowly looked up with hopeful eyes and asked, "Really?"
I smiled and nodded vigorously at her. She pursed her lips. "Okay."
"Anyway, what do you want to talk about?" I sat beside her.
"How do you know I want to talk about something?"
"You wouldn't have shown your face to me after that embarrassing moment you had if you didn't want to talk about something important." I leaned against the armrest and looked at her.
She rolled her eyes at me and said, "So, I figure that maybe if we fix your friendship with Mark and Crystal, you may be able to cross over."
I froze. What?
"Do you really think that I want to be friends with them again?" I narrowed my eyes at her.
"No," she replied, ignoring my narrowed eyes. "What I mean is maybe you should try to forgive them because your anger is probably the reason why you can't cross over."
I stared at her, wondering why she was bringing this up. "You...want me to leave?"
Her eyes widened and shook her head furiously. "No! Of course not!"
"Then, why do you want me to cross over so badly?" I crossed my arms and stared at her with irritation.
"Don't you want to cross over? Don't you want to rest in peace?" She raised an eyebrow at me.
I stared at her, finding those questions hard to answer.
I swallowed a lump forming in my throat. "Of course, I want to cross over and rest in peace."
Kylie's POV
I blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall. Of course, he wants to cross over. Who doesn't want to cross over when they die?
"But not yet." I heard him say.
I looked at him questioningly.
"I don't want to cross over just yet." He grinned. "I'm still not finished annoying you."
I chuckled and shook my head slowly. "Hey, I wanna know what kind of girl Crystal was when she was still kind-hearted."
Kris smirked at me. "Why? Wondering why I asked her to be my girlfriend? Or maybe you're wondering what type of girl I'm into?"
"Nope, not really. I just want to make a before-and-after list of her characteristics." I shrugged.
Kris huffed in irritation. "She was the sweetest-"
"Like a candy?" I cut him off.
"Yes."
"Yuck," I pretend to gag.
He rolled his eyes and continued. "She was very kind back then, but it was her nature to pull pranks on someone. It was not serious like what she did to you, though."
"Her prank was not serious. It just involves a bucket full of stinky water from God-knows-where, a string, a rope, and some picture taking. It's what you call mediocre."
"They took pictures of you? You mean many people were watching? You were humiliated and you call that mediocre?!" He shouted in astonishment.
"Well, I always see that kind of prank in movies, so I guess it's common and ordinary." I shrugged like it was nothing.
"Well, if by any chance, you can pull a prank on Crystal, how would you do it?"
"There's no 'by any chance.' I can pull pranks on her anytime." I threw him a smug look.
"What kind of pranks exactly?" He eyed me skeptically.
"Like slipping a threat letter in her bag and maybe put a chopped body in her car. Of course, a fake body." I immediately added when I saw the horror in Kris' face.
"I think I'm going to abort my mission on annoying you."
And we talked and eat and talked until we heard a car pulling up in or driveway. We realized it's already 5 in the afternoon. I opened the main door. Maria looked upset as she walked towards us. Behind her were Rachelle and Josh laughing.
"They made me their third wheel." She scowled and dropped on the couch.
When the two love birds were in front of me, I smiled.
"I see you two have come to get to know each other."
The two of them just laughed it off. The girls didn't stay long because they just came to drop Josh off.
"So, how was your day?" I asked Josh.
"It was fine." He answered. "Students ignored me as usual, teachers gave us tests and homeworks and ta-da! End of school."
"Why do they ignore someone as cute as you?" I asked, confused. I noticed Kris staring at me, so I turned to him. He was actually giving me the stink eye.
"Haha...I don't know.." Josh said awkwardly.
I studied his face and decided to get him a new look. "Hey, what about a new haircut? What do you say?"
"Um, sure." He said with a worried look on his face. He made his way towards the exit.
"Where are you going?" I asked him.
"To the barber shop?"
"What are you talking about?" I laughed. "I'll be your hairstylist for tonight."
He looked even more worried. I glanced at Kris, and he looked worried, too. I turned back to Josh.
"C'mon, there's nothing to worry about." I dragged him towards my room.
~After a few minutes~
Josh and Kris gaped at Josh's reflection. I wanted to laugh at their reactions. I smiled proudly at my work. Josh looked handsome with a mohawk haircut. You know the haircut where you shave both sides of your head.
Just kidding! xD
Here's what his hair looks like.
You can imagine him as Fransisco Lachowski, I don't care. For me, Fransisco Lachowski is Kris. Well, you can imagine Kris as your long time crush and Kylie as you, I don't care. You can imagine the characters as whoever you want, I don't care.
Josh looks hot with this hairstyle! I like it! Now, Rachelle will be jealous of those girls who'll be clinging onto Josh. Bwahaha!
"Yay! You look really handsome, Josh!" I clapped my hands.
"I didn't know you have a potential to become a barber." Kris snickered. I sent him a glare. I would like to be called hairstylist even though they're the same.
Josh grinned. "Thanks, Kylie!"
"Everyone would swoon over you tomorrow! However," I paused for dramatic effect. "You must stay loyal and faithful to Rachelle, you understand me?"
He looked confused but he agreed anyways.
"Now, shoo!" I shooed him away. When he was about to open the door, Jake barged in. Luckily, Josh jumped away just in time.
"Kylie-Who the hell are you?! What are you doing here?!" Jake grabbed Josh's collar.
"Hey! That's Josh!" I shouted.
"Josh who? Because there are many Josh here in this town." Jake narrowed his eyes at Josh.
He seriously doesn't know it's Josh? Our friend Josh?
"Dude, it's me!" Josh choked out.
"Your voice is strangely familiar." Jake frowned. "Have we met before?"
I pinched the bridge of my nose as Kris facepalmed.
"It's Harris. CJ Harris." Josh hastily said.
"Harris?" Jake inspected Josh's face for a while and gasped dramatically. "CJ, is this really you? Man, what happened to you? I didn't know getting a new haircut would make you look....more human."
I walked towards them and slapped Jake's arm.
"Hey!" He faced Josh. "Well, you look sexy and handsome. Whatever! I'm still sexier than you!"
I rolled my eyes at him.
"Well, I don't mean to brag," here comes the third player. "But I'm the sexiest guy here in the room. Well, in the whole world actually."
Kris is now in human form. That arrogant jerk.
Jake and Josh gaped at him. "Where did you come from?!"
Kris just raised his eyebrows innocently. "Oh, I came from the closet. I just visited Narnia for a while."
We stared at him impassively.
"Okay, okay." He brought his hands up and smirked at me. "I sleep here. In this room."
"What?!" The three of us asked.
He started to advance towards me. What on earth is he planning?
"Well, you know, Kylie here," he put his arm around my shoulder. I tried to shrug it off, but it wouldn't budge. "Is my partner-in-crime. We do stuff that children or even teenagers shouldn't do. And we only do that at night when everyone is sleeping."
"Stop!" Jake shouted while covering Josh's ears. Geez, he really acts as if Josh is a kid. He's 16, for Pete's sake!
Jake sent me an accusing glare. I only shook my head in defense. We heard our parents' car pulled up in our driveway. We went downstairs and greeted them. My parents were also shocked to see the "new" Josh. And as expected, my mom invited Kris to have dinner with us.
Kris gladly accepted it and requested if he could stay for the night. My mom was more than glad to let Kris sleep over. I think she has a soft spot for Kris.
Kris and I are now in my room, relaxing. I can't get over about Crystal and Kris being together in the past.
"Hey, how long did your relationship last?" I asked out of the blue.
"Really? We're talking about this now? Can't we talk about something else?" Kris complained, rolling casually on my bed.
"No. I'm curious, so answer the question." I folded my arms over my chest.
Kris sighed exasperatedly. "Fine, we lasted for about a year and a half."
"Whoa," My eyes widened in awe. "I'm impressed. You were able to cope with her for about a year and a half."
"She's not that hard to deal with, unlike now."
"Hmm," I hummed. "So, how did you find out that she was cheating?"
I know I'm being nosy, but I can't help it.
I smiled sheepishly after Kris threw me a glare.
"When I dropped by their school, I saw the two of them kissing at the parking lot." He said with distaste.
"Parking lot, really? How typical. Can't they be more romantic?" I rolled my eyes. I noticed Kris was looking at me with an irritated look.
I raised an eyebrow at him. "Tell me, do you still like her? Or maybe love her?"
He scoffed. "Of course, not. How can I still like her after what she had done?"
I heard the bitterness in his voice. He still has feelings for her, but I know it's not as strong as before.
His eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey, don't you want to get revenge by pulling a prank on her, too?"
I don't like where this is going.
"I thought you don't hurt a girl." I frowned at him.
"I won't be hurting her. You will." He grinned mischievously.
"Nope, I won't do it." I shook my head.
He furrowed his eyebrows. "I thought you can pull pranks on her anytime."
"I can, but I won't."
"Why not? It'll be fun."
"Look, Kris. This isn't you. You're blinded by your anger towards her or them. Plus, if I get her back for this, this whole prank thing will be an unending cycle." I waved my hands for effect.
"You're right. I'm sorry. It's just that...it's unfair. They hurt me and they're having fun out there while I'm here, stuck in this town where I have no one to talk to. For 3 years." He glared at nothing particular.
"Well, my family and I are here now, right? You have someone to talk to. You have made friends even." I smiled brightly at him.
He stared at me for a while. His eyes then softened. "Right."
I remembered something. He said that he didn't die because he killed himself, right? How did he die then?
"Kris," I called. "I know this question will ruin the mood again."
He rolled his eyes playfully. "Whatever. You always ruin the mood anyways."
"Yeahhh, right. How..." I trailed off.
He made a gesture, telling me to continue.
"How did you die?"
There, I asked it.
He frowned, recalling the last moment of his life. After a while, he said, "I don't know. I don't remember."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I guess I'll end the chapter here. It's long enough, I guess. I couldn't update these past few days because our internet was down. And because of this, I've become a good girl these past few days. I've been cleaning the whole house, reading some encyclopedia, doing something unnecessary, etc. Haha.
Anyway, thank you guys for reading and sorry for the wrong grammars if there are any. Don't forget to vote and comment! Bye! I shall return!