Haunted

by Alexandra Inger

  I threw the last part in for good measure, even though it wasn’t necessarily true.

  She said nothing and then she looked away from me. “Do whatever you want, Catherine, see if I care.”

  And she turned to a girl two feet away from her and squealed, “Nancy! Oh my god! How was your summer!”

  I went back to my room to see if Margie was there and if she had any advice to offer. But the room was empty.

  Goddamn! I thought. There was no way to win here. There was no way I was going to cut Chad off or be rude to him: he had been nothing but kind and helpful to me. On the other hand, Cheryl-induced anxiety was becoming all too familiar to me and I wanted to do whatever I could to eliminate it or at least minimize it.

  “Stephano!” I called out, “Are you around?”

  “Who are you talking to?” Margie called from the bathroom.

  “Margie! Oh my god – I just called you Stephanie, didn’t I?” I covered.

  I heard the toilet flush, and then I heard the water running at the sink, and then Margie came out drying her hands on her skirt.

  “What’s up?” she asked.

  I briefed her on the whole Chad/Italian class/newspaper/Cheryl debacle.

  “Oh god. I dunno, if I were you I’d just carry around a cyanide capsule in case of emergency!” she quipped.

  “Ha! I probably should. If worse came to worst I could tell Cheryl it was a magic diet pill that would help her lose ten pounds over night!”

  We both broke up laughing.

  “Seriously?” I said. “What do I do?”

  “You don’t do anything, but go about your business like normal and forget about that black-hearted monster at the end of the hallway. Your only other choice is to become her bitch and do everything she tells you. Nothing else will make her happy.”

  “But why?” I had asked Stefano and now I would ask Margie. “I don’t understand this. All the girls from our floor were just fawning over her out there like she was the greatest thing since sliced bread. How do they all keep in her good books? And how come they don’t see this evil side of her? What did I do to get myself tangled up like this?”

  “You’re asking me for real?” Margie looked at me like I should know better.

  “Yes! I’m asking you for real!” I insisted.

  “Go look in the mirror,” she deadpanned. “Cheryl is jealous with a capital J. Look at those girls she hangs out with. Do you think Lisa is pretty?”

  “Well she’s striking, and she has hair to die for.”

  “’Striking’ is not the same as pretty. Do you think she is pretty?”

  “No, not really,” I admitted. “But she’s certainly not ugly,” I hastened to add.

  “Yeah, but she ain’t pretty either. And how about Janice? Janice looks like a man.”

  “Oh don’t be mean!” I giggled. But it was kind of true.

  “Please! You should hear what they say about me! Okay, well she looks like a really good drag queen. But don’t you find yourself checking to see if she has an adam’s apple?” Margie quizzed me. “The point is, you’re prettier than Cheryl and she’s freaked out. I don’t know what you can do. I’d just try to stay as far away from her as I possibly could. She’s poison. Everyone here knows it – they’re all afraid of her. That’s why they run up to her and hug her and act like they love her. But they don’t hang out with her, either.”

  I mulled that over. I suppose it was just my bad luck that I happened to venture out into the hallway that morning that I met the two of them.

  “Anyway,” Margie said, “I’m outta here. I’m meeting my friend Laura who lives on the first floor. She scored some good weed this afternoon. You’re welcome to come and partake if you want.”

  “Thanks,” I said dejectedly. “But in the first place I don’t smoke, and in the second place, knowing my luck somebody would catch us and we’d all be expelled.”

  “Awww, cheer up, Sunshine!” Margie teased me. “It’s only the first day. It’ll get better!” she said as she grabbed her jacket and skipped out of the room.

  CHAPTER 12

  I waited until I was sure Margie was well away before I even thought of trying to summon Stefano.

  But I didn’t need to – he appeared out of thin air as he always did.

  “How was your first day?” he beamed at me as he caressed my cheek with his fingertips.

  “It could have been better, it could have been worse,” I half-heartedly smiled at him.

  I didn’t want to complain to him about my difficulties with Cheryl anymore. They seemed so petty and childish and it was only a week ago, before I even knew Cheryl existed, that Stefano and I were talking about Byron and Italy and much more interesting things than narcissistic teenage girls.

  “It’s infinitely better now that you’re here,” I murmured as I sunk down onto my bed.

  “My sweet,” he said to me with concern in his voice.

  “Could you please come and lie down with me?” I asked plaintively.

  Wordlessly, he moved across the room and sat down on the edge of the bed.

  “What is it? That girl? I know, I know,” he said as he lied down next to me. His face was on the pillow next to mine and our eyes locked onto each other.

  “I was so depressed when I first came here, and then I met you and I was so happy, and now I hardly get to see you and I’m feeling sad again,” I smiled weakly.

  “Well I’m here now. I’m here. There’s nothing else to think about or worry about. There is only this moment and in this moment I am here with you.” His sea green eyes were serious and soulful and I really did wish that I could shrink to the size of an atom and dive into them.

  “Thank heavens for that!” I smiled for real this time. “I had my first Italian lesson today,” I told him.

  “Oh yes?” he brightened, “What did you learn?”

  “I learned to say, ‘Buongiorno. Mi chiamo Catherine. Come sta?’”

  Pure pleasure lit up his face and he said, “Benissimo, amore, benissimo!”

  “I think I know what ‘amore’ means, but what’s the rest of it?” I giggled.

  “It means that it is music to my ears to hear my mother tongue spoken by such a beautiful angel and I am very happy,” he said softly. “Have I ever told you how beautiful your eyes are?” he breathed. “They are like melting chocolate. Every woman in the world with blue eyes, upon seeing you, would wish to tear them out of her skull and replace them with yours.”

  My giggles turned to laughter as I said, “I think that’s a bit dramatic! But I like the melting chocolate part.”

  “Ah! I have made you laugh. You have no idea how it gladdens me.”

  “It gladdens me too,” I said as I rolled over so that my back was to him. He put his arms around me and buried his face in my hair.

  “What do you feel of me?” I suddenly asked him.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, of you, I feel a very soft, gentle, tingly sort of warmth. But what do I feel like to you?”

  “I feel you almost exactly as I would in life. I’m able to perceive the smoothness of your skin and your solidity, but ironically I cannot perceive whether you are warm or cold. But I can feel textures, yes,” he explained.

  “Interesting,” I observed, “We each can feel what the other can’t.”

  “Then we make a good pair,” he concluded.

  “It’s early, and Margie will probably be gone until curfew at eleven. Will you stay here and hold me until she comes back?” I whispered.

  “How could I deny you that?” he said and I sighed happily.

  But we were hardly together for ten minutes before there was furious pounding at the door.

  “Catherine! It’s Cheryl! Can I talk to you for a second?”

  I turned and looked at Stefano. Why. Was. She. Here.

  “I know you’re IN there!” she sang happily.

  “Let me just see what she wants,” I said to Stefano, “I’ll be right back. Don’t go a
nywhere.”

  I gave him little tiny baby kisses on the lips as I tore myself away.

  “Just a second!” I called out to Cheryl as I stumbled across the room.

  “Are you in the toilet?” she sang out merrily.

  “No, I was just having a nap,” I said as I flung open the door.

  “So I texted Chad to ask him about why he’s taking Italian,” she said as she barged in and plopped down on my bed. On my sheets and comforter from home that I had received from my mother that afternoon. That Stefano’s energy field had just been wrapped in and that the warmth of my body was still trapped in. I gritted my teeth.

  “He said he was sorry for the other day and that he wanted to meet up with me tomorrow after school so that we could talk!” She grinned madly at me.

  “Oh that’s great. I’m glad it worked out,” I said plainly, wanting to grab her by the collar and physically throw her off of my bed and out of my room.

  “Aren’t you happy? Your little Italian class is what’s getting me and Chad back together!” she exclaimed.

  “No, I am happy. But I just woke up from a nap,” I explained.

  “Hmm. Well do you want to go downstairs and get something to eat? I’m hungry,” she complained.

  Stefano was gone. She had ruined my mood. And I was hungry as well. I just realized that I hadn’t had anything since lunch.

  “Sure,” I agreed with a sigh and I looked around the room with an apology on my face in case Stefano could see it.

  We went downstairs and sat at a table with Lisa and Janice. Lisa picked at lettuce leaves, Janice nursed a cup of peppermint tea, and Cheryl and I were the only two to eat anything substantial.

  “I’m so happy right now – I don’t care if I even gain five pounds from this baked potato and it all goes on my ass!” Cheryl exclaimed.

  “You’ll regret it tomorrow,” Lisa observed grimly.

  “Oh my god, there’s Trevor,” Cheryl pointed at the curly dark haired boy walking in our direction with a tray.

  “Should I call him over? I’ll call him over!” and before Lisa could object, Cheryl was waving and yoo-hooing across the crowded dining hall at Lisa’s ex-boyfriend.

  “Why did you do that?” Lisa was angry.

  “Because if me and Chad are getting back together, you and Trevor can get back together, too!” Cheryl hissed. “You’ll see,” she added confidently.

  “Trevor!” Cheryl greeted him as he drew closer to our table. His eyes were darting about the room madly trying to find an escape route, but seeing no one that he knew in the vicinity, he gave up and begrudgingly came over to our table.

  “How have you been all summer? How was Barbados?” Cheryl gushed.

  “Bermuda,” Trevor corrected here.

  “Sit down with us! You look amazing with a tan!”

  Lisa kept her head down and was studying her collection of lettuces that she called a salad very intently.

  “Lisa.” He nodded to her in acknowledgement.

  “Hey Trevor,” Lisa barely lifted her eyes of the plate.

  “So I was just talking to Chad,” Cheryl began in a rush of excitement, “And I think we’ll probably go the Fall Dance together next week. We should get a bunch of people together and do something fun beforehand!” she was looking directly at Trevor.

  “Really?” he asked, his voice dripping with skepticism, “You were talking to Chad and he said he wanted to go to the dance and that he wanted to go with you?”

  “Well we were texting, and no he didn’t say that, but we’re going to see each other tomorrow after school and I’m sure that he will want to go to the dance. Why wouldn’t he?” Cheryl flicked her hair over her shoulder.

  “Oh I don’t know. He might have other plans, is all. But you would know since you text him so much.” Trevor shrugged but there was a hint of contempt in his voice and I looked to Cheryl to see if she had detected it too.

  She was just staring at him wide eyed while she chewed her potato. With great effort she swallowed and said, “Well, it was just an idea. I thought maybe a bunch of us could get together and maybe get a bottle of something before the dance. Oh – have you met Catherine?” She suddenly swung round and gestured towards me.

  “Nope. Hi Catherine. Trevor,” he said as if he could not have cared less about my existence.

  “Nice to meet you,” I smiled uncertainly.

  “Is this your first year at Brandenhurst?” he asked me without looking at me.

  “Yeah, I’m from Washington,” and then I added, “state.”

  “Uh-huh. And you got mixed up with this nutty bunch already? Well good luck to you,” he said and I couldn’t tell if the meanness in his voice was for me or for Cheryl and Lisa.

  “Oh look – there’s Tim and Steve and the guys. I’ll see you girls around,” and he stood up with his tray and left us all sitting there in awkward silence.

  “Okay, well that didn’t go quite as I had planned!” Cheryl almost laughed.

  “Why did you do that?” Lisa was furious. Her face had tightened into a fiery red ball of anger and I could swear I saw daggers shooting out of her eyes at Cheryl.

  “I was trying to do you a favor!” Cheryl was taken aback.

  “I don’t need any favors as far as Trevor is concerned. I need him to stay the hell away from me!” Lisa spat out.

  “Well, I’m sorry!” Cheryl said accusingly, “But I thought you were still in love with him and wanted to get back together with him! For obvious reasons!”

  Lisa’s face fell. She shook her head and stood up and walked away slowly as if she were a condemned woman and she knew it.

  “Holy. What was that about?” Janice cracked.

  “Jeez,” Cheryl muttered, “I’m trying to help her out. She could have at least smiled and said hello to the guy and asked him how he was. Did you see how rude she was to him?”

  I got the distinct impression that Cheryl was not in fact trying to help Lisa out; she was trying to help herself out. I could see that in Cheryl’s diabolical mind, if she could get Trevor on board for a pre-dance party, then Chad would have to agree. And of course that would lead to Cheryl and Chad going to the dance together as a couple and that would naturally lead to them getting back together…it was practically a fait accompli in Cheryl’s head. But Lisa had not cooperated – she had not even made an effort at being friendly to Trevor and Trevor was subsequently hostile to Cheryl’s attempts. I felt horribly bad for Lisa that Cheryl had used her like that, but I was just the tiniest bit relieved that it would get her off of my back for a little while at least. If she was busy being angry at Lisa, then she would likely be nicer to everyone else, including me.

  “Great. Now what do I do? You know she went back up to our room to pout and feel sorry for herself,” Cheryl grumbled.

  “Well maybe she was embarrassed,” I tried to say something that would help Lisa’s case. I don’t know why, she never would have done the same for me.

  “Embarrassed about what? Her plate of lettuce leaves?” Cheryl rolled her eyes.

  “I don’t know – what happened that first day when she went to talk to him and she came back crying?” I asked.

  “Welllll,” Cheryl drawled. “What do you think happened? She went to see if they were still together and he laughed her off and told her that he was done with her and if she couldn’t figure that out from all the ignoring of her then she was an idiot. His exact words.”

  “He really doesn’t seem like a terribly nice person,” I observed.

  Cheryl shot me a dirty look.

  “He’s Chad’s best friend,” she stated as if we needed to know nothing more of his character than that.

  “Well, I have to go and meet Heather,” Janice announced as she stood up. Let me know if anything exciting happens.”

  She winked at us cavalierly as she departed.

  “Ugh. Oh god!” Cheryl said theatrically. “I hate this. Now I can’t even go up to my own room because Lisa will be in there having a brea
kdown. She’s so emotional it’s ridiculous.”

  “Maybe she’s a little homesick, too. And then the Trevor stuff on top of it,” I said.

  I guess Cheryl had already forgotten her “tiff” with Chad just the other day that had her so upset she was shaking and crying and insisted she was going to be sick. Lisa had indulged her and ministered to her on that occasion, but now that Lisa was the one who was upset, Cheryl had nothing but impatience for her. Much as I was dying to point this hypocrisy out to her, I dared not.

  “Oh, you know,” she said as she slammed her fork down on her tray, “I should go up and talk to her or I’ll never hear the end of it. How aggravating!”

  Cheryl abruptly stood up, collected her things and was off, leaving me to finish my supper all by myself. How did this happen? I was perfectly content, lying all peaceful and sleepy in the arms of my beloved, and now I was here all by myself wishing that I was anywhere but.

  I sighed as I bit into my potato which was now cold as a stone.

  “Catherine? Oh hey – I thought that was you,” said Chad as he walked up from behind me.

  “Oh hey! How are you?” I replied and I turned and looked around to make sure Cheryl was absolutely gone.

  “Are you waiting for someone?” he asked as he followed my glance.

  “Oh no,” I admitted, “Cheryl was just here.”

  “Ah. I understand,” he smiled at me.

  “I figured it was best to tell her right up front that we had a class together. I think it made her angry and I gather she sent you a text about it?” I winced as I said it.

  “Oh yes! Oh yes she did indeed!” he chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. I sorted it out with her.”

  “Oh good. Well I was just worried that if I didn’t mention it and then she found out later on that were in the same class….”

  “I know – you don’t need to explain,” he said kindly. “And you’re still coming to the newspaper meeting on Thursday?” he asked brightly.

  “Yes! Definitely! I’m really looking forward to it,” I answered.