Chapter Nine
GRACE
I awoke with a gasp, clutching the blankets to my chest as I searched the darkness for whatever had pulled me from sleep. A third presence in the room had me alert and on edge, bracing myself for another attack.
"C'mon, where are you?" I whispered. "Just get it over with."
I squinted out into the darkness, hands trembling, heartbeat hammering away in my ears. When a figure emerged from the shadows, I jumped and slapped a hand over my mouth to keep from screaming.
"You're awake."
I dropped my hand. A normal person would have fled or fainted, but I was far from normal. My legs swung over the side of the bed as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and greeted my visitor.
"What are you doing here, sweetie?"
Todd skipped across the room and situated himself at my feet. He sat cross-legged and bounced his knees in excitement.
"Looking for you!"
"For me?" I asked. "Why?"
"They said I needed to find you."
A tingling sense of dread crept its way up my spine. That sounded ominous.
"Who? Who told you to find me?"
He shook his head, like it was obvious.
"The others. The ones like me."
Like me...
"Other spirits?"
Todds smile vanished, dulling his already dark aura. His chin fell forward until it rested against his chest.
"They say I'm dead. That's why no one will play with me. Is that true?"
I leaned back, heartbroken by his words. He was too young. Too happy. I didn't know how he died, just that he didn't deserve to be plucked from the earth at such a young age.
"Yes," I whispered, "That's true. I'm sorry, Todd."
"That's okay," he replied, still refusing to look at me. "My mom used to say that bad things happen to good people. That's what happened to me, right? Something bad?"
Something in me yearned to sugarcoat it for him, but I knew the sooner Todd dealt with his death, the sooner he would be at peace. I scooted off the bed and lowered myself to the ground. I wanted to reach for him, but wasn't entirely sure how that would go.
"That's exactly right," I said. "Sometimes bad things happen no matter what you do. The world is full of bad things."
Todd finally looked up and met my eyes.
"But its got good things too, right?"
I smiled brightly, hoping to radiate the kind of sincerity he so desperately needed. "Yeah. It does. Lots of good things."
"And there's more good than bad, right?"
I didn't necessarily believe that, but I wasn't about to tell him that.
"I'd like to think so."
That seemed to calm his innocent little brain. He pulled his shoulders back and smiled, looking out the window as he thought quietly. After a moment, he turned back to me with a grin.
"Will you play with me?"
The excitement in his voice was almost my undoing. There was really only one answer I could give.
I nodded.
"Really?" He squealed as his entire face lit up.
"Yes, but not tonight, okay?"
"Okay!"
Todd bobbed up and down happily as my attention shifted to Tammy stirring in bed. I bent down to look Todd in the eyes, and after putting a finger to my lips, signaling for him to be quiet, he winked. It was a little over-exaggerated, with his mouth popping open as he tried to close only one eye, and I had to cover my mouth to keep from giggling at how adorable he was.
"I have to go back to sleep now."
Todd nodded quickly. "Got it."
Exhaustion weighed heavily on my limbs as I slipped my feet back under the covers, readjusted the pillow behind my head, and turned back to wish Todd a good night.
He was gone.
MILES
The next morning passed with all the speed of a turtle skipping through molasses. I tried to concentrate on my studies, immerse myself in the lectures, but it was impossible. There was too much weighing heavily on my mind. All I wanted to do was jog to the cafeteria for lunch and find my brown-eyed girl. And as soon as the midday bell rang, that's exactly what I did.
However, I stopped short when I realized Grace's table was empty. I paced along the outer walls, scanning every seat, every tray, every head of dark hair, but none of them belonged to Grace. My heart sank as I realized she wasn't there.
After choking down a lunch of dry pizza, I caught up with a few friends, zoned out in Western Civ, and counted the minutes until gym class. Grace hated that class with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns, but it was the only class we had together where we could talk openly.
My hopes were all shot to hell when I walked out of the locker room and still didn't see Grace. When the last bell echoed through the hall, I glumly helped coach wheel two racks of balls onto the gym floor.
Dodgeballs.
Coach explained the rules, although I had no idea why. It's dodgeball... You throw the ball, try to hit someone, and try not to get hit yourself. It's pretty straight forward.
"Wildstone, you're late!"
I turned to find Grace sitting on the bench behind me, ignoring Coach as she laced up her tennis shoes.
I jogged over to where she sat, wearing a smile as bright as my neon blue gym shorts. "Hey, you made it!"
Once the words were out of my mouth, I wanted to slap myself.
Way to sound like a stalker, moron.
"I did indeed," she said, completely oblivious to my creeper tone. "What's the game today?"
I grabbed a ball off the rack and twirled it in my hands. "Crowd favorite. Dodgeball."
Grace's lips narrowed into a tight line. She looked out onto the gym floor, assessing every potential threat in range. Even though I loved the game, I could tell Grace didn't, and for good reason. After all, it's a known fact that if you're any kind of outcast at all, you get bludgeoned in dodgeball. Every. Single. Time.
"In line," Coach yelled. "Number off!"
As we stepped onto the gym floor, I bumped my hip into Grace and smiled down at her. She looked nervous. Paler than usual.
"It's just a game," I assured her.
Grace nodded, but her eyebrows crept together.
"I hate dodgeball."
I shrugged, knowing there was nothing I could do to banish her nerves. "Most people do."
"Do me a favor," she said, staring at her shoes as she walked. "Don't bust me in the face if we're on different teams."
I stopped walking.
"Excuse me?"
"Just not in the face, okay?"
I still didn't move.
"You think I'd aim for you?"
She shrugged and refused to meet my eyes.
"I've seen you play." That was it. No elaboration whatsoever.
After shaking my head, I let out an insulted huff and strode away.
"Thanks for thinking so highly of me," I called over my shoulder.
That stung. A lot. I cared about Grace and the fact that she thought I'd take a shot at her proved just how little she knew me.
As luck would have it, Coach named me and Anthony Hopper team captains. I let Anthony pick first and when it was my turn to call a name, I didn't hesitate.
"Grace."
I waved her over, enjoying the way her cheeks flamed as she took her spot by my side.
"Now you have nothing to worry about," I whispered when everyone's attention was on my opposing captain.
But as we made our way onto the court with the rest of our team, I knew that was a lie. She did have something to worry about, it just wasn't me. No one even had a ball in their hands yet, but Anthony and the two guys at his side were smiling at Grace, their fingers twitching in anticipation.
I don't think so, boys...
The second Coach blew his whistle, I sprinted to center court and grabbed two balls. One I handed off to Grace and we both backed away from the white line, readying ourselves. I studied each threat, analyzing who I should pick off first. Grace, on the other hand, seemed to be trying to hide behind her ball. That didn't seem to be such a bad idea since every ball sailing through the air seemed to be aimed at her head. But she was quick. She ducked and dodged and deflected the balls with the one in her hands.
High on adrenaline, I fell right into the zone. I chucked a ball across the court and pegged one of Anthony's goons in the leg, sending him to the sidelines. I retrieved another ball from the ground, sought out another of his teammates and sent him to the bench as well. After dodging three rapid-fire balls, I managed to catch a glimpse of Grace. Just in time to see her lower her hands.
BAM!
Grace's head whipped to the side, sending her stumbling. I shuffled towards her, ready to ask if she was okay before she made her way off the court, but the assault didn't stop. Even as she jogged away, dodgeballs still followed, still hit her in the calves and shoulders as she hung her head in embarrassment, defeat, and more than likely, pain.
I saw red.
Jogging backward, I positioned myself between Anthony, who had one of the last balls, and Grace, who was holding a hand to her face. Somehow, he'd gotten away with it. Coach was off in la-la land and wasn't paying a lick of attention. Well, he was about to be.
A ball flew in the direction of a now sitting Grace and I made my move. After grabbing the ball mid-air, I flexed my fingers into the rubber, drew my arm back, and let the ball fly.
Right into Anthony Hopper's face.
I, like Anthony, would have gotten away with pegging someone in the face, if it hadn't been for all the blood.
"Miles," Coach sighed, "You're disqualified." He turned to Anthony, who was screaming expletives at the top of his lungs. "Hopper, go get yourself cleaned up before you drip on my floor."
I tried to hide my cocky grin as I made my way to the sidelines. I wasn't the kind of person who reveled in other people's pain, but damn it felt good to see that asshole bleed. Before I took my seat, my eyes found Grace's and I winked.
The shake of her head told me she didn't approve, but surprisingly, she winked right back.