《Ghost Lover》 Chapter One It was the fifth month after his mother¡¯s death. Austin was still struggling to stomach the loss of the only woman who had made him feel loved. He saw his father as a chronic cheat, even before her death, they never saw eye to eye on any matter. His twin brother Allen was far away in another school studying due to his rebellious behavior and he wasn¡¯t sure how he took the death of their mother because they never spoke, and even as kids they never did anything together. ¡°leaving for school already?¡± Austin¡¯s father asked him as he was making his way outside the house. ¡°Yes, Dad,¡± He blurted out reluctantly. ¡°Your money for lunch is¡­¡± ¡°I took it Already¡±. Austin replied, almost shutting up his father. Walking out and making sure he mmed the door hard as if to signal to his father that he would never respect him. Staring at the door with his sses bent over his nose with his hands, Austin¡¯s Dad shook his head in disbelief He was aware that he was never going to make it early for his first ss but still decided not to take the school bus. He could remember the first day he resumed after his mother¡¯s loss. The eyes of every student on the bus felt like they were watching, waiting for him to slip or break down in tears. Walking past every seat and their eyes were still glued on him. He wanted to scream out loud at everyone to stick to their business but he couldn¡¯t find the word ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± N said, holding his hand as he almost got past her seat. N was his only female friend in school, others saw him as a nerd and someone who shouldn¡¯t be rted with. Their first conversation had to be when N pointed out to him that his pants zip was open while he was in front of the ss giving his presentation. He thanked her after the ss was over, and was very thankful no one saw it except her, or he would have been aughing stock for another week in school. After that incident, they found themselves attending almost every activity in the school together. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Austin removed her hand immediately, making his way to his seat. N followed him immediately trying to hold him back and get him to talk to her. ¡°No, you are not¡± ¡°I said I¡¯m fine!¡± He said firmly, almost biting his lips to stop him from shouting. He walked to his favorite seat position, which was thest seat on the bus, and close to the window. Surprisingly, he saw N walking up to where he was seated and immediately raised his hands to his head to cover his face. ¡°I know you are upset, say something at least. I can¡¯t have you bottling up all this inside.¡± ¡°What don¡¯t you understand?¡± He asked her, raising his eyebrows and his hands in the air. ¡± I am okay, can you please go back to your seat.¡± Austin was beginning to get irritated with her persistence. ¡°you know I¡¯ll always be¡­ ¡± ¡°Jesus Christ! what don¡¯t you understand N,¡± he snapped at her while standing up. ¡°What don¡¯t you get? Leave me alone, I don¡¯t need yourpany now or anyone¡¯s¡± He picked up his bag immediately and shoved N to the side, who was still dumbfounded by Austin¡¯s behavior. Everyone on the bus watched him walk right past them, as he walked fast to get off the bus. They faced N immediately as he was off the bus. She could hear some of them giggling and gossiping about the incident which just happened. She walked back to her seat, regretting ever trying to talk to him. Austin and N never made up after that day, he would see her in ss and she would act like she didn¡¯t even see him there like he was a Ghost. She tried as much as possible to make sure she wasn¡¯t made to feel that bad again. Walking to school for Austin was the only way he could avoid seeing N and bracing himself for the day ahead at school. He had been enrolled in the school football team by the principal because ording to him ¡°Getting involved in extracurricr activities would help you heal faster and move on.¡± He always told himself, there¡¯s no way possible he¡¯s forgetting about the death of his mother so soon. Staring at his watch, he was almost at the school but he was a bitte and he only hoped the principal wouldn¡¯t see him getting into the ss thatte. ¡°I just hope this man doesn¡¯t see me this time¡± He and the principal have had quite the show because of histe arrival. The principal tried to ignore it after some weeks of himingte to school, using his mother¡¯s demise as a reason to pardon him. But it became a Habit with Austin and the Principal couldn¡¯t allow it. He made sure to tell Austin that the next time he gets himingte, it¡¯s going to be Detention. On Getting to the school, as expected, the school halls were empty. His ss wasn¡¯t anywhere close to the principal¡¯s office. ¡± Thank God¡± He sighed with relief, walking down to his ss. ¡°Look who it is¡± Austin froze immediately, with the footsteps slowly approaching him. He couldn¡¯t move or turn because he recognized that voice like it was the sound of his rm. It was Principal Jacob. He wasn¡¯t feared by the students but he was respected. He was known to be the father figure for every student, always trying to make sure they were in the right state of mind for their studies and other activities but sometimes the students feel like he overdoes it. ¡°Hello sir,¡± he greeted, faking a smile on his face as he wrapped his fist firmly while he turned. ¡± What did I tell you about youingte next time?¡± Austin rubbed his hands on his head, pretending to try to remember ¡± Did you tell me something, sir?¡± ¡± DETENTION!¡± ¡°But sir,¡± he attempted to argue his case but the principal was already on his way to his office. Principal Jacob walked majestically and made sure his ck Italian shoe made a single sound with his step as if to announce his presence and instill fear in his students. Whenever he was walking. He suddenly turned and waved his hands toward Austin, ¡°I¡¯m expecting you by 3 pm, don¡¯t bete son.¡± He didn¡¯t expect not to be punished foringte, he just hoped he¡¯d beat the time and be at the school earlier. Making his way into his ssroom and there was already a teacher in the ssroom. ¡°Ah, if it isn¡¯t our famousteer¡± Their football coach and also their chemistry teacher, Coach Damian. ¡°Sir I had something with my Dad this morning ¡± Coach Damian walked up to him and smiled ¡°Don¡¯t you get tired of this same excuse?¡± ¡°I guess he doesn¡¯t because he doesn¡¯t even remember he said the same thingst week¡± a loud voice replied from the back. Everyone in the ss tried not tough, but it was a failed attempt as everyone burst outughing and hit their desks. Austin could feel his heart about to explode, not this same scene of having so many eyes on him again. ¡°Jade, I¡¯ll need you in my office for that statement, because I don¡¯t remember asking you that question¡± Jade was the football star in the school and a rough bully for someone as short as him. He¡¯s 5¡¯4 but still ends up making people feel shitty for being who they are. He feels making them feel they aren¡¯t enough would raise his standards before them and at least hide his insecurities for being short. ¡°Okay sir¡± ¡°You can have your seat now,¡± coach Jacob instructed Austin, pointing to his seat.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Austin made his way to his seat. His eyes caught N looking at him, but she immediately looked away. N did everything she could to avoid Austin¡¯s stares as she felt his eyes steadily fixated on her during their lecture in ss. She felt he¡¯d stop anytime soon but he didn¡¯t. N, packed up her books and bag. Chapter Two ¡°Coach Damian, please can I use the Restroom¡± ¡°Sure¡± N made her way out of the ss and Austin hurriedly picked up his bags running after her. ¡°Austin!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry coach¡± Austin ran after her, but her steps only increased in pace. ¡°N please wait¡± He held her bag, which made her stop to look at him. N turned, staring at him without saying anything. Austin couldn¡¯t mutter a word either as he was busy panting with one hand on his knee and one hand up, gesturing for her to give him a minute. ¡°Are you going to say something or not?¡± Taking her arms into his hands, he just couldn¡¯t find the word to say to her. He was terrible with women and hasn¡¯t had to apologize or even ask ady out in his life. In summary, Austin had never experienced anything intense with the opposite gender. Looking up to her face ¡± I miss you N¡± ¡°You miss me?¡± N looked confused, ¡± that¡¯s what you thought to say, that you missed me Austin?¡± ¡°Okay wait¡­, urgh, maybe I messed up¡± She shrugged her arms off his hands forcefully, ¡°You have nothing to say Austin, I¡¯m not even sure you feel sorry.¡± N readjusted her bags, attempting to walk away again. He grabbed her and turned her to face him, he could feel his leg shaking already but managed to force out the words he should have said a long time ago. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I miss you. I miss us. I shouldn¡¯t have shouted at you the way I did.¡± Moving a step closer to her, N moved a step back. He smiled ¡± I know you might still be mad at me¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Might, I felt insulted by what you did, you made me feel Rejected Austin, I thought we were friends¡± cing his hands on her lips, ¡± shhh, we are friends N, there¡¯s no excuse for what I did but I¡¯ll make it up to you I promise¡± N smiled but quickly put up a straight look, ¡°How would you do that then?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The school bell rang, interrupting Austin. The school hall would be crowded with students and he knew. Letting go of her hands, he walked back slowly, smiling. ¡°Come watch me y football¡± Her mouth flew wide open, ¡°Football, you are terrible at it¡± she screamed, the students were already in the all and she found it hard to have a clear view of Austin. What was he thinking she thought. She smiled, she had to go up to the library for her reading. Suddenly she felt a hand go round her waist, drew her back, and before she could struggle. ¡°I did miss you N¡± ¡°Austin, people are watching¡± ¡°I seriously don¡¯t care anymore¡± N broke away from his grasp, ¡± well I do Austin¡± she turned and left him standing there. What was I thinking, Austin asked himself. He made everything worse. He made his way through the crowd to go attend the next ss and Hoped he Concentrates and not think about what just happened ********************* 3 pm and It was time for his detention, Austin hated the principal¡¯s office with everything he could think of, it reeked of old books, and for some reason, he hated that smell. N on the other hand happened to love it because she was quite the reader herself. ¡°Good afternoon sir¡± He made his way into the office as the principal raised his eyes to look at him and gestured for him to sit down. ¡°I can¡¯t keep on having the same Conversation with you Austin¡± Principal Jacob removed his sses and leaned forward. ¡°Your mother wouldn¡¯t want this for you, you know that right?¡± Austin kept quiet staring straight at him in the eyes, Principal Jacob couldn¡¯t read the emotioning from him but Austin was trying to prevent any breakdown so he tried as much as possible not to talk about his mum with anyone. ¡°Sir, with all due respect but I don¡¯t think I want to have this conversation with you¡± ¡± I could rmend a therapist¡± ¡°Sir please, I don¡¯t need any of those things, I came here for my detention and I¡¯ll be happy if we focused on that instead¡± Principal Jacob smirked, stood up, and gathered some documents on his desk ¡°Go to The Coach¡¯s office, he¡¯s expecting you¡± Austin left his office and walked down to coach Damian¡¯s office. Jade was surprised to see Austin walk-in ¡°And what are you doing here boy?¡± Jade asked Austin who was still standing by the door. ¡°Come in¡± Coach Damian waved to Austin to walk towards them. ¡°So how can I help you?¡± Jade hit Austin on his arms ¡± Hey, he¡¯s talking to you¡± ¡°Umm, Principal Jacob asked me to Join the Football team¡± ¡°What?¡± Jade ended up covering his mouth, trying to stop him fromughing loud Coach Damian with a subtle smile, ¡± Can you even y football Austin?¡± ¡°yes coach, I use to do so growing up¡± ¡°Come on man, you can¡¯t even¡­¡± ¡°Shut the F**k up, I wasn¡¯t talking to you¡± Austin howled at Jade. Jade was surprised to even see Austin reply to him that way. Coach Damian immediately stepped in holding Jade from approaching Austin ¡°Language, Austin,nguage¡± ¡°Jade, go to the field, we¡¯ll catch up and rally the boys¡± Jade left the office fixing his gaze on Austin as he shut the door. ¡°I don¡¯t want you getting hurt or getting into trouble out there¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try not to do that¡± ¡°You¡¯ll try?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t get into trouble¡± ¡°Good¡± Coach Damian walked over to the field with Austin. Other boys were there practicing different training drills. Austin checked his phone to see if N had left him a message because he couldn¡¯t see her anywhere. He felt bad after what happened earlier that day. ¡°EVERYONE!¡± the coach called the attention of other students on the field. He urged them to make sure Austin was made to fit in the training drills and taught the pattern of the team. Austin could feel Jade¡¯s gaze on him while Coach Damian Addressed them. ¡°Now everyone get into position¡± Jade ran across everyone there and immediately took his position besides Austin. ¡°Do you even know what we are about to do¡± Austin focused his eyes forward trying not to give Jade the satisfaction of teasing him ¡°Come on, I know you can see me Austin ¡± Jade poked him ¡°Even a dummy would know it¡¯s a 100m race Jade¡± ¡°Oh well let¡¯s see what you got son¡± Jade looked forward, fixing his grip and Feet on the ground. Coach Making his instructions known to the students lined up that once they hear the whistle, they should take off. Austin wanted to make an impression as a recruit and he sure did want to make sure Jade swallowed his big fat pride by finishing above him in this race. As soon as the whistle was blown. Jade, ready to take off, scooped a little quantity of sand with his fists and threw it at Austin¡¯s face without anyone seeing. ¡°Arghh¡± He cried out, he lost his footing as he tried to take off. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Coach hurriedly ran towards him. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m okay¡± He takes the hand of Coach Damian to get on his feet. He tried to get off the sand particles left on his face. ¡°Ohh, mummy¡¯s boy, what happened?¡± Jade ran back, mocking Austin. ¡°What did you say?¡± Austin asked, moving fast towards Jade. ¡± I said mummy¡¯s¡­..¡± His fist hit Jade¡¯s chin before he couldplete his words. Jade, retaliated immediately. He grabbed Austin¡¯s feet making sure he lost bnce and pounced on him. Before he could start raining punches on him. Coach Damian lifted Jade off Austin. He hurriedly made it up to his feet, wanted to still go face to face with Jade but was stopped by Coach¡¯s hands. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with both of you? What exactly¡± He looked at Austin immediately ¡± and you, you are suspended¡± ¡°But sir you can¡¯t do that¡± ¡°Oh I just did, now take your things and leave.¡± Austin picked up his things showing no signs of remorse or trying to plead his case. He felt so angry at the world, he wanted to just end everything and everyone. He just needed peace and the only ce he had in mind was his mother¡¯s grave. Chapter Three Trying to open her eyes, but she felt the Sunray perfectly directed at her eyes. She adjusted her body and tried to stand up. Everything seemed blurred to her and she almost lost her bnce.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Where am I?¡± She questioned herself. She could see a perfectly dug grave in front of her with no coffin inside or name on it like it was been prepared for someone. Still confused, she looked around and saw no one except different graves with names on them. She still couldn¡¯t understand what she was doing there or how she got there. She could rememberst night, she and Justin, her boyfriend, were out having fun then. ¡°Oh, that bastard¡± she just remembered they had an issuest night but still couldn¡¯t fathom how she got to the cemetery. ¡°You know you shouldn¡¯t be speaking to him after everything I told you¡± Justin grabbed her arm making her squirm in pain ¡°Why are you so insecure?¡± ¡°Why would I be insecure about someone like you?¡± She stopped abruptly, ¡°what do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Uhh?¡± Pretending not to hear her. ¡°What do you mean by that Justin,¡± she asked again with her voice breaking. Justin walked up to her trying to hold her ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it that way¡± She knew she had a problem, she was a Nymphomaniac. She just couldn¡¯t control her sexual urges and desire. She was known as the popr bad girl in college but still, Justin managed to know how to deal with her issues. ¡°Can you please leave me alone¡± she went right back into the bar Justin was trying to have them leave. ¡°Babe!¡± Justin screamed but it all fell on deaf eyes. He didn¡¯t want to bother or force the issue. He got into his car and left for his ce. Justin was everything ady would want and the bad thing about that was that he knew it himself. Therefore leaving him with this pompous attitude, he had a perfectly built body, had rich parents, and was a popr musician in college. Everyone wanted him and he knew it. ¡°One more shot!¡± She instructed the waiter. She couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d say something like that to her after what they had been through. ¡°Can I join you?¡± A man with a ck hat and dark shades, which made it hard for anyone to capture his facial looks. But his arms were perfect, at least she thought that. ¡± Please go away¡± The stranger sat and Adjusted his body close to her, ¡±e on, you look like you¡¯ll need thepany¡± ¡°What do you want¡± ¡°Jus. Just to be your friend¡± She chuckled and turned straight to look at him. She leaned forward, taking his hands and slowly rubbing them in between her thighs, beneath her skirt. She could see the shock in his eyes and she liked that. Seeing him struggle to keep hisposure as she continuously drove his hands deeper inside her. ¡°You want that, huh¡± she murmured. ¡°Umm no, not really ¡± The man withdrew his hands back, sheughed and continued drinking. The stranger still hung around trying to engage her with conversations that she found boring but he still wouldn¡¯t leave after she dismissed him. People were leaving the bar already and it was gettingte, she couldn¡¯t even see properly or walk well. ¡°I¡¯ll drive you home if you don¡¯t mind¡± ¡°And why will you do that?¡± Sheughed, hitting him on his chest softly, ¡± you don¡¯t even know me¡± She was drunk, finding it hard to keep her bnce but the stranger had to support her while walking out of the bar ¡°Where do you stay?¡± That was all she could remember after waking up at the cemetery. ¡°Help¡± she screamed, not scared but she needed to leave here as soon as possible. The fact that she woke up at a cemetery worried her. She thought of her phone and quickly ran to where she woke up but couldn¡¯t find it. While searching for her phone, she noticed that what she thought to be a grave when she woke up was an endless pit, she couldn¡¯t see the end but just darkness through. She shouted but it just came back echoing. ¡°Well that¡¯s not creepy¡± She tried looking for a way out of the cemetery but couldn¡¯t find one. How could a Cemetery not have a gate she wondered. So how did she get here? All these questions with no answers, she decided to kill time by moving around from grave to grave reading the names of people who died and mocking those who didn¡¯t live a long life. ¡°How could he die so early, I wondered if it was his crazy ex who did that to him¡± sheughed aftering across a 21-year-old¡¯s grave. Death wasn¡¯t a stranger to her after all, she lost her father as a Kid. Her mother never gave her the attention she needed. She cried night, after night, needing someone tofort her, mostly a father figure. She didn¡¯t get that and that¡¯s what led to her being involved in drugs and sex at an early age. All she wanted was to kill the pains she felt. Before she turned 12, her mother died. She didn¡¯t even shed a tear for her. Attended her funeral with a cigar and chewed gum while she was buried. People wondered why she was that way but she couldn¡¯t care less. ¡°You are at your mum¡¯s funeral¡± her mother¡¯s younger sister came unto her ¡± spit that out now!¡± She reluctantly spits it out while rolling her eyes. ¡°And you areing with me after all this is over¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to¡± ¡°Who says you have a choice?¡± She was taken in by her aunt, not something she wanted but she was hoping she would be free after her mum¡¯s early passing. She thought right, she was still free. Her auntes homete and leaves for work before she wakes up. She had every freedom she ever wanted and growing up she never really stuck with one boy Except for Justin. He made her feel loved even with how she was. She was getting tired of the time being slow and being stuck at a ce she couldn¡¯t find a way out of the cemetery with its high walls. She suddenly heard the sound of the gate fling wide open. She stood up and turned to see where it wasing from but nothing. She couldn¡¯t see anything. All she saw was a Boy running into the cemetery, ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± She whispered to herself. Chapter Four Austin couldn¡¯t hold the pain in anymore, why did his mum have to leave him in this cruel world? Everything just seemed difficult for him. He never forgot waking up in the hospital after the news. She was everything to him, he never forgot the first toy she got him for passing his exams, regardless of him not being at the top of the ss. All he wanted was to make her happy when he was of age but she left. On that fateful day, he could hear his mum telling his dad toe to pick her up from her ce of work because she would be running ate shift. She was a Nurse at the only standard hospital they had in the city there. ¡°Could youe to pick me up from the hospital at 8 pm¡± his mum requested while packing up her bags. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have something to do this evening¡± his dad shouted back from his room because he was far away from her. ¡°Richard, just do this for me. Please¡± He barely heard her call his dad Richard except when they had one of their regr fights and she was aware he cheated on her. But for some reason Austin couldn¡¯t understand, she just couldn¡¯t leave him ¡°Why can¡¯t you just understand that I can¡¯te to pick you up from work¡± His mum left for work, not disappointed. As though she knew his dad would refuse to do that for her. After a hectic day at school that day. He got home and found out his dad wasn¡¯t home. He couldn¡¯t wait for his mum to get back as she had promised him the previous day to y chess with him. It was his favorite game just because of her. He waited and waited, with time he got more anxious and scared. Why weren¡¯t his parents home, he¡¯d ask himself. Finally, the door flung wide open and he saw his dad, with his shirt covered in blood. He could see his dad with his head down, but couldn¡¯t walk straight. Austin could feel his hands shaking, his heart almost finding its way through his chest. ¡°Where¡¯s mum,¡± he asked, going towards his father. His dad didn¡¯t look at him or even mutter a word. He grabbed his dad and shook him with every power he had. ¡°Where is mum!¡± His dad looked him straight in the eyes. He didn¡¯t need anyone to tell him, but he couldn¡¯t believe it either. She couldn¡¯t leave him, she promised to y chess with him. ¡°No no,¡± he moved backward with his voice breaking. ¡°She can¡¯t be¡­.¡± Hended hard on the floor, losing all consciousness. His dad ran to hold him up. Every measure to revive him didn¡¯t work. His dad took him to the same hospital his mother died in. The doctors couldn¡¯t even find a pulse for a minute but after that, they could. But he didn¡¯t wake up. He was breathing fine but he didn¡¯t wake up, he was in aa. Austin was on his mother¡¯s grave crying, hoping all the pains he had, she could just take them away. He needed just her in his life to make him happy again. Even if she was going through the trouble of finding out how she ended up in the cemetery, she was wondering who that boy was crying on that grave with a woman over his shoulder. She couldn¡¯t figure it out but she tried to stay hidden so she wouldn¡¯t be seen by him. Trying to sneak out and get a better glimpse of him, she almost fell into the pit before her and shended hard backward and closed her mouth hard to prevent her from screaming. He heard the loud sound, like someone or something falling hard on the floor. He stood up immediately, looking around suspiciously, ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± ¡°Hello!¡± He walked up to where he heard the sound, with his footsteps getting closer and closer. She held her mouth tighter and held her breath to stop her from being heard. He looked around and saw the pit, he went closer and she turned around the tree slowly as he got closer. ¡°Why¡¯s this empty and so deep¡±C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org He concluded that the sound might havee from something falling into the pit. Staring at the tree in front of him, he was about to take a U-turn around it, when he heard his phone ringing. Running to where he dropped his phone in his bag. It was N calling, he let out a sigh of relief. He thought she was still angry at him after the way he held her in the hall ¡°Hey N¡± ¡°Hey Austin, I didn¡¯t see you at training¡± ¡°Umm, well something happened, I had to leave early¡± ¡°Jade was left with swollen eyes, I have no idea what happened here¡± Rubbing his head ¡°ugh, I kind of did that to him¡± ¡°Austin, what were you thinking?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I wasn¡¯t thinking¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the one you should apologize to, and why did you do that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna talk about it N¡± ¡°It¡¯s always the same with you, not wanting to talk about it. I don¡¯t know why I try¡± ¡°N wait..¡± She already hung up the call on him and he hit his head, ¡± you stupid boy!.¡± He picked up his bags and books wanting to leave the cemetery and he took onest look at his mother¡¯s grave, ¡°I love you, mum.¡± She was d he didn¡¯t get to see her and that his phone rang to get her out of that awkward situation. But she needed to make sure she saw the way out of this ce, so she made sure to follow Austin as he was leaving. The further he went, she suddenly saw a bright light shine and she had to cover her eyes to prevent it from hurting her. She opened it and didn¡¯t see Austin anymore. All she could see was the Cemetery¡¯s High walls and nothing else. She looked around confused ¡°Was he a Ghost, what just happened?¡± she thought to herself. ¡°No no no¡± she shouted and broke down in tears. She couldn¡¯t bear staying here alone again. ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°What is going on¡± Chapter Five Austin rang the bell on N¡¯s door hoping to see her get the door so he¡¯d apologize. ¡°Oh, Good day Mr. Ben¡± The look on his face showed he was surprised to see N¡¯s dad home. He thought he wasn¡¯t going to be home until Christmas. Her father was a contractor and he was never home. He was always moving to different countries trying to close deals for his firm so he barely had time toe home. ¡± Austin!¡± Mr. Ben ushered out his arms to squeeze him for a hug. ¡°Come in, N¡¯s upstairs.¡± He came in and made sure to greet Mrs. Ben, who was busy in the kitchen. Their house was everything perfect to him, the decorations, the lights, and most importantly the fact they were still together. That was everything he dreamt of. He got to her bedroom and knocked twice. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, Austin¡± She opened the door halfway, hiding her body and just showing her face, ¡± what are you doing here?¡±C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°Can you let me in so we¡¯ll talk?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m busy¡± ¡°Come on N¡± He tried to push the door a bit ¡°Stop it¡± she pushed back ¡± give me a minute, I need to cover up¡± ¡°Okay¡± He waited as she locked her door and waited patiently. She tried to tidy up her room as fast as she could. What was he thinking, showing up at her ce unannounced? He¡¯s lucky her parents knew him. She dressed up in her bed, quickly wore her red night gown which covered a fair part of her body and cleared other things she knew would make him ask questions. ¡°You cane in now¡± she opened the door to him as he came inside, looking around like it was the first time or he was looking for something. She just wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been here,¡± he said, pressing her bed softly and sitting on it ¡°Yeah, ever since you decided to act like a rabid dog¡± ¡°Hey, I wasn¡¯t that bad¡± ¡°Yeah you were¡± she sat on her chair right opposite him but farther from the bed Him saw herptop closed halfway with the Skype application running ¡°You still video call him?¡± ¡°Uhh No,¡± she ran across, closed herptop quickly, and put it in her wardrobe. She knew he was right, she was on a call with her online boyfriend who doesn¡¯t stay in the same country as her and they had no ns of seeing each other. They just sex chat, have random video calls and she sends nude photos to him asionally. ¡°What did I tell you about that guy?¡± *You are in no ce to tell me anything about anyone¡± She replied. ¡°Okay¡± He got off the bed and moved closer to her. Bent down so his face could be on the same level as hers. He could see her gulp down her saliva, he didn¡¯t know what that meant but he could tell she was nervous. ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t trying to repeat what you did today at school ¡± ¡°And what did I do N?¡± He leaned forward slowly, till he was sure she couldn¡¯t breathe without him feeling it. ¡°You know Austin¡± her voice getting softer as he got closer to her. She couldn¡¯t tell why he had been this way with her. She didn¡¯t know if she liked this new version of Him or not. The one she knew before his mother¡¯s death was a scared person with no confidence whatsoever. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that too¡± he stood up immediately, picking up his bag from her bed and making his way to the door. She felt a bit disappointed. He didn¡¯t try to grab her waist again or at least touch her. Why was she thinking this way ¡°oh stop it¡± she quickly told herself. ¡°I missed you too you know¡± She said to Him as they made their way down the stairs. He smiled at her ¡°I know you did, I¡¯m your only friend in school¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sound cocky¡± she warned him ¡°I could go back to not talking to you¡± Getting to the door, he turned and just ended up staring at her without saying a word ¡°What is it, Austin?¡± ¡± Nothing, I¡¯m just d we are okay¡± ¡°Then stop being weird about it¡± Just as Austin was about to leave, ¡± why don¡¯t you join us for dinner?¡± Mrs. Ben beckoned him from the living room. He looked right back at N and she shook her head, urging him to decline. ¡°Sure Mrs. Ben, I¡¯ll love that ¡± Austin and N made their way to their dining table. The dining table was closely situated to the kitchen, so they could have a view of the kitchen from there. ¡°Let me help Mrs. Ben ¡± Austin made his way into the kitchen to assist her. She patted him on the back, thanking him. N had always been happy that her mum wasfortable with him but Her Dad has never had the chance to meet him and she was scared of the kind of impression Austin would leave, seeing that he was still going through a phase. ¡°Ohh, this smells good¡± Mr. Ben inhaled deeply as his meal was ced in front of him. Austin and Mrs. Ben took their seats and after they had a brief prayer, they all started eating. Amidst their meal, he would stare at N and smile. He couldn¡¯t remember thest time he had a fresh home-cooked meal. His dad was always ordering meals or having him eat the leftovers. ¡°So Austin, I bet you were surprised I recognized you,¡± he said smiling. He was indeed surprised Mr. Ben knew him and his mind could only wonder how. ¡°my wife wouldn¡¯t stop talking about how much a good friend you are to my princess ¡± ¡°Dad!!¡± N¡¯s cheek turned red as she attempted to stop her dad from saying things she wouldn¡¯t want Austin to know about. She showed Her dad a picture of Austin sometime in the past when he asked if she was making friends. Mr. Benughed loudly, nearly choking on his meal. Mrs. Ben grabbed the cup of water on the table and offered it to him ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be talking while eating¡± Clearing his throat ¡± this is the first time I¡¯m seeing Austin, let me make the most of it¡± Austin couldn¡¯t help but ster a smile on his face throughout his conversation with Mr. Ben, he made him feelfortable regardless of it being the first time they were meeting. Everything was going fine right until Mr. Ben asked about Austin¡¯s parents and Mrs. Ben quickly grabbed his hands. With the look in her eyes, he understood. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine sir¡± He stood up and N grabbed his hands immediately. She wanted to make sure he wasn¡¯t upset with the question her dad asked. ¡± No, I¡¯m fine, I promise.¡± ¡°Goodnight, I¡¯ll need to hurry home, I have assignments to do¡± he lied and he felt bad about doing so. But he hasn¡¯t figured out how to get around his mother¡¯s death and to stop reacting when questioned about it. N saw him off, but she wasn¡¯t sure if he was okay. She left him a text hoping to see him the next day, they had a whole training drill nned out for him. Chapter Six Austin Started off the morning with his dad waking him up from his sleep which he found disturbing. He left him with instructions on things he needed to do before leaving for school. His dad had no idea he was suspended and He nned to leave it that way. Right after his dad left, he flew back on the bed. After almost 2hours, he woke up to his phone beeping. N Remember the training by 5 pm He smiled after reading N¡¯s text and went back right into trying to do what his dad told him to do. He started by trying to fix himself a meal. On opening the Refrigerator, ¡°ugh, not again¡± he was disappointed at finding just cheese in it again. His dad made sure to leave him with enough pocket money, so he couldn¡¯tin about the meal at home. He reminisced about the wonderful night he had at Ben¡¯s, he missed being around happy faces and eating good food. He couldn¡¯t stay home till 5 pm, the school was going to dismiss by 4, so he needed to keep himself busy till then. But he had no friends, he stopped ying chess after his mother¡¯s death so that wasn¡¯t an option for him. He only thought about going to his mother¡¯s grave again to spend some time and talk to her. ************************************* She felt frustrated about everything going on and she hated herself for not trying to start a conversation with the guy who came to the cemetery yesterday. There was no sign of anyone or anything alive except the silence there, torturing her and tempting her sanity. ¡°Who was he?¡± ¡°What was he?¡± After using most of the day to question herself over and over again while being in distress, it came to her attention that she hasn¡¯t even felt hungry for one second since she woke up. Before she could wonder how and why that was possible, she heard the same sound she heard yesterday. The gate was flung open but she saw no gate and she saw the same boy who came yesterday. She took to her heels and ran towards him with full force, before the boy could make sure he was bnced, hended on the floor with her on top of him. Stillying on him. She smiled with relief on her face ¡°Hi¡± she smiled Pushing her by the side, Austin quickly stood up, infuriated. ¡°What is wrong with you? ¡°Um sorry?¡± She said unapologetically standing up and trying to get the dirt off him but he quickly prevented her from touching him. ¡°You have no idea how many guys would kill to in being in your shoes¡± ¡°To be in a cemetery with a Psychoticdy? I doubt that ¡± he walked towards his mother¡¯s grave and she stood still, with her mouth wide open. How dare he speak to her in that manner, guys in her college would not dare stand in her way whenever she walked past the hall, speak more of addressing her in such a manner. She was tempted to walk away immediately but she needed him to leave this ce somehow, she wasn¡¯t sure of what he was. She took in a deep breath and went after him. ¡°The name¡¯s Tasha, not that you asked but I¡¯m doing you the privilege of knowing it¡± Austin kept quiet, sitting beside his mum¡¯s grave, and ignored her. ¡°So what¡¯s your name?¡± she sat beside him. He ignored her, still concentrating on the name written on the grave. She noticed it and read it out loud ¡°Mrs. Richard Joan¡±. Austin looked at her and returned his gaze right back at the grave. ¡°So who was the woman you came with yesterday?¡± ¡°What woman?¡± Austin quickly replied, looking confused. ¡°Ady was standing over you here when you were busy crying like a baby¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t crying like a baby¡± ¡°Oh yes you were, cute little boy¡± she made fun of him, shaping her lips like she was trying to kiss him. Putting his hands up again ¡± whatdy were you talking about?¡± ¡°Never mind, it probably wasn¡¯t you¡± she waved it off immediately. Staring at him deeply, she was sure it was him. Was he pretending not to remember or was he hiding something from her? Austin wondered how she knew he came here yesterday, ¡°Are you stalking me?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Yes. Are you stalking me?¡± She stood up immediately, moving back slowly as he came unto her too, he held her immediately and she could feel his grip tighten and the aggression rise in his tone. ¡°Okay okay, I was the one who fell over yesterday and you came over there to check,¡± she said pointing at the tree close to the pit. Austin still held her tightly not knowing if to believe her or not. ¡°Just leave me alone¡± she released herself from his grip and watched him as he picked up his things and checked his phone. Austin checked the time hoping it was close to the time he and N agreed on. After a few minutes of awkward silence without any of them speaking to the other. Austin sighed and asked the question which was already bothering him ¡°How did you get here?¡± ¡± Oh, now you are interested?¡± ¡°How would you react if you were in my shoes?¡± *Not act like a dick towards ady¡± ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t y that card!¡± ¡°y what card? You saw ady at a cemetery, alone and in distress, you are supposed toe to her aid¡± Austin ready to reply to her almost immediately ¡°I bet you are still single as it is¡± ¡± That is none of your business¡± he gestured for her to stand up ¡± so how did you end up here¡± ¡°Well I don¡¯t know, I just ¡­¡± she paused looking confused ¡°You just what?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just figure out how I got here except I knew I was at a bar with my boyfriend..¡± ¡°your boyfriend?¡± He hid his faceughing ¡°What¡¯s funny, me being here or the fact I have a boyfriend?¡± ¡°Just surprised, someone would date a girl like you¡± he eyed her from head to toe, carefully assessing what she was on this time. Her armless silk gown was covered in mud, and above her knees showed her ebony thighs. ¡± Are you a sex worker?¡± Tasha¡¯s fist tightened, but she managed to hide it behind her. How dare he assume a thing like that about her, he was lucky she needed him to get out of here. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves ¡± Do I look like one to you?¡± He nodded his head, indicating she did. ¡°Well I¡¯m not, I¡¯m sorry if you aren¡¯t used to seeingdies dress and go out to dates or night parties because I¡¯m guessing you haven¡¯t been to one¡± Austin couldn¡¯t mutter one word because he knew she was right and just when he could speak ¡± So what about your boyfriend?¡± Tasha smiled showing a sign of satisfaction, knowing fully well she got under his skin too. ¡± Well we had a few drinks and I fought with him¡± ¡°Not surprised about the fight¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know what happened¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to know, you are at fault¡± ¡°What exactly is your problem with me?¡± Tasha threw her hands up, frustrated. ¡°Nothing?¡± ¡°So you guys fought and what else?¡± Austin gestured for her to continue as he walked over a grave and she followed suit. ¡°Well then this stranger came up to me after he left, wanting to talk to me but I refused¡± ¡°Hmm, is that so?¡± Austin replied with a sarcastic tone ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I was pretty wasted and he offered to help me home but I refused¡± ¡°All I could rememberst is leaving the bar with him and waking up here¡± Tasha pointed to the spot under the tree as they came to a stop. ¡°All this just seems crazy but I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m supposed to help you?¡± ¡°Where are we? I just need you to see me off to the nearest bus station¡± Austin sighed ¡± Okay, okay. This is Boston¡± ¡°BOSTON!¡± ¡°What is it?¡±C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°Oh my God,¡± she had her hands going through her hair. That¡¯s like two cities away from hers. ¡°I stay in Brooklyn¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s like two cities away¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be sure to find my way there, it¡¯s gettingte already.¡± ¡± Yeah let me just pick up my things, and we¡¯ll be on our way¡± Austin made his way to where he left his bags to get them. Tasha knew she had to go with him to find her way out of here, but what if he was a Ghost and that white light led to somewhere else? She shook her head immediately Asif to get those thoughts out of her head. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go¡± Tasha was on her way to meet him and she felt she needed to hold him as they left so she doesn¡¯t get stuck here again. She didn¡¯t want to take that risk of being here another day. She wasn¡¯t even sure of when he would return. ¡°Ouch¡± Tasha cried out and fell to the ground, pretending to hit her leg on a stone. Austin pretended to be deaf to her wailings so she increased her tone ¡°please help, this hurts so much¡± He sighed and turned back reluctantly, moving toward her ¡°Apart from being extremely annoying, are you also blind?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t shout at me, I didn¡¯t see it¡± she raised her arms as Austin took them and help her get up. She was limping as Austin had her hands over his shoulders and he bent a little to help her walk. Her hands were cold like she was the queen of the winter season. ¡°Why are your hands so cold?¡± He asked as they approached the gate of the cemetery. ¡± Are they? I guess it¡¯s because¡­.¡± Suddenly she was interrupted by a bright light, she had to raise her hands to cover her face. She felt her head spinning. She tried to say something but she couldn¡¯t. It was the same light she saw the other day as Austin left the cemetery. ¡°Hey!¡± Austin shook her unconscious body in his arms, she wasn¡¯t responding. Chapter Seven It¡¯s been over 15 minutes and Tasha hasn¡¯t moved or let alone breathe like she was alive. Austin was scared and sweating profusely. He looked around but no one came to his aid. Whenever he screams ¡°help¡± his voicees running back to him. Confused and not knowing what to do, Tasha was just in his arms, as he sat on the ground, downcast. He suddenly felt her moving with her eyes opening gradually ¡°Tasha!¡± He shook her aggressively as if he wanted her to be up quickly ¡°What happened,¡± Tasha asked, as she held her head and gradually sat up, then squinted her eyes. She could feel her head banging like a music concert was being held there. She couldn¡¯t see clearly, the tree and even Austin¡¯s perfectly dark skinned toned face and fairly shaped brows were all blurred. She felt like she was stunned by an aggressive hit from a fist or something harder. ¡°You passed out as we came out of the cemetery¡± She looked back and saw the average iron gate of the cemetery, it was silver in color and the color was almost washed off already. She could see the walls surrounding it and it wasn¡¯t as high as the ones she saw while she was in the cemetery. She couldn¡¯t figure out how that was possible or why everything was going this way but she was d she came out of there. ¡°But..¡± Tasha still looking confused ¡°But what?¡± Austin leaned closer immediately, looking worried. He had no idea why she fainted, but he was just d she was okay. He wasn¡¯t ready to witness another death, let alone be there when it happened. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, let¡¯s get going¡± ¡°No, you should rest a bit¡± She nced up at him and could see him sweating with it written all over his face that he was worried. ¡°Wait, were you scared?¡± She asked smiling Austin immediately feigned a mean look ¡°No I wasn¡¯t¡± ¡°Then you were worried¡± ¡± I just didn¡¯t want a psychoticdy, who I don¡¯t know dying on me¡± ¡°Can you stop calling me that?¡± ¡°Calling you what?¡± ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t¡± ¡°The psychoticdy thing¡± ¡°Oh that!¡± Austin raised his eyebrows ¡°Yes that, Just stop it¡± ¡°Okay, your highness¡± he agreed with a sarcastic tone. Tasha stood up immediately ¡°whatever¡± she started walking, not knowing where she was heading to. But she needed to leave his presence as he was already getting her upset. ¡°I said you needed to rest¡± She stopped abruptly and turned to him ¡± And how¡¯s that your business?¡± He sighed, ¡°Okay, I am sorry¡± ¡°Sorry for?¡± Austin bent his head, gnashing his teeth. She was going to make him say this. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being a Jerk¡± Tasha¡¯s face lightened up almost immediately ¡°And there it is, nothing happened to you as you apologized right?¡± She walked back to where he was. ¡°Now that¡¯s the first step to being a better man¡± ¡°Don¡¯t push it¡± He replied coldly, ignoring the hand Tasha stretched to help him get up. He stood up, cleaning the back of his shorts as it was covered in brown mud. Tasha overlooked what he did and followed him as he was leading her to the bus terminal. She slid her hand in between his arms. ¡°So what should we talk about?¡± Austin stared at her puzzled, and slowly removed her hands ¡± I agreed to help you, didn¡¯t say we were friends¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Are you also dumb?¡± ¡®Excuse me?¡± Austin stopped immediately and Tasha stood still staring at him straight into his eyeballs. He was a bit taller than her, she was at his shoulder length and he could easily see in between her head. ¡°Yes, are you also dumb? She repeated, ¡°because I never recalled saying we were friends¡± Austin hesitantly started walking and left her behind as he had nothing else to say to her. Tasha stood behind, watching him walk away, and wondered how someone could be this handsome and be this rude. ¡°Wait up¡± she ran after him. They walked for some minutes before she started seeing nice buildings with nice structures. The House painted with brown, and red lights hung over the roof with flowers nted outside their walls caught her attention. ¡°Wow, who owns this¡± she pointed to the building. Austin followed her finger and saw it was Jade¡¯s. But he was still feeling bad about how she got him thest time and wanted to get back at her. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to know the owner of every building in Boston, right?¡± ¡°You could have just said No, you don¡¯t have to be rude about it¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m being rude?¡± Austin snapped at her ¡°Don¡¯t shout at me, don¡¯t you ever!¡± Tasha raised her finger at him. Austin couldn¡¯t put up with her any longer and she has gotten him angry more times he had snapped at people for his mother¡¯s death. ¡°Well good luck finding your way back to Brooklyn¡± Austin adjusted his bags as he walked away from her with no particr ce in mind. ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll find my way without you then¡± Tasha scoffed at Austin. Austin walked away not caring about her or how she found her way back home. ¡°Shit¡± Austin just remembered he had training scheduled with N earlier that day and he hurriedly brought out his phone and saw N¡¯s missed calls. N Pick up your phone. He saw the text she also left him. How could he not have heard his phone ring? His anger and raged focused on Tasha, it was all her fault. If he had not been so busy with her, he was sure he would miss N¡¯s call. He tried calling her back but it all ended with Her hanging up on him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± Austin typed, but erased it. ¡°let me make it up to you¡± he also deleted that and ended up not sending anything but drowning in anger and regret, he has every chance to make it up to N but ends up messing up every time. Everywhere seemed foreign to Tasha, she had no idea where she was going, Darkness had graced thend she could see nothing but street lights beaming and no one in in sight. She came to a stop where saw a long pole with a sign which read Busstop. She sighed with relief hoping to find a bus that would lead her somewhere and when she asked the right questions, she¡¯ll be on her way home. She Sat on the bench there with a protective canopy on top. Swinging her legs and burying her head in her hands, after a few minutes of waiting, she heard the sound of a bus moving fast toward her direction and she quickly sprang up to her feet. ¡°Hey!¡± She waved her hands signaling the bus to stop but it just went by. Disappointed, she went back to sitting and hoped anotheres by because it was already veryte and she shouldn¡¯t be out by that time. She was used tote outings but only when she was with a male protective figure but now she was alone. She stayed there hoping and waiting for buses toe by but the same thing happened, they didn¡¯t stop for her and they all went by like she wasn¡¯t there. Chapter Eight ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡± Austin¡¯s Father fumed as he barged into his room. ¡°Get up from there now¡± Austin used the pillow to cover his head to prevent himself from hearing his father¡¯s voice. He felt his father aggressively grab the pillow from him ¡°What is it this time?¡± Austin reluctantly asked his father with his eyes still shut. ¡°I said, get up!¡± He slowly stood up and sat at the edge of the bed. ¡°I know your mother¡¯s death has been tough on you¡± ¡°Oh please dad¡± He interrupted his father immediately, standing up to leave, but his father grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back to the bed. ¡°Listen to me! I have condoned your disrespect and every other thing, but so help me God this continues. I¡¯ll¡­¡± ¡°You would what?¡± He stood up immediately facing his dad with no space left between them. His father was dark as night, his beard rough and hair scattered like he had no time for himself. ¡°What would you do that you haven¡¯t done before Dad?¡± His father held his fist and sighed slowly with anger building in him. ¡°Go to school today¡± ¡°I can¡¯t, I¡¯m suspended ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what you can do and cannot do, go to school or else you better find somece to stay because you are not going to live with me with this shitty attitude¡± his father instructed him as he left his room leaving the door wide open. Austin let out a sigh of relief as he threw himself back on his bed, how could his dad wake him up by 5 am just to say this, when then did he get the news? He had hoped the principal wouldn¡¯t call him but it happened anyways and how would he get back to school? All these thoughts made waves in his head. He couldn¡¯t sleep anymore so he took to doing his chores that morning. He might not enjoy listening to his father but he couldn¡¯t bear the sight of dirt around him, so he made it a point of duty to always clean. He couldn¡¯t go to school as early as 7:30 am because he was sure the principal would be hanging around the school entrance. Following the bus wasn¡¯t an option either. He couldn¡¯t stay home, this morning incident showed him a side of his father he had never seen and he wasn¡¯t sure he was ready to leave his house yet. Yes! The thought struck him, N would dly go with him if he called her, the only problem was she hadn¡¯t returned any of his calls and that meant she wasn¡¯t ready to speak to him yet. He left home with his usual pocket money left by his father and started his journey on foot. After walking for a few minutes almost at the school, he could see ady with her head held down, swinging her hands and walking slowly. Her blonde hair was not styled and it suddenly dawned on him, that was Tasha. He was surprised she was still here. Swallowing his pride, he crossed over and approached her. ¡°Hey, you are still around?¡± Tasha raised her head slowly, with her eyebags swollen like someone whocked a good night¡¯s sleep. She didn¡¯t look happy to see him either, he could tell. ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t our perfect gentleman ¡± she greeted him, feigning a smile. She walked right past him. ¡± Hey, you don¡¯t look so good¡± He held her back. She stared back at his hands boldly stered on hers and looked back at him. ¡°Let¡¯s get something straight Austin¡± removing his hands ¡± We aren¡¯t friends, you don¡¯t care! So why are you bugging me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for yesterday, I shouldn¡¯t have left you¡± ¡°That¡¯s you apologizing twice in a space of two days, how often do you piss people off?¡± ¡°Oh you don¡¯t know the half of it¡± Austin smiled ¡°It¡¯s not funny¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Tasha, you don¡¯t look so good¡± ¡°I know right ¡± Tasha sulked as she looked at herself from head to toe with specks of dirt all over her. ¡± My life was better in Brooklyn, Trust me. You would be begging me to talk to you¡± ¡°And how did that get into this context?¡± Austin questioned ¡°I¡¯m just saying, Incase you feel I¡¯m not attractive¡± ¡°Well you are not¡± She looked at him interrogatively ¡°you know that¡¯s not true¡± ¡°Well you look like shit right now, you shoulde to freshen up at my ce, then you could hang around and I¡¯lle to see you off at the park this evening after school¡± Tasha was silent for a bit, indecisive about what to say. This was the same boy who left her for dead yesternight. She couldn¡¯t have one minute of rest as she was at war with mosquitoes who came to camp with her. But he seemed like a nice person amidst all his terrible attitude, she thought to herself. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get going. Wouldn¡¯t want poor Austin to bete because of me¡± she gestured to him to lead the way. *Oh I¡¯d be the president of the Late colony if there was something like that¡± he chuckled. ¡°So what grade are you in?¡± ¡°None of your business Tasha¡± Austin had here with him and looked at his cell phone to check the time. His father should be out already, he thought. The road was free and silent like a graveyard and he was d. He wouldn¡¯t want neighbors seeing him with ady this early, talk less of her looking unkempt. They got to his ce and he told her to wait while he went inside to check for something, he only wanted to be sure that his father was out. He came back and told her she coulde in. Tasha walked in looking around the house, the red carpet with Tiger skin made herfortable, at least her legs needed the change. The sitting room was filled with just three red leather seater couches. ¡°You could have just told me you wanted to make sure no one was home¡± Tasha spoke up as she followed Austin. She saw a family photo hung up on the wall. Two short boys with ck dyed hair and a man and woman standing in between them. ¡°Who¡¯s that other boy, because I¡¯m sure as hell the ugly-looking boy is you¡± Tasha questioned him as she stopped, fixing her gaze on the photo. ¡°Let¡¯s just make sure you freshen up and leave here¡± he replied her and Signalled her to follow him up to his room. After she got in, she took off her gown immediately and Austin quickly turned his face. ¡°What¡¯s it¡± Tashaughed, ¡°you can¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t seen ady naked before¡± ¡°Well¡­you.. should have just told me before you took it off¡± Austin stammered as he backed her. She smiled, she couldn¡¯t believe it. He hasn¡¯t been with a girl before. She took off herced panties and she wasn¡¯t on bras because she hated them. Standing naked, She looked around his room and it had nothing, Just nothing. No basketball-rted photos, pornographic pictures, Just nothing at all. You couldn¡¯t get any impression from being in the room. ¡°Your room sucks, are you this sad?¡± ¡°Can you get into the bathroom already?¡± Austin replied with his back still facing her. ¡°Or what?¡± She muttered slowly walking towards him, Austin could feel she wasing and felt his leg shaking again. ¡°Come on, Just turn a bit. Have a glimpse¡± she tilted her to look at his face to face with her body still behind him. ¡°Just go Tasha, I don¡¯t want to bete for school¡± ¡°But you said..¡± ¡°Forget what I said and go and take a shower¡± Sheughed and went into the bathroom. Austin immediately sat on his bed with his hands on his chest, he could hear his heart pounding. After some seconds, he could hear the water sshing in the bathroom. ¡°Get me some clothes¡± Tasha screamed from the bathroom ¡°I don¡¯t have any sisters, remember? So what would you wear?¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Just get me any of your clothes, dumbo¡± she replied ¡°God she¡¯s so annoying¡± he whispered to himself. He went into his wardrobe and shuffled his clothes, his ck T-shirt was too precious to him for her to have it. He got his yellow armless Lakers Jersey with Durant¡¯s name inscribed on the back and one of his ck Pants. He went over to his bathroom and knocked twice, opened it slowly, and put his hands in stretching his hands to give the clothes to Tasha. ¡°I can¡¯t reach it¡± He leaned a bit further, lost his bnce, and ended up on the floor. ¡°Ouch,¡± he whimpered in pain as he grabbed his head with his hand. Forgetting she was naked, he looked up and Gulped down hard. Droplets of water run down her caramel thighs, her tits perfectly shaped and her nipples pointy which were a bit darker than herplexion. ¡°Hello! My Clothes!¡± Tasha asked, bringing back to reality. Austin hurriedly stood up and dropped the clothes on her hands. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡± he stuttered as he went out of the bathroom immediately. ¡°God she¡¯s a goddess¡±, He thought, the picture of her naked constantly reying in his head. ¡°And those are my Clothes, not your Tasha!¡± Austin screamed. Tasha smiled as he heard him ¡°I¡¯m surprised you found the voice to say something after what happened¡± she replied while styling her hair with hisb there, she found his bathroom amazingly neat for a guy. She stretched her hair with theb and made sure it was straight as ever without leaving any curly parts. She came out of the bathroom and saw Austin busy with his cellphone ¡°How do I look?¡± He turned and looked back at her. His Jersey perfectly fit her body, she looked lost in it but her slender arms and shoulder striking beauty. The pants folded at her feet as if it wasn¡¯t her match. Her smile caught his attention as she asked him the question, lost in every minute of it as her lips got wide with excitement. Her skin was glowing like the best thing he had ever seen, she was everything beautiful to him. ¡°You could easily pass as my younger brother,¡± he managed to say. ¡°What?¡± ¡± You heard me¡± He peeped at his wall clock, ¡°we have to go now, I should be in school already. Where would I find you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll find you,¡± she said smiling Surprised by her statement and still looking puzzled, ¡°well that¡¯s not creepy¡± he said. He and Tasha made their way out of his house and He locked up ¡°I¡¯ll see youter bro,¡± Austin said to her as he made his way to school again ¡°Ha, ha so funny¡± she fakedughter as she waved him goodbye smiling. Chapter Nine The school hallways in it¡¯s usual moment of silence, Austin made his way Inside and was d the Principal didn¡¯t see him This time. He couldn¡¯t go to the ss because he was sure there would a teacher and not too many of them liked him. He made his way into the school cafeteria, it was in modern form with different benches and wide tables in different rolls where studentse with their cliques to eat. Different cliques and different kinds of people, the popr rich kids, the footballers and cheerleaders. He always ate alone and surprisingly for him, no one had noticed him enough for them to disturb his lunch break. He went into the cafeteria and met it empty with no one there at the time. He looked outside the window and saw the school field, he immediately remembered the incident where he punched jade and chuckled. He couldn¡¯t believe he actually did that, well there was a good side to him getting angry. Now he has to live with the consequences and dealing with Jade throughout his remaining year in school. The bell rang and he knew the cafeteria would be flooded with student any moment, he readjusted his body immediately. His legs were on the table initially. Students came rushing in and he used one of his hands to cover his face. He was sure the news of him punching Jade had traveled really fast. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Austin looked up to see who that was and his heart skipped a bit immediately, he has no idea he was sitted in the part of cafeteria meant for the football team. ¡°Umm. Jade I was about leaving¡± ¡°And why¡¯s that?¡± Jade dropped his food on the table and urged others to sit. They all Sat congesting Austin who sat in between all of them. He swallowed hard, he wasn¡¯t sure how this would go down, all of them against him? He didn¡¯t stand a chance. ¡°I don¡¯t want any trouble ¡± ¡°You did, when you punched me hard¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be, that was sexy¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you feel like a star right now¡± Jade grinned. ¡°You know, the first person to hit me in school¡± Who does he think he is, Austin thought , he just felt like he should jump over the table and Hit this pompous bastard again but he ended up keeping himself in check, wouldn¡¯t want to be suspended again when his recent suspension wasn¡¯t over. ¡°Look Jade, I said I was sorry¡± Austin stood up to leave. ¡°Where are you going¡± Jade asked, sipping his lemonade ¡°This is the table for us footballers, except you aren¡¯t one of us again¡± Austin rolled his eyes and sighed, he knew what Jade was up to and looked straight at him but was only replied to with Jade¡¯s mischievous smile. ¡°I¡¯ll need to go get my food¡± Austin made up an excuse ¡°Well let him go with you¡± Jade replied, pointing to a guy equally as short as him. Light skin and slender like Austin. He stood up, wanting to go towards Austin. ¡°Do I look like I need someone to watch over me?¡± Austin asked, frustration oozing from his tone as he held out his hand, instructing the guy to stop. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that, you just need someone to talk to¡± Jade replied calmly with a straight face. ¡°Whatever¡± Austin excused himself from their presence and went over to the counter to order his food. The guy followed him but he had no idea. ¡°Just chicken chips?¡± the guy asked Austin took a glimpse at him and took his attention right back to his meal. ¡°The name¡¯s Jason¡± Austin still did not reply ¡°I know you might not be okay with this but for what it¡¯s worth, I know he is a Jerk too¡± Austin looked back at him again ¡°Then why are you with him?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not with him¡± Jason said Smiling ¡± I need my grades to be perfect, and being good at football would help. Plus I love the sport too, same way you do¡± ¡°Trust me, I feel everything but love towards football¡± Austin replied taking a bite from his chips. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me¡± Austin smiled and still continued eating at the counter. ¡°You know I¡¯m here because I actually like you¡± Austin immediately started choking while drinking his lemonade, surprised by what he heard. ¡°Is anything wrong¡± Jason asked, Patting Austin on his back and was met by Austin¡¯s eyes which screamed Yes! He immediately burst outughing ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I meant, Bro I¡¯m straight as a ruler.¡± ¡°Then what did you mean?¡± Austin not convinced by what he said. ¡°After what you did with Jade, the punch? Bro it¡¯s hard not to like someone as Confident as that¡± Austin let out a sigh of relief smiling and urged him for them to get back to the other guys. ¡°It was worth it, you should try punching him yourself sometime¡± ¡°And that¡¯s your reply, you don¡¯t like me I¡¯m guessing ¡± Jason smiled as he followed Austin back. They sat with the boys and barely said a word again, as Jade was busy talking and telling them how winning the state championship that year would be such a big achievement for them. The bell rang again and they knew it was time for them to all go to the field. Austin tried staying back, while they all went and Jason noticed him not making any preparations to go with them. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up?¡± Jason came back running. ¡°I didn¡¯te with my kit, I must have forgotten it at home¡± ¡°Well I have a spare jersey in my locker, you could use mine¡± ¡°And y with my sneakers?¡± ¡°Well the choice is yours man¡± Jason said leaving him with instructions to his locker, should he decide to join them for training. Austin sat alone in the cafeteria, thinking of how he¡¯ll join up with them without coach Damian acting up with him present there. He just couldn¡¯t stay there doing nothing, he decided to go check Jason¡¯s locker for his jersey and ended up walking into N on the way. ¡°Hey N¡± he said, N tried to ignore him but he stood in front of her immediately causing her to stop. ¡°Hey Austin¡± she replied with an Indifferent look ¡°I¡¯m sorry aboutst time¡± ¡°You are always sorry¡± N tried to get past him and he stopped her again ¡°I¡¯m serious, I have a valid exnation for not showing up¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hear it then¡± Austin cleared his throat ¡± so I went to the cemetery to visit my mum and ended up meeting this girl who had no idea how she got there¡± ¡°How¡¯s that possible?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it tomorrow, I promise¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± N asked as Austin sprinted off ¡°Training!¡± He screamed.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Austin got to the pitch and saw the boys divided into two sets and some others sitted on the bench, coach Damian sighted him from afar and folded his hands, wondering what he was doing there. ¡°Do you have a problem understanding what a three days suspension means?¡± ¡°Coach Please¡± Austin pleaded, ¡°Coach, please. I¡¯m guessing I overstepped with him thest time.. please just let him train with us¡± Jade intervened. Austin left in shock, stared at Jade and nodded in appreciation. He had no idea why he did that but he just had to be grateful for this atleast. ¡°Well then, Join up with the other boys¡± Coach pointed to some set of boys and Jason happened to be among them. ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t that terrible¡± Jason said to Austin as he was stretching out. ¡°We¡¯ll see¡± Austin grinned. They were seven versus Seven with a little goal post the reaching their waist in length. Austin got stuck with the role of the defensive midfielder, other roles were already taken by the guys and Jason was a striker. Jade was the striker of the other team facing Austin, the whistle was blown and their training started. Few minutes into the game and Austin hasn¡¯t even had the ball, the coach noticed this and urged him to get into the game and instructed ¡°pass to Austin!¡± Jason got the ball and gave a low fast pass to Austin, he struggled to keep possession with the ball as he went forward. Suddenly he felt a jab at his back and he went crashing down. The whistle was blown for a foul ¡°Hey that was too hard¡± Jason fumed at Jade who was smiling and standing over and Austin. Jade left out a hand to help him get up, Austin pped his hand rejecting his help and stood up immediately, standing toe to toe with Jade again. ¡°You didn¡¯t think I was going to let you get off that easily, did you?¡± Jade asked with a low voice, still smiling. Austin enraged, held his fist so tight with his nails plunging into his skin. Coach Damian ran into the pitch ¡°Is everything okay, or do I need to suspend someone again?¡± ¡°Everything is okay coach¡± Austin replied backing off from Jade. ¡°Good¡± Chapter Ten Tasha found the streets of Boston to be quiet or was It Austin who stayed in the Rural area of Boston? She thought to question him when he got back. Back in Brooklyn, she was used to fast-moving trains, Cars always honking and Roadside singers zing with their instruments trying to make money. What a ce of fun, she thought. She couldn¡¯t wait for Austin to get back so she could go home, she anticipated it like it was Christmas. She wasn¡¯t used to staying away from school, her friends, and Justin. She walked around, waving to people around but no one acted as if they saw her. ¡°Are they this rude¡± she muttered in silence and concluded she wasn¡¯t going to try to greet anyone again. She walked until she got to Austin¡¯s house and sat across the road, waiting for him patiently. A car pulled up in front of her and a dark-looking, tall boy with braids made with his natural hair and with a side cut came out carrying some luggage. She wondered who that was. He came down, carried his luggage, and got into the house. After a few hours of the sun having its way with her and Tasha patiently waiting for Austin, she saw himing with him looking like he was picked up from the dump. ¡°Why do you look like this?¡± Tasha asked, looking disgusted. Austin wiped his face with his hands and took a look at himself. ¡°well I had my training today with the team¡± ¡°How was it?¡± Austin let Jade get off with that foul on him because he thought he deserved it for punching him. But after that, his ying skills were still a disaster as he lost possession more time than hepleted a ground pass. ¡°It was fine, Come with me. I need to freshen up before we leave¡± Tasha was about to go with him, ¡°ohh and someone went into your ce¡± ¡°Who?¡± Austin asked almost immediately ¡°Someone who looks like you¡± ¡°Allen?¡± Tasha rolled her eyes at him and he quickly understood, she wouldn¡¯t know his twin brother. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go¡± Austin got into his house and saw his brother with a wide smile on his face, and his hands were spread wide to receive his brother in arms. They hugged and Allen couldn¡¯t stop smiling ¡°What¡¯s it, man?¡± Austin asked ¡°Aside from the fact you look like shit? You look, good bro¡± ¡°Come on, it¡¯s just football drama¡± Allen was surprised, ¡°you y football now?¡± ¡°Well¡­ circumstances I guess¡± Tasha coughed at least to make her presence known and Austin subtly pped his head, as if to punish himself for forgetting she was there. ¡°I should introduce you to Tasha,¡± Austin said pointing in Tasha¡¯s direction, she was standing beside him. Allen looked in the direction he was pointing ¡°To who¡± ¡°Tasha!¡± Austin retortedC¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°Bro, I can¡¯t see anyone, are you on something?¡± Tasha was dumbfounded, was he trying to be funny, because she didn¡¯t find it amusing one bit. He still refused and kept on saying, he wasn¡¯t seeing anyone, she got fed up and tried nudging him a little. Tasha watched her hands go through Allen¡¯s chest ande out right at his back. Austin saw it, she knew he saw that. Tasha felt her head spinning, the walls closing in on her, she couldn¡¯t stand properly and used the wall in supporting herself. What was happening to her? Was she dead? All this exins why the bus didn¡¯t stop, people didn¡¯t reply to her when she waved. They couldn¡¯t see her, that was why she was found in the cemetery. Austin stared at her and took a step back, this revtion alone almost blew up his mind. She was with a Ghost? Why can he see a ghost? ¡°Oh my God,¡± he muttered with his voice shaking, he ran past his brother and went into his room. He locked his door quickly, trying to stop Tasha or his brother from getting in. Why can he see a Ghost? He kept on questioning himself. Allen saw everything that happened with his brother and wondered what was going on with him. ¡°Is he on drugs¡± he wondered. Austinid on his bed with his heart racing, trying to piece everything that had happened these past few days, and kept his gaze on the ceiling. His brother came knocking, banging on the door continuously. ¡°Open up Austin!¡± Austin didn¡¯t move a finger, he was lost in another dimension and blocked out every sound in this reality. ¡°What was that back there Austin!¡± Austin heard a hard thud, his brother camending on the floor with his door right off the wall. ¡°Ouch ¡± Allen groaned in pain. Austin snapped out of thinking and saw his brother struggling on the floor. ¡°Sorry ¡± he ran to him and helped him get up. Allen stared at him still groaning ¡°Now you are going to tell me what happened back there¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Austin said as he helped Allen get on his bed. ¡°That¡¯s nothing unless you are taking some crazy kind of Hard drug¡± Austin kept quiet and Allen was rmed by his silence ¡°You are taking drugs, shit! ¡± Heughed. Austin couldn¡¯t tell his brother he was seeing a Ghost, it would only lead to giving his father more reasons for him to see a psychiatrist and he wouldn¡¯t want that. So if agreeing to take drugs would keep him out of that, he¡¯ll dly oblige. ¡°What¡¯s funny about that? Austin asked his brother who was stillughing with happiness written all over his face. ¡°Well, I was thinking I was the lost son and I would be alone in this crazy world. But now we could get high together¡± Austin concurred with the thought of Allen being the lost son, he was sent away for so many reasons. If he wasn¡¯t getting into fights in school, he was either stealing or making trouble everywhere. His parents couldn¡¯t have him around corrupt Austin, so they shipped him off to school abroad. Austin wasn¡¯t even sure if Allen knew about their mother¡¯s death because he never came back for the funeral. ¡°So who¡¯s Tasha?¡± Allen asked, keen to know the answer as heayd on the bed with his hands holding up his head. ¡°Ohh, Tasha?¡± ¡°Yes Tasha, you were trying to introduce me to her ¡± Allenughed, hitting the bed. ¡°Bro is this your first time? Because that was crazy as fuck¡± ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s just like that when I go overboard¡± ¡°Well you should go easy with it, I wouldn¡¯t want to lose you too. It¡¯s Just you, I and Dad¡± Austin kept quiet, he knew about their mother¡¯s death. Bringing it up now with Allen would be such a bad idea he knew it. ¡°I should go wash up now¡± Austin made his way to the bathroom and Allen called him, he turned to answer ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me who Tasha is¡± ¡°She¡¯s my Ex ¡± Allen jumped off the bed and screamed in excitement ¡± you got a girlfriend?, Bro!!!¡± Austin Feigned a smile, not wanting his brother to think he was lying. ¡°Okay you can leave my room now¡± Austin said suddenly ¡°Wait, why?¡± Allen¡¯s smile slowly faded away ¡°Well, I need to take my bathe and you are in my space¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me¡± ¡°Just go man¡± ¡°Well I¡¯ll go, but you are introducing me to your plug tomorrow¡± Allen said to him as he left. Austin buried his head in his hands, still traumatized about recent happenings and now he still has to figure out who sells weed in school to get his story straight. Chapter eleven The sun was out and Austin stillid on the bed with him staring at the ceiling. His mind wanders off, trying to search for answers but none are forting. He couldn¡¯t close his eyesst night, even for a second. When he tried to do so, he found the image of Tasha staring at him and he couldn¡¯t get that image off his mind. To make things worse, it was her naked. He felt disgusted that he found her attractive and at some point, all he wanted after seeing her naked was to have her beneath him, moving to his rhythm and her sinking in pleasure while she moaned his name. Her sweat rubbing off on his skin and watching her crave for more. He hated himself; he wanted that so much. Why can he see her and others can¡¯t, he kept on questioning himself. His door flew open and Allen walked him seeing him lost in his thoughts. ¡°Now, what is it this time?¡± he flew onto the bed. ¡°Could you at least knock?¡± Austin rolled his eyes, turning his back against his brother and facing the wall. Allen held him and asked, ¡°hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong, but Dad knocks before hees into my room, you should too¡± Allen not listening to what his brother said, ¡°Fine then¡± he stood up and made his way out of the room ¡± Remember, you¡¯ll have to introduce me to that person¡± ¡°What person ¡± Austin replied looking confused, and sat up on his bed. ¡°Come on! Dad¡¯s still in, you wouldn¡¯t want me to say it out loud¡± Austin quickly remembered the drug dealer which he had no idea about but promised his brother he would bring the person to him. ¡°Ohh sure, I remember ¡± He went back toying on his bed and burying his head in his pillow. He had no idea what to do, but he knew he had to find someone to keep on selling this lie. He knew today was supposed to be his official day back at school, but he wasn¡¯t mentally stable to go back and he knew it. Struggling to recover from his mother¡¯s demise and now he is seeing Ghosts. He got into his bathroom to wash up and prepare for school. Turned on the shower and stood still as the water paraded his skin and him exhaling, he felt calm at least. He closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair, and immediately saw Tasha calling his name, her eyes filled with darkness and Her hand stretching out to him. He couldn¡¯t move, his heart felt like it was being squeezed. He couldn¡¯t breathe, he couldn¡¯t speak. ¡°Open your eyes!¡± Austin¡¯s Father yelled. Hey in his father¡¯s arms, unconscious but he found it hard to breathe and kept his mouth open like he was choking. ¡°Breath, stay with me son¡± Mr. Richard cried, ¡°I can¡¯t lose you¡± He gradually started breathing, sighed, and asked ¡°what happened?¡± ¡°I Just came in here and saw you on the floor¡± Austin hurriedly freed himself from his Father¡¯s arm and stood up to get his Towel. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡± he looked at Allen who was by the door all this time looking at him, he could see the look on his face and knew his brother was worried. ¡°Are you sure? If we need to see the doctor, you can skip school¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine dad¡± Austin insisted, ¡± can you guys leave now? I need to take my bath¡± Before his father left, he patted him on the back and made him promise to tell him, if anything was wrong. Austin nodded in agreement but knew he would never confide in his father, after everything. He stared at himself in the side mirror in his bathroom and he could notice his left hand shaking. He used his other hand to stop it. ¡°You can do this¡± he urged himself. He turned on the shower and kept his eyes open throughout him bathing, scared of another reurrence. He got dressed, wearing his favorite ck long sleeves. He came out and saw his father and brother outside the house both waiting for him and they still looked at him like they were worried he¡¯ll slump and pass out. ¡°What?¡± Austin questioned both of them ¡°You ask dad, left for me? I would have left but he wanted us here waiting for you¡± Mr. Richard¡¯s put his hand on Allen¡¯s shoulder to stop him from being rude toward Austin. ¡°We were just worried¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine Dad¡± Austin insisted and walked past them. Allen followed him and they didn¡¯t say a word to each other until they got into the bus. Austin went right to his favorite spot in the back seat andid his head on the window, counting every house as their bus went past it. ¡°Hey¡± He turned and saw it was N who nudged him as she sat beside him. ¡°Heyy¡± he replied slowly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She questioned him, sounding worried too. ¡°Why¡¯s everyone just thinking something is wrong with me!¡± He replied with his voice rising. N rolled her eyes at him and stood up about to leave ¡°don¡¯t use that tone with me!¡± He held her and apologized. N wasn¡¯t sure what was wrong with but all she knew was she wanted to be there for him regardless of what he was going through. ¡°So that¡¯s your brother?¡± She said pointing at Allen who was sitting in the second roll of the bus. ¡°Yes that¡¯s him¡± he nodded. ¡°Wow¡± Austin could sense the excitement in her voice and he watched her as she stood up slowly, stretching her neck. ¡°You know you can¡¯t get the full view of him this way yeah?¡± N smiled and shunned him. She waved him goodbye as she was slowly tiptoeing to her seat but she stopped and came back to sit beside Austin. ¡°How about that girl you said you¡¯d introduce to me today?¡± ¡°What girl?¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. N shot him a mean look ¡± don¡¯t pretend to remember ¡± ¡°Oh shit¡± he smiled, ¡°she left for Brooklyn yesterday, apparently she said came over to visit her uncle¡¯s grave onest time¡± ¡°How doesn¡¯t someone who stays in Brooklyn,e over to Boston just to visit a dead man¡± N replied in a sarcastic tone. ¡°Well, people have some connections N,¡± he said looking back outside the window. ¡°Like the one we have,¡± she nudged him, smiling mischievously. Austin could feel his cheeks turn red, heughed softly, ¡°you are not funny!¡± ¡°My boyfriend would disagree with you¡± She folded her arms and looked at him satisfied, she struck a punch. ¡°Your boyfriend?¡± Austin surprised and confused ¡°oh, the one you have no ns of seeing?¡± He scoffed as he remembered her online boyfriend she had been having video calls with. N hissed and heughed, knowing he struck a nerve too but knew she wouldn¡¯t take it seriously. He went back to looking outside the window and drowning in his thoughts again as they were close to school already. Chapter Twelve The usual hustle with students rushing in early, Austin missed this. He was used toingte, meeting empty hall with students in their sses. He could see parents dropping off their kids and kissing them goodbye, couples hanging around green trees and selling whatever lies they could to each other. He came down from the bus and met his brother waiting, N also with him. She waved to Allen, with her face all bright and smiling. Austin saw this and felt disgusted. ¡°So where¡¯s the ssroom,¡± Allen asked his brother. ¡°You¡¯ll need to see the principal first,¡± he replied. N was still there, love-struck by Allen but he couldn¡¯t notice it. Austin shook his head in disappointment ¡± you should be getting to ss¡± ¡°Oh yes,¡± N replied, hanging her bag properly and looking back to steal one more gaze towards Allen and walking away. Austin got his brother to the principal¡¯s office and he was quite ted with the resemnce Allen shared with him. He left his brother there and rushed to the ss, trying to figure out how to get a weed plug for his brother. He thought about people he could go to, but no one was forting, either he didn¡¯t share a rtionship with the people that came to mind or they were too razz for him to mix himself with. He thought about Jason, the friend he made off the football team. Austin was a grade higher than him, he took off to his ssroom but saw a lecturer inside and decided to wait till he was done. The bell rang and students started making their way out. He saw Jasone out and hurriedly ran over, tapping him on the shoulder. Jason turned, surprised to see him ¡°Hey¡± ¡°Hey, umm how are you?¡± Austin said with his hands over Jason¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m fin¡­e¡± Jason replied, ufortable and looking disturbed with how Austin was acting. ¡°I kind of need your help with something¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± He leaned closer to Jason¡¯s ear and muttered slowly ¡°introduce me to your weed plug¡± On hearing that, Jason quickly pulled off Austin¡¯s hand off his shoulders, enraged. ¡°Do I look like I smoke?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Well I don¡¯t¡± Jason shot back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± he replied, burying his head in embarrassment. ¡°You smoke?¡± ¡°Ugh, No¡± Jason looked like he wasn¡¯t convinced by that reply ¡± Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s for my brother¡± ¡°Since when do you have a brother?¡± Jason asked with a sarcastic tone. ¡°Trust me, I can¡¯t start to exin everything right now. But it¡¯s for him¡± Jason sighed ¡°well you can ask Jade, I think he should have¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to be joking,¡± Austin replied,ughing. ¡°I¡¯m being serious,¡± Jason retorted. He looked at Jason and saw no form of humor on his face, nor could he hear it in his tone. ¡°Hell no, I¡¯m not asking Jade for help¡± he scoffed and wanted to walk away, but Jason urged him to stop. ¡°Do you have a better option? Just ask him. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll wanna help¡± Austin nodded as though he agreed with Jason, but knew nothing would ever make him ask Jade for help. His phone vibrated and it was a Text from N, N How are you? He knew she was interested in Allen and this message had nothing to do with him, he felt anger suddenly building up. He convinced himself that it wasn¡¯t jealousy, but the thought of N together with Austin disgusted him more. He barged into his brother, as he was about to go in for his chemistry ss ¡°You¡¯ve gotten that plug ready yeah?¡± Allen asked, smiling. His meeting went well with the principal, Austin could feel it but he chose not to ask about it. ¡°Sure, it¡¯s ready,¡± he replied, feigning a smile. As soon as his brother got into the ss, he fell back on the wall frustrated. He had to do the one thing that made him sick, ask Jade for it. He ran into the ss, instructing his brother if the teacher asked about him, he should say he went to the restroom. Austin went hunting for Jade, right from the gym to the Field and Cafeteria but he couldn¡¯t find him. He was beginning to doubt Jade came to school. He was passing by the music room, he heard the most beautiful rhythm yed by a piano. It¡¯s been a while since he acknowledged good music, he wasn¡¯t a fan of it, but this particr one struck a nerve and he loved it. He went closer to the music hall from the opening on the door and he saw Jade on the keyboard. He was left in shock and utmost awe. If anyone had told him, Jade would be good at anything except bullying and ying football, he¡¯d feed them to the wolves. He cleared his throat as he opened the door and that caught Jade¡¯s attention. Austin could see Jade¡¯s face brighten up as he saw him. ¡°Look what the cat dragged in,¡± Jade said, still ying his piano and swinging his head, flowing with the sound. ¡°You y real good,¡± he said, walking slowly toward Jade ¡°I know that¡± Jade replied, still engrossed in his music while closing his eyes. Austin waited for him to open his eyes again so he could ask him about the weed stuff. But Jade wasn¡¯t opening his eyes anytime soon, he kept standing for minutes and was getting fed up. ¡°Umm Jade, I would like to ¡± Jade raised one of his hands instructing him to shut up and use the other to y. ¡°It¡¯s import¡­.¡± Jade¡¯s hands were up again, as Austin tried to talk again. Austin was frustrated seeing how Jade was killing his efforts. He saw the connection cable connecting the piano to the socket on the wall. He went over and unplugged it. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you¡± Jade yelled in anger as he noticed he wasn¡¯t hearing any sound. ¡°Do I have your attention now?¡± He waved his hands ¡°I hope this is worth it or you¡¯ll regret it¡± Jade scoffed. ¡°You won¡¯t do anything, that I know of¡± Jade smiled and sat down, raising his legs on the pianofortably. ¡°Go on¡± Austin came over and leaned on the piano ¡°I need you to link me to your weed connect ¡± Jade looked at him and kept a straight face, he was confused why Jade wasn¡¯t saying anything or his face wasn¡¯t revealing any expression. Jade suddenly burst intoughter ¡°Wait, you are serious?¡± He didn¡¯t feel embarrassed by Jade¡¯s reaction, because he saw iting. Never expected to have it smooth with him, without him trying to be little him. ¡°Yes I am Serious, are you going to link me or not?¡± Austin asked again. Jade regains hisposure and looks at Austin again, but bursts outughing again. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s funny,¡± Austin said. He was getting angry with Jade¡¯s behavior and he felt the urge to just smash his head into that big ck piano. ¡°Well, look at yourself. You would know¡± Jade, brought his leg down and walked over to Austin. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you smoke¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s just a one-time thing¡± ¡°If you need to hit a blunt now, I¡¯ve got one in my pocket¡± Jade reaches out to his left pocket but Austin stops himN?velDrama.Org ? content. ¡°I just need your plug, that¡¯s all¡± ¡°You would owe me¡± ¡°Why would I owe you just for this?¡± Austin yells in shock. ¡°Just know you do, or else you don¡¯t want the connect ¡± ¡°Okay okay.. fine by me ¡± he sighed ¡°I¡¯ming with my brother after school ¡± ¡°You what?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m already used to that kind of reaction anytime I mention my brother¡± Austin left the room, feeling half satisfied and scared. He was satisfied he got into a room alone with Jade and no fight happened plus he was able to get it done. He was scared that everything with Jadeter that evening might go south and he didn¡¯t want things to get ruined Chapter Thirteen Austin couldn¡¯t eat his sandwich peacefully earlier that day, the thought of Jade and his brother kept hunting him. He hasn¡¯t been able to get along with Jade, talkless of his brothering into the picture. He thought of everything but couldn¡¯t find the perfect excuse to avoid the situation, now he found himself going somewhere with Allen and Jade. ¡°How far off is it,¡± Allen asked, already looking tired and panting. They met at the school gate 30 minutes after the closing period, that way they were sure everyone had left the school premises. ¡°Just ahead¡± Jade pointed out. ¡°You¡¯ve been saying that since he has been asking¡± Austin barked at him. He had been frustrated since they began on this little journey, no one said anything to each other, just Allen asking if they were there yet or not. ¡°Take it easy,¡± Allen urged his brother to stop. Jade smiled, knowing Austin was feigning anger, and decided to go along with him. ¡°So you are the captain of the football team?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Allen yelled. Jade had no idea he was talking to him and was just moving forward. He stopped abruptly after Allen nudged him ¡°Yeah, yeah I am¡± Allen smiled and reach his hands into his pockets, walking slowly beside him. ¡°You should watch out ¡± Jade¡¯s eyebrow raised ¡± and that¡¯s supposed to mean?¡± He said, dragging thest word. ¡°Nothing in special, I¡¯m a deadly striker and we all know who is always favored to be a captain¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be threatened by you, seeing as your brother is also excellent in football¡± his tone, sounding sarcastic. Allen stole a gaze at Austin and he was met with Austin¡¯s hand up wide in the air as if to vindicate himself for not being good at football. ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°We are here¡± Jade interrupted Allen as he was about to speak. They came to an Abandoned Factory that smelled like death, the Iron wire mounted up to serve as a wall against the outside world was already useless. Jade leaned sideways and they bent beneath while going in. Austin looked around, his legs shivering. Fear was beginning to creep in and he struggled to keep himself from showing it. Unfortunately, Allen noticed and ced a hand on him ¡°Are you okay?¡± He removed his brother¡¯s hand and nodded. Allen didn¡¯t look convinced but Austin left him there and followed Jade as he walked in majestically, like it was his home. Gracing every step of his with his pride and Austin found it weird that someone would take joy in being Irresponsible. ¡°Hey! Jade shouted. Austin couldn¡¯t understand who he was calling out to because they were facing just darkness. They couldn¡¯t see what was beyond it or anything, no lights. Two men slowly walked out, one with a cigarette and his eyes looking like they were going to pluck out any second. They were blood-filled, his chiseled face and his moustache covering his mouth. The other was shorter than the first but had an eye patch, seemed like he was blind or it was just a style. He couldn¡¯t tell. ¡°Who are they?¡± The man with the cigarette asked in his hoarse voice. It was obvious he wasn¡¯t happy to see them. The mean look on his face alone almost had Austin wetting his pants. He shouldn¡¯t have followed them, let alone bring his brother along. ¡°We were just leaving ¡± Austin mouthed with a shaky voice as he quickly turned attempting to run away but his brother stopped him. ¡°We just came to get weed¡± Allen looked straight at them, no fear evident in his voice. But the short man with a patch brought out a small knife from his pocket and held it. Their presence didn¡¯t make themfortable one bit, no one needed to tell him this. ¡°He asked you a question: who are they? ¡± the eye-patched man repeated looking at Jade as his voice thundered, flipping his knife. ¡°We Just need the weed man, we don¡¯t want any trouble¡± Jade pleaded. The man with the cigarette asked for the money and Jade handed it over to them. They stood there hoping to get the weed and leave but were shocked by the reply they got. ¡°You guys can go, there¡¯s no weed for today¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll need our money back¡± Allen protested, standing tall against the eye-patched man who wanted to rip them off. Austin stood where he was tugging at Jade for them to get out of there or at least for Allen to let the money go. He ended up yelling Allen¡¯s name and They ran out of there without no one chasing them. They were outside the abandoned building trying to catch their breath when Allen picked up Austin and med him for leaving there with no weed. ¡°If you weren¡¯t such a pussy, we would have surely gotten our weed¡± Allen barked at him. ¡°Excuse me?¡± He replied between his breathe ¡°You heard me, you are a pussy¡± Allen repeated and pushed Austin. He couldn¡¯t believe his brother woulde at him for this and he pushed him back ¡°I was looking out for us, can¡¯t you see he was about to stab us?¡± ¡°It was obvious he was bluffing, even Jade knew that¡± ¡°Is that right Jade?¡± Austin asked him with sarcasm in his tone¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Jade gestured that he didn¡¯t want to be part of their arguments. ¡°Hell No!¡± Allen went over to Jade and blocked him from leaving ¡°how sure are we you didn¡¯t set this up, I¡¯m pretty sure you nned to dupe us of that money¡± ¡°Nah, boy watch yourself ¡± Jade replied him grinning. ¡°Or else what? Try some funny thing and I¡¯ll beat you to a pulp, I assure you of that¡± Allen moved a step closer to Jade, breathing hard and fuming with anger. Austin stood and watched those two guys go toe to toe, threatening each other but no one was throwing punches. He was sure something would be said soon and he didn¡¯t want his brother getting to find out he just asked Jade to help. ¡°Hey guys stop it¡± he interrupted them as he went in between them and separated them with his hands ¡± let¡¯s go home man. All these arguments aren¡¯t worth it. We can¡¯t get the money back¡± ¡°Sure, you aren¡¯t the one who wants to get high¡± Allen wiped his face. Austin could feel he was devastated by the thought of him not getting that weed. He went over and held his brother by his arm. ¡°Come on bro, I got some at home¡± He saw Allen¡¯s face brighten up quickly ¡°For real?¡± ¡°Yeah man¡± Jason had lied to him about not knowing about any weed plug. He knew that after he saw a sachet of weed wrapped up in his bag after school. He asked only Jason about it and he was the only one he knew could do that. ¡°Well, why then did wee here?¡± Allen asked him with a low tone. Austin could tell his brother was getting suspicious again Chapter Fourteen Tasha was devastated about the reality of her being a ghost. She thought she was dead, she had dreams. Even if she acted like a slut whose only interests were parties and getting boys hard for fun. She wanted to be a doctor, just to save lives. But everything was never gonna happen for her, and she thought everything had ended for her. Leaving Austin¡¯s house after he ran upstairs, and they both found out she wasn¡¯t human. She couldn¡¯t forget the look in his eyes like she was an abomination, like he hated her and never wanted to see her again. Thest time she felt something close to that was with her mother and she never wanted to feel that way again, but it happened either way and she has been fighting that scene as it reyed in her head over and over again. Tasha went back to the cemetery, right back to the ce where she woke up and she saw that same pit in front of her. Dark and empty with nothing to see. ¡°Is this my grave?¡± She asked herself. She sat on the edge of the pit and swung her legs, as sheid back and looked straight to the sky. She traced every bit of the star decorating the sky that night, she formed a casket with her imagination, and Joked about it being the most beautiful one in so many centuries. She sat up and looked straight into the pit and leaned down a bit. She could feel her heart beat faster as she pulled herself lower. She had nothing to lose and she knew that. She released her grip and let herself fall. She looked up at the sky and felt her body drop lower within seconds. She felt her body freeze up like she was deep into the sea. Tasha closed her eyes, hoping for the worst. ************************************* Tasha gasped hard and sprang up. She felt like she was drowning. She looked around and saw her auntying on a bed beside her. She could smell drugs and it made her feelpletely ufortable, she looked around and it dawned on her that she was in the hospital. Why was she in a hospital robe, she knew thest thing she could remember was her in the cemetery and here she is. ¡°Aunty!¡± She ran towards where sheid and attempted to wake her up, but her hands went through her again and she felt a hard pain in her chest. She slumped on the couch disappointed and she was surprised at what she saw. She saw herself on the bed, covered with an oxygen mask. She moved slowly towards her body and before she could feel herself ¡°Hello ma¡± She heard the doctor walk in and her aunty jumped from the bed.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Doctor, is she going to be okay¡± she cried, she had never seen her aunty in so much pain, talk more of her caring so much for her. Tasha felt like someone finally cared for her. If she was in the hospital, how did she get here? ¡°Was it that man?¡± she thought. She couldn¡¯t remember any incident that would lead to having her in the hospital. The doctor was someone that looked like he was in his mid-thirties. He slowly removed his sses and held her aunt on her shoulder,forting her. ¡°She¡¯s going to be fine. She¡¯s Just unconscious at the moment, but we can never tell when she¡¯ll be awake. It all depends on her¡± ¡°Oh my God¡± her aunt broke down. ¡°I should have been there for her, she¡¯s my only family now and I forsake her¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cry, hey c¡¯mon¡± The doctor held her up and helped her back to the chair, he wiped her eyes and assured her that Tasha was going to be fine. Tasha wiped her eyes too as tears had found their way down her cheeks as she watched her aunt cry. She felt bad for everything she had said about her. She hated her aunt for not letting her have fun or do things. But now she realized that her aunt only wanted the best for her. She sat beside her aunt on the couch and watched her as she buried her head in her hands, still crying. She looked back at her body,ying unconscious and helpless. She knew she wasn¡¯t supposed to just end up this way. She went back to her bed andid back on it, in the same position as her lifeless body. Sheid back, closed her eyes, and opened them. She got up, looked around, and was greeted with the sight of graves. She was back in that same cemetery, but this time the gates were open and she could see them. Only one name came into her mind ¡°Austin¡±. If he can see her, then there was a reason why. She thought he was the key for her to getting back and she wasn¡¯t ready to mess it up this time. She left the cemetery and went back to Austin¡¯s ce. Standing at the exact ce where she stood, waiting for him toe back. She was sure no one was home, because all the lights were out and she had gone in and out of the building without needing any keys. She might be sad that she wasn¡¯t human but she found moving between walls exciting. ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe you had the weed and you allowed me to go out with that creep¡± She heard the voice from afar and it turns out it was Austin and Allen walking backughing and talking. ¡°I just wanted you to see how much of a jerk he was¡± Austinughed as his brother held his neck in a lock ¡°Today was fun, but you are a pussy man. For real¡± ¡°Oh stop¡­¡± Austin stopped halfway and felt his heart racing. He froze and he couldn¡¯t believe he was seeing her again. Tasha smiled and waved at him. Austin took to his heels and ran towards his house, threw the door wide open, and ran up to his room. Closed every door and window and leaned on his door, Panting hard and putting all his strength on it, as if to stop Tasha from pushing it open. He heard his brother call him while he was running but he couldn¡¯t stop, he thought he was over the phase of seeing Tasha, why was she back? He exhaled and flew onto his bed. He could still feel his heart racing ¡°Seriously, I thought we had a connection¡± He sprang up from his bed and held his hands out, telling Tasha to stop. She smiled, and she knew he was scared but she was enjoying every bit of it, not caring how he felt. ¡°How did you get in here¡± his voice shaking as he scrambled to get away from Tasha with hering closer. He stole a gaze at his door and it was still shut, so how did she get in? ¡°You don¡¯t need to care about that, I missed you¡± sheughed and sat on his bed, hitting the bed and asking him toe closer to her. He shook his head and said he was perfect with where he was. ¡°Well baby boy, you¡¯ll help me with something¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you with nothing, ¡± Austin snapped back with confidence. He felt his heartbeat stabilize and a surge of adrenaline running in his veins. Tasha looked surprised, he was scared a minute ago and now he¡¯s sounding like he was about to order her out. She leaned forward, but he didn¡¯t flinch and she muttered ¡°oh you will baby, it¡¯s just a matter of time¡± she grinned and walked towards his window. Austin was curious about what she was doing, was she going to break his window? ¡°Oh my God,¡± he slowly let out with his mouth wide open. He just saw her go through his wall like it was there. Chapter Fifteen Austin found it difficult to close his eyesst night. The fear of Tasha crawling up on him in his sleep or having a nightmare about her kept him awake. His brother came knocking and banging on his door, trying to get him to open up, but all fell on deaf ears. Mr. Richard tried too after Allenined to him about how Austin reacted earlier that day but Austin refused to open up, asking them to leave him alone. He didn¡¯t even get off the clothes he worest night, his eyes swollen and red, buried in his jaw. He had never been this rattled in his life. His mother¡¯s death left him in shock and aa but being this way was new. A ghost who wouldn¡¯t leave him alone. ¡°Austin, we have to go to school,¡± Allen shouted, banging on his door. He stayed still, not replying to his brother. ¡°Come on man, I¡¯m going to prepare now. You better be done before I get back!¡± Allen barked. Austin could hear his brother¡¯s footsteps fade after he spat out thatst statement. They were Twins, but Allen had always acted like he was older, maybe because he was more experienced or more reckless. But he always sounded like the authority of the older one was with him. Regardless of what his brother said, he wasn¡¯t sure he was going to leave that house just to go to school and have Tasha haunt him. He got up from his bed and made his way to his window, not caring about how scattered his room looked. His books were on the floor, his bed sheet rumpled to one side of the bed, all this due to everything that transpired yesterday. His curtains were shut and he was in utter darkness, but he didn¡¯t care. Anything to keep Tasha away, he thought. He spread his curtains wide open to let the sun inside, he covered his eyes to prevent the sun from hurting him, but not fast enough for him to notice Tasha across the street smiling at him. He could feel his feet freeze as soon as she smiled at him. He immediately shut his curtains and ran back to bed. ¡°What does she want from me?¡± he cried in frustration as he hit his bed with his fist continuously. ¡°Fuck!¡± He yelled in pain, he punched his bed stand amidst his rage. Every anger he could feel was channeled at her. He would kill her if she wasn¡¯t dead, he thought to himself. He suckled on the finger he felt had weighed the injury as a sacrifice for other fingers. He sat down on his bed, staring at the pile of books on the floor. His phone rang and he picked it up. He let out a sigh of relief immediately he saw who was calling. ¡°Hey N¡± ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he muttered slowly. she sounded excited and he could literally hear the excitement through the phone. ¡°I¡¯m downstairs, get ready let¡¯s get going¡± ¡°You are down where?¡± He leaped from his bed smiling,pletely forgetting about Tasha. He walked towards his window and peeped from the side. He saw her standing in front of his ce, pacing around as she was on phone. ¡°Okay, give me some minutes and I¡¯ll be down with you.¡± As he got off the call, his eyes met with Tasha again. She wasn¡¯t smiling anymore, but he couldn¡¯t tell why she was just there. Austin rushed to get ready, dressed up, and made sure he was looking nice. N had never been to his ce suggesting they should walk to school together. This was the first and he intended to make the best out of it. He rushed off from his room ¡°I¡¯m off¡± he shouted, not caring if his brother heard him or not. ¡°Hey¡± he smiled as he opened his door and saw N standing by the corridor. ¡°Hey,¡± she said smiling, looking behind him like she was expecting someone else. ¡°Come on let¡¯s go¡± he pointed his hands in the direction that led to their school. ¡°What about your brother?¡± She questioned, as she reluctantly followed him. ¡°He¡¯ll go with the school bus¡± ¡°What school bus?¡± Allen interrupted. He flew off the corridor separating thewn and their house. ¡°Great¡± Austin muttered in silence, he wasn¡¯t happy about this. He had hoped he was going to impress N on their way to school and at least know some things he hadn¡¯t known yet about her. Now his brother crashed his party. N¡¯s face brightened up as she saw Allen. Allen shrugged Austin to a side and walked in between them with his hands across both Austin and N¡¯s Shoulders. ¡°Hey,¡± he said, smiling at N and licking his lips slowly. Her eyes stuck on the moment of his lips and tongue ¡°Hey¡± she replied with her cheeks burning red and looking away. ¡°What happened yesterday man?¡± He faced Austin with a stern look. ¡°Nothing you should know about¡± Austin pushed off his arm and walked a bit faster. ¡°Austin!¡± N shouted, attempting to run after him but Allen held back. ¡°He¡¯s like that sometimes, he needs some time alone¡± N heaved a sigh and decided to walk with him. Austin was boiling with anger as he heard Nugh as she was discussing with Allen at the back where he left them. With everyughter, the anger grew. ¡°You know you could just go back there and talk to her¡± Tasha walked up on Austin slowly smiling. He didn¡¯t seem to be disturbed or scared of her anymore. His anger had already filled that spot. ¡°Not now¡± Austin muttered, trying not to let them know he was talking to someone, else they might think he¡¯s going nuts or talking to himself. ¡°Why love?¡± Tasha hurried up to his front, walking backward whilst facing him. ¡°You should turn back, he¡¯s actually grabbing her waist right now. Bro she¡¯s smiling¡± Tasha teased, Austin fist tightened, his jaws shaperned. Tasha only made everything worse, N was busyughing and he was forced to believe everything she was saying. ¡°Stop¡± he groaned. ¡°Come on¡± she grabbed his face, attempting to tilt his face backwards. Austin swung his hand so hard to hit her but ended hitting his face. ¡°Fuck¡± he squirmed. ¡°Wow¡± Tasha looked surprised with her smiling. ¡°You really wanted to hit ady?¡± She asked sarcastically as she was enjoying watching him whimper in pain. N and Allen ran towards him as they saw him hit himself. ¡°What happened¡± N asked, running her hands through his bag and patting him. She grabbed his face and held his hands, her eyes met his, and she could see pain all over his face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, a fly was hovering around my face¡± he lied, moving away from her. ¡°A fly and you hit yourself that bad?¡± Allen asked, struggling to hold the urge the tough. ¡°It¡¯s not funny¡± N shunned him. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡± she grabbed Austin by the arm and led the way.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What about me baby?¡± Allen cried out, running after them. ¡°You should thank me¡± Tasha whispered into Austin¡¯s ear as he followed her. Chapter Sixteen The school was in its form, with students trooping in from different parts of the city and rushing to meet up with the day¡¯s assembly. Austin was d they came in early, and it felt nice to be punctual for a change. All thanks to N, he thought. Allen had been bugging them on their way to school, saying different kinds of lousy things. N found them funny, but Austin didn¡¯t. They got settled in ss for their first lecture of the day but Austin noticed Allen wasn¡¯t in ss. He seemed less bothered about it and focused on what he had at that moment. The bell rang midway during the ss, and everyone in the ss seemed shocked. This doesn¡¯t happen unless there is important information to give. Everyone seems restless and panic flew in the air, ¡°Everyone stay in their seat¡± the teacher instructed as she walked to the door, opened it, and peeped outside. ¡°Move out slowly, ording to your seat rows¡± N hurriedly picked up her bag and tipped to Austin¡¯s seat, ¡°move over¡± she muttered as she pushed him. He moved to the side and she could barely sitfortably. ¡°Have any Idea what¡¯s going on?¡± She asked, smiling. Austin rolled his eyes ¡°We are both here right?¡± He smirked ¡°No need to be rude about it¡± They got to their seats and they followed suit, the way the other students left the ss. The hallway was crowded, with different talks and rumors flying around. N stood beside Austin with everyone trying and struggling to fit into the hallway. She ran her hands across his arm and held him tight, in order not to be pushed off. Austin noticed how she held him and knew she didn¡¯t want to be shrugged off by the way students were struggling. He let go of her hands and pressed her close to his body, holding her shoulders. N inhaled deeply and felt like she should be here forever. He smelled like masculinity dipped in pineapple and she loved it. ¡°Thanks¡± she moaned.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. He smiled at her and winked. ¡°EVERY STUDENT SHOULD MOVE DOWN TO THE ASSEMBLY GROUND¡± the principal¡¯s voice thundered in the hallway through the speakers mounted on the ceiling. Whilst everyone was struggling to get to thest floor, Austin stood still with N hoping to be that way forever, he felt safe with her, and being with her was something he had wanted for a very long time. N slowly slid away from his grip as the hall was now okay for them to pass through. ¡°Come on¡± On getting to the assembly ground, Austin sighed and had his hands cover his face. He wouldn¡¯t say he was surprised, but he thought his brother had let it go already. ¡°Oh my God,¡± N muttered, looking surprised and stealing a gaze at Austin. Allen and Jade were standing on the podium, with each other on both sides of the principal. No one needed to tell Austin what happened, he knew it was obvious they got into a fight. After they got to school, Allen saw Jade entering the restroom and followed him immediately. Jade was surprised to see him. He tried to greet him and extend a hand for a handshake as a sign but Allen had other ns. He punched jade on the chin and his head went flying into the mirror. Allen not caring about the blood oozing from his forehead and the shattered ss on the floor. He picked Jade up and smiled mischievously ¡°You thought you¡¯d rip my brother and me right¡± ¡°Sto.. p¡± Jade struggled to say as Allen¡¯s clutch on his cor tightened. ¡°I can¡¯t hear you,¡± Allen leaned closer. Jade grabbed this opportunity, Tilted his head backward, and surprised Allen with a headbutt. That sent Allen sprawling ¡°Fuck!¡± Allen groaned in pain, ¡°you son of bitch¡­¡± he turned aggressively with the intent of retaliating but was stunned by Jade¡¯s fist. Allen was sent straight down on his knee. Jade shook the hand he used to punch and blew air on it from his mouth. ¡°You got some balls,¡± he said, smiling and trying to gasp for breath as he staggered. The headbutt he gave Allen had his head spinning, he leaned on the toilet door to prevent him from falling. He watched Allen struggle to stand up, using the sink as support as he stood up. ¡°You don¡¯t know when to stop!¡± Jade flexed his muscles and charged at Allen, Allen swerved, wrapped his arms around Jade¡¯s neck, and pinned his head on the mirror ¡°I need that money back!¡± Allen¡¯s voice thundered ¡°Well it¡¯s gone boo¡± Allen¡¯s rage spiked, he was about to hit Jade with a low Jab. ¡°What¡¯s going on here!¡± Coach¡¯s eyes went from the broken ss on the floor, the wide open toilet door, and Allen pinning Jade on the mirror. Allen quickly released Jade and adjusted his cor. ¡°Nothing sir,¡± he said, feigning a smile, and attempting to breeze past the Coach who stood at the door but was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder. ¡°You won¡¯t leave until I ask you to. Now go back there¡± Allen went back reluctantly, standing beside Jade. ¡°What happened here?¡± He asked, pointing at all the broken ss on the floor. They both kept quiet with their heads down. ¡°I asked a question!¡± His voice rose, it was obvious Coach was getting agitated with theirck of response. ¡°Since you won¡¯t say anything, follow me to the principal¡¯s office¡± ¡°Sir..¡± Jade spoke up and came forward ¡°Save it, and follow me¡± Coach left the restroom. Allen grabbed Jade by the neck immediately ¡°you better not say a word¡± ¡°Or else what?¡± ¡°Well you could try me and let¡¯s see what happens¡± Allen released him, smiled, and straightened up his shirt for him. ¡°Are you noting?¡± He turned and asked Jade when he realized he wasn¡¯t following him. They walked into the principal sitting, waiting for them, and Coach standing beside him like a bodyguard. They stood in front of him like criminals waiting for a judge¡¯s judgement but none was forting because he wouldn¡¯t say anything. After a few minutes, he heaved a sigh and stood up. He walked up to them and leaned on his table. ¡°So what happened sons?¡± He asked in a low voice. They kept quiet and didn¡¯t say a word. ¡°You just resumed here and you are causing trouble? I wonder what it is with you and your brother¡± he faced Allen with concern in his eyes. Still no word from any of them. At that point, the principal fist was already tightening, it was obvious he couldn¡¯t control his anger anymore. He red up and sent the chairs in front of him flying. ¡°I asked a question!¡± His voice thundered. They were both shaking and it was obvious fear was taking over but none of them said anything. ¡°Come on boys, say something. Let¡¯s know how to deal with the issue¡± Coach asked, concerned about what the principal might do. ¡°Okay, wise boys.¡± The principal smiled and walked back to his seat. ¡°Call for an emergency assembly¡± Chapter seventeen Austin stood there, buried in the gaze of everyone. Trying to block out the words everyone was saying but it wasn¡¯t easy. Why would his brother do this? What¡¯s he doing there with Jade? ¡°Hey¡± N held him, trying to providefort. She knew about all the things he had been through and how he struggles to handle his emotions. She rubbed his arm and held him tight. ¡°Good afternoon students!¡± The principal screamed as he nced through the crowd and they responded back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you are all out here, because of the bad conduct of these students¡± he pointed at Jade and Allen standing behind him. He went further to tell the students that they were caught fighting in the restroom and everyone started murmuring, the principal¡¯s voice drowned in it and he kept on struggling to keep them quiet but to no avail. Austin sighed, buried his head in his hands and walked out with shame. N called him, trying to follow immediately but he stopped her, saying he needed to be alone. Austin was sure the students were murmuring and shouting because no one had ever dared to fight Jade before and within the space of two weeks he and Allen had both gotten into a fight with him. It looked like some nned attack and this made Austin sick.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. After so many attempts to get them to stop talking and they finally did, due to the intervention of the Coach. ¡°These attitudes are the sole reason why the society is bad¡± ¡°Come forward¡± the principal pointed towards Jade, he walked forward slowly, smiling like he did nothing and the Football team started cheering him on. Chanting his name like some king ¡°Quiet!¡± Silence struck the crowd as soon as the principal shouted. He was infuriated with the way things were turning and it was beginning toe to notice. ¡°Now tell the student what was happening between you and Allen¡± Jade stood still, looked straight and said nothing. One would think he didn¡¯t even hear the principal, ¡°Jade!¡± The coach called him, ¡°Sir¡± ¡°You heard the principal, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Sir?¡± The principal smiled and called out to Allen, his eyes met with Jade as he walked out and Jade returned back to stand in line. Allen nodded his head, indicating a Job well done. Allen stood in front of everyone, with his shirt still unbuttoned, anyone could see he was in tussle. ¡°Allen, I know you and your brother must have been through alot. So please be truthful with me. let me try to help¡± the principal said as he walked towards Allen. ¡± What was going on between you too in the restroom¡± Allen stood still, looked straight and said nothing. Imitating Jade in his act. He was ready not to say anything until his eyes met with N¡¯s. He could see how worried she was, her eyes tightly wrapped around her. He knew she needed him to cooperate, just from the way she stared at him. Did she care about him or his brother? He looked around but didn¡¯t see Austin, he must have been ashamed seeing him get into so much trouble. Even as a kid he had this habit of doing things like this ¡°Allen¡± the principal called out, snapping him out of his thoughts. ¡°Umm¡± he sighed, moving forward, ¡°I came to school with my brother this morning and that prettydy over there¡± he stretched his hands out pointing to N. ¡°Oh my God, what¡¯s he doing?¡± she muttered. Everyone threw their gaze at her and she felt like she wanted the ground to open. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him!!!!¡± She screamed in her mind. Allen smiled and continued as he saw the difort on her face as everyone looked at her. ¡°I went to the restroom, you know. Trying to ease myself because my brother and I walked all the way to school, while I was busy, he walked in¡± he pointed at Jade and he could see the confusion written in Jade¡¯s eyes. But then he smiled at him and nodded, trying to assure him everything was fine. ¡°He came in there and punched me, I had no idea why. I tried to stop him and ask him what was wrong, but he didn¡¯t stop. I was told he was a bully and when he finally said something, I heard him call me Austin¡¯s brother. So I guess that was my only crime.¡± The student¡¯s were silent, the principal couldn¡¯t find the right word to say ¡°That¡¯s all that happened?¡± The coach asked ¡°Yes sir¡± The principal ended up speechless and dismissed the student, everyone kept mumbling one thing or the other as they went to their ss. Allen looked back at Jade and he could swear all he saw was a wounded tiger. He didn¡¯t try to dispute what Allen said, the principal ended up suspending him for a week and warned him that any other mischievous activity in the school or bullying would lead to him being expelled. Allen felt no remorse throwing him under the bus, no one steals his money and goes free. That was his policy. The principal had them back to his office in other to give his punishment to them but Allen ended up being free with no detention whatsoever. **************** Austin ran into the restroom, restless. He could feel his heart racing. Why did he have toe back if he knew he¡¯d do this again. Why? Growing up as a child, Allen had always taken the attention of his parents away from him, even in school. He was the one they knew. People knew Austin as ¡°Allen¡¯s brother¡± no one ever knew his name, but they just saw him as the twin of the mischievous boy. His parents were always trying to get him out of trouble or solving some issue regarding him, that none of them ever really had time for him. ¡°fuck!¡± He screamed, he ran his hands through his hair and looked in the mirror. ¡°You have to calm down¡± He saw Tasha form right from Thin air and he looked away. ¡°I do not have the time for anything you have to say¡± She sighed and sat on the sink, he squinted his eyes and stared at her ¡°what? It won¡¯t break, I¡¯m a ghost, remember? ¡± ¡°Oh yes¡± he rolled his eyes, he noticed his breathing was bing calmer. ¡°You hate him that much?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t hate my brother ¡± he shunned her. ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± she leaned close to him, and said slowly with her eyes glued to his eyes ¡°Tell me you don¡¯t hate him¡± Austin was supposed to be feeling angry, but staying this close to Tasha, always aroused some kind of feeling within him he was yet to understand. His eyes went from her eyes down to her lips, it was moist as ever and he could smell her. He always wondered what was so special about her, why he saw her and not other ghosts. He swallowed hard and attempted to lean backward, ¡°Don¡¯t, answer my question Austin ¡± she leaned forward again, her lips almost meeting hers, the urge to grab her neck and lock lips with her raged through his veins. All she did was ask the question, why is she getting to him. He opened his mouth to answer but all he could do was lean forward, going for Tasha and Jason came running in. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking all over for you¡± Chapter eighteen It has been two days since the incident between Jake and Allen in school, and Austin avoided his brother like a gue in school, it was even worse at home. That day after school, Austin came barging into his room and Allen fumed with anger ¡°Are you stupid¡± he screamed ¡°Hey hey, chill¡± Allen raised his hands up, urging him to calm down and took a step backwards ¡°Just get out of my room¡± he screamed pointing at his door, it was obvious Just the sight of Allen infuriated him. ¡°You haven¡¯t even heard my side of the sto.. ry¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°What side? Huh, talk to me man, what side¡± he took a step towards Allen as he repeated his words. ¡°Do I look like the principal or those students who bought every piece of nonsense you said, you went after Jake and you know it. Why did you evene back, this is you ruining my life again as you did when we were kids¡± Allen stood there, too stunned to speak, Austin¡¯s word went right through him. ¡°Oh now you don¡¯t know what to say¡± he chuckled with sadness and anger buried beneath it. ¡°You¡¯d be doing me a huge favour staying away from me and N¡± ¡°N?¡± ¡°yes, N¡± Allenughed, turning around and looking at his brother with mischief stered all-over his face. ¡°She¡¯s not for you brother¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see, now leave¡± Allen smiled, and walked away. Stole onest nce at his brother before leaving. Austin remembered this day vividly and the burning sensation apanied by the pain he felt that night was nothing he had ever felt before since his mother¡¯s death. Was Tasha right about him hating his brother? The ruse between him and Allen went unnoticed by their father, you could tell how absent minded he was about the things going on in the house. Going to school that day felt like every other day, the students were all busy in their corners and it was just like Jake didn¡¯t even exist. As if getting Jake suspended wasn¡¯t enough for Allen, he took over Jake¡¯s group of boys. He sat on the table while the boys surrounded him as he made jokes about several things and his eyes collided with Austin as he made his way past the cafeteria, but he went back toughing with the guys like he saw no one. N had been avoiding him since that day and Allen couldn¡¯t figure out why, he thought maybe what he did on the assembly ground was a bit too much. ¡°Hey baby¡± Austin smiled as he came across N sitting in the stands on the field *Hey¡± her face lightened up as soon as he raised her head up and saw it was him. While he was removing his bag and sitting beside her, she shifted a bit. ¡°Why are you moving?¡± He smiled ¡°Uhh, Just need you to have enough space¡± she stuttered. ¡°Come closer¡± he wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her closer to his side. N could feel her cheeks turn red and her heartbeat increasing rapidly. ¡°So what are you doing here, all alone in this field¡± He asked as he ran his eyes across the whole field. He instantly realised this was the first time he was getting the full view of the stadium, the grassnd behind the stands at the other side. ¡°I never realised this was so beautiful¡± ¡°What¡¯s so beautiful?¡± She asked, confused. She noticed the trail of his eyes and followed them. ¡°Oh, the field¡± ¡°That¡¯s not why I¡¯m here though¡± ¡°So why are you here?¡± he leaned back, making sure she turned to look at him and have her fixated on him. ¡°Well..¡± she swallowed hard, as he noticed his eyes. He had never been this attractive. His eyes were literally screaming that he wants her, why can she understand him? ¡°Arghh¡± she screamed inside. she turned her head back to him, refilled with confidence, ¡°Well you begged me to train you, so I have to get a full view of where my boy would train, won¡¯t I?¡± ¡°So I have to get a full view of where my boy would train, won¡¯t I?¡± That word echoes again with mockery. ¡°TASHA!¡± Austin muffled in silence. ¡°What?¡± N asked, as she thought Austin said something ¡°Nothing, nothing¡± he said quickly, standing up abruptly ¡°Did I do anything wrong?¡± N held his hands, stopping him from leaving. ¡°Yes, did she do anything wrong?¡± Tasha teased as she ran her hands across his face, walking In front of him and leaning on the rails protecting the stands, in order to stop people from falling over. Austin noticed her change in the dress, and she smelled differently, like his favourite vani ice cream but just in the form of an annoying person. ¡°Just tell her that you can see an extremely sexy ghost standing in front of you who you wanna do things to¡± She stared at her n with a smirk on her face, walking towards her. ¡°She just needs some touches on her hair and dressing style, trust me she would be smoking hot. But not just up to my standards you know¡± ¡°I just have to go N, I¡¯ll call you. I promise¡± Austin hurriedly removed her hands from his, trying to leave there as soon as possible before Tasha makes him say something or do something that would warrant N thinking he¡¯s crazy or something. N on the other hand was busy thinking about if what she said was wrong, was he offended that she called him a boy. Did she mess this up? ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± she pleaded Tasha¡¯s face immediately switched up and it was obvious she was disgusted, why is she apologising. ¡°Why are you apologising?¡± Austin asked, smiling and looking surprised ¡°Nevermind, you did nothing wrong¡± he said again even before she uttered a word. N was bewildered with his behaviour and why was he trying to leave her there, just as things were getting better. She¡¯s trying to rectify things and he¡¯s not having it. ¡°I¡¯m trying to apologise and you are being a dick about it¡± ¡°Excuse me¡± Austin turned abruptly surprised by what she said ¡°This should be interesting,¡± Tasha muttered as she saw Allen walking up the stairs. ¡°So what¡¯s going on here¡± Allen bounced in with two of the football yers ¡°Let¡¯s go¡± Austin said to n, trying to grab her hands but she dodged him. ¡°N¡± he muttered in a low tone, as he leaned towards her. ¡°It¡¯s obvious she doesn¡¯t want to go with you bro, leave her alone¡± Allen grabbed his hands and attempted to pull him back, Austin quickly turned and shoved his brother back with his full strength, which sent Allen flying into the arms of the two students who apanied him. Allen regained his bnce, smiled and straightened his clothes. ¡°Oh you are dead,¡± he said, biting his lips and charging at Austin. Chapter Nineteen Just before Allennded his well arranged punch on Austin, N stood in the way of both of them, stopping them with her hands stretched out and holding their chest. She could feel their heart pounding and the rage running through their veins. She knew this wasn¡¯t about her and they probably needed an excuse to let their tension out. ¡°You both are not going to use me as an avenue to sort out your issues¡± she screamed, having them pay attention to her. ¡°N hey¡­.¡± ¡°Do not talk to me¡± she shut Allen up even before he couldplete his sentence. She went back to her seat, packed up her stuff and stormed out of there, leaving them behind. ¡°You are so lucky, she stood in between us¡± Allen pointed his hands at him ¡°It¡¯s funny how you think you stand a chance against me¡± Tasha¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at the statement Austin made. ¡°What did you say to me?¡± Allen asked, pretending he didn¡¯t hear it the first time and walking towards him fast but was held back by the guys who apanied him. ¡°Let¡¯s go, ss would soon resume¡± Allen walked back with them with his gaze fixed on him till the building obstructed his sight. Austin slumped into one of the seats and sighed, Tasha could tell it was out of relief. ¡°You really thought you could take him?¡± Sheughed, nudging him ¡°Girl don¡¯t speak to me¡± he barked at her. ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡± Austin didn¡¯t answer, but stood up wanting to leave when Tasha pushed him back and hended on the seat hard. ¡°I asked a question, and this time, you would answer me. ¡± Her voice thickened as she walked up to him. She bent In Front of him, with little space in-between them. This time Austin couldn¡¯t feel the pleasant aura which would always drive him into wanting to kiss her or grab her. She made his legs shake, his heart was beating fast. She was a ghost, getting her pissed off isn¡¯t a good idea and he knew she could do things to him and no one would know what¡¯s happened except him. Getting her angry wasn¡¯t a good option but unfortunately she was now. Finally finding his voice, ¡°Tasha, I need to go and you are blocking the way¡± he said She smiled, bit her lips, nodded her head and leaned closer to him ¡°I could ruin your life and not even feel bad about it Baby boy, do not test me¡± She knew she was getting to him and she loved that. He was beginning to frustrate her every effort to be friendly to him, so as to get him to help her but he¡¯s not bulging and it¡¯s getting her all worked up. Austin leaned closer to her, closing down the only space left between them. Tasha could feel his breath, why was he that close to her? She felt flushed for the first time ever in her life and she couldn¡¯t understand why. She was angry a moment ago and this boy right here made that disappear in an instant, what¡¯s happening? She kept on questioning herself. Austin ran his hands down her hair and felt her wanting to lean back but he tightened his grip and heard her let out a subtle moan, he could tell she was hurt by it, but he didn¡¯t care. She just threatened him. His hands went down to her neck and ran his fingers across her neck, gripping her lightly and drawing her closer. He could feel the saliva go down her throat after she gulped down hard. He leaned forward again, Tasha couldn¡¯t understand what was happening, but he went past her face and brushed his cheeks against hers. Tasha felt her body go cold as his lips touched her ears. ¡°I would love to see you try¡± he finally muttered slowly into her ear and pushed her away. He stood up and went past herying up on the floor without even looking back. Tasha felt that anger return again, worse than before. She had never been treated like dirt by any man, people craved for her and here he was treating her like someone who was nobody. Tasha couldn¡¯t think straight after that incident, all that went through her head was the perfect revenge n. She wanted to see him beg so bad, she would make sure of it. She knew that. ¡°For God sake, I¡¯m older than this motherfucker¡± she cursed beneath her breath as wandered the graveyard. She went there after school hours or when she wasn¡¯t busy teasing Austin, for some reason she felt at peace here. Maybe because she was a Ghost, but it was one ce she felt alive. She came across Austin¡¯s mothers grave and thought about using her as a perfect revenge plot, but she knew it would jeopardise any n of her getting help from him. So she cancelled that option ¡°He¡¯s just lucky I need him¡± ****************************************** Austin found it difficult to close his eyes at night, what in God¡¯s name did he just do. A war with a ghost? ¡°Urghhh¡± he muffled into his pillow as he pressed his face against it. ¡°What is wrong with me!!¡± He knew Tasha could be vicious, he hadn¡¯t witnessed it first-hand but with the energy she gives off, he just knew he made a mistake asking her to bring her game on. He closed curtains, switched off his light. Atleast, he thought she would be able to appear if there¡¯s no light or anyway.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Heid on his bed with his head facing the ceiling and the thought of how she shivered as he held her neck and spoke into her ear crawled into his mind. He was happy, he could at least have that control over her and let her know that she wasn¡¯t the only one who had guts. ¡°Fuck!¡± He sprang up from his bead and reached for his phone. He promised to call N and he totally forgot. As he pressed his home button, the light that filled the room emanated from the phone. ¡°Hello Austin¡± Tasha¡¯s voice echoed, again. Chapter Twenty Austin couldn¡¯t close his eyes throughout that night, after that happened. He sat at the edge of his bed, with his mopping stick held tightly to his chest, ready to smash Tasha¡¯s head into the wall. He automatically saw her as a threat to his life. Hearing her call his name, he flung his phone straight to the wall and went right under his bed. His breathing was uneven, and even with the air-conditioner on, he was sweating like someone who ran a marathon. Anywhere he looked, he could see Tasha¡¯s face. It was all dark, but he couldn¡¯t help seeing her face everywhere. He wasn¡¯t so sure about how he treated her, and now he regrets it. ¡°What happened to your eyes?¡± Mr Richard asked with concern, walking towards Austin who was making breakfast before leaving for school. He tried to cover his face but his father took away his hands and notice his swollen eyes and even cheeks. ¡°Allen!¡± ¡°Sir¡± Allen¡¯s voice echoed from the bedroom upstairs and soon the staircase Started making hard sounds, announcing his arrival. Austin scolfed and didn¡¯t understand why he¡¯s father was making so much drama out of nothing, he knew his face made it habit of swelling anytime he doesn¡¯t get enough sleep and it¡¯s something he thought his father should be used to. He went for the old mirror which was on he table. His mother always used if for her make up before she leaves the house. ¡°I do not understand what the fuse is all abou¡­.¡± Austin paused as he looked as his face in his disbelief, he pressed his hands on his cheeks and face and it felt like some sore boil. ¡°What in God¡¯s name is this¡± He felt disgusted with himself and he knew Allen noticed it, after he smiled. His father directed his attention to Allen. ¡°What happened to your brother?¡± ¡°How am I supposed to know, I¡¯m not his father¡± ¡°And what¡¯s that supposed to mean¡± Mr Richard asked, stunned by what his son had just said. ¡°Need I remind you that I¡¯m your father¡± ¡°Aside providing for else, what else do you do? Do you even pay attention to the things that go on with us? You just drop money for lunch, and school and you leave. You are nonexistent to ..¡± Allen was cut shot with the palm of Mr Richard stinging his cheek. He held it as his face tilted sideways, facing his father back. He met it with a red eyes and angry face. ¡°Do you know how much pain you¡¯ve caused me, and I still do everything in my power to make sure you get everything you want and you stand there, saying all this to me!¡± He tried to loosen his belt, but was frustrated by the stiff grip it had round his waist. ¡°No allowance for you this week¡± he shot at Allen, picked up his back and left for work. ¡°Whatever ¡± Allen held his cheek and went back upstairs. Austin who was the cause of concern, just stood there, no one said anything about rectifying his problem, No one. He gave a thought to the swelling on his face, but he didn¡¯t think Tasha could be capable of this. Well she¡¯s a Ghost, she should be capable of anything. On the other hand, he hasn¡¯t stayed up all night before, maybe that¡¯s why his face got this way. He wanted to think that but his mind kept hammering on Tasha doing this to him. He would have dly stayed home but he needed to see N, he wanted to sort out things with her, letting them go on for too long with this issue would just result to him losing her and he couldn¡¯t have that N was in her usual spot in the school cafeteria, texting on her phone. She saw Austining from a distance and quickly locked her phone, sliding it into her breast pocket. Austin witnessed her sudden movement but pretended not to. ¡°Why are you wearing a cap?¡± she asked him, as he sat down, bending his head. He was trying to minimise the view people had of his face. He raised his cap a little, enough for her to get a glimpse of his face. She gasped ¡°What happened¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious, Just couldn¡¯t sleep wellst night¡± ¡°Why?¡± She questioned, tilting his face and pressing his cheeks gently. ¡°Well, yesterday event bothered, I thought you might end up not talking to me again¡± ¡°And you couldn¡¯t call?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I am¡± he hurriedly responded, stretching his hands out to grab hers. But before she could respond to him, Jason came in patting his back. ¡°Hey man, where have you been?¡± Austin rolled his eyes back and leaned back ¡°I¡¯m fine man, isn¡¯t it obvious¡± he turned his cap in order for Jason to capture his face well. ¡°Oh shit, what happened man..¡± Jason asked, concerned about him ¡°Don¡¯t ask¡± she shot back. N could tell he was cold to Jason, but she just sat there in silence, staring at him with his face showing he wasn¡¯t pleased with Jason¡¯s presence.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Hey mama,¡± Jason said to her, smiling. ¡°Hi¡± Jason moved to sit beside her, ¡°You know I¡¯ve been..¡± ¡°Hey man, can youe backter, we are actually having a serious conversation here¡± ¡°We are?¡± N smiled, but she could tell with Austin¡¯s eyes twitching, he needed her to agree with him. Jason looked at her, asif trying to get permission from her to leave, she shrugged off her shoulders and he quickly understood. ¡°I¡¯ll see youter man¡± Austin stared at him until he was out of the cafeteria, but was just brought back with N¡¯s question. ¡°Okay what¡¯s your deal with him, he¡¯s obviously a nice guy and quite handsome too¡± she smiled, but tried to cover it up by using her hands in covering her face. ¡°Oh really, I could call him back for you,¡± Austin said, unimpressed by her trying to tease him. ¡°I want just the best for you N, and people like Jason? They are just the same as Allen¡± ¡°Did he try to get someone killed when he was younger, because that¡¯s what you said about Allen¡± Austin sighed and leaned back ¡°do you trust me?¡± N nodded, with every reassurance that Austin only had the best interest for her in heart. She had always known him to have her back since they were young, so obviously she trusted him. ¡°Good, that¡¯s all I needed to know¡± Chapter twenty one He stood under the scorching sun, that was busy setting the grass aze. They were the only ones alone on the field, but he had no idea why she chose this time for them toe out. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why you wanted us here by this time,¡± Austin said, squinting and covering his eyes from the harsh rays of the sun. N kept herself busy setting up the cones he needed for his footwork. Austin sat there, smiling and he remembered asking her for help, but never expected her to be this serious with it. He stood up, attempting to clean off his body, and then realised there was nothing on his shorts. ¡°Hey N¡± he shook her shoulders. She raised her head to look at him but quickly covered her eyes, ¡°The sun right?¡± She wiped off the sweat dripping down her cheeks with her handkerchief, ¡°why are you not wearing your boots¡± she queried Austin with a harsh tone. Austin smiled, and replied ¡°chill chill, don¡¯t ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t what? It¡¯s either you are serious with this or not,¡± N interrupted him. ¡± I prioritised this for a reason, don¡¯t make me regret it.¡± Austin stood with his mouth wide open and his jaws dropped, ¡°Will you put on your boots or should I leave?¡± He didn¡¯t even wait a second, he jogged back to his backpack and brought out his boot. They were a bit dusty, because he knew they didn¡¯t have ns for training. So he didn¡¯t bother to wash them, N only informed him about helping him with training that morning. He was lost in between being impressed or being ashamed that he had been ordered around by N. He asked her to aid him in training, but turns out she was actually training him now. After struggling to fit his legs perfectly into his boots. He stepped leaped up with so much enthusiasm, ready to stomp on the bed and show her what he was made of. But as his legsnded back on the ground, he felt his leg burning like some barbeque being prepared.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Ouch¡± he groaned in pain, taking a knee down to the ground. N hurriedly came to his side, holding him arms. ¡°What¡¯s wrong this time?¡± She asked ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡± Austin tried standing with the help of the hand she extended to him ¡°Don¡¯t do that again,¡± she pleaded, ¡°talk to me.¡± He could see that she yearned for some answer and he wasn¡¯t happy always keeping her in the dark about things going on with him. He was more worried about looking like some weakd, who needed her pity or help. He sighed, ¡°my legs are literally on fire, the sun and the ground itself burns.¡± N rolled her eyes in disappointment and flung his hand away, ¡°I thought it was something serious!¡± she eximed, ¡°Just get yourselves to the beginning of that cone and begin some ball work. I realised your footwork sucks ¡± Austin was left in shock again and was excited, ¡°How do you know these things N?¡± His face was an absolute replica of some kid who just saw Santa us. Austin was on his way to where the cone was when N halted him. ¡°Where are you going to¡± Austin looking confused, ¡°you said I should begin here with my footwork¡± N¡¯s brow raised immediately ¡°without Jogging first?¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m not doing that,¡± Austin said with all Certainty. ¡°Well, it¡¯s either you listen to me or Train yourself baby boy, it¡¯s all left to you¡± N made her way to where she dropped her belongings. Austin was still dumbfounded by this version of N he was seeing, this bossy attitude and the orders she gave to him made it look like it was another person entirely and it only drove him crazy, at least in a good way. ¡°Okay okay¡± Austin said reluctantly, ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± He started jogging slowly with his eyes fixed on her, he could see her mischievous smile of victory that apanied her statement ¡°Good boy¡± as he ran off. After jogging to her heart¡¯s content, he tried several times wiggling and manoeuvring through the cones she set. It was all Trial and failure followed with her Barking orders, ¡°Again!¡± Each time he messed it up, she was always there to have him start over. She was moremitted to his development than the school coach himself, Austin was getting worn out but seeing her hyped about this kept him going. He was almost about to get past thest two cones, when he felt the atmosphere change. He thought it was about to rain but the sun was still having a busy day, he felt a chill breeze brush his cheeks, the grass around were suddenly rising and rustling. He was still determined in getting past those cones, he went right with the ball all at his feet and got past the first one. His face lighting up with a smile of victory atst, he was moving left to get past thest cone when he felt a nudge at the back. He went crashing into the ground hard, ¡°AGAIN!¡± N barked at him. He stood up quickly, looking around and stood up frustrated. He kicked thest cone away and screamed ¡°Fuckkk¡± N just stood there, looking at him and he backed her. ¡°You are going to have to do this again¡± she said to him ¡°Can¡¯t you just leave me alone, let me be¡± Austin shouted, slumping on the grass. N had no idea what she had done, she only wanted to help and this was how he replied to her again. ¡°I just wanted help¡± N mattered slowly, stepping away. ¡°Hey hey, it¡¯s not you N. I swear it¡¯s not you¡± Austin pleaded. He screamed because he knew falling was Tasha¡¯s doing. That breeze rustling the grass was just her announcing her arrival and she just made him stumble back on a huge progress. He has been contemting what he has to do to get her to leave him alone but nothinges to mind. ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s not me?¡± N grimaced, ¡°you screamed that I should leave you alone. This is not the first time you are doing this.¡± Austin quickly held her, trying to reassure her ¡°It wasn¡¯t you N, trust me. It was just, it just..¡± he stuttered, finding it hard toe up with an excuse or even the right word to use. ¡°I¡¯m tired of all this back and forth Austin,¡± She released herself from his grip and grabbed her things and left him there. Austin fell back on the grass and muttered slowly ¡°Are you happy now?¡± ¡°Not yet, baby boy¡± Tasha¡¯s voice echoed in his ear with happiness in it. she formed right out of nothing, he sat there staring at her. He was busy thinking of so many ways to hurt her, but he knew she wouldn¡¯t die and this would only lead to him being in more serious trouble. ¡°Come on, cheer up¡± she said smiling at him and sat right next to him, ¡°Atleast, I allowed you to train well. You actually did improve¡± Austin wasn¡¯t moved one bit with herments, he could feel his heart raging with anger and different thoughts of how to hurt her, but he tried everything in his power to suppress them. After a few minutes of ignoring her and calming himself. ¡°What do you want from me Tasha¡± Tasha smirked ¡°you have no Idea how long I¡¯ve been waiting for you to ask me this question¡± Chapter twenty two ¡°Okay, listen¡± Tasha readjusted herself Infront of Austin, ¡°I¡¯m not dead¡±N?velDrama.Org ? content. ¡°You are not what?¡± Austin said, confused with what she just said. ¡°I¡¯m not dead¡± she repeated with a bright face, Austin sat there looking confused with what she was saying and couldn¡¯t understand why she was so happy about it. ¡°Is this why you¡¯ve made it your life mission to ruin my life¡± Austin shrugged, ¡°Just to tell me you weren¡¯t dead¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t make you my life mission,¡± she scoffed. ¡°So what is it witch, I need to go to ss.¡± Tasha gasped, ¡°you did not just call me a witch.¡± His eyes shot back, indicating he had no intention to take it back. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll let that slide just because I need your help¡± ¡°Whatever,¡± Austin rolled his eyes in difort, being under the sun for that long was already getting to him. ¡°Just state what it is you want. I do not know if ghosts feel things, but this sun ispeting with hell, so be fast¡± Tasha swallowed hard, bracing herself up for what she needed to say ¡± I need you to help me get back into my body¡± Her request followed with utter silence, Austin stared at her with no expression on his face, wondering if she was joking about it. Tasha on the other hand couldn¡¯t understand why he was silent after what she just said and wondered if he even heard her. ¡°Wait, you are actually serious?¡± Austin bursted intoughter, hitting his thighs as he was at it. He had been waiting for her to probably say it was one of her lousy ways of trying to tease him or get him upset but it turned out she wasn¡¯t joking. ¡°Girl you are dead,¡± he stood up packing up his kits and changing into his sneakers for ss. ¡°Just ept it and move on, that way you¡¯ll probably go to hell, where you are supposed to be.¡± Tasha felt insulted with what he had just said, his outburst only made her feel worse than other incidents that had happened. She was serious about this and he joked about it. ¡°Hey hey, I¡¯m being serious¡± she pleaded, ¡°you asked me what I wanted, and this is it, Just help me¡± Austin couldn¡¯t believe her even if he wanted to ¡°Just look for someone else out there who has been in aa for once in their life. I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯d be down to help a beautiful lost Ghost. I¡¯m just not your Guy Tasha¡± he retorted. Tasha stood there with her heart in her hands, he was her only hope of getting back into thend of the living and it just went flying. So that was why he could see her? She thought about him getting into aa, and it only increased her desire to want to get him to work with her. She needed to hear his story, maybe he roamed around like her and probably got back to his body in one way or another. She knew she needed him more than ever now and this rejection she got from him wouldn¡¯t stop her from trying again. Tashaid back on the grass and stared hard into space. She let out a sigh of relief and her face broke out a smile. She suddenly felt closer than ever, like she might actually find an answer to her problem. She might be going back to her city, being around friends again, going clubbing and not having to wear these clothes thatck style. She stared at herself unimpressed, now she thought about the possible strategies that would force or convince Austin into helping her. **************** Austin got into ss but didn¡¯t see N there. Luckily for him, it was before the teacher who took them chemistry, he was known for his uptight ways, which included you staying out once he¡¯s in ss. His thoughts were clouded with what Tasha had just dropped on him, he began to think about different possibilities on how she might be right, that¡¯s if she had been serious with him. Why only he can see her and what body was she talking about? Did she know where she died? All these thoughts kept bugging him until he saw Jade walk into ss and his heart skipped a beat. This was supposed to be thest day of his suspension and he¡¯s getting into ss when the day is almost over. His presence brought about a different atmosphere in ss, students jumping on the table, some were busy chanting his name and others drumming on the table. Austin just sat there with his Jaw dropped. Jade eyes met his and he winked at him with a smile, Austin did not understand why that happened. The Jade he knew would be plotting a revenge against him and brother, he never took an insult likely, talk more about what his brother did to him. What scared him most was that the smile and wink looked genuine and real, why was that the case. This Jade had a calm aura, with every step he took, the ss went wild and what didn¡¯t leave his face was that smile. He shaked different students on his way to his seat, immediately he got a o Austin¡¯s, he paused, tapped his shoulder and leaned towards him. ¡°Hey Austin, I missed you. Tell your brother I said Hi¡± Austin sighed and cursed beneath his breath, he knew nothing could change with Jade. This was probably all a Show to make people think he had changed. The ss went totally silent, for a second Austin thought the lecturer was in ss already. But to his surprise, it was Allen walking in tapping his fingers on each desk as he strolled towards Jade¡¯s desk. Austin just couldn¡¯t fathom how someone would love violence and chaos so much. Everyone stood still, looking at Allen waiting for something to drop, maybe a word or a punch. Allen went past Austin like he meant nothing to him but nothing could have made him happier than that, Austin wished everyone in school would forget they were rted. ¡°I guess three days means two and half days for you right,¡± Allen said as he stopped right before Jade¡¯s desk who was leaning back and still retaining his smile. ¡°What can I say,¡± he replied, ¡°A king, is always a king¡± Allen with a mischievous smile, Austin could tell his brother was up to no good and it bothered him. ¡°Well, truce? Or you¡¯d still want to get another beating?¡± Allen proposed with all confidence and the ss let out a roar teasing Jade, but he responded with his hands up telling them to stop. Jade stood up, and went close to Allen. Austin covered his face waiting for someone to throw the first punch, but he didn¡¯t want to see it. Jade smiled and struck out his hands to shake Allen ¡°Truce¡± ¡°Good choice¡± Allen smiled back and shook his hands. The ss booed Jade, it was obvious they were anxiously waiting for another ssic fight. This time they would be there to witness it. Austin¡¯s gut never allowed him to believe that this was the end between Jade and his brother, he could tell Jade was probably nning something and his brother wasn¡¯t stupid enough to let his guard down or just to expect things to die down between them. There was just so much going through Austin¡¯s mind and he was beginning to get weighed down by them. Chapter Twenty Three That night, their father got home early to their surprise and bought dinner on his way back. He made them both have dinner with him while talking and narrating his ordeal at work. Austin couldn¡¯t help but think his father was drunk and he could bet his brother thought the same with the disbelief written all over his face. But Mr Richard wasn¡¯t drunk, he had gotten promoted at work that day, something he had been dreading ever since the loss of his wife. He put his career In Front of everything else in trying to subdue the pain he felt losing her. That night, all he wanted was to share his happiness with his sons. The mood was getting lighter and Jollier as he kept going on with his stories, Austinughed and his brother was busy smiling from time to time. They would sneak a peek at each other and pretend like they didn¡¯t notice it. After dinner, They both tried to clean up but their father stopped them and asked them to rest up and he¡¯ll do that. Austin couldn¡¯t just believe what was happening, all he wanted was for this to happen often and he wouldn¡¯t mind. Allen was busy preparing his bed for the night when he heard his door creak open. He grunted, thinking it was his father who came in. He was happy his father was in a great mood, but he was honestly tired of the stories. ¡°Hey¡± ¡°Now you want to talk to me?¡± Allen replied without looking back, focusing his attention on his bed. Austin sighed and buried his head, ¡°how did we get here?¡± He whispered with all sincerity and sadness in his voice. ¡°We were perfect growing up, I remember you being my only Friend¡± Allen paused, turned back to Austin and arched a brow ¡°you are the reason why we got here¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes, you¡± Allen raged, ¡°you continue to me me for everything that goes wrong in your life.¡± ¡°And is it not your fault?¡± Austin whispered to him, not wanting issues to escte, because he could tell Allen was getting agitated, but getting into a piss off contest with his brother wasn¡¯t his n here. ¡°You were the reason mum and dad had no time for me man, it sulked. You always needed their attention, if they aren¡¯t stopping you from getting into trouble, it¡¯s always another thing¡± ¡°You took my parents away from me¡± Austin¡¯s voice rose alongside his breathing. Allen rolled his tongue, ¡°Get out¡± he pointed at his door, but Austin stood still. ¡°Get out!¡± He screamed and pushed Austin on his chest, but he wouldn¡¯t budge. Their heartbeats racing and their breath unaligned, the tension in the room wasn¡¯t hatred but it was something close to it. They both stood there, staring at each other. Allen knew his brother wasn¡¯t leaving, but he did not know what he wanted from him. ¡°Did you bother to know what I was going through¡± Allen began with his voice breaking, ¡± All you thought was I chose to be rebellious on my own. You were mum¡¯s favourite, and Dad didn¡¯t have time for any of us. At Least you had mum, I had no one. So if you think I took them away from you, I¡¯m so happy I did, because that was the only way I could get their attention. Luckily for me it worked.¡± Austin couldn¡¯t say he was disappointed at what his brother just said but he never expected his brother to be this cruel. ¡°Wow¡± a tear dropped from his eyes, as he fought back to hold the rest in. He wiped his tears off with his palm. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go, I think I¡¯ve heard everything I needed to hear¡± Austin ran off to his room and fell to the ground immediately he locked his door. His heart was breaking into tiny bits,ing back as a whole and breaking again. He was crying after having a wonderful night with his father, why do things always have to go south for him, he thought. Happiness was never a longsting thing for him. He med himself for walking into his brother¡¯s room, all he wanted was to talk and make things better between them but the opposite happened, he felt farther away from him and he hated him. Yes, he hated him. He did everything with the intention of taking them away from him and he won. He picked up his phone and dialled a number.. ¡°Hey Austin, I¡¯m not in the moo¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry N¡± Austin said breaking down on the phone and his voice shaking, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for everything¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± N asked, sounding concerned. ¡°Talk to me¡± ¡°I just realised you were more important to me than anything¡± he wiped his eyes and his voice sounded moreposed. ¡± I wanted you to know that and understand that I value you.¡± This promation followed with a short silence and he had to ask ¡°Are you there?¡± ¡°Yes yes, I am¡± she replied, ¡± I guess I¡¯m just shocked by this¡± ¡°Why would you be shocked?¡± he smiled, ¡°can¡¯t you tell you are the most important woman to me?¡± he teased. ¡°Oh please shut up¡± N sighed and replied, ¡°You just confuse me alot. You keep me out and then you make me feel important, then you keep me out again. This circle of events keeps hurting me.¡± ¡°I am sorry N, I promise it won¡¯t happen again¡± he reassured her. ¡°You¡¯ve been saying that alot, I don¡¯t know what else to think¡± she wasn¡¯t convinced by what he said and Austin knew that but he had no idea how to get her to trust him again. ¡°And is that why you were crying like a baby¡± ¡°You should be d I did, because now you would know I¡¯d definitely die if I lose you¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°I¡¯m not buying that¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to¡± Austin stood from the floor with a smile on his face and began moving around the room. There was something about N that always made him happy, being around her was his medicine for Joy andughter. Somehow he knew this, her smile made him drown in love, whenever she grabs him, he doesn¡¯t want her to let go. Spending time with her felt like a millisecond, regardless of how long he has been with her. ¡°Or has your boyfriend ever shed a tear for you? ¡± he teased her and he heard her let out a long and mischievous hiss while she told him goodbye. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡± he hurriedly replied,ughing. ¡°Just don¡¯t tease me with him again¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try¡± ¡°Goodnight Au¡­stin¡± she yawned as she stretched his name. Austin knew she was Probably tired and she needed to rest like him. ¡°Goodnight N, dream about him or me, but I assure you, dreaming about me is way better¡­¡± he gasped as hepleted his statement and looked at his phone, she hung up even before he finished. Chapter Twenty Four ¡°What in God¡¯s name happened here¡± Austin eximed. He had woken up that morning in high spirits, regardless of what happened between him and his brother. He smiled all through his journey to school, jumping and trying to touch branches of some trees along the way to school. His happiness was proudly sponsored by N and not following the bus was just an attempt not to see her till his training session with her again. All his happiness vanished as soon as he entered the ss and noticed that his table was missing a leg. ¡°What happened here?¡± he repeated, directing his questions to his ssmate who sat at the front roll. He shook his head indicating he didn¡¯t know what happened. His eyes searched the ssroom and stopped on Jade who sat at the back with some of his friendsughing. The only reasonable thing he could think of was Jade messing with him again because of his brother. He marched towards him with every ounce of anger. He pounded his hands on Jade¡¯s table hard and that made the ss go silent. The few students in the ss had their eyes on him, he was Panting like a wounded lion and staring at Jade like a predator. There was something different about this Austin and that was he hated being picked on for no reason. ¡°Hey man, what¡¯s up?¡± Jade smiled, soaked in confusion. ¡°You are going to pretend like you don¡¯t know why I¡¯m here¡± Jade shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t have any idea man¡± ¡°I bet you don¡¯t!¡± Austin eximed and pointed his hands at his table. Jade stretched his head forward to see what he was pointing to and burst out intoughter. ¡°Oh shit.¡± His friend¡¯s too joined him inughing, some held Austin in an attempt not to fall whileughing. Austin wasn¡¯t having any of it, he pushed them off, and bent towards Jade. ¡°Don¡¯t y with me man¡± He muttered slowly ¡°Okay okay..¡± Jade raised his hands and coughed, ¡± In as much as I would love to take credit for that beautiful work of art, I didn¡¯t do it. Plus you should know that¡¯s not my style.¡± He stood up, straightened his cor and spoke with a more fierce tone. ¡°I would beat you and leave you to bleed if I wanted toe for you Austin¡± Austin could feel his leg weaken as thosest words left the lips of Jade, but he tried not to show that he was scared about what he said. He stood there with his eyes still fixated on Jade¡¯s. Suddenly his face broke out a smile ¡°but then we are cool Austin¡± he moved closer to Austin, but Austin didn¡¯t move back either. He held Austin¡¯s cor and straightened it too. ¡°I didn¡¯t do that, it¡¯ll better for you to believe me¡± Austin pushed his hands off him and went back to his seat to meet his three legged table. He believed Jade, not because he was scared but Jade had some point. Jade wouldn¡¯te to his table if he wanted to get his revenge, he was someone who believed in using Fist for Judgement. He dropped his bag on his seat and went into the woods just behind the School stadium. His intention was to look for any abandoned wood, twigs or branches that he could use in sustaining his table¡¯s bnce till the day was over. He was shocked at what a beautiful sight this ce was. It was one thing seeing it from the sitting stands in the football field, but it¡¯s an entirely different feeling being there. The trees were like some Giant fortress, tall with its branches fighting off the sun. The grasses were healthy and beautiful, the atmosphere cool and moist. Austin thought about having a pic date with N here, he was sure she¡¯d love it. He decided to leave his admiration for the woods and focus on getting a recement for his injured bench as he thought of it. He went around for almost thirty minutes but didn¡¯t see anything useful to him. It¡¯s either the branches were too short or too long. He tried to break the longer ones to fit his measurements but they were too hard and wouldn¡¯t sumb to his constant hitting on the ground. He sighed after a long and fruitless search for it, he started making his way back to the ss. ¡°Given up already?¡± Tasha asked, smiling and sitting on one of the shorter trees with her legs swinging. He stood still after hearing her voice, he wouldn¡¯t say he wasn¡¯t getting used to her random pop ups out of nothing ¡°What do you want this time?¡± He asked, turning to face her only for him to be filled with bewilderment. She was holding the broken leg of his table. Austin ran his hands through his hair and licked his lips ¡°Give it to me,¡± he muttered slowly. Tasha could tell he was pissed with his uneasy body movement, his eyes were squinted at her and she knew he was more dangerous now than ever. His voice was low but audacious. ¡°Why should I do that?¡± Austin stunned by her question, ¡°what do you mean, why should you do that¡± ¡°Is it yours?¡± She grinned Austin sighed hard, in an attempt to control his anger which was rising really fast, he tried to speak but stopped, then tried again. ¡°Just please give it to me and let me go¡± ¡°Is it yours?¡± Tasha asked again, with a Stern face this time. ¡°Yes it¡¯s mine¡± he replied calmly. Tasha nodded and smiled. She took onest look at it and threw it with all her might at Austin. He was Shocked by her move and he knew it was going straight for his shoulders, he took a knee down and tilted his head to the side as it went past him grazing the top of his shoulder. He looked up immediately and didn¡¯t see her anymore, he turned quickly and met her standing behind him, smiling with it in her hand. ¡°Here¡± she said, handing it over to him with a smirk on her face. Austin was busy with the thought, if she was crazy or she was just a lunatic. ¡°Why in God¡¯s name would you do that!¡± he screamed. ¡°Because I knew it¡¯ll miss you¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Austin raised his hands to stop her ¡°it didn¡¯t miss me, I dodged it¡± ¡± Well good for you¡± she replied unapologetically. ¡°What was the point of all this¡± he inquired, collecting his table¡¯s leg from her. ¡°Breaking the leg of my table, letting me do all this for nothing, you are stressing me Tasha!¡± his voice rising. ¡°I knew you could take it¡± she licked her lips as she muttered slowly, taking her time to stare at him from head to toe and making sure he noticed it. ¡°What..¡± he paused, ¡°what do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve seen you naked. So I know these things baby boy¡± ¡°Oh My God¡± Austin walked past her immediately, feeling embarrassed. He wished the earth could just open up and take him in. What exactly can she do and not do? He stopped abruptly, almost locking lips with her after she appeared in front of him again. ¡°But we weren¡¯t done talking¡± she whispered, she leaned towards him and he moved back. She walked towards him and he moved back. He felt like a prey and she was the predator, he wasn¡¯t scared but he didn¡¯t feel in control of the situation. She had him in her hands and she knew it now. His legs got weak with every step she took towards him, he hated her but for some reason he just wanted to stop and let her have her way with him. He knew his body wanted this but did he want that? ¡°You know it¡¯s rude to walk out on ady¡± she said, holding his hands and stopping him from moving. He didn¡¯t try to let go, he couldn¡¯t. His body sumbed immediately he felt her delicate palms on his. Chapter twenty five Her eyes were calm as the ocean banks would be at dawn, and he was drowning in them. Her hair flung back as the air pulled it along with it. Austin couldn¡¯t move not because he tried to but he didn¡¯t want to, she felt safe and he wanted to be there with her. The smile on her face, breaking more as she witnessed him lost in whatever fantasy he had going on and his eyes stuck on hers like a ma. ¡°Are you thinking about me right now?¡± That question pulled Austin back into all consciousness and he pulled his hand away from hers, maybe a little too hard because he went sprawling on the floor. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She asked. Ausin couldn¡¯t sense any sarcasm or jest in her voice. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he replied as he stood up, wiping the dirt off his shorts. ¡°You are bleeding¡± Tasha said quickly as she hurried towards him, but he swung his arm back as she attempted to hold him. He looked at his elbow and noticed blood sliding down his hands. Luckily for him, it wasn¡¯t something serious. ¡°Let me take a look at it, ¡± she pleaded, looking concerned. Tasha didn¡¯t want him ming her for this Injury he sustained again, because turns out with every gradual progress she makes with him, she faces a major setback that ruins everything again. Austin shook his head gradually, trying not to give off any hostile energy. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡± he repeated again, calmly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me¡± he raised his shoulders and feigned a smile, trying to convince her that he was okay. His elbow hurt like hell, andnding like that unexpectedly made things worse. He was getting used to hiding pain ever since his mother¡¯s death so masking just a little elbow injury should be nothing to him. Tasha looked unimpressed with his trying his act and he stood there puzzled. ¡°You should let me do something about it¡± she asked again, this time her voice audacious and straight. ¡°No!¡± He walked past her and Tasha stood there wondering what she had to do to get him to warm up to her. Getting him angry and worked up wasn¡¯t working anymore and she needed to leave here so fast. How much in life is she going to lose, days? Months? Years? These questions scared her and had her body quiver in fear. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you after school¡± she muttered icily. Austin stopped abruptly, walking back towards her swiftly. Tasha was a bit frightened by the way he was walking towards her, she didn¡¯t mean that as a threat, but she could tell he thought she did. ¡°Please, I¡¯m tired of all this¡± Austin pleaded, almost going on his knees. Oh he definitely thought she threatened him, she could see that her previous ns obviously got to him and he was scared about what she¡¯d do next. She smiled and stood akimbo ¡± well well well..¡± she paced around as she stared at him looking all pitiful, with his eyes almost falling out of his face. Him looking all submissive before her made her blood rush, standing here and ready for anything she was about to say gave her the sense of control he had deprived her of. This was what she was used to, controlling men around her. ¡°Let¡¯s talk, that¡¯s all I want. And you need to promise to help me, or else¡± ¡°There won¡¯t be any need for you to do anything¡± Austin replied hastily, ¡°I¡¯ll help you, just promise to let me live my life peacefully¡± She watched him with a smirk on her face, the desperation that left his body as he made this request, the urge to get rid of her so quickly. She must have been such a menace without even realising it herself, this made her proud. ¡°I don¡¯t think I wanna do that¡± she arched a bro ¡°What?¡± Austin muttered, shocked by what she had just said. What does she mean, she doesn¡¯t think she wants him to live a peaceful life. ¡°I enjoy being around you, plus you know the things I do to you?¡± Tasha licked her and lips and sighed ¡± I love them¡± Austin¡¯s grunts couldn¡¯t go unnoticeable, as Tasha quickly added ¡°But I would stop making your life a Living hell, that I promise¡± she crossed her hand round her chest, which directed Austin¡¯s eyes to her bosom. He hadn¡¯t recognized how round and firm they were, her nipples pointing out and trying to break free from her blouse. Has he been so stressed out that he didn¡¯t even notice this about Tasha? She noticed the distraction in his eyes, after it didn¡¯t move its attention for a few seconds. She watched him stare at her with so much desire to savour her. The hunger evident within him drowned him in his thoughts and she knew he wanted it, she was certain about that. ¡°You could hold them if you want¡± Tasha muttered with a low voice and took a step closer to him. Austin snapped out of his thoughts quickly. He had been thinking about ripping her clothes off, pinning her and burying his head in her bosom while she held his head and let out moans of satisfaction, but she drew him back to reality. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You could them if you want¡± she repeated with a smile on her face as she took another step towards him. ¡°Hold what?¡± Austin replied, with a straight face, pretending to not know what she was talking about. Did she catch him staring at her? ¡°You are really gonna do that?¡± Tasha asked with a disappointed tone, ¡°okay.¡± She shrugged it off. ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about¡± Austin made his way to the school stadium as he lied. *It¡¯s okay, not like you have the balls for it anyway.¡± He knew she was what she was trying to do and it was working. He felt his masculinity smashed into little bits and burnt into ashes. Her words pierced right into his chest. He swallowed hard and folded his fist, but didn¡¯t turn back to look at her or say anything. ¡°Remember, I¡¯ll be waiting for you after school¡± she called out to him, her voice cheerful, like she wanted to go off and prepare for a date. Austin raised his hands and waved to her, acknowledging what she had just said. He had no idea what he had done, but he felt like he had just made a deal with the devil. But one thing is he felt at peace, not worrying about the next disaster that was going to happen.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. On walking out of the woods, Austin stopped. He could have sworn he heard footsteps just a minute ago. He couldn¡¯t think of anyone sneaking up on him like that except Tasha. He sighed, disappointed that she¡¯d make a move at him again after they both agreed to stop him. ¡°Tasha I¡¯m not ready¡­¡± ¡°Boo!¡± Jade sprang at him as he turned to admonish Tasha who wasn¡¯t even present there. Austin staggered back, staring at Jade in bewilderment. ¡°Tasha Huh?¡± Jade teased as he smiled. ¡°What are you doing here man?¡± Austin asked, he regretted asking that immediately the question left his lips. Jade wasn¡¯t someone who¡¯d always be in ss, so why did he even bother to ask. ¡°Well¡­¡± Jade dragged on, ¡°you left the ss and I was just hoping to see if you were alright¡± Was the worlding to an end or what exactly is going on, ¡°you came to check if I was okay?¡± Austin let out, surprised. Austin shook his head, confused. ¡°How did you even know I was going to be here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me Jade, I know everything¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious¡± Austin shot back, sternly. ¡°Okayy¡± Jade began reluctantly ¡± you lost a footing of your table, it¡¯s only normal for you to try to get a recement for it in the woods¡± he raised his hands, satisfied and impressed with the exnation he just gave, Austin could tell with the gloating expression on his face. ¡°Turns out you found your missing foot too¡± Jade pointed to what he held in his hands surprised, ¡°how did you find it?¡± He queried. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business man¡± he shot back as he attempted to get past Jade but was stopped as Jade held back his table¡¯s leg. ¡°But it is,¡± Jade grinned, ¡± you used me of dismantling your table, so don¡¯t you think I deserve an exnation?¡± Austin bowed his head and sighed, did he have to go through this everyday. One altercation to another. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m sorry¡± he finally said, ¡°I am, I shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s okay, everyone thinks I¡¯m the first one to suspect when something goes wrong because I¡¯m rebellious¡± Jade told him off. Austin could feel the sadness in his tone and he felt bad for ming Jade in the first ce. He knew what it felt like being used of something you didn¡¯t do. ¡°Well like I said, I just wanted to check if you were alright¡± his face brightened up. ¡°Yeah thanks¡± They were walking side by side back to ss and Austin felt weird about that, it was just so ironic. These two people were always in a fight and Austin always felt the need to stand up to Jade anytime he felt he was about to be bullied and now he¡¯s trying to look out for him? ¡°This feels nice you know, walking together¡± ¡°No it doesn¡¯t¡± Austin increased his pace. ¡°Don¡¯t leave¡± Jadeughed as he jogged after him ¡± and who is Tasha?¡± ¡°Oh God¡± Austin picked up his pace too and started running. Chapter Twenty six ¡°You know I have training also tomorrow¡± he said to N, as he hurriedly pulled him towards the stadium. Austin found it difficult to cope in the ss earlier that day, with Jade hammering on his case, not in a bad way but it was still frustrating for Austin. ¡°Come on, you have to tell me who she is¡± he kept Hampering on it, even after Austin told him he mentioned that name by mistake. Jade didn¡¯t buy it but had no option but to leave him alone after their teacher got into the ss.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°So you and Jade, now best friends¡± N asked, eyeing Austin as he wore his kits. ¡°What makes you think so?¡± He arched his brow. ¡°Well¡± N started, ¡°you guys smiling and discussing. It was almost as if you guys were friends for a long time¡± ¡°You guys smiling?¡± Austin questioned with his eyes wide open, N understood his message immediately. ¡°Well scratch that, but you get my point¡± she insisted. ¡°He was just on me about something..¡± ¡°What thing?¡± Austin swallowed hard, shocked by how fast she asked. He didn¡¯t expect her to ask and he knew he couldn¡¯t tell her about what exactly happened without Tasha¡¯s nameing up ¡°It was just him telling me, I won¡¯t make the football team for the match on Saturday ¡± Austin kneeled to tie his shoece. He needed to hide his face while he lied to N, not because she would notice it but because he felt ashamed of himself. ¡°But you guys wouldn¡¯t be so cheerful if that was the case¡± she added slowly, the expression on her face told Austin she didn¡¯t believe what he just said. ¡°Well that¡¯s what happened¡± he shot back, springing up and bouncing on his toes. N sighed, and switched her attention to setting the cones down on the grass. It was quite difficult for them to find space on the field for them to train, because the majority of the students were on the field. School was closed for the day, while some went home, some in detention, some in the library, most of them found sce hanging out or ying on the field. ¡°Not like you guys are nning something against Allen?¡± She asked out of nowhere, she didn¡¯t even stare at Austin as the question left her mind, her undivided attention was still glued to those cones, but she said it. ¡°Wait, why would you think that?¡± He felt surprised with how the question came, because with her setting up the cones, he felt she had left the issue. Now she¡¯s asking about him ganging up against his brother, he did not only feel insulted, but he felt bad that N would even think such of him. ¡°Well, it¡¯s Jade¡± N strained to let the words out of her mouth, because of how bent she was trying to set the cones. She stood upright and repeated, ¡°it¡¯s Jade, he tends to have that effect on People. And honestly,tely, you¡¯ve not been the usual Austin¡± He didn¡¯t say anything but just stood there, without an expression or emotion written on his face. N couldn¡¯t tell what he was feeling or how he took what she just said. ¡°Well don¡¯t me me¡± she added, raising her shoulders. ¡°In as much as you might have a point there N¡± he whispered, ¡°I would never gang up against my brother. He¡¯s my brother for crying out loud!¡± He covered his face and turned ¡°Fuck¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± she muttered slowly against his back Austin sighed, bent his head and tried to reduce the way he was Panting, this was happening to himtely. His temperament wasn¡¯t something to be regarded as ¡°Hot temper,¡± it was getting worse. ¡°It¡¯s fine¡± he waved his hands at her, grinning. He went for the ball and juggled it. There awkward situation was followed by a long silence only disturbed by the cheerfulughter¡¯s and discussion of people around them. N had finished setting up his cones but couldn¡¯t bring herself to call him to start training with it after what she just did. She just stood, watching him with keen eyes as he juggles the ball and she depicted that he was trying to juggle it till thirty but kept dropping it at twenty. Every failure of his was followed by him cursing and groaning. ¡°What about your baby boy¡± Austin asked as he continued juggling and panting with his eyes still on the ball N¡¯s eyes widened and she almost smiled but fought hard to keep a straight face ¡°what baby boy?¡± Austin yed the ball up and caught it. He faced her, tried to talk but couldn¡¯t because he was Panting too hard. This juggling was harder than he expected, a smile edged on N¡¯s face as she watched him struggle. ¡°You really need me to point out the obvious?¡± He asked, finally finding his voice. ¡°Justin please, hold me,¡± he whined as he ran his hands across his body in an attempt to mock N. N gasped and ran towards him, but he didn¡¯t try to run away. ¡°I¡¯ve never said any of those things to you!¡± She eximed, raining soft ps at him as he went down to the ground,ughing. ¡°Okay okay¡± he screamed amidst the psing at him, ¡°Just wait.¡± He held her two hands, as she had no intention of stopping. The smile on her face was still there, stered and appealing to him, the sun was out in its full form, and sheying over him felt like an umbre shading him, but it also gave him the chance to notice how beautiful her eyes were. Dark but yet it drew him closer, wanting to run his hands across her cheeks and admire every little detail in those eyes of hers. ¡°What.. what is it?¡± N stuttered, her smile fading off. ¡± Is there something on my face?¡± ¡°No no no..¡± Austin held her back as she attempted to stand, ¡°your face is just perfect¡± He saw the way her body reacted to his statement and he felt good, having that impact on her. She didn¡¯t try to struggle or take his hands off her, she just stayed there, surrending her body to him. ¡°Stop it¡± she muttered slowly, looking away. He knew she was trying to avoid his gaze. ¡°Why, you like me better as a Jerk?¡± He asked sarcastically, she eyed him, and he rolled on the grass,ughing. ¡°It¡¯s not funny¡± she said coldly, with her hands crossed beneath her breast. ¡°Well if you think about it, it is,¡± Austin insisted. ¡°But seriously, what about Justin?¡± Austin¡¯sughter died down, as he sat up close to her. ¡°Justin?¡± She sighed as she coughed, preparing herself to talk about him. ¡°Well Justin has been trying to be avable for me when I needed him. He¡¯s been sweet, caring¡­.¡± N¡¯s voice fading in Austin¡¯s head as he noticed somethinging towards them and fast. It felt like a fog moulded up, but was it an animal? Austin couldn¡¯t fathom that fact, he squinted his eyes, trying to focus his gaze and get a good look at it. He could swear it was an animal running towards them, but it just changed form. He looked and felt it¡¯s emotion with every minute it got closer to them, it oozed anger and anger again. His attention was clearly far from what N was saying and shortly, N noticed that. She tried to call his attention, she called his name several times but he didn¡¯t bulge, she waved her hands in front of him, but nothing from him. ¡°Wait¡± Austin raised his hands at N, making her stop. He looked again and that was Tasha raging and charging towards him, her eyes sparkling dangerously, her steps like soldiers marching for battle. She didn¡¯t have that walking step of hers that was ssy and she took her time as she calcted her step with every second her feet hit the ground. She was an angry bulling to kill him. ¡°Oh shit¡± he cursed as he hurried up running away. He left his belongings with N without even bothering to pack any of it. He just remembered that he had promised to meet with her after school and he totally forgot about It, she could have just appeared to him or sneaked up on him, she liked that. Why was she hunting him this way, Austin¡¯s heart raced faster than his legs were sprinting. ¡°What is it?¡± N screamed after him, confused. What made him run that way, she looked at where he was staring into just to check if something was there but she saw nothing. ¡°What¡¯s going on with him?¡± Chapter twenty seven Austin kept running, stumbling and looking back. Repeating this over and over again, anytime he looked back, he saw her still fuming anding at him. At that point he couldn¡¯t think of what she¡¯d do to him, all he thought of was to get away from her. How could he have forgotten about the ns he made with her. He pped himself, like he was trying to punish himself for forgetting. He ran into the school hallway, it was the shortest route to leaving the school premises. But as he ran towards the Entrance, it looked like it got farther away. He was Panting and running, his legs were getting weak already, but he couldn¡¯t stop. He had no idea the school hallway was this long. He looked back this time and didn¡¯t see Tasha, but he kept running. ¡°Yes¡± he said triumphantly, as he exhaled. He was about getting out of the school when he stepped on his showce and sent himself flying on the ground. Heid there with his head facing the ceiling, his muscles weak and reluctant to carry him. He gave up, breathing hard with his hands spread out like he was getting crucified. Her feet stamped on his chest, and he didn¡¯t even bother to look up. He was ready for whatever was going to happen, after all his legs failed him. She bent downwards and his eyes didn¡¯t meet hers, they were still glued to the ceiling. ¡°I wonder¡± she muttered, leaning up and taking a look around at the hall way ¡°Is this how you n on ying football¡± ¡°Ady runs after you and you can¡¯t get away. What more if you are on the ball and these angry boys run after you¡± she retorted with a smile on her face, not that she was happy but she enjoyed making fun of him. Austin finally threw his gaze at her, still breathing hard on the ground. People weren¡¯t around, so he wasn¡¯t scared or worried about anyone seeing him talking to himself or to someone who wasn¡¯t there, as they would think. ¡°Ok.. okay.. you.¡± He struggled to say as his heavy breathing interrupted him. He paused, took a deep breath ¡°okay, you got me. I¡¯m sorry I forgot about¡­¡± ¡°Shhh¡± Tasha shut him up, putting her hands on her lips. She enjoyed the view of him beneath her, helpless and ready to do whatever she says. ¡°You are just going to apologise over and over again, and it¡¯s tiring at this stage¡± Austin grimaced and ran his hands through his hair. N had also said the same thing about him, was it something for him to worry about. He tried standing up but she exerted force on her feet which was still on him, forcing him toy down. ¡°If you keep this up, I might as well change my mind about helping ¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± Tashaughed with a mischievous tone. ¡°really?¡± She asked again, with a smirk on her face. ¡°Yes, really¡± Austin shot back, unmoved by the intimidating act Tasha tried to pull off. She knew she needed him and at this point, he knew that too. She threatening him and getting him scared was something he told himself to get rid off. She exhaled, seeing that Austin wasn¡¯t moved by her. She took her feet off him and ordered ¡°Get up¡± she ordered. Austin sat up, taking his time and stretching his back. Tasha was getting irritated by how much time it was getting him just to stand up. ¡°I said, Get u¡­¡± ¡°I heard you,¡± he shot back with a straight face, ¡°and I would stand up when I want to.¡± ¡°Very well then¡± she flung her hair back as she walked past him to the gate. He was getting under her skin and to prevent herself from ruining things again, she had to leave his presence. With her out of sight, Austin sighed, relieved that the situation wasn¡¯t worse like he¡¯d expected. Making a deal with the devil and not meeting up with it, how dumb can he be. He remembered his properties he left behind trying to outrun N, but he knew N would take care of it and he owed her an exnation tomorrow.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. He met Tasha leaning on the school gate, waiting on him like a parent who was waiting for her child to run out of school into her arms. He got to where she was, and the look on her face, cold as Ice. Austin signalled to her, to walk with him and she did. It was five minutes already, since they left the school and no one had said anything to the other. No teasing, or even them taking a Jab at each other, Just silence. ¡°So¡­¡± Austin broke the silence, tilting his head to her direction and she looked back at him. ¡°What¡¯s your story, what happened with you?¡± ¡°Now you want to know my story?¡± She bent her head trying to hide the smile which was finding its way to her face. ¡°Yeah, how else can I help if I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Oh¡± the smile faded. ¡°Well, you tell me yours¡± ¡°Mine?¡± Austin confused about what she said ¡°Yes, yours¡± she replied, ¡°there¡¯s a reason you can see me. I don¡¯t know why, but there is a reason.¡± Austin ran his hands through his head again, trying to think about it but he coulde up with nothing. ¡± Umm, I don¡¯t think..¡± ¡°You said you¡¯ve gone into aa before, right?¡± Tasha stopped him abruptly. ¡°Yes.¡± Austin nodded, ¡°Yes I have. What does it have to do with anything¡± ¡°Ughhh¡± Tasha eximed throwing her hands up, ¡°I¡¯m in aa dummy¡± ¡°You are in what??¡± Austin repeated, almostughing, butposed himself quickly. ¡°Okay okay, how did you know that¡± ¡°You remember the cemetery you saw me in¡± ¡°Yes¡± Austin nodded, his face the Perfect picture of concentration as he focused his attention on what she was saying. ¡°I woke up beside a grave and that grave was empty, like empty.¡± she repeated and widened her eyes, trying to get him to take those facts in and she could notice that he did. ¡± All I was seeing was space, I tried putting my feet into it but couldn¡¯t see the end of it¡± ¡°How¡¯s that possible?¡± Austin asked, almost not believing what she said ¡°How is you seeing me possible?¡± She asked, and he rolled his eyes, knowing she made a point. ¡°With everything that happened. Starting with me trying to go back to Boston, then realising I¡¯m a ghost. I went back there and jumped into that empty grave, Trying to kill myself¡± ¡°Wait wait wait.¡± Austin interrupted her, smiling. ¡°You knew you were a Ghost, and you tried to kill yourself ¡± he raised his hands in apology, as he couldn¡¯t control hisughter. He saw she wasn¡¯t having any of it, and stoppedughing, but the smile on his face couldn¡¯t fade away. ¡°Yes, I know it was crazy at that time,¡± she eyed him and continued, ¡°but that¡¯s what made me realise what was happening.¡± She smiled, signalling him she was getting to the main point. ¡°I woke up beside my body and saw my Aunt and an incredibly hot doctor. Urghhh ¡± she moaned, ¡°he was handsome ¡± ¡°Continue,¡± Austin ordered. ¡°Okay¡­ umm I couldn¡¯t talk to her, she couldn¡¯t see me. That was when I saw myself lying lifeless on that bed, surviving with just the aid of oxygen ¡± she ended slowly with a smirk. ¡°Wow¡± Austin said, bewildered by everything he had just heard. it seemed like something that would only happen in movies that people watch, because he obviously can¡¯t watch this genre of movie. ¡°But how did you get back here, if you there already ¡± ¡°I went back to the bed, andid back on my body. It¡¯s easy¡± she said proudly. ¡°Or¡± Austin said slowly, ¡°you where trying to get back to reality and you ended up here again¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to act so smart you know¡± she hissed. ¡°But I have to, baby¡± he replied, mocking her andughing. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!