CHAPTER 17
Jamey and Eric went to the movies to see Inventing the Abbotts, as planned. After that, Jamey went to Eric’s house. It was about midnight when Todd knocked on the door. Eric answered it and Todd came in.
“Hey man, you look really out-of-it. Do you need help or something?” Eric asked.
“No. What I need is Becky. I can’t get her out of my mind. It’s driving me crazy!” Todd said.
“Todd, calm down. So your old chick is movin’ away. You can get another one just like that.” Eric said, snapping his fingers.
“I don’t care.”
“Well, don’t get sore at me about it. What do you want me to do!?”
“I don’t know. Wait. . .Tell my mom I’ll be gone for awhile.” Todd said.
“Now Todd-”
“Don’t ‘Now Todd’ me!”
“Todd! You are losing control!” Eric practically yelled in his ear.
“I am? Oh, sorry man. I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s okay. Hey, your my best friend!”
“I’m sorry about this. It’s just that. . .I’m really bummed.”
“I understand. If Jamey here had to move away, I don’t know what I’d do!” Eric said, pointing to Jamey.
“Now Eric! It’s rude to point.” Jamey said, kidding.
“Sorry.” Eric said sheepishly.
“I didn’t mean it!”
“Oh.”
They were all silent for a moment.
“I’m gonna go.” Todd said, and he left.
“Man, he’s really bummed out!” Eric said.
“No shit, sherlock!” Jamey said.
“So I said the obvious. You don’t have to yell at me, do you?”
“I’m sorry. It’s just I’m new here and my best friend’s already moving.”
“It’s okay. I guess we’re all a little uptight.”
The phone rang and Eric answered it.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is Jamey there?” said a six-year-old voice.
“Ya, hold on a second.”
Covering the phone, Eric said, “It’s for you. I think it’s your sister.”
“What’s she doing still up?” Jamey took the phone. “Hello?”
“Hi sissy!”
“What in the world are you doing still up?”
“I’m calling you to tell you to get your butt home now!”
“Okay, okay. I’m coming, I’m coming.”
“Bye, sissy,” She said sweetly, pleased with herself.
“Bye Jessica!”
“My name-” Jessa started to say, but Jamey had already hung up.
“I gotta go. See ya later, brat.”
“I’m not a brat!” Eric complained.
“Yes you are! Bye!” Jamey answered.
At Becky’s house. . .
“Hey, guess what kids. We don’t have to move!”
“We. . .we don’t have to move?”
“Yes. Fred Dale was caught by Friday- dad’s partner.”
“Yessss!”
“I’m happy too.”
“Um, mom? I’m gonna be on the phone for about three hours or be gone for about five. Okay?”
“Sure. Just don’t be gone past midnight, okay?”
“Fine.”
A few minutes later. . .
“Hello, Jamey. Call the gang- we have to meet!” Becky said.
“Who- what- when- where- why- how- what?!” Jamey stuttered.
“Your house, ASAP. I’ll explain later.“ Becky said, then hung up.
At Jamey’s house. . .
“Okay, where is everybody?” Becky asked.
“My god! I barely had enough time to call them before you got here. They’ll be here in a little while.” Jamey paused. “Except. . .”
“Except who?” Becky asked, calming down so she could worry a little.
“Except. . .Todd.”
“Why? What?!”
“He’s. . .dead. . .”
“What?! How?! Why?!”
“They don’t know yet, but he was found dead in a gutter outside the school.”
“But. . .But I just saw him the other day!”
“I know. So did I. Wait. . .he came to Eric’s house and he was extremely upset. It was because you’re moving. You don’t think. . .”
Becky clamped her hand on her mouth.
“Migod! This can’t be happening!”
“What?”
“I. . .I’m not moving anymore. . .”
Jamey, shocked and happy, hugged Becky. She then remembered Todd and pulled back quickly.
“I’m sorry, yet happy. . .”
“Me too.”
At that moment, the doorbell rang....
“That must be Eric.” Jamey answered the door, and sure enough, it was Eric.
“What’s the urgency?” he asked.
“Becky’s not moving!” Jamey exclaimed.
“Have you heard?. . .”
“Yes. If only I wouldn’t have thought I was moving. . .”Becky trailed off.
“Why?”
“Well. . .”
“You mean. . .”
“Yes.”
“Oh,” Eric said quietly.
Becky looked from Eric to Jamey and saw that they were grim. She decided to leave them alone. Besides, she needed time alone to think.
“Um. . .I think that I’d better get on home. . .See you later, okay?” Becky said.
Eric hesitated, but he decided that it was best to tell her. After all, he didn’t want two deaths to deal with.
“Um. . .look, I’ve got to tell you before you go. Please don’t kill yourself.” Becky looked at him. She laughed. Eric stopped her.
“No, I’m serious. Todd was really bummed before he left, and you seem depressed. If your going to kill yourself, just let us know.”
“Sure. I’ll remember that.” She left, though having no intention of killing herself. As she was walking home, she walked on the sidewalk. Suddenly, she didn’t know why, but she looked at the ditch. She thought it was paranoia, but wasn’t sure. She saw Todd’s body. She blinked and it was gone.
“Migod. . .” Becky whispered.
Meanwhile. . .
“Do you think she’s okay?” Jamey asked.
“Fine.” Eric said, then he grinned. “Let’s forget her, for awhile.”
“You insensitive brat!”
“Am I insensitive?”
“No, I just called you an insensitive brat for my health.” Jamey rolled her eyes. Eric looked hurt.
“I was joking.”
“It wasn’t very nice.” he said, sounding hurt.
“Sorry.”
“That’s okay.”
On the street. . .
“I must be hallucinating!” Becky told herself. “It couldn’t be Todd!”
She looked back into the ditch, cautiously.
“Becky.” said a voice behind her. She spun around. No one there.
“Where are you? Who are you? What do you want?!”
Silence. Then, “Becky, I miss you.”
“Todd?” Becky asked.
"Yes.”
“Todd, aren’t you dead?”
“Yes.”
Becky began to shudder and she sank to her knees on the ground. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She felt an arm on her shoulder and she turned quickly away from him.
"Do you want the truth about my death?”
Becky hesitated, then said, “Yes.”
“Okay. I. . .I shot myself in the head.”
“Oh god. . .why?! You had a great life to live!” Becky yelled, the tears coming faster, replacing the dried ones.
“I love you. But, I have one last chance. . .”
“What?” Becky asked eagerly.
“Only if you want me back, and I want to come back. And. . .”
“And?!”
“Well, only you will be able to see me.”
“Would I be able to feel you? I mean as a solid person?”
“Yes.”
Becky’s eyes lighted up.
“Then I’ll agree. I’d do it if I could only see you and hear you. As long as your here!”
Todd waited a second, staring down at the ground.
“Okay, it’s done!” Todd said. Becky jumped up and hugged him. Then, they kissed.
“Thank God your back!” Becky whispered in his ear.
“Thank God I’m with you.” he said.
Two days later. . .
“Becky, are you going to come over?”
“Sure. I’ll be over in forty minutes, okay?”
“Okay. You want to see the movie Titanic, right?”
“Of course.”
“Eric’s going too.”
“That’s okay.”
Becky hung up and whirled around to face Todd.
“I’m going to Jamey’s. Your coming.”
“Sure.”
“Am I allowed to tell them about you?”
“No, I’m sorry. Besides, they wouldn’t believe you.”
“I’ve got a question.”
“Shoot.”
“Can you enter other people’s bodies?”
“Except yours, probably.”
“Cool. Wouldn’t it be crowded, though?”
“Not really. They’d be there, but I’d be in control- I think.”
“Oh. Well, let’s go to Jamey’s.”
“Okay.”
At Jamey’s. . .
Ding! Dong! Jamey answered the door.
“Hi Becky. Come on in.”
Becky came in with Todd. Becky was smiling. She couldn’t help herself.
“What?” Jamey asked.
“What?” Becky replied.
“Is there a joke I don’t get?”
“No, why?”
<>“Because your smiling.”
“Isn’t it all right for me to smile?”
“Well. . .yes, but Todd just died and. . .”
“I know. But, I found something to cheer me up.” She said and smiled in Todd’s direction.
“What are you smiling at?” Jamey asked.
“Nothing.” Becky said quickly. Jamey gave her a weird look, then the doorbell rang.
“Come on in!” Jamey yelled. She knew it was Eric.
“So are we going to the movie now?” asked Becky.
“Yeah, I guess.”
Todd put bunny ears on Eric as he walked in the door. Becky burst out laughing.
“What’s your problem?” asked Eric.
“Oh nothing.” Becky said, biting her lip to keep from laughing. Jamey whispered in Eric’s ear, “She’s acting really strange. Try to ignore it.” He nodded.
“They think your weird,” Todd said. Becky rolled her eyes.
They went to the movie theater and saw Titanic.
“That was so sad!” Jamey commented.
“I know.” Becky said. She wasn’t really paying attention, though. She was listening to Todd.
“Do you want me to enter Eric’s body?” Becky shook her head.
“What are you doing?” Jamey asked.
“Oh, I thought I had something in my hair,” Becky lied.
“Oh.” Jamey said.
“Why don’t you want me to? Because I would be myself, but him?” When Jamey and Eric started kissing and she was sure they weren’t paying attention, Becky nodded.
“Ah. Do you want me to go into Jamey’s?”
“No!” Becky yelled. Jamey and Eric stopped kissing.
“What?!” Jamey yelled. “Are you talking to an imaginary friend or what?!”
“No. . .”
“Then what?!”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Why not?”
“Because even I don’t understand!” Becky turned and walked away.
“Are you okay?” asked Todd.
“No! No one can see you except me! What the hell am I suppose to do?! I’ll end up in the mad house if I keep talking to you!”
“But I thought you loved me. . .”
“I do! I just wish someone else could see you!”
Todd looked hurt.
“I’m sorry,” Becky said.
“No, it’s okay. Maybe I can just go back where I was. I’ll leave you alone now.”
“No, please! I love you! I just got mad and frustrated. Isn’t there any way you can come back fully alive?”
“Maybe. Hold on a second. You won’t be able to see me for awhile, but don’t worry. I’ll be back.”
“I trust you.”
“Good.” Todd faded away and Becky was left alone, but not for long. Jamey and Eric appeared a moment later.
“Are you okay?” Jamey asked, concerned.
“Yes.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry. I think that I just freaked out and I’m okay now.”
“Okay. If your sure.”
“Of course!”
Suddenly, Todd reappeared.
“Becky, Becky! It’s possible!”
Becky smiled and in sign language, said, “I love you.”
“I love you too!” Todd said. Suddenly, there was this huge blue light and everything disappeared.
CHAPTER 18
Todd walked down the street and held the gun to his face. He was about to pull the trigger, faltered, and threw it away.
At Jamey’s. . .
“I barely had enough time to call them before you got here! They’ll be here in a little while.”
“Good! I’ve got great news.”
“Hey, we’re here!” said a voice.
“Eric! Todd!” Jamey said. “Becky’s got great news!”
“Really? What?”
“I’m not moving!”
“That’s great!”
Todd hugged her tightly. “Why aren’t you moving anymore?”
“Because the guy after us was caught!”
“Thank God.” he whispered.
They kissed and Jamey and Eric went into another room.
“Well, now their happy again.”
I guess that’s good, but we should be happy too.”
They kissed.
Back to the Stories Page
Chapters 1-8
Chapters 9-16
