Ghosting The Billionaire Bad Boy

6. Her Little Girl

3rd Person P.O.V.

After taking a taxi home, Elle’s mom went directly to her bathroom. She washed her face and looked at a tired looking woman staring back at her in the mirror. Purple bags under her eyes, lines of tension creasing her forehead. Eyed filled with exhaustion and hope.

“She is alive, Anette. It’s alright.” She repeated to herself, as her lips curled up in a smile of utter relief.

After a very needed shower, she crashed down restlessly on her fluffy bed. The only sound in the room was the fan moving in circles on the ceiling, other than that, it was eerily quiet.

She stared blankly at the light burning from the immaculate ceiling, wondering if agreeing with the doctor and nurse to rest was the right thing to do. She had to be with Elle, to be sure she was fine and nothing else would go wrong. She sighed for the umpteenth time, turning her eyes away from the blinking light. It was too unbelievable to think she would have lost Elle.

Anette never had an easy life, she never had anything granted to her. Money struggles, family tragedies and losses marked her life. But she had Elle, her light, her little girl.

Her only eyes

Her only family.

The one and only person she has in the world. Elle was literally the only reason for her existence. The only thing that kept her going even when she was tired, and her strength faltered. Despite all her protectiveness and doting, Elle was more of everything she could ever ask for, and even though she grew up being over pampered, she turned out to be a great kid. The most meaningful gift her late husband left her after passing away unfairly ten years ago.

He died suddenly at the tender age of 33, due to a car accident. It was painfully too similar to what happened to Elle.

His death would have killed her too, owing to the fact that their love started from childhood, they were high school sweethearts.

Her Gregory. But she knew she had to be strong for Elle. She was the parent, and Elle has lost her dad too. Since then, mother and daughter became an inseparable duo, each other’s closer friend and confidant.

They both were united in their loss and what they were missing. They both lost Gregory. The kindest man she had ever met. It was no surprising Elle turned out the way she did. Her father was an epitome of goodness. This world never deserved him; a funny and absurd way of finding solace in his death.

She should stop overthinking now and get some rest, she chided herself softly. She had to avoid getting her blood pressure up again. Stress was no good for her and could make her health status deteriorate swiftly. That was also why she wasn’t only an overprotective mom, but also the object of over-protection of her daughter. Elle was a great and grateful daughter and she always cared and worried a lot about her mom’s health.

She shook her head slightly, waving this thought and breathed deeply in an attempt to calm her nerves. Worries about her health should not be added to the list of Elle's problems at the moment, besides her baby has enough in her plate at the moment and worrying comes so easy for her.

Elle had to rest to have a faster recovery, even the doctor said that.

Thinking about her daughter, Anette could not help but notice that Elle looked a bit different after she woke up, the way she spoke, her expression, even the way she moved were rather odd. It must be some kind of traumatic aftershock. She has been through a lot lately, they both had.

Elle would surely get back to normal in the next few days, be the ray of sunshine she has always been in her mother’s life.

Tomorrow Annette would call her boss and ask for a leave, then go back to the hospital first thing in the morning.

Annette hoped the doctors and nurses would keep to their words by checking up on Elle regularly. She knew they would, but she still worried. No wonder Elle told her one day at her school sports festival that she sometimes worry for the sake of worrying.

Recalling this drew out a smile from her as sleep finally enveloped her.

~ * ~

"What deal could you possibly offer me, mummy's girl?" JP giggled, teasing Elle who was determined not to get mad.

"An offer that would solve both of our problems," she said trying hard to sound serious while ignoring his taunting.

"Okay, let's hear it. As long as it doesn't hurt my ears" he grinned easily, sitting up in the hospital bed slowly and with a certain difficulty, he still could few the pain from Elle’s accident in his skin, or her skin to be more precise. "You should sit down too, ghosts get tired, you know", he grinned again motioning to the chair that was placed close to the bed.

He was becoming less bratty and nonchalant which for sure is a good sign. Elle thought half relieved.

"I want you to live in my body and act like me, especially to my mom, so that no one would notice that I am not me, and we had this little incident… this little body-hooping situation" Elle dropped the bomb, biting her lower lip, waiting for his reaction.

"You got to be joking. No way in hell", his grin dissolved into shock, then unease. "I'll be dumb to say I didn't see this coming. Anyways, I don't care. There's no way I'm doing that" he uttered dismissively, lying back down and turning his face to the other side.

"JP, please listen to me, I'm not doing this for myself, I'm doing it for my mum." Her voice heavy with pleas. " I’m definitely sure she would never survive the pain my death would cause her. Her blood pressure is unstable, and her blood sugar is very low. Any more shock at this moment would kill her." She was sobbing silently now, unable to hold back her tears.

"Please, JP", Elle pressed desperately. "Please do this for my mum. Besides, we have no idea what to do about this body and soul switching thing, so for the mean time, just convince my mom that her daughter is alive", She pushed, wondering how on Earth she could get into his thick and stubborn head.

"This is my problem girl; I'll figure it out very soon. I don't intend staying inside this uncomfortable body forever." He said with his back still turned.

"If you help me, I will give you something in change, you have something to gain too.” Elle tried to bargain, as she raked her mind trying to think of what she could propose, what could be her bargain chip. Something JP wouldn’t say no to.

“What could a ghost-girl possibly offer me?” He asked raising his eyes-brown and looking half-bored.

“I'll help you. I'll help you find your body, JP" Elle let out softly, as the idea popped in her mind, letting him know what he could gain from the deal. To her relief and contentment, it worked because he turned and faced her with a questioning look.

"How? How could you possibly help me find my body?” He asked raising a suspicious eyebrow.

~ * ~

Elle

My breathe caught in my throat. Was he always this good looking? His tan skin had a unique and mainly shine, his hazel eyes had the bad boy charm that make you drool your pants and his unruly dark locks following down on his forehead in such an enticing way! And muscles, a bunch of them? Did he do anything else in his life besides working out, I guess not. If we, I mean I, would be alive, I would be so out of his league!

I was never good with boys or the popular type that would attract attention. It didn’t help that I was the ginger shy girl with freckles and only 5’4 feet. Besides, I was quite skinny, almost as flat as a board.

I couldn’t stop ogling the thief-ghost that now inhabited my body.

Damn, he is so handsome! Why I'm I getting to notice now?

While other people saw him as me, I could see him as himself. I saw through the shell.

Focus Elle, I chided myself mentally bringing my mind back to the matter at hand.

"Sorry, what did you say last?" I asked unable to help feeling shy. Maybe I was even blushing, can a ghost blush? I wondered? We learn so much stuff in school, but not the important things, like how to be a ghost.

"I asked how you intend to help me look for my body", he repeated with a straight face.

"Oh, yes, yes" I flushed. "You know being a ghost, I now have certain powers and senses humans don't have; even though I haven't had the opportunity to explore most of them as the case may be currently. You're seeing me because you're dead too… or not, I don't know. What I know is, you'll find your body faster with my help.", I sounded reasonable. He should give me some credit. After all, I was the only one of us who could go unseen through places and cross walls.

"So.... I just have to convince your mum and everyone you're me, no sorry, I am you right?" He asked easing up to my logic.

"Yes." He is slow, but he is catching it.

"For how long?" he asked, half impatient.

"Long enough to find your body and figure out this mess." I replied convincingly

"Alright, fine." He sighed, his expression laced with resignation.

"So we have a deal?" I asked tentatively trying to hide the sly smile crawling into my face.

"Naturally."

"Good." A satisfactory smile left my lips.

~ * ~

JP

It made her smile. Me agreeing to her ridiculous yet logical "deal" made her obviously happy.

This was the first time I saw her smile and it didn't look bad. Okay, that was me trying to sound as mediocre much as I can. She was prettier than I wanted to let myself admit. But only when she smiles. She caught me staring into her ghostly face before I could gather the will to turn my head away. But she didn't smirk or scoff as I expected, instead, she stared right back.

I shook this thought off, she is still only an annoying ghost girl. After I find my body, I would go back to my normal and good life and I wouldn’t have to see her, dead or alive, ever again. I couldn’t take my eyes from the big picture. Be alive, above anything. I would find my way, as I always did.