The Tears I Can't Cry

Chapter Two

After my encounter with Johnny in the library that morning, I was called to the principal’s office. This was going to be great, somehow everything ended up being my fault. According to my brothers, it was my fault mom and dad got a divorce, it was my fault mom was dead. I mean what kind of family tells that to someone. I sighed and knocked on the door, not wanting to think about what was going to happen this time. The last trip to his office didn’t go very well, I had been called in because of another one of Johnny’s dirty tricks. My father thought that I was secretly dating Johnny and punished me in way that still makes me cry. There is a room in our basement that we never use, but that day when I got home. My father used it, he locked me down there for almost three days, until Max pleaded for my release when people started asking where I was.

Walking into the office this morning wasn’t that fun because I knew that he was in there and he was waiting to see what he got called out of his office for. I sighed, stopping in front of the door. Looking up at the ceiling and sending a silent prayer to my mother to protect me, I knocked on the door. “Come in, Elle,” I heard from the other side. I took a deep breath and walked into the room, to my surprise it wasn’t my father sitting in front of the principal’s chair. It was Johnny, I stood there gapping at them, the principal chuckled. “Take a seat Elle,” He motioned to the chair next to Johnny, With robotic movements, I headed for the chair and sat down, inching as for away from Johnny as the chair would allow. Yeah, Yeah call me a chicken but the kid seriously scared me at times, I never knew when his next prank was going to come along. Johnny looked at me and then looked away. Wait, did I just see him blush? “Um…... I don’t know what, but I thought my father was going to be here.” I said aloud, the principal, who everyone in the school calls Mr. Dean the machine because of how much he works, and his first name is Dean of course. “I thought we could handle this without him this time, but I did leave a message with his secretary, Alison.” Mr. Dean said, looking at me. Just by mentioning the name of the person who caused my parents divorce and my mother death, made me cringe in absolute hate.

Alison had always wanted my father but could never fully have him because he loved my mother, well at least I think he loved her. Now that mom was gone Alison was trying to insert herself into our lives but unexpected by me or my brothers, our father won’t allow her to be anything more then just his secretary. To me it seemed weird, but to my brothers it was right. I don’t know much about love except what my grandmother had told me once, a long time ago. ‘If someone loves you enough, they will love you until they die and sometimes even past that,’ she said, ‘How do you know grandma?’ I had asked her, she smiled at me gently and placed a hand over her heart and sighed, closing her eyes. ‘You will feel it here, and it will feel like they never left you.’ Speaking of love, makes flashes of Eric Anderson pop into my head. I shake my head lightly, “Are you alright?” Johnny asked me. It shocked me that he asked me something that didn’t sound mean or rude at all, I nodded. He smiled, you know until today I never really looked at Johnny, but he was kind of cute when he was being nice. “Okay you two,” Mr. Dean said, “The reason you both are her is because there is a special program that you two and a few other students have been recommended for.” Me and Johnny shared a look, one that said, ‘what the other was thinking, ‘Do you know what the hell he is talking about?’ We both turned back to Mr. Dean, still very confused about was happening. “Okay, let me explain this a little further,” he said. Mr. Dean reached under his desk and pulled out two files, he handed one to me and handed the other to Johnny, “In these files are instructions and directions to a building downtown, that will house your program……” The bell rang cutting him off, I didn’t expect it, so it made me jump. “Alright, well I’ll have to tell you two about it on a later date because if I’m not mistaken you both have a chemistry test this period.” He said.

Me and Johnny shared another looked, then got up and left. “Listen, El,” Johnny said after we entered the hallway, part of me says to keep on walking because of all the times he has scared me, but the other half told me ‘stop walking and listen.’ Well me being the good girl I am, I followed the half that said to stay, I turned to him and gave him my best smile. “I’m sorry, about all the times, I jumped out at you or scared you.” He said, he was kind of cute when he smiled, not Eric Anderson cute but a kind of Jesse McCartney cute. “It’s okay, Johnny.” I told him, not wanting to be late for class, I waved at him, “I’ll talk to you later, okay” I started to walk off. What the hell was that about? I asked myself, not very sure I wanted to find out at all. That’s when I remembered that we had chemistry class together, I stopped and turned back around “Hey, Johnny, you wanna walk to class with me?” I asked. He nodded and jogged to catch up with me, We talked about the chem test and other classes that we had together. Johnny was a cool guy, maybe if he didn’t give off this weird vibe when I was around him, I could possibly think about maybe being something more. We were walking into chem class laughing about our English teacher, Mr. Manson who thinks that it was a good way to teach by making animal noises and funny faces. “Sometimes, I think he might be teaching the wrong grade.” Johnny said laughing.

He was funny, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. Of course, I was having fun so I didn’t see the ghost standing their staring at me, well not until I bumped into that very same English teacher we were currently laughing about. “Whoa, there, Elle” Mr. Manson says, laughing along with us. “Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Manson.” I said giggling looking at Johnny who was trying very hard to hide a smile behind his hand. “I wasn’t paying any attention.” That’s when I saw it, This ghost had no form, it had no shape. This was the ghost I had seen on the beach that day, I had thought I left it behind but it now it was here and I was overcome with fear. “Elle, you okay?” Johnny asked me. I looked at him and then looked back to the corner of the room where the shadow form was, or at least had been. But it was no longer there, “Um.. Yeah. I’m fine.” I told him, smiling lightly at both of them. “Well, then you two better take your seats, I was just talking tot Mr. Grey about a couple of things.” Mr. Manson said, mentioning our chem teacher. We both smiled at him and walked further into the room, I sat at the front of them room, Johnny on the other hand sat at the very back, so we said our byes and took our seats. “Good Morning, my very cheerful and willing to learn students,” Mr. Grey said, most of us in class loved his always cheerful demeanor, he was one of my favorite teachers. “I hope you all are ready for this morning test and I hope that I see some passing grades.” He chucked knowing that at least a few of us were going to fail terribly. Mr. Grey passed out the test and then told us that we had until the end of class to finish, “Those who finish early, will be given a pass to the library to continue studying for the midterm test which won’t take place until the end of the semester, but I want good grades on that one too.” I started the test but felt as if I was being watched, I looked up at Mr. Grey to check and see if he was watching but he was doing something on his computer, I took my chance and looked around. No one was staring at me and no one was paying any attention to me what so ever. I stole a look at Johnny, and he was giving his test a very funny look. I guess he didn’t study very hard for it. I giggle lightly to myself, I continue to look around class but no one was paying any attention to me at all. I shrugged and went back to my test.

Twenty minutes later, I felt as if my brain had melted and there was nothing but mush in my head. Maybe I should have spent more time studying then watching the new season of Criminal Minds on Netflix. I sighed and looked up at Mr. Grey, he was walking around collecting the tests. “Alright class, I hope to see nothing but A’s and maybe a few B’s but mostly A’s.” I sighed, hoping I fell into the B’s category. I smiled as the bell rang, gathering my things I walked out of the classroom. I sighed as I walked out of the room, thinking about what I would do once I got out of school today, anything to keep me from going home too early. Ever since I started seeing ghost, there was always one of them sitting in my room asking me to help them pass on. How am I supposed to help them pass on? I didn’t even know how to pass math class. I guess I was so deep in my thoughts I bumped right into the one, the only, Eric flipping Anderson. How did I know it was him? Well you could say I knew it was him because of the kind looking older woman ghost who appeared every time he was around. I knew it was his grandmother because she had told me herself. “Sorry, Eric,” I told him stepping away pretty quickly, he flashed that award winning smile that made my knees weak and my heart jump into my throat. “It’s okay, El.” He said, his voice made me forget about my ghost problem but it also made me remember that he was off limits and that I was just a no one with a dream crush. “Mind if I walk you to math?” he said, that shocked me, did he really just ask to walk me to class? I thought to myself. Before I could fully think about what was going on, I nodded. He smiled again and held out his elbow, “Like a true gentlemen.” His grandmother said, smiling floating along behind us. “I can tell your worrying about being seen but you don’t have too.” I looked up at him as he spoke the last word. “Why do I not have to worry? Your girlfriend is the most meanest person in the world and of the school.” I said as we walked into math class. I put my stuff down on my desk and took my seat, instead of taking his usual seat across the room, with some of his buddies, he tookn the empty seat right next to me. He leaned across the isle and motioned for me to lean in closer, so against the better judgement of my brain, I did. “I broke up with Rae last period.” He whispered in my ear. I blushed. Oh my, that made him single and once it got around school that he was single again, Every girl was going to go after him. “What are you doing later Elle Rose?” he asked me. I shrugged, I hadn’t thought of anything to do yet, “Nothing really, I might go to the library and then there was a shop in town that I wanted to visit.” I told him. “Mind if I join you?” He asked me, I stared at him for a minute but eventually felt myself nodding. “Cool, I’ll meet you by the front gates after school.” I nodded again. Did I just agree to a date with Eric Anderson?