ACQUAINTED WITH THE DEAD

5

Well, nobody told me having Tessa sucking up to me would be so cool; I mean, she did not in any way make me feel alone or lonely.

After a long day at school, she took me to a fancy tea shop; trust me when I say fancy.

There is a job opening there for my age; Tessa advised me to go for it - it will increase my chances of having new friends, according to her.

When Tessa led me to the shop, it got me thinking about how much I have not paid any attention to my life. I am new here, right? And the only places I know are the bus stop and school. Tessa has been here for God knows how long and she knows the best spot. God, I love this girl for real.

Like normal sisters, we talked over tea, but it was very weird because she sat in front of a tea she would not drink, and I was busy pretending as though I was on a phone call. I think people fell for it because no one paid me any attention... Man, I am a pro. But I will tell you, Tessa had big dreams, insanely big ones, but unfortunately, death cut it short. Poor thing.

Shit is already real enough because apparently, I can see dead people, and that is a relief. I am not sure what is real and what is not anymore, but I know I need to stay focused and keep my head up.

I lie in my bed trying to wrap my head around everything when I suddenly remember the math test the teacher mentioned earlier today as I hurriedly search my bag for my mathematics notebook.

"Shoot," I say,

"Take it easy, girl, easy."

"You couldn't remind me about my math test,"

"What test?"

"The geometry,"

"One, we aren't classmates, two, I am nobody's personal assistant, three, girl, you need to pass that test." Tessa says in a deliberate matter-of-fact voice as I run to my study table.

"Calculus, statistics, algebra, inequality... Why do we need all this? Goddamn it," I say frustrated as I flip the pages of my notebook to algebra.

"Stupid, seeing Mr. Greg for the first time, I feel a bit sorry for him 'cause I hate the way those fuckers treat him. Man, the only way I see that he can get back at you all is ruining your lives."

"You're being extra, calm down!"

"Man, no one told me a Norman could be this dumb; matter of fact, you're dumber than I thought; no wonder you flunk all tests except science."

"Jeez, Tess, that's harsh; just a few F's, miss."

"Get your ass down and study that goddamn trigonometry; who cares if you were a flunk? Holler me if you need any help, silly."

"Actually," I say, kind of shy because this is literally the first time I am asking for my sister's help, "I might need help with everything."

Tessa is a great teacher; I won't deny. I won't say it's a good thing she died, but I have been seeing different versions of her - I am a hundred and two times sure she would have never showed me if she is alive. After going on and on for over two and a half hours, I can say anywhere proudly that I am a guru in trigonometry.

If someone walks up to me and asks if I knew my sister was this smart, my answer would have been no, with all the college pressure and fun - how did she manage to study?

I hear a soft knock on my door; it would probably be Arya.

"Come on in," I yell at the top of my lungs, excited I finally finished the short test Tessa had given me - trust issues in disguise.