The Tears I Can't Cry

Chapter Three

I guess my excitement of having a date with Eric, or a would-be date with Eric, made the day go a little faster. At the end of my last class, I found myself speed walking toward my locker to change my books around. I put in the combination, then grabbed a couple of books that needed to return to the library then I headed toward the front gate. When I got there, I stopped because there was a very pissed off Raven Adams standing with Eric and it looked like she was yelling. “How could you?!” she said, “How could I what, Rae?” he replied, “How could I break up with someone after I find out that their cheating on me?” He looked mad, I walked away. I didn’t want to be apart of it, I didn’t want to be the new reason for her anger. “Elle, wait.” Eric’s voice came from behind me, I stopped but the better part of my brain told me to keep walking, I heard him coming up behind me. “I didn’t mean for you to hear that, I’m sorry.” He said gripping my arm, but he wasn’t hurting me. “If you want, I could hang out with you another day,” I said, why did I feel like I was about to cy, “You seem kind of busy.” I motioned toward where Rae stood, watching us. I looked up at Eric and smiled lightly, he shook his head, “I’m done with her, trust me.” He told me. I couldn’t believe this, What made me so special that he was willing to completely give up on Rae? I nodded and leading him toward where I usually catch the bus, but he stopped. “How about we take my car?” He said, motioning toward a brand-new dodge Journey sitting in one of the spots. I gaped at him, not knowing what to say. If my brothers or my father saw me in his car, I don’t know what they would do. They have been very protective ever since that day since I found a dead body in that cave. They must know where I am and what I am doing always. “Umm… Okay” I said, I didn’t know what was happening bit all I knew was I wanted to go with him. I wanted to be by his side, which might be completely impossible because of my family. Getting into Eric's car was a little hard for me because I stood at 5'2, his truck had at least a good three feet taller then me. Eric had to physically pick me up and set me in his car, while he chuckled, I completely turned red. “You’re too damn cute Elle Rose.” Eric said kissing me cheek, which of course turned me an even deeper shade of red, I think I now looked like a beet.

“Trust me,” I told him, “I am not that cute, or I would have had a boyfriend by now.” I have no idea why I was telling him this, but I couldn't control my mouth, he just smiled and started his car. I couldn’t believe I was sitting in Eric Anderson's car. This was what most girls dream about but what Raven Adams had for the last three months, "So where to first?" Eric asked me. I thought for a second, the library closed at seven, but I had no idea what time the new shop closed. “The library first since it is closer." He nodded and headed in the direction. I couldn’t believe, oh lord help me. My mind was racing as Eric headed across town, when he stopped at a red light, I snuck a look at him only to find him looking at me. I blushed, caught in my action. He laughed at my action, I didn’t know what to do. “Tell me Elle,” he said, turning at the light he parked on the side of the road, he turned to me, I looked at him. What was he about to ask me? I thought to myself. “What exactly did you hear?” I knew what he was talking about but for some reason, I didn’t feel right answering. I looked down then I looked out the window, that’s when I saw her. The women in the pink dress walking across the street, just as what looked like a delivery truck came speeding down the road. My eyes widened, she wasn’t going to make it, the truck was going to hit her, “Watch out,” I screamed. I startled Eric and he looked around, not knowing who I was talking to “Watch out for what?” Eric asked me. That’s when I knew, the women in the pink dress was a ghost and I was seeing how she died. The truck her and she flew about 4 feet, then stopped and didn’t move at all. “Elle Rose?” Eric said, the way he said my name made me wish I could tell him, but I knew he would just label me a freak and I really didn’t want that. So, I had to lie to the guy who I had a major crush, “I thought I saw someone crossing the street when the cars were speeding down the road, but I guess it was my imagination.” I lied, and it hurt, it was like when my mom died, and my dad thought he had to lie to make everything seem okay. He looked at me weird for a second, judging whether he was going to believe me or not. I swallowed and hoped he did. Please, oh please believe me. I chanted in my head. That’s when he smiled and the weight on my heart lifted. “Your imagination is one weird place,” he said starting the car again. As we passed the spot where the women in pink landed, there was a faint stain on pavement from what looked like blood, when I looked up to the edge of the road there she stood, the women in pink. The front of her dress was stained with blood and her legs were twisted the wrong way, I wanted to scream and cry, but I knew that I couldn’t. Not in front of Eric, “So what I heard was, and I hope this is between me and you,” I tell him, giving him an evil eye look. To which he just laughs and nodded his head, that’s when he did something I didn’t expect to do. He reached across the center console and grabbed my hand. “I promise, this is only between me and you.” He said while he continued to laugh at me. “I heard that she cheated on you but still expected you to stay with her.” Do you know how hard it was to speak and think with him stroking the back of my hand? I think my brain has turned from mush to steam, which might not be a good thing be I tend to talk a lot when I don’t have a brain. Eric nodded, he continued to strike my hand, I tried so hard to put the women in pink out of my head, but she wouldn’t leave. For some odd reason, I felt like I knew her from somewhere, but I couldn’t put my finger on where. “Listen, Elle, I know you have a secret and I want to become someone you can trust with your secrets because I’ve a lot about you for a while, but I know that you’ve been guarded since your mom past away.” Eric said. He remembered, he remembered what I told him about my mom and that I couldn’t just tell anyone about the special gifts my mom gave me. Back when she first died, I thought being able to see her every day as a ghost was super cool but as I got older, I had realized that it was more of a curse then a gift. I still actually haven’t seen my grandmother since her funeral either. “I just don’t know how to describe them yet,” I told him.

Here I am, sitting in the front seat of Eric Anderson’s car, talking about how he wants to become someone I can trust, and he is STILL HOLDING MY HAND. I think I might die; my heart won’t stop pounding but I so badly want to tell someone about being able to see ghost. I knew that he might react well at all, so this was my burden to bear alone. Well Elle Rose, This is yours and yours alone. I told myself. Eric looked at me and the look in his eyes made me blush. We pulled into the library and picked a spot closet to the front," I’ll be right back, I just need to drop these in the slot,” I told him. He gave me a look that didn’t really say much, but he turned the car off and took off his seatbelt. I tilted my head in confusion, “Why are you getting out?” I asked him. He smiled and got out of the car. He stood at the front and starred at me from in front of the hood waiting for me. I just stared, not knowing why he was paying so much special attention to me. I got out of the car and met him at the Front, "Do you really think I'm going to let you go without reading material?" He asked me, I blushed. Why was I getting this attention? I thought to myself. Eric reached For my books, Once he had them, he took my hand in his. We walked, and he placed the books on the front desk, then I lead him to my favorite section, I started looking through the titles and trying to figure out what book I should r******w. Eric just stood there and watched me, an amazed look on his face. “What’s that look for?” I asked him. He just shook his head and smile at me more. “So how long does it usually take to you to find a book?” he asked me. I shrugged not knowing how to really answer that question. My favorite ghost, Maggie appeared at that time, she smiled and me and pointed to a teen romance novel that I have read multiple times before but always loved, “Who’s the hottie?” Maggie asked me, floating around Eric. “I like his face and his eyes" she said. I tried to hide my smile when I saw Eric shiver. “Did it just get cold in here?” he asked me, I looked at him and nodded. That was the universal sign of a ghost being present. I rubbed my arms and shook a little bit, Don't get me wrong/ Maggie was my favorite ghost but when She was around it felt like you just walked into the north pole without a jacket, hat, or gloves. You see Maggie was murdered in this very library ten years ago. She was killed by her very abusive boyfriend who thought that she was coming to the library to see anther man, so he had followed her one day and saw her talking to the library clerk, who mind you was happily married with three kids, Her boyfriend got the wrong idea and killed her in the bathroom, then sadly buried her body somewhere behind the library, but she’s too afraid to go there because according to her, he visits every day. I feel sorry for her, but I don’t know any other way to help her except being her friend. The reason it’ always so cold when she comes around, is because it was at least below thirty that day, so her body just frozen as he buried her, Poor Maggie. I guess Eric had saw what I did because he came up behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist and then kissed my neck. Maggie’s eyes went wide, and I think my heart exploded in my chest. I felt him chuckling behind me. “Hurry up and pick your books, Elle Rose,” he said, “Remember the we have one more place to go.” I blushed when Maggie gave me a look hat said what I was thinking. Maybe this could be something more, sometimes I over thought things but not this time. I was kind of clear headed but not fully and I’m pretty sure that I can think clearly too. With some part of my mashed potato brains, I managed to pick out three books, one of them being a manga, and yes manga counts as a book, head to the checkout station and checkout myself out. All the while, Eric is right behind me the whole time, stroking my lower back, playing with my hair, and kissing my shoulder. “Let me carry those.” He said reaching for my books, Maggie was behind him the whole time, with that OMG-YOU-HAVE-A-BOYFRIEND-AND-HE’S-SUPER-HOT look. She finally looked at me and smiled, giving me a thumbs up “I better hear all about him when you come back, Elle Rose.” She said as she disappeared back into the fiction stacks. As I walked out of the library, I knew I would have a fun time telling her everything, but little did I know, that was the last time I would see her because of the dark lurking black as night shadow, standing in the far corner watching us. The black shadow that followed Maggie and made her disappear forever, my one and only true friend.