Ghost In Red

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At precisely ten minutes that I had been carefully answering my math test paper, I almost jumped on my seat when I heard a girl singing at the top of her lungs without caring of anything in the world.    

I looked at the newcomer who walked in through the closed door while she was still singing with her heart's content and making gestures, and I glared daggers at her. What the f*ck is her problem? What in the world is she trying to do this time?    

The annoying ghost went on and on and sat on the front table while the teacher was busy typing something on his computer.    

Honestly, if she's not trying to bother me, I might compliment her remarkable talent, but right now, I need total silence.    

"Oh, am I disturbing something? No? Okay." She asked like a senseless idiot and tried to peek at what the teacher was doing while still singing, and she laughed, "Oh, my gosh, Syd, you gotta see what this man is doing here! He is playing a car racing game! It's Beach Buggy! Damn, I never thought teachers were doing such. Playing games while in class? Dude, this dude is living his life the best way."    

I ignored her and continued focusing on answering this long, challenging quiz, and I noticed she kept on rambling things about anything nonsense with a loud voice. I don't know if she clearly understood what I had told her before I went here. I absolutely warned her not to follow me here in the classroom and not talk to me if I didn't want to talk to her. What part of those is very hard to understand? She is following none of those!    

When she noticed that I was not paying attention to her, she stopped bugging the teacher and slowly walked on the aisle, heading near where I was sitting.    

"Hey, Syd! I saw the answer key on his table. Do you want to know the answers to all of those twenty items? I could give you them all." She began and stood on my right while eyeing my test paper. Then I just proceeded to cover with my right hand the items I already answered and continued solving the current equation that I was dealing with.    

"Oh, no, that's not it, Syd. It should be factored out first before you begin to divide them. No, that's not the answer for number five that I saw from the answer key. It should be the letter A. X equals 18. Come on, write it. Don't you believe me? It's up to you. You will get an item wrong. I'm just helping you. By the way, the answers up to ten are 6 is B, 7 is A, 8 is D, 9 is B, and lastly, 10 is B. Yeah, it's A BADBB. Pfft. A bad baby! It sounds so funny, right?" She coached like a total moron and laughed hysterically at her ridiculous findings, and I don't freaking care about her false information.    

I don't know if she's trying to get on my nerves to get me to help her because if she is... Then she got my full intent in not helping her at all. I want to ask her what help she wants from me after our morning classes end and see what I can do about it, but here she is trying to annoy me to death. I can't focus at all, and I need to get a good score for this one!    

Minutes passed, and I continued solving, and she just kept on doing her thing, which was being a nuisance to me since yesterday. If she's claiming that she really is OJ, and she behaves like this towards me, now, I believe she truly is OJ. I can't take it anymore.    

---    

When she noticed that I was done, ten minutes early, she went to sit on the tabletop in front of Emma, who was sitting beside me. And my eyes widened in shock when she laid down, and her head was on my portion of the table. This b*tch... She's really so damn annoying. I don't know how many times I described her as such because she really is.    

Her head turned to me and a bright, cheeky smile formed on her pretty face while she's been gawking at my face. While I? I have been trying to look away from her and focus my gaze on the board. She might be so lovely to look at, but I am feeling so damn uncomfortable right now.    

I just tried not to notice that she was right in front of me, lying on her left and resting her head on her arm and staring at me like I am the cherry topping on her strawberry ice cream. I might melt anytime soon. I feel it.    

"I could do this all day, you know? Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, next week, and beyond that. Also, I will keep on following you at your house, sleep on your bed, watch you while you eat and shit, talk to you about anything stupid, steal Kitty's love from you, and all the things that could cause you to give in and help me out. I already told you... I will go anywhere with you. Wherever you go, I go. Always. Every time. Anytime. All the time, Sydney. And everywhere. Now, you better decide if you can withstand that amount of disturbance till I am gone completely. I don't have much time, anyway. So, it won't be that long. Maybe about ten days? No, nine. I have nine." She threatened and explained, and when she mentioned her being gone, I felt my heart sink and made me look at her sad eyes.    

She has nine days. What does that mean? Please, it should not be what I am thinking.    

She took a deep breath before she continued, "But if you can't endure those nine days with this annoying ghost in red following you wherever you go, then you better say the words, Syd—'I'll help you, OJ. Whatever you desire, I'll do it for you.' Yeah. That's it. Don't worry. I won't make you do something terrible and anything bad for you. Well... if seeing me alive is bad for you, then... I don't know. I can't do anything about it. It's your decision."    

I let out a heavy breath and thought about it. Well, I have already thought about it earlier. I do want to help her, only if I would know she really is OJ. But I think it's her.    

"But you know what, Syd? That moment I knew you could notice me, it was the happiest moment of my life, knowing that somehow... Maybe I have a second chance to live again. I just need... more time. Though I have thought of giving up, I kept hoping that I could find that one person who could notice me. And it's you. I know you hate me, but... No, wait... I wanna ask you something first." She explained with different emotions, from silly to thoughtful and sad, and now back to being silly but curious.    

"So, Sydney... Is it true?" She asked, wearing an inquisitive face, and I turned to her and looked like trying to tell her to go on since I couldn't talk while everyone here in this classroom was so quiet that a beating of one's heart could be heard.    

"Is it? That you don't hate me?" She continued and sounded so hopeful, and I gulped. She didn't hear my pals say that, right? Did she? Oh, maybe she's taking those things seriously. Now I'm going to have a lot of explaining and denying to do then.    

"If it is, then... What are you doing? What were we doing before?" She asked and chuckled, and it made me just shrug my shoulders in response. Honestly, I don't know. She hates me, so... I... No, I still don't know. I was scared. I was scared to be me.    

"Well, do you know that I do hate you so much? Like... You're the person I don't want to work with or be near to and be in one class. Because all we do is argue about small things relating to the lessons and compete to get the highest scores. Plus, you are like a walking ice cube towards mostly everyone except your friends. I thought you didn't know how to smile or laugh, though. I was wrong." She said and laid on her back to stare at the ceiling.    

I observed her side features closely, and a small smile crept on my face. Now, I believe that she really is OJ. But at some point, I think that I am just dreaming every time I see her and hear her.    

I quickly averted my gaze from her when she turned to look at me again.    

Damn, I stared too much. I think she didn't notice. Hopefully.    

"And there's more, Syd. I hated you because I knew that you hated me, and you have been doing and saying things to me that I didn't like. I don't like you because you don't like me. That's it. Or if you don't want that, here is another. I hate you because you hate me. That sounds much easier to understand, right? But it still means the same. But lately, I have come to a conclusion that... You are by far the most significant person in my whole school life. Because of you, I get challenged, I get so motivated to do my best, I have this excitement in winning against you at anything, and it's so great. In short, you kept my school life way too far from being tedious, Sydney Roswell. So... Thank you. Now, is it true that you don't hate me? If so... Then everything is about change in a big way. My life would become more exciting by then. Do you want to start something new with me? We could be friends. Now, you better answer it. Do you?" She went on and asked me with a broad smile, and it's clear that she meant it because I could see it through her beautiful hazel eyes. I don't hate you, and I don't want to be just your friend. Geez, I sound so whipped.    

I let out a heavy breath, and I felt my seatmate nudged my side and whispered, "Are you okay, Syd?"    

I nodded my head in response, and I was startled when the ghost cheered, "Really? You nodded your head yes! That means you don't hate me! OMG!"    

"That nod is not for you," I whispered while making sure that Emma couldn't notice me and hear it.    

Hearing my response made her joyful mood turned down, and she made a puppy dog face, then wiped her cheeks even though there were no tears. No, she's not looking so cute right now. It's disturbing AF. Never have I ever thought that she would be like this towards me. And it indeed feels like everything is just a dream—a sweet and a bad dream.    

Then I decided to write something that I needed to tell her. I grabbed the scratch paper that I used to solve equations earlier, and the girl on the tabletop turned to lie on her stomach and look at what I was about to write.    

"TTYL. What the hell does that mean, Sydney? Is it Talk To You Later?" She read it and asked while looking at me with her face about five inches from mine, which made me roll my eyes at her and sighed in a bit of frustration. Isn't it obvious? Is there anything it should mean in our situation right now?    

"Oh, don't roll those lovely blue eyes at me, Syd. I am so so so done with that ever since. Well, yeah, later, of course, since you can't talk now. But could you give me a spoiler, please? Then we could talk about it more later. I hate suspenseful things, so... Yeah, just nod if it is a yes and shake your head if it's a no. Do you hate me?" She remarked and excitedly asked, and I just looked her in the eyes. What should I answer?    

"Maybe not, maybe yes," I muttered and smirked before I stood up, bringing my test paper, and walked to the aisle to submit it to the teacher. I looked at my answer one last time and noticed it was the same as what she told me about those items. It was ABADBB. Hmm. Silly girl.    

When I got back to my seat, I saw how the ghost was wearing an indescribable bewildered face, the same as my seatmate. I think Emma is getting this weird feeling towards me again, seeing and hearing that I am talking to no one.    

"What? I was talking to the ghost, Ems." I told her the truth, and she just shook her head slowly in disbelief while standing up and brought her test paper. She really thinks I am going crazy.    

I looked at OJ, who was now sitting on my chair, and I motioned her to move.    

"Nope. I'm not going anywhere. Not unless you answer me properly, Syd, and with the truth. Do you hate me?" She argued and crossed her arms on her chest, and I let out a scoff. She isn't stubborn, is she?    

"Yes. Now, move." I told her, looking away from her eyes, and she let out, "Liar! Now, I know the real answer. You don't hate me, Sydney! Ha! You can't hide that truth. I see it in your eyes!"    

"Whatever. Just go back to your seat, will you?" I replied, playfully annoyed, and she just went laughing and stood up to finally give me my seat.    

"Oh, Sydney, you're such a bad liar. We really have a lot to talk about later. Now, I'm getting so damn excited." She let out, grinning like there's no tomorrow, and I rolled my eyes again at her in response. It was just to mess up with her, but I am nowhere near successful.    

"Hmm. We might need to work on something with those rolling eyes. Anyway, I'll be just in my seat beside Grace. Oh, I missed that lesbian so much. TTYL, Sydney!" She merrily said and went prancing to her seat at the back.    

She seemed so happy right now, knowing about it. Well, me, too.    

I just hope we can make things better between us and never be too late. It's final; I am ready to do anything for her. To make her feel okay.