Ghost In Red

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“Who are you with, Syd?” Emma asked me again while trying to peek at the entrance to my attic, and I tried to relax as there was nothing that I should worry about. There is nothing they could see, and I should just find the perfect excuse to redirect their suspicion of anything.    

“Uh… Nothing. No one.” I stuttered, and all three of them looked at me knowingly while OJ crossed her arms on her chest, sat on my bed, and remarked, “You’re a bad liar, Syd. You know that so well. Just relax and tell them the truth. I’m sure they will drop this matter in no time.”    

Good for her to suggest since she’s not the one on the hot seat. And she’s not the one who these idiots knew so well for so long.    

“The truth, Sydney. Who are you with? Hello? Is there anyone up there?” Vidia asked me and called out, making the ghost on my bed answer her.    

“Yep, someone’s here. It’s Sydney’s girlfriend.”    

I bit my lower lip, trying not to smile so wide as this girl is so damn proud and confident about us.    

Honestly, I’m still up above cloud nine right now, and I know I can’t deal with my friends like everything is just normal. So be it whatever they think of me. Plus, I still have one confession to make. Or maybe not now? No, not now. I’ll come out to them by the time I’ll be back here from my mission.    

“Are you sneaking some guy up there, my dear cousin? Who’s he? A girl? Or what?” Kevin asked this time, and I just rolled my eyes at him. But, yes, it’s a girl, dude.    

“I told you already. There’s no one. I was just talking to OJ, telling her to come down.” I said, with the whole truth, and they all looked at one another bizarrely. Then I walked to my computer to turn it off.    

“Are you still not over with that OJ’s ghost thingy, Syd? We are getting worried about you, you know?” Emma said, her voice sounding concerned about my mental health. Well, they all do. But no, I’m not crazy.    

“I’m telling the truth. She’s here right now and sitting on my bed. She’s been with me since… Thursday? Is it Thursday, Oj?” I answered and asked the ghost, making all my friends look at me with weird faces.    

“Thursday. Yeah.” OJ confirmed, and I smiled at her and winked.    

I heard Vidia laugh her ass out, and the two followed. Then I laughed with them, as well as OJ. Hmm. Idiots.    

“Good one, Syd! Why don’t you just say that you have been daydreaming about your long-time crush? Just admit it. You like that gorgeous Latina. Don’t worry. We won’t tell anybody, especially her. No one will know, not unless you’d announce it yourself. So, what now?” Vidia asserted, and I walked to my bed to sit beside Emma while Kevin and my best friend sat on the couch.    

“Oh, OJ knows that already. I confessed just a while ago to her. And… guess what? We’re girlfriends now. Crazy, right? She’s the one who asked me, though.” I uttered with a very bright smile because, heck, I think I still am dreaming that I had already told her what I truly feel for her and that we are together now.    

I noticed they all seemed shocked, bothered, and must have thought I was going insane. And then, a few seconds later, Kevin burst out laughing and went near me to choke me into his embrace.    

“Oh, b*tch! B*tch! You gay! Oh, gosh!”    

Oh, I know he knows it. Now, he can officially say that I am his only gay cousin, and he is my only gay cousin. He can finally share with me the disappointment he causes to our other relatives. The more, the merrier, right?    

“Di-did you just say… confirmed you like OJ Hunters? So you are gay as f*ck, Sydney? Is that it?” Emma asked with wide eyes, and I nodded my head in response, and I stood up. I looked at OJ, and she got the same reaction as Vidia, shocked and proud.    

“That’s my girl! Haha! I’m so proud of you.” The happy girl in red cheered, and I think I just blushed so hard. And I flinched when I heard Vidia yell.    

“Holish*t! I’m f*cking so damn hella right about it the whole damn time! You have not been straight since forever! But wait… what are you talking about… you told OJ what, and you’re girlfriends now, and such, Syd? What do you mean?” My best friend rejoiced but went back to her inspector mode so quickly, and I shrugged my shoulders in reply.    

“I mean what I meant. Anyway, you all haven’t answered my question earlier. What are you doing here so early? Did you go jogging? Cycling?” I said and asked them, but I could see that they are nowhere near to dropping off this matter any minute by now. I had just come out of my dark closet to them, and these b*tches are going to celebrate it as it’s a very big deal. I’ll let them, though.    

---    

After a century of telling my pals about what I ought to explain to them, they all ended up not believing the thing about OJ’s ghost being with me. They think I am just messing with them. Well, I can’t force them to believe. What’s important is that I told them the whole truth.    

While cooking breakfast with my friends at Emma’s place, Vidia brought up the topic of OJ and me again.    

“Syd, seriously speaking, are you okay? Maybe you are just getting so worried about OJ’s condition. I know you missed her. Well, we all do—both of you and your epic banters to each other. But… what... I… We don’t know what to think and tell you. What's the matter?”    

I placed the plates on the table, and I turned to my best friend.    

“Yeah. You’re right. I’m worried about her… since… the accident. And… Well, I… Uh, I have something to tell you all. It’s important.” I replied and pulled out a seat and sat beside OJ’s, and my fellas all looked my way, wearing worried faces.    

“What is it?” Kevin said and placed the newly cooked pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs on the table, and he sat adjacent to my left.    

“Go on,” Vidia muttered and sat in front of me beside Emma, and thankfully no one sat on OJ’s spot.    

“Don’t tell us that you really are seeing her ghost, Syd. That would be so spooky and bothering at the same time.” Emma said and took her first bite of the pancake on her plate.    

“Actually… uh… I’m not going to the academy for about… I don’t know. God knows when I’d come back here. I got a flight later to Chigaco. And if you are wondering what I’d be doing there... Well, I’m sure you are eager to know. But I think it’s important that you should know. I’m going to find OJ’s mother. Real mom, birth mom. Her mother. To help me convince her father to... umm….” I began and paused, and I turned to my right to ask OJ something. “Is it okay if I tell them?”    

She nodded her head and told me, “Yeah. Just tell Emma not to tell Grace about my… uh… Coming probable end. She’d be sad for sure.”    

“What? What are you talking about, Syd?” Vidia inquisitively asked, and I let out a heavy breath.    

“You heard me right, guys. I am going to Chicago. You know what… I know that you really have been thinking that I am just joking, messing up with you about this ghost thingy and OJ. But I’m not. I met a fortune teller, an expert about paranormal matters yesterday, and… I found an explanation of why I see OJ's ghost, even though I have no extra senses. She really is here, and I am the only one who can see and hear her. But she can prove her presence to you.” I explained and gave the ghost a look and told her in a whisper, “Show them what you did with the light in my attic.”    

“Oh, yeah, right! I can do that. I guess. Hang on.” OJ replied and merrily floated to where the light switch was in the dining room.    

There was a moment of silence when the light came on and off and on again above our heads. And the looks on my friends’ faces are indeed so funny, but I’m not going to laugh. Yet my ghost girlfriend did… hysterically. She's undoubtedly enjoying watching people losing their sh*ts. And it made me chuckle, thinking about my priceless reaction during the first time I saw OJ's ghost. That took me so much time before I got used of her presence with me.    

“Alright, that’s enough, Oj. Someone might have peed in their jogging pants or cycling shorts already.” I told the girl, and she was still laughing as she went back to her seat beside mine.    

“What the hell? It’s not funny, Sydney. Are you freaking serious?” Emma cursed and scooted closer to Vidia, who pushed her away, while my dear cousin had been trying to scan my face to see if I was serious or not.    

“I told you so many times already. Well, it’s up to you if you’d believe me or not.” I answered and went on eating my food.    

“Alright… So, uh… the... the thing about you, going to Chicago to find Hunters’ mom. What is it? Why? What’s going on?” Vid curiously asked me, and I will do my best to tell them everything with no lie.