Back at the apartment, Sam and I had dinner, and then I went to my room to shower and get ready for bed. It was only eight, but I’ve been enjoying my routine of watching a movie before bed. So, I crawled into my big fluffy comforter, flipped the TV on, and browsed the movie selection.
Gojo stared at me with those big, crisscrossed eyes of his through his bowl.
“Hungry?” I asked leaning over to grab his jar of floating fish food. He kept swimming at the side of the bowl until I dropped a pinch into his tank. I watched as he swallowed them whole. Within seconds he was back at the side of the glass begging for more.
“Gojo, you eat too much.” I plopped three more pellets into his bowl. Unfazed by my comment, Gojo kept nipping away at the floating sticks at the surface of his tank. After finishing these last three off, he returned to the tank’s side again. I put my finger against the glass in front of him and moved my finger across the surface. Gojo followed my finger around in a complete circle before giving up and swimming off in the opposite direction. I turned my attention back towards the TV and settled in for a horror movie. Of course, because right now, that’s just what I need. Well, what I needed was to stop seeing this mystery boy pop up everywhere I go. It was a little frustrating. I paused the movie and decided to call Callie. I searched for my phone in my purse but couldn’t find it. Then I heard Callie’s ringtone from my pants in the clothes hamper. She always did have a knack for knowing when to call.
“Hey Cal,” I answered, throwing my jeans back into the hamper.
“Jay! O-M-G I am so sorry! I don’t know how I forgot what today was!” Cal’s words all came out in a rush, “I looked at the calendar to see when would be a good day to go shopping for homecoming dresses, and then it just hit me. I’m such a spaz! Jay, can you forgive me? Do you want me to come over? I can be there in seconds with Oreo ice cream and the biggest bag of Cheetos I can find!”
“It’s okay Cal,” I laughed. “I went to visit them with Sam.”
“Sam is so nice,” Cal replied. “If he was, like, twenty years younger I’d be all over that!”
“Oh goodness Cal, chill out.” I choked, “He’s like my second Dad!”
“Yeah… a HOT second dad!” Cal giggled back, “So are you sure you didn’t want that ice cream and Cheetos?”
“Well, let me go ask Sam. Hold on, I’ll be right back.” I put the phone down to my chest and ran to the living room, where Sam was watching his nightly viewing of criminal shows.
“Hey, can Cal come over for like, an hour?” I asked leaning over the couch next to him.
“Sure, you just need to be in bed at ten.” He said, not turning from the TV.
“Okay Cal you can-“ I started.
“I’m at your door, come open it.” She finished, hanging up her line. I shook my head and went to the door.
“Jay!” Callie threw her arms around my neck with a bag of Cheetos in one hand and Oreo ice cream in the other. “We are going to need spoons.”
“Hey Callie, that was fast,” Sam replied, glancing at her for a brief moment before getting sucked back into his show.
“What if he had said no?” I laughed making way for her entrance.
“Sam likes me. He wouldn’t deny me to come over, right Sam?” Sam gave a thumbs-up motion but didn’t take his eyes off the TV.
“So spoons?” Callie released me and went to the kitchen and retrieved silverware then ran down the hall to my bedroom. I followed her and shut the door behind me.
“Hey, you think Gojo likes Cheetos?” Callie asked dangling one above the water.
“I don’t know,” I laughed taking it from her and shoving it in my mouth, “but I don’t want to find out.”
“So what are we watching?” She looked at the TV, “Horror? Really?”
“It’s just what I flipped to,” I shrugged.
“What happened to miss romantic. Miss comedy? When was the last time you went on a date?” Callie turned the movie off and flipped to something more romantic. “Let’s watch a rom-com.” I thought back to when the last time I actually went on a date was. It had been more than a year ago. I sighed and sat down on the bed next to her.
“What? We can watch something else if you want, Jay.” She patted me on the leg.
“Well, there is something I wanted to ask you about,” I replied. She paused the movie and turned her body to give me her full attention and moved the Cheetos between both of us. She stuffed some Cheetos in her mouth and gave me the thumbs up to let me know she was ready.
“Okay well, I have been seeing this boy,” I started. I knew that came out wrong when she started choking.
“Not that kind of seeing, it’s like he is just kind of everywhere I go and I haven’t seen him before today.”
“You finally crushed on someone?” Cal shrieked, popping open the ice cream lid, “I must say, Jay, it’s about freakin’ time.”
“No, Cal! I literally have never seen him before, not at school, not around town, not anywhere. And now I’ve seen him at practice and the cemetery... And this may sound paranoid, but I think he’s watching me.”
“Maybe he is a transfer student and you caught his eye at school,” she suggested. “How about tomorrow you can point this guy out to me and I will find out all I know about him? I’ll ask around about a new student.”
I nodded. “Maybe you are right. Maybe I’m just over-thinking things.”
“And maybe this guy is following you because he is hardcore crushing on you too,” Cal giggled. “He’s at least cute I hope?”
“He is,” I admitted. “He’s that tall, dark, and handsome type. He looks like our age if I had to guess I would say he is a senior.”
“Tall, dark, and handsome,” Cal jeered. “I like him already. Was he buff?”
“I don’t know.” I thought back to when I saw him in the stands. “He had a loose shirt on, but my guess would be yes.”
“We have to find this mystery hotty of yours,” Callie shrieked, and I could tell she was already making her list of go-to gossip people in her head. “I’ll find him and all we need to know before school lets out tomorrow, okay?”
I reached for the Cheetos and popped one into my mouth just as Cal’s phone rang.
“Hello?” she answered, “Hey, Mom. Right now? I’m with Jamie. Just a few more minutes? You’re being unfair. Fine!” she flipped her phone off and jammed her feet back into her shoes. “My mom is mad at me for not telling her I left the house earlier so she wants me home now. You can keep the ice cream and Cheetos. I wouldn’t recommend you eat it all tonight, though.”
I laughed and threw her coat at her. She caught it and we went through the door. Sam was digging around in the fridge when we passed.
“Bye, Sam,” Cal said as she opened the front door.
“Leaving early isn’t like you,” Sam replied, popping the top off the beer he finally found.
“Yeah, it’s mom’s orders.” She waved, then we hugged, and she ran to her car. I shut the door when I heard her engine turn on and sat on the couch next to Sam.
“How are you feeling, Blue Jay?” Sam put an arm around me and hugged me lightly.
“Better than earlier,” I replied. “What’s on now?”
“Another criminal show.” He took another drink.
“I should have known,” I shook my head at him. “You don’t have an early day tomorrow?”
“It’s my day off. I can come to get you after school if you don’t want to hang out there till the game starts.” Sam offered.
“I forgot tomorrow is Friday.” I thought for a second, my options were to sit in a gym for five hours or go hang out with Sam until the game started. Figuring I could stand the latter a bit more, I finally said, “I may take you up on that. It depends if Cal wants to practice some or not.”
“Okay, I’ll just be sitting around until the game so just let me know.” Sam turned his attention back to the TV screen, so I went back to my room.
Lying on my bed, I stared at my phone for a while watching the time tick to nine forty-five then clicked it off. I guessed Callie was hearing a mouth full of her mom and that’s why she hadn’t texted yet. I rolled over to my nightstand, flipped the lamp on, and plugged my phone in. Then I went and turned off the light to my room, something caught my eye. I walked over to the window and looked out across the park. On a bright day, I could see it all from where I stood from the window in my room. But now it was dark, so my vision was limited. There was a light flickering on a post next to an old wooden bench. I squinted my eyes a little more and saw someone sitting on the bench. Someone who was wearing the exact outfit as the boy I’d seen earlier at school and the cemetery. Someone who keeps popping up everywhere I go. Someone who was looking straight into my window! I pulled the blinds shut so hard Sam was calling to see if I was okay. When I didn’t answer he came in to check on me and turned the lights on.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, walking over to me as I stared dumbly at the window.
“Yeah, I just thought I saw… something.” I blinked a couple of times thinking about whether I should tell Sam about this strange boy. He gets so defensive as it is. What if I was just imagining things? So, this new boy came to my school. Then he’s in the cemetery… maybe he’s visiting family too? Then he’s at my apartment… maybe he lives here too? Maybe I’m growing more and more paranoid as the days go by. Callie’s right, I need to stop watching scary movies every night.
Sam pulled the curtains back enough for us both to look out, no one was there. The flickering of the light ceased and was now completely lit. The bench was completely unoccupied. My eyes scanned beyond my window. He was there, wasn’t he? Maybe I need therapy.
“Well, there isn’t anything out there now,” he said half to himself half to me, “Why don’t you try and get some sleep? You can leave your door open if you want to. I’ll be up for a while.” I nodded as he turned and went for the door.
“Sam?” I said, my voice cracked at the end of his name. He stopped and turned back to me before I continued. “Do you think I’m crazy?”
“I think you have had a rough year, Jamie. You lost your parents and your brother. Today is the anniversary of that day where your whole life was changed.” He walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. “You are not crazy. If anything, you are probably managing things a lot better than I would if I were in your shoes.” I nodded and got into bed. Sam walked back to the door. I rolled over before he turned off the light.
“Night, Blue Jay,” Sam said retreating down the hall. I nuzzled into my pillow and tried to go to sleep. I felt myself slipping in that direction when my phone went off and woke me back up. Grabbing blindly at it, it fell to the floor. I groaned and bent to pick it up, almost falling out of bed in the process. It was a text from Callie. It read, “Hey, mom’s done with her raid. Sorry about earlier, I’ll see ya tomorrow. Night.” I put my phone back on the nightstand and turned in the opposite direction. This time, I fell asleep instantly.
The next day of school went by quickly and peacefully. There wasn’t any sign of a new kid that Callie or I knew of. By the end of the day, I ruled it out as paranoia. I met Callie in the gym, and we went over a few cheers with the rest of the girls. After, Callie and I decided to go for a walk around the field track.“Have you heard of any new kid?” Callie asked as we left the gym.“Nope. Nada,” I sighed. “I’m beginning to rule it out as paranoia.”“Or, it could be that he skipped today,” Cal replied matter-of-factly, “In stalker code, one-o-one you are not supposed to get caught, aka not a good stalker. Maybe he is too embarrassed because he sucks.”“Something tells me I don’t think that’s it,” I laughed.“Miss Cannon?” We turned to see Mrs. Galvez walking out toward us, “Miss Cannon can I speak with you in my office please?” I turned to Callie, and she shrugged at me, meaning she also had no idea why she was being called to talk with a teacher.“I’ll be back,” Cal called over her sh
Back in my room at the apartment, I put on a nice blouse and a blue jean mini skirt. I left my hair wet and wrapped my robe around me. Then I packed a small bag with my brush, hair product, and makeup and stuffed it in my nightstand drawer by the window. When I was finally ready with all the details, I went out into the living room and sat down with Sam for a few minutes while he drank his beer and watched more criminal shows.“Going to bed?” Sam asked when a commercial came on and I stood up.“Yeah, there’s nothing else to do since you won’t let me go to that party.” I crossed my arms and pretended to be upset about it.“I’m just looking out for you Jay,” Sam sighed. “I know I’m not Thomas, and I won’t ever replace him. But I am trying here, Jay, I really am.” I couldn’t be mad at Sam. He was just like a father to me, maybe even more of a father than my real one was. He was at all of my recitals when I was growing up. He helped my mom with all of my decorations and birthday parties.
“Morning, Sleeping Beauty!” Callie jumped into bed with me. “My mom is allowing us to be grounded together here at your house, isn’t that the most awesome punishment ever?”“Go away,” I groaned, pulling the comforter over my head.“It’s almost ten, Jay,” Callie whined. “Are you going to sleep the entire Saturday away?”“What are you?” I mumbled into my pillow as she snatched my blankets away. “You’re not human, humans need more than three hours of sleep.”“I’ve had eight,” she cheered. “Not my fault if someone doesn’t care about her beauty rest enough to go to bed when she gets home.”“Go away for like, a few more hours,” I groaned again. She grabbed my legs and started pulling me off the bed. I quickly grabbed the bottom of the headboard and held on for dear life.“I’ve made eggs Benedict!” She announced throwing my leg aside exasperatedly. “I slaved in the kitchen for you this morning for what? For you to not eat it? I don’t think so. If you do not get your butt out of this bed in f
Hunter wasn’t in any more of my classes. After fourth period, I went to lunch and met up with Callie in the lunch line to debrief her on the whole Hunter situation.“I like him.” she declared. “He’s foreign and spunky.”“You haven’t even talked to him yet,” I muttered back, taking a seat at the closest lunch table.“I’m a great judge of character, Jay. Trust me,” she winked. The rest of the cheer squad started taking seats around us, gossiping about who knew what and I couldn’t care less until I heard Mia say Hunter’s name.“That new kid Hunter Masters is in P.E. with me,” Mia informed the table. “I think he may try out for the football team. That means I may have a chance with him.” My stomach tightened.“What makes you think he will choose you?” Natalie growled back. “You’re scrawny and pale.” Mia hesitated until Kara came to her rescue.“And you think he will choose you?” Kara replied, “Any intelligent man would know better than to get tangled up with you. He might catc
After school, we didn’t have practice since there were no practices held on Mondays. I took my usual hike to the cemetery. Lately, I have felt less and less of a pull towards it. But today I felt it. I pushed through the gates of Shadow creek Cemetery and crunched through the leaves to the bridge that leads to my family's resting place.“Jamie?” I was stopped before I made it completely across the bridge.“Hunter?” I eyed him, “Are you following me again?”“I’m not actually.” He looked uncomfortable, “I was visiting someone and when I looked up, I saw you.”“Oh…” I said, “Who are you visiting if I may ask?”“My mother.” He smiled sadly in my direction, “Today marks another year of not having her here. Kinda sappy, anyway why are you here?”“I’m visiting my family too.” I looked down at my feet, “I’m sorry about your mother. I lost mine a little over a year ago.”“Yours is fresher than mine then.” He walked onto the bridge and leaned on the opposite rail I was on, “Aiden got a tip that
We pulled up to Callie’s wide two-story house. It was surrounded by trees. The wooden house always seemed to be getting smaller and smaller every time I came back to it. Callie was waiting on the front porch swing and jumped up to meet us at the police car when Sam threw it in park.“Jamie!” Callie exclaimed, “It’s been so long!” “I know!” I fake cried as she wrapped her arms around me, “A whole three hours!” “Crazies.” Sam shook his head and popped the trunk for me to grab my bag out of it when Cal let go that is. “So will you be home when I get out of school?” I asked throwing my backpack over my shoulder, Callie reached around and grabbed my duffle bag.“I should be. Fingers crossed that nothing would come up.” Sam put an arm around me and gave me a half hug as we all walked to the door.“Sam!” Mrs. Cannon answered as the door swung open, “It’s been so long since I have seen you! How have you been?”“I’ve been great, Candice. Thank you for letting Jamie stay over.”“Oh nonsense,
The next day Sam dropped us off at school since Callie’s car was still at her house. My ribs were so sore from being punched the night before, leaning forward so much I felt like the hunchback of Notre Dame. Callie looked hungover. Together we looked like a hot mess. We went straight to first period instead of stopping at our lockers.“I feel like I got hit by a bus,” I muttered laying my head down on my desk.“I feel like I was in a paranormal activity movie.” She muttered back.“Hey ladies,” Hunter greeted us, “What party did I miss out on last night?”“One we would gladly have missed if we could,” I replied not taking my head off the desk.“What happened?” Hunter’s tone turned serious.“What does it matter?” I spoke. It was not like he could do anything about it anyway.“It matters.” He said seriously. I looked around, not wanting all the glares being thrown in my direction from Hunter leaning over my desk.“Callie’s house got broken into last night with us in it,” I replied.“What
When we got back to the apartment Callie’s mother was already there waiting outside with Leah. We got out of the car and silently followed Sam into the apartment with Mrs. Cannon and Leah trailing us. We stood in the living room staring awkwardly at each other until Leah finally blurted, “Are you going to tell us what happened out there or are we just going to stand here all night?” What was I going to tell them? Did I tell them about Hunter? Hunter was a Delazar, Sam made it pretty obvious he did not like Delazar’s very much.“We skipped school.” Callie shrugged, trying to keep her tone even.“And did what exactly?” Leah glared, folding her arms across her chest.“We had girl time and lost track of time,” Callie replied evenly. She would not tell them what was going on, I guess that was fair, they weren’t telling her anything either.“Liar.” Leah growled, “Stop wasting our time.”“Why are you even here?” I finally said.“I wanted to know what the two of you were up to, just like ever