Ghost Boyfriend

accident

A few hours later, I've achieved nothing.

A brainless toad that I am, I discover that Reece's phone number had been deleted long ago with a few others after I left high school. Don't blame me, I've never been one for contacts and socialization doesn't click with me. Opposites actually. It's been long I've seen Reece last...say five, six years ago and our last meeting wasn't pretty.

I still feel traumatized by it. Yikes.

And so, I had to redownload the contacts again from my cloud backup only to find his number still missing from the list. Perhaps I'd been too freaked out from what transpired between us that I found it fitting to delete it permanently. On an impulse, I begin to phone the rest I knew on the list, demanding his number but the lines were either switched off, not reachable or existing or worse still the people who picked up cursed at me, screaming out loud that I was a fraud and a magician who'd steal their credit card details by telepathy just by keeping them on the line.

At one point, I was forced to scream. "Arrgh! I don't want your money! I'm a bazillion dollar rich and you can go to hell for all I care!!"

Thrusting the receiver down, I rub at my throbbing forehead and look down at my list. One name was left, probably bound to be another failure. So I put the notepad away, swing off the chair and head into the room to take my flask of milk. Mag was still out with Clement and the others, maybe if she drank a lot they'd bring her bag home. But that's fine, I'm always on hand to help a benefactor out.

Best friend's honour.

I retrieve a few eggs and a pancake mix from the kitchen cabinet and was about placing them on the countertop when Mark's voice whispers against my ear. "How did it go?"

I scream in instant mortification, nearly dropping the eggs as I whirl around. Mark hovered behind me, a few inches off the ground, close to the door.

"Dude! At least give a beep or set off a buzzer whenever you choose to appear. It's not good to sneak up on people," I scold. "Why did you abandon me? What if those people weren't your parents and had chosen to kill me instead?"

"Well, they didn't so quit being such a diss," he states, rolling his eyes like I'm some irritating three-year-old. "The sight of old people gives me wrinkles and you'd have to agree it's not cool being seen going in there."

His tone is light but around him hung an air of irritation.

"They're your parents!" I exclaim. "You shouldn't speak of them like that. They love you."

"You mean they hate me. Look, honey, those people matter to me less. I don't care if they die or are not cared for because none of them did the same for me. They planned out formal education without asking if I loved schooling or being stuck with a boring teacher and stuff, geeky old faces and bullies all year round," he juts out his chin indignantly. "You've got to be realistic! Who goes to school these days? There's more to life than books. We've got pop music and s*x, lots of champagne and being complete assholes while it lasts. The key is to enjoy your youth."

"You were our school's valedictorian!" I cry out. "You stood in front of us all, giving boring long talks about education and it's impact on society... you never even listened to pop music for once. Neither did you sleep with girls?"

He glances at me scornfully. "Mr, you've got your panties in a twist. That's not who I am."

"Of course it is!" I reach for a photo album and pick out his graduation picture. "And here's proof. This was taken at college. How can you be so thoughtless, the kids thought you as some kind of inspiration and role model."

He gasps, eyeing the picture with a blank expression. "This is an older version of me. Did you paint this? Or have someone sketch - "

"No!" I yell out in anger, causing him to flinch backward. "This was taken by a photographer, it's real! You're not sixteen but t-w-e-n-t-y t-h-r-e-e." I spell it out in case he got it twisted backwards. "Twenty three years old, Stop lying to yourself."

"Trust me, I'm not that old. How dare you say such a thing! I've never even felt twenty in my whole life." he holds up his arms. "This is how I am. A youthful teenager with a lot of potentials. Don't judge people from their outward appearances."

"Whatever. Still, it'd have been good if you told me you'd leave. I felt so stupid pretending to recall people I've never met before and that I'm not talking with the wrong person."

"Any luck? Find anything useful? A name? Stuff related?"

He's so ungrateful, I'd give him that.

"Well I do have a name," I dig a fork into the fried pancake and pile it up a plate. "Do you know any Reece by chance?"

"Reece?!" he gives a strangled gasp and I don't miss the colour that stains his cheeks. "Reece Heavener mugged me?"

"No, That's not what I mean." I smile at him darkly. "You argued with him the night before you were to deliver a jewel to you Aunt in Virginia. He's the only suspect your parents know about who could've been responsible for your accident." I shrug, looking up to his frosty face. "Are you alright? You look pale all of a sudden."

"I-I-I never had an accident,"

I blink at him carefully, resentment giving way to anger. "Is this a hoax you're pulling up? Or some lame joke?"

"I'm not - "

"It was all over the news!" I flared, brewing a slight headache that rocked my temples. "They said you had a crash with a pickup truck at the Express, courtesy of your reckless driving. I can't believe you don't remember a thing!"

"That's not correct, I haven't been in an accident my entire life. Look at me! I'm a teen without a license so how on Earth can I drive? Use your brain sometimes, I was mugged. By someone in high school who wants to get me out of the way for some reason. I need you to find that person!" he gives an impatient huff. "You're f*****g slacking and I hate it. We're supposed to be halfway through by now. Do you think I love being unseen and ignored by my friends? Barely able to hold a glass of champagne or touch someone?"

"I'm trying my best!" I glare at him reproachfully. "I've reinstalled my high school contacts to check if they've got his number but there's been no luck. Still searching though. I'm hardworking! You never acknowledge the good in people."

He calms and tightens his jaw. "It'd be best if I remain like this then. You're too stingy to help and I've got better places to be," he sighs, walking out through the wall. That was some scene. I plop my butt on the sofa and pick up my phone to watch a romcom I downloaded last night. Hopefully, he doesn't return and I'll have my peace. Is that so much to ask for?