Ghost In Red

---    

“Answer me, Sydney.”    

Silence...    

“Hey, I asked you a question. I need an answer.” I ordered the girl when she acted like she didn't hear me and got on with doing something on the paper like she found it more worthy of her attention than me asking her to be my girlfriend.    

What is wrong with her?    

“Come on, Syd, I know you want to. We would be a perfect team.” I continued trying to convince her, but she just went to talk with Max about our purpose in going here.    

I crossed my arms on my chest, feeling so grumpy, and I sat on the counter, and then I laid down on my back in front of the girl to get her attention.    

I looked at her features closely while our faces were real damn close.    

“You know what? I'm getting that yes, soon. I'm confident about it.” I asserted and looked her in the eyes intently.    

“Also, Syd, I just realized that I really like you. I like how your lovely blue eyes roll when you get annoyed or whenever you blink your eyes or stare at me like I was some kind of cherry on top of your cupcake. Those eyes are… Oh, they are so damn lovely. Ooh, those dimples, too! I don't know, but you really are so beautiful when you smile, and they both appear. You're so cute. I'm indeed so lucky to be your soulmate. And become your future girl---.”    

I wasn't able to finish my ranting when she cut me off and glared daggers at me. “Can you not utter even a single word until we get home? No, even after that until I say so. Understood?”    

“But I---” I retorted, but she cut me off again, saying, “Understood? I know you're smart enough to sink that in your nervous system.”    

I blinked my eyes many times while staring at her, but she just rolled her eyes at me in response.    

“Whatever.” I scoffed and sat properly on the counter, and instead, I looked at the woman who sat by the table.    

“Madam, do you sell or make love potions?” I curiously asked the woman, and she smiled at me, “I'm sorry, but I don't, dear.”    

“Oh, okay. But do you know anything, whatever things that could make a person less b*tchy or some sort? Like... like a technique that I could do to make the person I like to like me back?” I kept inquiring about things from the fortune-teller, and I could see in my peripheral vision that my soulmate had been in her cranky mode.    

The woman let out a soft laugh, and I noticed that Sydney had taken the money and was about to leave.    

When she bid goodbye to them both, she walked ahead without telling me that we should leave. Come on! How mean could she go?    

And before I could follow behind her, I heard the woman tell me, “Good luck on your endeavors. All I know and could tell you is that you have a great adventure ahead of you both.”    

“Okay, thank you so much for everything, Madam! And, Max! Thank you! I’ll see you soon.” I replied with a big smile on my face, and I went straight to the spot where Sydney parked her sissy’s car. And yes, she still seemed not to talk to me anytime soon.    

I sat shotgun, and she’s about to insert the key into the ignition, but I just have something to let out before we go.    

“Syd, come on. I know it's not really a perfect time to---” I began, but the mean Sydney is always having fun in not letting me finish.    

“At which part did I tell you earlier that you cannot understand? I can't believe you are a candidate for valedictorian. You're dumb and irrational, and---” She blurted out, and I got my mouth hung open in a bit of shock.    

“Excuse me? Me? Dumb, irrational? Ridiculous! How in the… Oh, my gosh! You know what, Roswell? I was just trying to make things a little bit better between us. Though I am certainly happy about what the woman told us about us, I can’t imagine a life living with… ugh, never mind!” I countered, feeling offended, but I stopped when I was about to say something I knew I would regret deeply.    

I focused my gaze in front and tried to listen to what she would say next.    

“What I mean is you need to take things seriously, practical things, especially with this situation of ours. We have no time for---” She said, but I’m getting this vibe we had before when I was still with my physical body and at war with this blondie. If she’s stubborn, I’m more stubborn. If she’s mean, I am meaner.    

“You think I am fooling around? Do you think I have more time, Syd? Do you even realize how I chose to… No, I just… fine. I’m not going to talk.” I gave up and let her win since I knew I would just make things worse if I would say what I had in mind, considering the unpaintable look on her face now when she heard me say something about my time left.    

“Good.” She grimly muttered and started the engine.    

If you just knew I was serious about everything I told you and what I wanted us to become, Syd. I truly wanted to tell you how much I adore you, just you being you--Stubborn but with a good heart.    

But maybe she just sees me as a burden or something. That’s why she doesn't want to believe things and avoids me. I don’t know. I don’t want to think about it. It saddens me.    

---    

We finally got home after a very silent trip on the road and even going to the bank and into the convenience store.    

I went first upstairs in the room and sat on the couch while waiting for Sydney as she talked with her sister-in-law in the kitchen.    

I lay down on my stomach, and my mind wondered what I would say to Sydney when she got here.    

Would she ever want me to talk again? Or maybe I shouldn’t talk until she tells me to talk, right? I don’t want to argue with her.    

But I can't help but laugh at what the fortune-teller told us that Sydney and I were soulmates. I mean, is it even possible? Well, who knows? There’s nothing wrong if we believe. But I do like it to be true, though.    

The door opened, and here comes, walking in, the fussy Sydney.    

I did not pay attention to her and just did my thing, which was daydreaming about how I could ask her again about what I asked her or open up again about that girlfriend thingy. This is harder than I thought.    

She sat at her study table, opened her computer, and still acted like I was not here at all.    

What's going to happen to us?    

No, I shouldn't worry too much because at least she is doing something so bold that it could save me and make me get back on my feet. Oh, I adore her even more because of her fighting spirit and optimism.    

---    

A couple of minutes passed, and she turned off her computer.    

I counted down from five in my head, predicting she would finally talk to me, and she would call my attention in three, two, one… zero… negative one, negative… negative. Yeah, negative.    

The girl just went to her bed and sat there, quietly staring intently at the floor.    

Then I waited about a minute or two before I noticed some motion that she made after she stared eye to eye with the shiny floor. Now, I wonder what's running in her unpredictable mind.    

The good heavens finally opened up when she turned her head to look at me.    

“Hey, Oj!” She called me, and I pretended I didn't hear her. Payback time!    

When she didn't hear any response from me, she cleared her throat, standing up from her bed and going near me on the couch, and she said, “OJ, hey… Are you mad?”    

My eyes turned to her when she said it with a soft voice I rarely hear, and my eyebrows raised.    

“And why would I be mad?” I asked her, sounding a little sarcastic, as I sat properly on the other side of the couch from her, and I looked at her in the face.    

“Look, I’m so sorry about earlier. I just… I got a lot of things in my head, and I was---” I didn’t let her finish when I laughed at what I just heard from her.    

“You are saying sorry? To me? Wow! Oh, sorry. I’m sorry, too, Syd, but I can’t accept your apology.” I told her and crossed my legs and carefully laid both my hands on my lap.    

“What? Did I hear it right? That you are not accepting my apology?” She asked me with her eyes getting smaller as she stared back into my eyes sharply but with a smirk on her face.    

“Yep. That’s right. I can’t forgive you easily for treating me like sh*t back there at the pawnshop. You need to do something so that you would be worthy of hearing me say, ‘I forgive you, Sydney.’ So?” I answered, and she let out a scuff of disbelief.    

“And what would you want me to do?” She asked, and I grinned with the brilliant idea I had had in my head since earlier.    

Before I could tell my intention, I heard her mumble something, “I got a weird feeling about this.”    

“Mhmm. Yeah. Weird, Let’s get even weirder, shall we?” I asked her with my ever bright smile, and she shook-nodded her head, contemplating whether to agree or not.    

“Go on.” She sighed deeply, and I giggled at her priceless, nervous, pretty face.    

“Be my girlfriend, and we’re good,” I told her sternly and with all sincerity, and she bit her lower lip while looking me in the eyes.    

It's not a question, well, something like an offer. No, it’s an order or blackmailing, but I don’t give a damn anymore. If I were meant to really die in less than ten days from now, at least I did something and experienced something in my life that I was sure I wouldn’t regret and would make me feel content. She made me feel so happy by just spending a short time with her. And me, knowing who Sydney Roswell really is, made me realize I don’t need to know if we were soulmates or not for me to say I like to be with her. Every minute, every second we were together was purely amazing. She is amazing in her own ways.    

“Uh… OJ, you see… I... umm, I do---” She began, stuttering and feeling uneasy, but then there's this annoying knock on the door that killed our precious moment.    

Sydney stood up, and I sighed in dismay. Damn! Ugh, it would take me to grow another spine to open up again about us!    

When the door opened, Wendy walked in and said something to Syd while her face painted a worried expression.    

What could it be? I just hope she’s not about to give birth now.    

“Syd, there are policemen and a woman looking for you outside the house. What happened? Is everything alright?” Wendy said, and I gulped when Sydney turned her head in my direction while looking so troubled.    

Oh, damn, no!