The Ones She Left Behind

Chapter Three

     Quarter after one, Maggie stumbled through the front door of her new home.

     “Hold still. Don’t squirm,” Rydelle said, leading her to the couch.

     Maggie giggled. “You talk funny.”

     Rydelle placed her on the couch. “You. Sleep. Now.”

     Maggie rolled over, almost falling off.

     Rydelle sighed. “Maybe I should move you to the floor.”

     Maggie shook her head, grinning. “Topher will take care of me.”

     Rydelle's forehead creased. “What? Who’s Topher?”

     Maggie clucked her tongue against her teeth. “My invisible friend.”

     Rydelle shook her head as she started toward the door. “Whatever you say. You’re your aunt’s problem now. See you at school.”

     Rydelle left, slamming the door behind her. Maggie looked up to find Topher hovering over her head and smiled at him.

     “Thanks for almost blowing my cover,” His eyes narrowed. “This is one reason why I didn’t want you drinking.”

     She sighed. “Stop being such a party pooper. Just because you can’t have any fun doesn’t mean I can’t.”

     Topher rolled his eyes. “If fun is being so drunk you can’t sit up, then I’d rather be a stick in the mud.”

     “I can too sit up!” Grasping the arm rest, Maggie lifted herself into a crooked sitting position. “See?”

     “Try standing up and walking.”

     Maggie stood up, but as soon as she did, she crashed to the floor. A loud creak came from under her.

     She laughed. “Oops.”

     Topher shook his head. “I’m going to try something. I’ve never done this to a drunk person before, so I don’t know if it’ll work.”

     Maggie fell slack as Topher placed both hands on either side of her face.

     For the first time, she didn't feel comforted by his touch. She felt nothing. 

     Topher pulled his hands away. “No more getting drunk for you. It completely cuts me off from you.”

     Using the couch for balance, Maggie got to her feet. “Everything's going to be fine."

     Footsteps creaked against the stairs leading to the top floor. Maggie turned, finding Lani.

     “Oh, Maggie. You’re home.” Lani was dressed in a red satin gown that just barely covered her underwear. Her hair was messed up, as if she just got out of bed.

     Maggie grinned. “Were you sleeeeping?”

     “You’re awfully happy all of a sudden.” Lani stepped closer to her. “Open your mouth.”

     Maggie opened her mouth. Lani leaned forward and sniffed.

     Lani wrinkled her nose. “You’re drunk.”

     Maggie’s smile grew. “May-be."

     Lani walked into the kitchen. Maggie plopped down on the couch and looked down at her hands, giggling. With a grim expression, Topher sat next to her.

     Maggie opened her mouth, but he pressed a finger to her lips. “I really care about you, but as much as I want to, I can’t protect you from your own choices.”

     As Lani returned, Topher moved away from Maggie, settling for the opposite arm of the couch. Lani handed Maggie a coffee mug.

     “More beer?”

     “It's just water. Drink it.” Lani said.

     Maggie took a sip and clutched her mouth. As if knowing what was about to happen, Lani grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet, leading her to the bathroom.

     Falling to her knees, Maggie ducked her head inside the toilet and retched.

    Lani pulled Maggie’s hair back away from her face. “Yep. You are so drunk,” she commented as Maggie gagged. “Remind me not to mention this in my weekly email to your mom.”

     Once she was done, Lani helped her to her feet and led her to a room off to the side of the living room. "Here. Ronnie brought over an old bed you can have for now. I couldn't afford anything new, but he says the bed's fine."

     On wobbly legs, Maggie collapsed on the bed. It was only a twin-size, but she didn't care. She was tired enough she could've passed out on the floor.

     As soon as her head hit the pillow, she relaxed and closed her eyes. Lani disappeared upstairs again, and Topher knelt down beside Maggie. Groggily, she looked at him, but she could barely keep her eyes open.

     Sighing, Topher shook his head. “I know you think I’m boring, but I’m worried about you. I don’t want to see you screw up. I have this feeling that bad things are about to happen, and if tonight's any indication, then I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you. I don’t think you know how terrifying it is to watch someone you care about trapped in a difficult situation knowing there might not be anything you can do to help them.”

     He stopped talking. Maggie was almost asleep when she felt pressure on her temple. It didn’t feel like the pressure of a hand, but she wasn't sure what else it could've been.

     “I’ll stop talking now. Get some sleep.”

 ______________________________________________________________________________________

     Topher glared at the dartboard as the last dart struck the treble 20. Despite having never had the opportunity to play since his death, his aim was still perfect. Although, he wished the target had been Lewis’ head instead.

     Memories from earlier that night played through his mind. He didn’t like the way Lewis kept giving Maggie drinks. He didn’t like the way Maggie hung all over Lewis. He didn’t like the sight of them together, period.

     Topher motioned his hand from the center of the dartboard to the cup that was off to the right of the board. The darts rose from the board and landed in the cup with the snap of his fingers. 

     Topher glanced at the clock which read 3:30 AM. He went to Maggie’s room, slipping through the door. She was still asleep, but the troubled expression on her face indicated it wasn’t as restful as it normally was. 

     Placing his hands on the sides of her head, Topher closed his eyes and bent over until his forehead slightly overlapped with hers. After a moment, he pulled away. Her expression had turned peaceful once again.

     Topher frowned. On a normal night, Maggie would’ve been fine for three hours or more before he needed to strengthen the barrier that kept her nightmares away, but it had only been half that time since she had first gone to bed. This was part of the reason why he didn’t want her to drink. Sometimes, certain elements of his powers worked better on a drunk person, as he learned from dealing with Maggie’s father. However, when it came to helping to relieve her PTSD symptoms, his powers were weakened.

     Once he was sure she was fine, Topher left her room. He stared at the pool table. As much as he wanted to try his powers on it, he was also aware of how close it was to Maggie’s room. Pool made more noise than throwing darts, after all.

     Then again, he had good control. As long as he maintained his control, he should’ve been able to keep the noise low enough to not disturb Maggie.

     Topher concentrated on the triangle on the table. It rose, leaving the balls open. He then turned his focus to one of the pool sticks attached to the wall. It came out of the holder and floated in mid air. He motioned for the stick to come closer, and once it was at the table, he made a collapsing motion with his hand. The stick fell sideways.

     Topher lined the stick up with the cue ball. This was the part he knew had the most potential to wake Maggie, but he would be careful.

     “Playing pool by yourself? How is that any fun?”

     The stick collided with the balls. Topher jerked his head, and the stick fell to the ground. Laughter came from behind him.

     “Damn it, Darcy!” He glared at the young raven-haired girl behind him who flashed him a triumphant smile.

      “So, which one of you is winning?” 

     “I’m trying not to wake up Maggie,” he said.

     Darcy covered her mouth. “Oops my bad. You can tell her it’s all my fault, just like how you told her I was responsible for the radio playing awesome music.”

     He rolled his eyes. “Are you trying to make her find out about you? You’re doing an awfully good job.”

      Darcy tapped her index finger against her bottom lip. “I haven’t decided yet. Maybe today is the day, or I might wait another thirteen years. Who knows.” Her playful expression soured. “Not all of us have ultra-powerful energy fields and can just talk to her whenever we want.”

      Topher’s gaze softened as he stared into her familiar brown eyes. “How’s your mom?”

     Darcy looked down. “The same, I guess. She’s still barely talking to anyone, and she refuses all but one meal a day, and mostly she just picks at the one she doesn’t refuse.” Darcy’s hands clenched into fists. “Why does no one ever visit her? She needs Maggie, but now Maggie’s too busy getting drunk to care about her own mother.”

      “Maggie is limited when it comes to transportation, remember,” Topher said. “It would be up to whoever she’s living with, and given the lifestyle of the one she’s with now, I don’t look for her being able to see her happening too soon.”

     Darcy sighed. “I wish I were alive. I’d kill to talk to her for just one minute.” 

     “I know you would,” he said.  “But, I personally would rather be a ghost than alive.”

     Unlike Topher, Darcy had never had the chance to live. When her mother was three months pregnant with her, she miscarried due to the a***e. Darcy had always dreamed of being alive, but Topher often reminded her of the limitations that being alive would bring. As ghosts, they were both fairly strong, but being alive would take away their abilities. To Topher, that wasn’t worth it, and he knew that, if she would get the chance to live, Darcy probably would prefer having her abilities as well.

     In Topher’s opinion, Darcy was closer to being alive than he himself was, as she was neither dead nor alive. Because Darcy had never lived, her spirit wasn’t bound by the same rules Topher’s was. She would’ve been thirteen, and her form was able to mirror that. Because Topher had died when he was twelve, his form couldn’t age, at least not in this dimension. 

     Darcy’s lips curled into a mischievous smile. “Are you sure about that? If you were alive, you would get to do disgusting things with my sister.” She grimaced. “Even the thought of you two kissing and being all lovey dovey makes me want to barf.”

     Topher rolled his eyes. “Knock it off, Darcy.”

     Darcy strode over to him. “You know it’s true. You know that’s what you really want.” 

     Topher stepped back. “Seriously, Darcy, st--” 

     Darcy clutched his hand. Topher winced as Darcy’s thoughts invaded his mind. Anytime two spirits touched, it allowed them to read the thoughts and emotions of the other. He did his best to block hers as he wrenched his hand away.

     “Darcy, what the hell?”

     Darcy pouted. “Seriously? It was just getting good.” Her lips curled into a smirk. “But, I was right.”

     Topher glared at her. “Stay out of my head!”

     “Get mad all you want, but it’s true. I didn’t have to touch you to know, but I wanted the confirmation.” She sighed. “I wish you would just tell her know that you love her. Soon, she’s going to start dating, and it’s going to t*****e you to see the girl you devoted your spirit life to protecting kissing a guy who isn’t you.”

     “My feelings for her are just an unfortunate consequence of spending so much time with her,” he argued. “When she starts dating, I’ll be fine as long as no one hurts her.” 

     “Were you fine when you were glaring daggers at that guy earlier?” Darcy questioned. “And, they were just talking. How are you going to handle seeing her in his arms, or watching them kiss? If her just talking to another guy angers you, I’ll hate to see how fine you are when the real thing happens.”

     “I just want to make sure she doesn’t end up in the same shoes as your mother. I want to make sure the guys she chooses are right for her. I don’t want her to end up with someone who’s going to hurt her.” His gaze hardened. “A guy who lets her get that drunk after just meeting her isn’t okay with me.”

     Darcy frowned. “It could’ve been worse. He could’ve tried to get her into his bed.”

     Topher’s hands clenched. “And if he would’ve tried anything like that, I would’ve killed him.”

     “You definitely would, wouldn’t you? You know, no one would have to die if you just told her.”

     “It doesn’t matter how I feel about her,” he said. “She needs someone who can give her the life she deserves. I can’t give her that, so there’s no point in even mentioning it.”

     Darcy rolled her eyes. “So, you’ve doomed yourself to an unrequited love story? You can be such a sad sap sometimes.” She crossed the room. Once she reached the door, she turned back to him. “I’m going to go spy on my auntie. Maybe I’ll give her an early morning wake up call, who knows? I’ll see you later. Hopefully Maggie won’t be getting married yet.”

     Topher sighed with relief once she was gone. He had known Darcy for as long as he had known Maggie, and while he had come to consider her as much of a friend as Maggie, he was usually relieved when Darcy would move onto something, or someone, else.

     Concentrating on the pool table, he watched as all the balls moved back to their original positions. Darcy’s words echoed in his mind, but he shrugged them off. It was best not to tell Maggie how he felt about her. It would be selfish to put her in that position, and Topher couldn’t afford to be selfish, especially not when it came to her.

 ________________________________________________________________________________________ 

     As soon as Maggie woke up the next morning, she gripped her head. She buried it under the blanket. Upon tasting the inside of her mouth, she winced. “Why does my mouth taste like vomit?”

    Topher pulled the blanket back and touched her forehead. Her headache disappeared in seconds.

     “Because you spent some time with your head in the toilet,” he answered, pulling his hands away. “Better?”

     She nodded. “Why was I throwing up?”

      “You were pretty wasted.”

      She sat up. “Oh God, what did I do?”

      “Nothing too bad.”

       She smacked her forehead. “I probably looked like a total moron.”

       He shook his head. “Don't worry about it."

       “I’m sure they think I’m a loser now.”

      He frowned. “Go brush your teeth. I can’t smell, but I’m sure if I could your breath would be grossing me out.”

     She stuck her tongue out at him before heading to the bathroom. While scrubbing her teeth, she looked in the mirror. Her hair was sticking up in every possible direction. There were what looked like dirt smudges on her face and arms.

     What had she been doing last night?

      Surely Topher didn’t let her do anything too crazy. He would never let her get too carried away, no matter what she said.

      After brushing her teeth, she hopped in the shower. She used her aunt’s shampoo. It was the same kind her mom always bought. It smelled like coconuts, giving her a warm feeling of home.

      When she was finished, she wrapped her towel around herself and headed back to her bedroom. Her clothes were still in her duffle bags. Opening one, she grabbed a pink knit blouse, matching shorts, a b*a, and underwear. 

     After putting on her b*a and underwear, she stared down at herself, primarily at the four inch scar to the left of her belly button. Biting her lip, she fought back the memory of how she had received this scar. It could’ve been worse, she reminded herself as she covered it with her shirt.

      Once she was dressed, she stepped out of the room and glanced around. She smiled when she saw Topher standing beside the pool table, looking as if he was waiting for her.

      “Your aunt left earlier. Time to have some fun.” He held his hand up, and a pool stick from the wall gravitated toward him until it reached his palm. He grasped it.

     That trick would never stop freaking her out.

       “I learned last night that I don’t really need to do it this way, but I will this time since I’m teaching you.”

      Maggie watched as the triangle rose from the center of the table. Topher motioned his hand to the right, and the triangle moved to the right before dropping to the floor.

     “I’ll let you go first,” he said.

     “I don’t know what to do!”

     He chuckled. “Place your left hand on the table. Then, place the tip between your index and middle finger so that it’s aimed toward the balls.”

     As she did, Topher extended his hand, drawing the cue ball across the table right in front of her stick. “Now, shoot.”

     Hands shaking, she bit her tongue and aimed for the white ball. It went to the side of the table, rolling to the right corner pocket. She sighed.

     “I’m never going to get this.”

     He c****d an eyebrow. “You’re giving up after one try?”

     “I don’t have very good hand-eye coordination."

      He shrugged. “It’s a skill. Just like anything else. You can’t expect to be perfect on the first try.”

     Topher moved the ball across the table, back to where it started. “Try relaxing your arms. Maybe bend your knees a little.”

     She did. With the stick, she struck the ball, but it bounced off the table and struck the wall.

     Topher burst into laughter.

      Red-faced, she glared at him. “It’s not funny!”

      He c****d a smile. “Actually, it kind of is.”

     Turning away from him, Maggie crossed her arms. “I think I’m done for today.”

     Topher’s smile dropped. “Already? How do you expect to even think about beating me if you’re going to quit already?”

     “I just don’t feel like getting laughed at,” she said. 

     He placed his hand on her shoulder. “Maggie, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. But, we laugh at each other’s screw ups all the time. What’s this really about?”

     Sighing, she dropped her arms. “I’m sure there was a lot of laughter directed at me last night, but I don’t remember. Or, it probably happened after I left.”

     “They wouldn’t have been if you hadn’t been drinking her pointed out.”

      She turned back to him. “I think they still would have even if I was sober. I’m never going to fit in here. I want friends, but I’ve never been able to form a proper connection with anyone. And, in a few months, Lani will probably get tired of me and send me away so the cycle will continue.”

      He looked away, unable to meet her gaze. “I know you want friends that you can hang out with and do things with, You want friends who other people won’t think you’re insane if you talk to them in public. I know I can’t give you those things, but, if all else fails, you’ll always have me for as long as you want me.”

     Maggie touched his cheek, forcing him to meet her gaze. When she touched him, he couldn’t feel anything, but the gesture alone was always enough to get his attention.

      “You know I love you,” she said. “Topher, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. You’re the best friend I’m ever going to have. It’s just, for once, I want to be able to live a somewhat normal life. I want other people to like me.”

      “Maggie, people are going to like you as long as you keep being yourself."

      She smiled. “Don’t worry. No matter how drunk I get, I’ll still be me.”

      He shook his head. “Yeah, about that . . . No more drinking for you, missy.”

      She stuck her tongue out. “Party pooper.”

      “Call me whatever you want. I’m keeping you away from it for your own good.”

      The basement door opened and Maggie jumped. As she headed upstairs, her steps must've alerted Lani of her presence. “Oh good, you’re up. Did you have a hangover?”

      She nodded, a bit embarrassed to be having this conversation. “Yeah, a little. I’m fine now, though.

     Someone stood behind Lani. Like Rydelle, he had red hair and pale skin. She figured this must’ve been Ronnie.

      His eyes swept over her, lingering in areas she wished they wouldn’t. Timidly, she crossed her arms over her chest.

      “You must be Maggie.” He smiled. “I’m Ronnie.”

      “Nice to meet you.”

      “So, did you have fun with Rydelle last night?”

      Maggie nodded. “Yeah, I guess so.”

      “I’d say so,” Lani chimed in. “She got my innocent little niece drunk.”

      “I wasn’t that drunk.”

      Lani c****d an eyebrow. “Oh really? What’s the last thing you remember before you got home?”

      Maggie closed her eyes as an image popped into her head of Lewis handing her a cup.

      She looked at her feet. “Okay, maybe I was that drunk.”

     Lani laughed. “You’ll get used to it.”

      Sensing the tension from beside her, Maggie turned to Topher. He was glaring at Lani. She bit her lip, knowing that it was best to get Topher far away from Lani. As much as she thought a little alcohol wouldn’t hurt her, she knew Topher just wanted to protect her and actually had her best interests at heart, unlike Lani.

      "I’m going for a walk,” she said.

      Lani nodded. “Good idea. You can get familiar with all our neighbors. There’s the skunk family, the deer family, the squirrel family, and neighbors you probably won’t meet until you run over them at two in the morning.”

      Maggie walked upstairs as Lani and Ronnie moved out of the doorway. Maggie’s shoulders tensed as she felt the tension radiating from Topher. She hoped that getting him out of the house and away from Lani would lighten his mood.

       Once they left the house, she felt the tension surrounding Topher lessen.  

      “So, where are we going?” he asked.

      “I don’t know,” she said. “I just wanted to get away from them. And, I know you did, too.”

      “Whatever you do, don’t take advice from Lani,” he said. “She’s the worst person to be getting advice from.”

      Maggie laughed. “No fear. As long as I have you, why would I really need anyone else’s advice? You know everything, after all.”

      “Good. Remember that when you even consider asking someone else for advice. If it’s different from mine, they’re probably wrong.”

      Maggie smiled. “What if I need fashion advice? Or advice on how to do my nails?” 

      “Why would you need advice on those things? You only usually wear pink or purple, and those are the only colors you ever paint your nails.”

      “But, what if I go through a goth phase?” she said. “What advice would you give me then?”

      “Easy. Go back to pink and purple. You’re too cheerful to go through a goth phase.”

      Maggie sighed. “You can’t possibly have advice for everything . . . What about kissing? You’ve never even had your first kiss, right?”

      “Right.” His voice grew quiet. “But, I imagine, when the time comes, you’ll know what to do and how to respond. So, my advice would be to follow your instincts.”

      Maggie groaned, but before she could say anything else, her phone buzzed from her pocket. Pulling it out, she looked at the text. It was from a number she didn’t recognize.

     Hey it’s Lewis.  I had fun last night. How about you?

     Maggie didn’t know how he got her number, but she smiled nonetheless. She didn’t remember much about last night, but she figured she had fun.

    Yeah, I had fun.

     “Who’s it from?” Topher asked, looking over her shoulder.

     “Lewis. When did he get my number?”

     “Rydelle gave it to him last night,” he answered. “She got it earlier in the day from your aunt.”

      Lani was giving people she barely knew her phone number. Great. Regardless, she couldn’t help but smile.

     Her phone vibrated in her hand.

     Great. Maybe we could do it again sometime. Alone.

     She typed back a quick response and it went off again seconds later.

     How’s Friday night sound?

     Her heart rate sped up as her smile spread wide across her face. “I think I have my first date Friday night.”

     Topher frowned. “Are you really sure you want to go out with him? I mean, you don’t really know him.”

     “And that’s why people go out on dates. To get to know each other better. Duh.” She smirked. “Have I found a subject you don’t know everything about?”

     He shook his head. “Maggie, I really have a bad feeling about this. He did get you drunk right after you first met him.”

     Maggie’s smile dimmed. “Why does it matter? If he turns out to be a jerk, so what? I’ll get over it.”

     Topher’s eyes locked with hers. “Maggie, it’s still my job to keep you safe, not send you into the lion’s den.”

     “You’re also supposed to be my friend, not my babysitter. I wish you’d stop treating me like a little kid.” She sighed. “You need to let me make my own choices for a change. If I screw up, you’ll be there to say I told you so.”

     Topher stopped walking. “If going on this date will make you happy, then do it. I won’t stop you.”