"Don't let me go Loretta, please find me! Help me!" She kept on screaming as she fell into a bottomless dark pit. Everything was spinning, what was I supposed to do.
"Don't go!" I screamed as I woke up. O was sweating as usual. Jamie my bunk mate was already by my side soothing me.
"What's wrong Loretta"
"Oh nothing" I replied shaking my shoulders before wiping my face with my already at Palm. "Let's get ready for classes"
"It's a Saturday Loretta. There's no classes today. Only prep and that's at night"
"What? No....that's not possible. Yesterday was Tuesday" I said looking at her deeply while she laughed at me
"Whatever's wrong with you, get over it quick." She said and shut the door on me
"What the hell is going on" I said to myself
"Help me" was all that was written all over the and in the link of an eye it was all gone.
JAMALA'S SCHOOL
"Yo Jamal you weren't at my party yesterday. What's wrong?, Not to say though the party nearly got our heads off our bodies. It was a close shave" Kings said hitting his elbow against Jamal's rib in a jocular manner
"Sorry. I guess i was more tired than I thought. I slept off yesterday." Jamal replied absent mindedly.
"Either way, you ready for tonight's game? If we win this we'll get to the finals and face those dickheads up there....."
"I know" Jamal replied. Kings just kept on talking on and on but I couldn't hear him. For some reason unknown to me all I could see was a girl being beaten up and raped but her face was still a hindrance and so was the face of the person carrying out the atrocity.
"Jamal? Are you listening to me?" Kings asked
"Uhm..... Yeah I have ..er... Heard all you were saying. I ....I have to ....er... I have to go" was all I could stammer to Kings and I knew fully well he knew I was lieing. He knew me that well and i was also a terrible liar
"Why are you doing this to me?" I whispered finally away from Kings and against my expectations she actually replied.
"I want to open your eyes. Your best friend isnt all that he claims to be
"And like i said before,that's bullshit. I've known Kings since I was three years old" I replied rather defensively towards somebody I couldn't see.
"I don't expect you to believe me immediately, but with time you will" she replied
"This is not the right time to talk about this. I'll look like a maniac in school and I've had a very good reputation! Till you came along" I said through clenched teeth.
"Nobody is seeing you!" She replied
I paused my steps as though expecting her to be by my left hand side I turned facing my left. And asked her what I always asked her but never got a reply.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?"
"I want my revenge" and she was gone...
Revenge? What did she mean by revenge. I have never had any unpleasant activity with any female who would want to have revenge on me. The bell distracted my train of thoughts as I absently walked to class, I had chemistry and would need all my brain power to focus not worrying about some useless..... I didn't even know a name to give it.
"Jamal James Thompson!"
"Yes sir" I replied Mr Carline the chemistry teacher. He never called me by my full name which meant there was trouble.
"are you having family problems?" He asked me taking off his glasses while looking at me with more concern than I thought necessary
"I'm a little bit confused sir, my family is very much stable and I'm perfectly alright"
I replied baffled that he would ask me such a question. He hadn't said anything for what seemed like minutes but was actually just a few seconds.
"Then why have you grades home south?" He asked passing me a sheet of paper which seemed to be my score sheet.
",My grades?" I asked more shocked than him as I collected the paper from him. I had gotten a C- in chemistry. "Im sorry sir but this can't be my score sheet" I said placing the paper back on the table calmly even though my whole body was raging.
"But it has your name on it." He said pointing again at the paper which I tried with all my will power not to look at again. "Listen, I know you're a good student which is why I called you here privately. I'm giving you one week to prepare for the test. You'll re write it on Monday and I hope to see a better result than what I'm seeing here" he said re adjusting his lenses which was my cue to go.
"Thank you very much sir" I replied leaving the class with my book in hand. More angry at myself as to how I would stoop so low as to get a C - in chemistry.
"The same way you stand a chance to get a C- in English If you keep misbehaving with me" the familiar voice said
"I don't owe you an explanation" I replied clenching my fists
"I don't need, your explanation. What I need is my revenge"
"I did nothing to you!" I replied allowing all and any form of anger find it's way in my voice.
"But Kings did!" She screamed at me. I felt as though the walls were caving in on me.
"What did he do to you?" I asked a little bit more calmer now.
"He's your best friend right, why don't you ask him" she replied. Her tone icy and everything was back to normal. I knew nothing about ghosts, I didn't even know when she came into my life. But whatever happened Kings is definitely responsible for my current predicament, but I couldn't hate him. Mostly because he is my best friend and like a brother but he really has hurt someone so how could he live on knowing he made someone hurt so much she would hunt his best friend.
"Jamal? Its time for practice" Will said tapping my shower
"Yeah, I'm on my way. I'll go call Kings"
"He's already at the basketball court. Just get your ass there"
"Oh...okay" I replied following him like a man without a brain.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
LORRETA'S SCHOOL
"Hey Jamie, you told me today was a Saturday why'd you lie to me?"
"Me?...lie? You told me yourself this morning you didn't feel too well and that you couldn't come for classes today and that was exactly what I told the teachers"
"What! When did ....I never said that"
"But that was what you told me. This morning in the dining room." She replied turning her back to me.
Things were shinning to spiral oit of control ever since I met her. With those dreams back at home and now, these strange encounters with this person. Why is she doing this to me?
"Basement"
I saw these words on my window pane just like the last time, in the blink of an eye it was all gone
"Lorreta? Loretta?"
"Yes" I replied shaking my head. Jamie was already by my side again.
"You heard me?"
"Yeah. I did, I have ears remember" she said laughing and tapping my shoulder.
"What are you talking about"
"Do you think this school is haunted?" I asked while Jamie was folding her clothes which was weird because those weren't her clothes. As though the question had risen hair on her back she turned and looked at me, but something was different. Her eyes were green and she silently moved towards me, opening her hands with tears moving down her face. She said the same words the mystery girl always said in my dreams "don't let me go Loretta, find me" and just like that everything was back to normal. Jamie's eyes were sea blue again and she wasn't folding clothes, instead she laid on the bed holding a book in her hand.
"You wanted to ask me something?" She said waving the book in my face.
"Uh..."
"What's wrong with you Loretta?" She said in a mild scream which shook me
"Nothing, something is just not right"I replied and walked out of the room to get some fresh air.