Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ My Ghost ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

My Ghost

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Chapter Four

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© 2008 Ohne Sie

 

 

Callie awoke the next morning to a high-pitched beeping sound. It was a sound she knew all too well, and hated more than anything else in the world. Emitting a frustrated groan, she rolled over in her bed, smacking the “off” button on her alarm clock with unnecessary force. She sighed, opening her eyes and sitting up.

 

“Callie!” She heard her mother call from outside her door. Her mother always made sure that Callie hadn't gone back to sleep after turning her alarm off.

 

“I'm up!” Callie called back, sliding off of her bed and walking over to her dresser. She dressed quickly, opening her door and walking into the bathroom without so much as glancing around the hallway. Callie always had a one-track mind in the morning when she was woken up by something other than her internal clock. Right now she was focusing on getting ready for school, and thoughts of a ghost residing in her house were at the back of her mind.

 

She stepped out of the bathroom after washing her face and applying her makeup, and only now did she consider that Will might be around. She glanced around, but he was nowhere to be found. Frowning, she went downstairs, where her father had prepared breakfast.

 

“I'm thinking of driving you to school,” he said as she entered the room. “It's a new place and I want to make sure you're comfortable there. And it's on the way to work.”

 

Callie took a bite of the toast her father had prepared with just the right amount of butter and jelly, and looked at him. “What, am I not on the bus route yet?”

 

Her father smiled. “Yeah, that's part of the reason. I have no idea why the schools are always so slow with these things. It's not like we didn't notify them weeks ago.”

 

“I know, right?” Callie said in between bites of her toast. “Hey, if you're picking me up after school, too, can you pick me up at the library?”

 

“Studying already?”

 

“It's just a bit of independent research I want to do,” Callie said.

 

“It's not ghost-related, is it?”

 

Callie smiled. “Maybe?”

 

Her father shook his head. “Well, I guess it isn't hurting anyone, and it's just a phase…so okay. Maybe you'll satisfy your curiosity and move on to something else.”

 

“I doubt it, but maybe.” Callie finished her toast and took a sip of her apple juice. “So, Dad, are you excited about your new job?”

 

“A little,” he said. “Mostly nervous.”

 

“I bet,” Callie said. “Lots of responsibility, right?”

 

“Yeah,” he said. “What about you? Excited about school? Nervous?”

 

Callie shrugged. “Apathetic, really.”

 

“Well, that doesn't sound too good.”

 

Callie shrugged again. “I am a teenager.”

 

“Oh, yes. I forgot.” Her father smiled. “You'd better hurry up or you'll be late for your first day.”

 

“Yeah, well…not the end of the world.”

 

“Let me rephrase that. Hurry up or I'll be late for my first day.”

 

“Okay, that could possibly be a bad thing.” Callie gulped down the rest of her orange juice and took her dishes to the sink. “Okay. I'm ready.”

 

She and her father walked out to his car. Callie glanced over her shoulder to see if Will was behind her, but he was nowhere to be found. As the car drove off, Callie thought she saw him watching her through the living room window, but she wasn't sure.

 

Callie found herself in the hallway of her new school, surrounded by people she didn't know, and feeling much more overwhelmed than she thought she'd be. “Excuse me,” she said, turning to a boy who was walking by, but he ignored her. Callie rolled her eyes and turned to a girl instead. “Excuse me,” she said, “But could you tell me where the office is?”

 

The girl stared at her, looking her up and down, and giving her a look of vague disgust before answering. “It's straight down the hall and to the left.” Then the girl turned toward her friends, who started laughing about something.

 

Callie shook her head. “Ah, high school,” she mumbled, walking toward the office. “The best days of our lives.”

 

Callie stepped into the office, cautiously walking toward the receptionist. “Um…hi,” she said.

 

“Are you Callie Fox?” the receptionist asked. Callie nodded. “Oh, good, I was waiting for you. Come over here. I have some things to give you.”

 

Callie walked over to the desk as the bell rang. Callie looked uncertainly at the receptionist.

 

“Oh, it's okay. You'll be late for your first class today. It's fine. We have some things to go over with you. Just take this envelope and have a seat and the assistant principal will be out shortly.”

 

Callie nodded again, taking the envelope and sitting down on a chair next to a good-looking boy wearing a badge that read, “Office Aide.” He smiled at her as she sat down.

 

“Hi, I'm Aaron Johnson,” he said, extending his hand. Callie took his hand.

 

“Callie Fox,” she said. “So you're an aide?” she asked.

 

“Yeah, I help out around here first period. Really, though, it's mostly just me sitting around since nothing really happens in here.”

 

“That's cool,” Callie said. “I didn't know you could do that.”

 

“Oh, yeah, you can, as long as you're a junior or a senior and your GPA is above, like, a 3.0 or something.”

 

Callie nodded. “Yeah, that's something I could potentially consider doing next year, I guess. I'm going to be too busy trying to catch up this year.”

 

“Transferring in the middle of the year is always pretty hard,” Aaron said. “So, then…you're a junior, I take it?”

 

“Yeah,” Callie said. “How about you?”

 

“Senior,” he said. The late bell rang. “Time for me to get to work,” he said.

 

Callie looked at him. “Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't going to work usually entail actually doing something?”

 

“I'm doing something. I'm being hospitable to a new student.” He smiled. “And I'll probably try to help you find your classes when you get your schedule.”

 

“That's probably not necessary.”

 

“This school is pretty complicated. You'd be amazed at how many people get lost, even after being here for years.” He nodded toward a woman who was approaching them. “This is the assistant principal, Mrs. Porter.”

 

“Callie, right?” the woman asked. Callie nodded. “Great. If you'll come to my office with me, we can go over everything in there.” She nodded toward Aaron. “Working hard?”

 

“Of course,” he said. “I was just telling Callie that I would walk her around the school after you're finished.”

 

“That's actually a good idea,” Mrs. Porter said. “I have some notes I need you to deliver to some teachers anyway.”

 

Aaron sighed. “I'll be here.”

 

Mrs. Porter smiled and turned to Callie. “Follow me,” she said. Callie obeyed, following the assistant principal into her office.

 

Callie emerged ten minutes later, carrying the envelope, which she now knew to contain her schedule and a list of supplies she would definitely need, as well as her bus number, its location in the line-up, and what time the bus would arrive. She was looking at her schedule when Aaron approached her, carrying a stack of papers.

 

“Ready for your tour?” he asked. Callie nodded.

 

“I suppose, since you're pretty much not giving me a choice, here.”

 

“Okay, so you have chemistry first.” He winced. “Are you good at chemistry?”

 

Callie laughed. “Not in the morning.”

 

“Yeah, no one is, really. Well, that class isn't too far from here.” He led her down a hallway and pointed to a door on the right. “Here it is.” He slid one of the pieces of paper in a box on the door and continued down the hallway. He stopped every few seconds to put another piece of paper in a box. Within half an hour, he had given Callie a full tour and had delivered every note.

 

“Well, that's it,” he said, walking Callie back to the chemistry classroom. “If you need me for anything, I'm in the office between 9 and 10:30 and 1 and 2:30 everyday. Also, I'm in the cafeteria during the second lunch shift. You have English third period, so you probably have second shift, too. I'll keep an eye out for you and you can sit with me if you want.” He smiled, opening the door for her. “Later.”

 

Callie stepped into the classroom. All eyes focused on her. Suddenly she felt very self-conscious and wondered why schools always made new students do this, instead of silently merging them into the classroom. As long as the teacher didn't make her do that “So, tell us about yourself” thing…

 

“Oh, you must be Callie,” the teacher, a balding man in his late forties said, smiling. “I'm Mr. Dinkle. Why don't you come up here and tell us about yourself?”

 

Callie winced. She reluctantly shuffled toward the front of the classroom. Taking a deep breath, she stared at the back wall and began speaking. “My name is Callie Fox. I'm sixteen years old. I just moved here with my parents and baby sister. I like to walk around outside at night and I love ghost stories and horror movies.” The classroom was silent. “That's all.”

 

“Okay, Callie, you can go have a seat in that empty desk, there,” Mr. Dinkle said, pointing to a desk next to a girl with long, braided brown hair. The girl looked vaguely familiar and smiled at Callie when she sat down.

 

“Hi, I'm Ashley,” the girl whispered. “I saw you talking to my brother outside.”

 

“Aaron's your brother?”

 

“Yeah,” Ashley said, sliding her desk closer to Callie's so that Callie could see the page in her text book that Mr. Dinkle was talking about. “He's pretty annoying. I bet he talked your ear off.”

 

“Kind of,” Callie said. “He's pretty nice.”

 

“Yeah, I guess,” Ashley said. “So you like ghost stories? Me too. I've always wanted to meet a ghost.”

 

Callie nodded, saying nothing. She had no idea what to say that wouldn't sound completely crazy. “Oh, yeah, me too, until two days ago, when I actually did meet one.” That would go over well.