We had been meeting up for a few nights and it was the best time of my life. Not only was she my friend but she was my best friend. We had so much in common it was ridiculous and I truly believed fate brought us together. I had a pretty horrible day at school but getting to see her every night made up for that. Getting to see her made up for everything I dealt with or had been through. She gives me butterflies anytime I'm around her and she makes me blush - I make her blush too, I can see it. Walking into the house my dad crushed a beer can and threw it at me from his chair.
"Grab me another will ya?" he asked me before letting out a loud, obnoxious belch. I just nodded and walked towards the kitchen and opened the fridge to see no alcohol. Great, now I had to do something I dreaded terribly. Telling my dad the house was empty of alcohol was like telling a WWE wrestler that they're wrestling was fake. It was an insult, a spit in the face, a punch to the stomach, a kick to the groin.
"Dad..."
"Yeah, yeah, hand me my beer. The Dukes of Hazzard is about to start and I don't wanna miss it" he said with his eyes glued to the screen, waving his hand at me.
"We're out of alcohol" I spit out. He looked over at me and laughed then looked back at the TV as if he didn't believe me. He looked back over at me -
"What, you're serious?" he asked and I waited a few seconds before slowly nodding. He became very serious and he stood up cracking his knuckles. He yelled and threw his hand through the drywall before spitting on the carpet and grabbing his jean jacket to leave to the beer store. I was surprised, that was the best I've ever seen him take that news. I was honestly just glad he'd be out of the house for a bit and I wouldn't have to listen to him yell at the TV for five hours. I went to my room thinking about Allison and what we would talk about tonight. I couldn't wait, the excitement came with impatience like the kind of excitement and impatience you have on Christmas Eve. Then getting to see her was like waking up early on Christmas morning and opening up your presents. I decided to sit down and draw since I hadn't in weeks and fifteen minutes must've gone by before I heard a loud noise outside. Running to the front door I seen my dads car and underneath was my falling apart bike.
"No!" I screamed throwing the door open and making my way to the bike. I had mowed our neighbours lawn about fifty times just to be able to get that bike and now it's gone. I dropped to my knees holding the bent tire like it was a fallen soldier in the war.
"Get up kid, you're making a scene on the front lawn. Why don't you go inside and draw your fairies or whatev-"
"I'm making a scene? You just destroyed my bike, how am I supposed to get to school anymore?"
"I don't know, maybe Santa will bring you one on Christmas" he said laughing his ass off.
"Is this amusing to you? You're going to buy me another bike you alcoholic, assho-"
"Listen to me you little shit!" he said grabbing me by the collar.
"I don't answer to you, so you better shut your mouth before I shut it for ya" he threatened before letting go. He then grabbed his two six packs out of the car and slammed the door. I was lost and didn't know what to do now since we had lived just out of town. It would take me half an hour to walk to the cemetery being on the whole other side of Ravenwood. I ran passed my dad and flew into my room and went to slam my door when I remembered it was broken. I waited awhile until he had some alcohol in his system and was a bit out of it so I could slip by him to the garage. I grabbed his tools and headed back to my room trying to figure out how to fix my door. The last time I used tools was probably 5 years ago when he tried to teach me about fixing his car. Sure a door and a car were very different but I still had a good understanding on how to use the tools. I got to work making sure my dad wasn't coming down the hall and was still in his chair every few minutes. I put up the new hinges and screwed them onto the door and I was quite proud of myself, I was pretty sure it was opening and closing better than ever. Now it was time to put the tools back without getting caught. I crept down the hallway realizing my dad was passed out in his chair with a half full beer in his hand. I thought to myself "this'll be a breeze" now moving faster to the garage. I swung the door open and placed the tools where they belonged, turned back to the door before stepping on a beer can flattening it. I gritted my teeth and waited for a noise to indicate my father was getting up to catch me red handed and whoop my ass, but nothing happened. I waited a few seconds more before continuing to walk and watching my step carefully this time. I made it in and it was like a weight lifted off my shoulders and I felt like a badass. I crept by my father, grabbed his tools which I wasn't allowed to touch, put my door back together and put the tools back. It was like I was walking on clouds I felt so highly of myself at that moment. I looked around the corner with a smile before that smile quickly faded seeing that my father was no longer in his chair. Then everything went silent and all I could hear was my heartbeat thumping fast like a rabbit or a baby. A hand grabbed my shoulder and I must have jumped three feet into the air while doing a one-eighty. I locked eyes with my father and it was like the same look Mr. Anger had given me.
"What were you doing in MY garage?"
"..."
"You better answer me boy and fast."
"Oh, um mom wanted me to grab her some extra needles out of their."
"Out of the garage?"
"Yeah she was knitting and told me she bought some new ones yesterday but misplaced them. So I said the first place to check that'd make sense was her car in the garage and she said it was a good idea."
"Hmm" he said thinking for a moment and staring at me hoping he'd break me into confessing my lie. I stayed strong though and didn't budge,
"Alright, you're safe this time but three strikes and you're out" he said. I rushed passed him as he said
"Hey, ain't it your bed time?"
"It's eight-thirty" I said rolling my eyes and continuing to my room. I waited to make sure I was good to close my door and after hearing him throw a can and open another I knew I was safe. It was now nine and I sat on my bed thinking of what to do. I wanted to see Allison but there was no way I was walking to the cemetery, not tonight. That's when it hit me
"Her number!" I said to myself and it was like a lightbulb lit above my head. I had written it down on a piece of paper so I could finally wash my hands without losing it.
"Where the hell is it?" I thought digging through stacks of paper on my desk finding it under a werewolf drawing I did a couple nights ago.
"Yes!" I celebrated with a small dance and grabbed my phone before sitting on my bed. Dialing the seven digits the phone began to ring and then rang and rang.
"C'mon pick up, pick up" I said playing with the phone cord. The phone only continued to ring so I hung up -
"She must've given me the wrong number" I told myself. I dialed again and waited but there was still no answer.
"Shit!" I said hanging up and throwing the phone off my bed. What the hell was I going to do now, I had no bike and she either gave me the wrong number or just wasn't picking up. I hope she didn't go to the cemetery tonight expecting me and is going to hate me for not showing. With my luck though that's probably exactly what happened and she would most likely never talk to me again. I hated my father more at that moment then I ever had in my life. He was nothing but an angry asshole and he messed up the only friendship I've ever had. There was no fixing my bike and I only had eleven dollars and seventy-eight cents in my piggy bank. Long story short I was screwed and at this point believed I was never going to see Allison again. Going to school the next day felt worse than it ever had and I was probably the most miserable I had ever been. It was lunch break and I seen Mathew heading towards my location pushing through nerds and geeks. I knew I had to hide so I looked around frantically for an escape plan. I ran into the clouds of smoke from the kids at the pit hacking back their darts as I coughed. I continued to make my way passed the bike rack and into the school where I felt safe. I went to my locker getting the sandwich I made before school that I was looking forward to all day. I took it out of my bag and out of the saran wrap ready to take the first bite while my mouth watered. My teeth nearly touched the crust before the sandwich was ripped from my hands.
"Thanks ass face" Mathew said appearing out of no where and taking a bite before spitting it on the ground.
"Ew, I hate salami! Tell your mom to make a ham sandwich next time ass face" he said stomping the sandwich into the floor. My sandwich was ruined and my day just got a lot worse.
"You fat ass pig!"
"What the hell did you just call me faggot?" Mathew said throwing me up against my locker. His hand almost clenched around my throat before Mrs. Robin came out of her class and seen what was happening.
"Mathew step away from Billy and walk away"
"But I-"
"Now Mathew" she said raising her voice. He stepped back and said
"This isn't over ass face" then walked down the hall.
"Thank you" I said to Mrs. Robin and she smiled at me before going back into her classroom to finish her lunch. I only had science and gym left which thankfully neither had Mathew. Science was fun, we just had an experiment where we made instant ice. Gym wasn't so bad since we got to play dodgeball but I was mostly the main target. It was after school and I was a bit late getting to my locker trying to hurry and grab my things. I shoved everything in my bag and went to close my locker when it was slammed shut for me. It was Mathew again and he hit my bag to the floor before I had the chance to zip it up causing all my stuff to fall out. He then picked up my sketch book and started ripping pages out.
"Stop, please stop!" I screamed as I reached for the book but he pulled it away and continued to rip pages. He then dropped it and said
"That's just the beginning too" and left chuckling. My sketches were ruined, hundreds of them and I felt heartbroken. I stuffed the mess into my bag and ran out to my bus but it was already leaving.
"Could this day get any worse!" I yelled throwing my bag to the sidewalk. I had no choice but to walk home now so I decided to hit the arcade on the way. I had enough change to play a couple games of Pac-Man and I thought that might be able to lighten my mood. After playing a bit I did feel better but I was still over the day and wanted it to end. As I walked through town making my way home I passed Louis' Pizzeria noticing Mathew inside. I started to quickly pace to avoid running into him until I saw his bike parked up against the wall. I had a brilliant idea, a way to kill two birds with one stone. I help myself get another bike and I get sweet, sweet revenge on this asshole. I hopped on and started pedaling down the street as fast as I could. Adrenaline coursed through my veins and I felt so alive, the way I felt when I was around Allison. I made it home and parked the bike behind the house so my father wouldn't see it and harass me about where or how I got it.
"What are you so cheery about?" my dad asked me as I walked in the front door.
"Got the high score on Pac-Man."
"What the hell is Pac-Man?"
"It's..Nevermind" I said heading to my room waiting till dark so I could see Allison. He didn't even realize my door was fixed, he honestly probably didn't even remember breaking it. I hoped she would show and would forgive me for not being there yesterday night. I began thinking of an apology that mostly surrounded the topic of my father destroying my bike. She had to understand it wasn't my fault and that I never wanted to stand her up. Night fell and I left on Mathew's bike heading for the cemetery. I arrived and weirdly it started to rain which it had done every time I came here. I shrugged it off and walked the bike up to the tree and seen there was no sight of Allison.
"Maybe she's running late" I told myself trying to stay positive and hoping I was right. I stayed positive until an hour went by and there was no sign of her. I hung my head in disappointment that my friendship was done and there was nothing I could do about it. I began pushing the bike towards the front gate when I slipped and almost hit my head on a tombstone. Picking myself up I apologized to the grave for the disrespect of falling onto their resting spot. Fully getting up on my feet as lightning flashed I seen something I wish I hadn't. It was the tombstone and it made me sick to my stomach, it read "Allison Jones, 1961-1977."
"No, that can't be her. It has to be a coincidence. The Allison I know is alive and healthy and-" I stopped myself when some things had come into thought. I thought about how I never seen her in the only school in Ravenwood or even ever seen her in Ravenwood. Dying before the 1980's would explain how she knew nothing about new shows or records. It would also make sense how she disappeared into thin air the night I met her. Maybe that's why it rained everytime I met her as well. Everything just started to make sense all while confusing and scaring me at the same time. I know I wasn't talking to a ghost, I don't even believe in supernatural or paranormal things.
"You're late" somebody said over my shoulder and I knew it was her. I turned around quick to touch her -
"What are you doing?!" she asked. I felt her skin and she wasn't cold, she wasn't translucent and I couldn't put my hands through her. She was here and breathing, I knew I was being ridiculous assuming something so stupid.
"I'm sorry" I said ripping my hands away from her.
"Allison I know I'm late, you're never going to believe what happened. My dad ran over my bike and destroyed it completely and-"
"Who's bike is this then?"
"...Well long story short I kind of stole it from my bully" I said with an awkward smile rubbing the back of my neck.
"Your father ran over your bike so you stole your bullies bike and made it your own?"
"Yeah I guess so."
"That's really awesome" she said laughing and hitting my shoulder. I joined in the laughter and asked
"So does this mean you don't hate me?"
"Of course not, I'd never hate you Billy. You're my best friend, my only friend at that."
"Well same here" I said before she pulled me in for a hug. I hugged her back and when the hug was over I still held on until she pushed me off laughing. We sat by our favourite tree to conversate like always while the rain poured down and the lightning lit the sky with the thunder roaring.
"Maybe you can steal another bike for me so I don't have to walk home every night" Allison joked.
"You don't have a bike, really? I feel like every kid has at least one bike throughout their childhood or teen years. Maybe I will steal you one" I joked back.
It was time to go home so I said
"Let me walk you home Allison."
"No, no it's fine I-"
"I insist let me walk you please."
"No, my father might see you and I don't want you getting hurt."
"I could hide behind a tree or something it'll be fin-"
"No" Allison said with the most serious look I had ever seen on her face. She always had a smile on her face that I believed was genuine even with everything she dealt with on a daily basis. "You're right, sorry. I shouldn't of kept asking, no means no."
"No don't be sorry, it's okay really. I just don't want you to get hurt Billy. Who knows what my father will do of he sees me this late at night with a boy."
"Can I ask you something Allison?" I asked and she nodded.
"I never got your last name, what is it?"
"That's random" she replied giggling.
"Just wondered."
"It's Lawrence" she said and I was so relieved my whole theory of her dying was out the window.
"My birth name has my father's maiden name but I don't use it because I don't care for him too much."
"Oh and what's that?"
"Jones" she said. How could this be possible? I was right, she was dead. She was dead and standing here in front of me breathing and living. I chose to say nothing except one thing,
"And just out of more curiosity, when were you born?"
"Nine-teen-sixty-one" she said with a confused face knowing I was being weird. My skin instantly started to crawl and I couldn't even speak, I didn't want to honestly. I didn't know what to say and I wasn't going to tell her she was dead. If she had no idea then I was going to go along with it because she's my best friend. My best friend that's a ghost or maybe a zombie or maybe even a vampire? Okay maybe vampire and zombie are stretching this a little far but was it really if she could be a ghost? But if she was a ghost how could I see her? Could anyone see her or just me and if I'm the only one that can, what makes me so special?
"Alright Allison, I uh have to get home. I'll see you later" I said grabbing my bike and leaving quickly in shock.
"Oh um, alright see you tomorrow?"
"Uh yeah cool, I'll be here" I replied and sat on the bike before peddling the hell out of there. I didn't know what just happened or if it was even real, maybe I fell asleep in bed and this whole thing was just a dream. Please God let it be a dream, my life is already bad I don't need my only friend to be a ghost. Was that such a bad thing though? I mean now I know ghosts are real and it's not some made up mumbo jumbo. I never have to worry about her moving away or getting older and realising I'm boring. Maybe having her around wouldn't be a bad thing, I mean it's been nothing but good so far. I think my life just got a whole lot more interesting but who knows what will happen now.