Delivering Blu Skies (BWWM)

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When a dead girl pitches up –unannounced – promising that she’ll be back in the morning and she doesn’t. Chances are, you got stood up by a dead girl. A great alternative is to just pretend it didn’t happen. Go on with your life. And assume that the last week of your life didn’t happen.

Even though her posters were still up at school and her locker looked like a shrine. I ignored it all. How I managed to ignore Blu on the corridors but was unable to ignore Simon’s bitching was a mystery to me. But somehow I was in coach Riener’s office talking about joining the rugby team again.

Coach Riener was your typical high school coach. Large gut, receding hairline and old New Balance sneakers. He sat behind his desk, trying to intimidate me but I wasn’t about to fold. We both knew that the team needed me and begging wasn’t an option. He leaned forward – his gut restricted a lot of movement.

“Kai, are sure about this?” He was giving me that ‘don’t bullshit me look’. I shrugged.

“Uh-hun.”

He leaned back into his chair. “You want your old position back?”

“Coach, I’m pretty sure the team needs me to get my position back. “

He sighed, one of those tired sighs. “Practise this afternoon. Don’t be late.”

I nodded, getting ready to leave his tiny office. “Kai?”

“Coach?”

His eyebrows furrowed. “I’m gonna need a heads up if one of my star players decides to kill himself again.”

Coach was one of the only teachers who talked about that. It was annoying as f**k. I’d moved on and he needed to too. I silently agreed before leaving.

I had two choices after leaving. I could either go to class or ditch on the hockey field. I wasn’t keen on heading to class for the rest of the day. And it wasn’t raining so there was no excuse to stay cooped up in a class for the rest of the day.

There was goal box was under a tree. I took a seat inside before lighting my last cigarette. I took my time with each drag and right after stomping it out, I noticed a shadow above me. I’d worked out the perfect excuse and just before I opened my mouth.

“Really? This is where you’ve been all day?” None other than Dead Girl. It wasn’t a f*****g fantasy after all because Blu stood in front of me, still in my rugby shirt.

“Nice to see you too Blu.” I smiled, her irritation was cute. She slumped down in front of me.

“Fine.” She sighed. “Hi Kai.”

“Blu.” She rolled her eyes. “What’s wrong with you today? You look like some just told the dead girl she’s actually alive.”

“I’ve been at the hospital.” She paused looking up at the sky, she carried on talking. “My parents were fight again.”

I didn’t know what Blu wanted me to do. Keeping quite seemed like the rational thing to do when a ghost is telling you about their problems. She looked at me with a weird look on her face.

“Medical bills are expensive, if you’re a vegetable.” It was weird. She couldn’t feel anything but she was crying. She wasn’t in hysterics or anything like that. Her eyes were watery but she quickly blinked it away, before she laughed awkwardly. “Now I’m crying like an i***t for a problem that I caused.”

“Hey,” Don’t ask me why, but I held onto her cold hand. Seeing Blu all teary eyed reminded me of Livvy or mom. “You made one bad choice. You solved a temporary problem with a permanent solution. But I’ll help.”

She was smiling again. It was her weird tight lipped smile, that had me thinking she was holding something back. “We should probably go get the letters now.”

“Blu, I’m kinda in the middle of bunking class.” Moving right now shouldn’t have been an option.

“Well I can’t talk to you around other people, you’ll look crazy just talking to air.” She stood, blocking the sun with her tiny stature.

Rolling my eyes I got up. “Let’s go.”

The corridors weren’t empty. The bell signalling the end of the day rang and I drowned in a pool of over-eager kids. Blu on the other hand held onto my hand navigating through the sea of bodies and book bags. We passed a few of her posters, she only groaned in annoyance before stopping in the middle of the corridor.

The flowers were now dead and the candles had been removed. There was a girl around the same height as Blu. She looked like she’d been caught in a tornado, she’d occasionally sniffled while she cleared all the dead flowers. Blu nudged me.

“What?” I whispered harshly.

“Go help her.” Blu urged on and before I could get a word in Blu shoved me forward almost landing on the girl.

“Uh- hey.” See, back before I’d begun babysitting dead people, I capable of charming the pants off of anything. All I had to do was smile. Which I did.

“Agh,” The girl rolled her eyes. Her hair was short and curly.

“Uh-mh- Do you need any help?” This girl compared to Blu was a whole lot scarier. I was pretty sure she was going to start shooting laser beams from her brown beady eyes.

Throwing more dead flowers into a bin close by, she returned with an unimpressed look. “Do you even know who I am? There’s nothing here to steal wiseguy, so why don’t you just go to your stupid rugby practise?”

Yep, I didn’t like this girl. Not because she practically shut me down but because she was doing the thing everyone does when they met me. And her judgement lacked a pinch of salt and originality. I was just about to tell her off when Blu spoke.

“Her name’s Zandi. Call her Zandile. She’s going through her a stage of grief; anger. Don’t add fuel to the fire.” Blu tried hugging her friend but she simply went through her. She looked disappointed.

“Listen, Zandile. I’m sorry about Blu. She was – is an amazing person.”

I swear, Zandi’s neck snapped like a twig and her anger morphed into something else. “You’re that rugby star that attempted suicide last year right?”

Blu needed to guide me through this conversation. I had no idea how to answer that without ticking off her friend. I cleared my throat, hoping Blu got the message.

“She’s being nice – trust me it doesn’t happen often. So met her half way.” Blu chipped in standing next to her best friend who couldn’t even see here.

Zandi smiled softly. “Blu always had a soft spot for you. Before and after your great fall.” She shrugged. “She always said stupid s**t like how she knew you were misunderstood.” Zandi chuckled before wiping a tear for her eyes. “I hope they can bring her back, like they did you.”

“I don’t doubt it.” I mimicked her tight lipped smile.

“Zandi, newspaper is starting soon, you need to get going.” We both turned to look at the voice from behind her. It was a dude. A soccer player I’d seen at a few parties and whenever we went on tour with the other sporting codes. His eyebrows furrowed when his eyes landed on us.

“His name is Siya. That’s her boyfriend and the reason why I became a third wheel since grade eleven.” Blu was now by my side, I didn’t know if she was jealous or bitter but something about this guy rubbed her the wrong way.

Zandi smiled up at me. “Do you mind finishing up for me?” She didn’t wait for my reply. “Thanks.” She ran into her boyfriend’s arm before he gave me another curious look and then they were off and I was stuck cleaning Blu’s shrine.

“I can’t believe she made a f*****g shrine.” I almost choked on air when I heard Blu speak. I don’t know, I guess I didn’t expect her to swear. It seemed like something a restless spirit would avoid doing. “Relax, swearing is okay, I just can’t lie.” She shrugged.

Once all the dead flowers had been removed I noticed her sitting on top of the lockers. “What now?”

“2-1-0-3” She jumped off the lockers, silently.

“What?”

She shook her head. “That’s the combination to my locker. 2-1-0-3.”

“Your birthday? That’s pretty lame, dead girl.”

She laughed, while I entered the pin. “That’s not my birthday.” She sighed. “It’s the estimated day I was convinced.”

And with that, the locker opened while I tried not to look too surprised but Blu was just filled with them today. I was pretty sure she was supposed to be the innocent person in this partnership but she was proving me wrong.

“You’re joking right?” I wasn’t looking at her this time. I was looking at her locker. It looked as though she hadn’t left. Her timetable on the door with a little mirror beneath it. A few dead flowers that managed to sneak in landed on her school golf shirt and her textbooks were all colour coded with post-its stuck everywhere.

“Nope, “ She shoved me with her hips. Before rummaging around her locker. Beneath her shirt, there was a wooden box. She signalled for me to take it.

“Everything’s in here?” I asked. She nodded and right after I slapped the door I was caught off guard by Zandi.

With an interested look, she said. “What are you doing in my best friend’s locker?”

I glanced at Blu who only shrugged her shoulders. “I can’t lie remember?”

“Uh? “ Zandi’s glanced down at the box and in my hand and almost wrenched it out of me.

“I knew it! You were here to make a quick buck! Have you no remorse? My best friend killed herself and all you can do is break into her locker, steal her favourite music box and probably sell it for a profit!” She had the strength of a girl twice her size.

“Zandi! Please give me the box.” I tried to remain calm.

“Give me one good reason why I’d give you her box?” The look she was sending me, had me shitting my pants.

“Tell her that your mom works for my mom and that your mom volunteered her to get it for me.” Blu chimed in. I sent her a puzzled look. “It’s not a lie.” She panicked.

“Okay, my mom works for Blu’s mom. And being the employee that she is – eager to score some brownie points. Blu’s mom had been looking for the box and my mom volunteered me to look for it. I’ve been looking for it for days, please just give it back.” I reached out my hand, knowing that this Zandi check would probably run off with it. Then Blu did something she should have done at the beginning. She whispered in Zandi’s ear. And it was as if for a second, Zandi could hear Blu.

Zandi nodded her head. “Sorry.” She handed me the box. “You should have told me sooner.” Her eyes were watery again. “I should go.” Zandi had a habit of not waiting for my responses.

Blu looked relieved. “Well that was close.”

“Blu what the hell just happened?” I didn’t sign up for this. My job was to deliver a few letters, not breaking and entering.

Blu avoiding eye contact, before smiling up at me. “Aren’t you late for rugby practice?” She was right, but she was also gone too.