Thursday morning was here and Bex had slept through her usual alarm for her to get up and go for a morning jog. In fact, she slept through her second alarm as well telling her to start heading to school.
"Rebecca open this door! Rebecca!" Her mom called.
Bex forced her eyes open and her mind took a moment to process everything. Her shrieking phone. Her Mom banging on the door. The morning light hitting her in the face. The time on her bedside clock.
"Shit!" she cursed and fell out of bed.
"Rebecca!" Her mom banged.
"I'm up!" Bex called.
She pulled on a pair of sweat pants and a long-sleeved shirt with a single white stripe on it. She slipped on her checkered vans shoes and pulled her hair up without brushing it. She grabbed her backpack and her phone and ran out the door, bulldozing her mom over.
"Sorry!" she called as she ran to the bathroom to wash up.
Her mom sighed.
Bex brushed her teeth and splashed water on her face before running down the stairs.
"Someone slept in today?" Her dad commented.
"Got to go, love you, bye!" she ran out the front door.
She ran to school and got there just as the bell rang. She doubled over to catch her breath.
"Rebecca I was worried about you." Lyssa was by her side in point three seconds.
"I'm okay." Bex held up a thumbs up.
"Are you sure? Don't push yourself."
"I'm great. Seriously no need to worry." She grabbed Lyssa's hand in her own.
Lyssa sighed but walked her to class.
All day Bex was struggling to stay awake. She didn't want Lyssa to know that the blood-drinking had taken a bigger toll on her than she wanted to admit. She didn't want to freak her out. So she kept her thoughts to herself and tried to remain upbeat to better hide her emotions of exhaustion.
During lunch Bex met all her friends at the usual table, Lyssa joined her shortly after. The news about Monroe hadn't broken yet, being as the cops were trying to figure out how to explain things without starting an uproar.
"Are you upset with me?" Lyssa asked Bex quietly so her other friends wouldn't hear.
"What? No, of course not. Why would you think that?"
"Well after what happened yesterday and you didn't meet me in our usual spot. You came here."
"Oh shoot, sorry Lyssa. I'm still waking up, it just slipped my mind. Tomorrow for sure. I'm not mad, promise. I know it was an accident." Bex assured her.
Lyssa sighed, her guilt getting the better of her.
Mike pushed the peas on his tray around. He wasn't up to eating with the haunting image of Monroe's dead body forever burned into his brain. Jaden wasn't fairing much better.
"What's up with you guys? You look like you've seen a ghost." Darci said.
Joan cringed and gave her the no go sign. Darci knit her brows together in confusion.
"Are ghosts even a thing?" Mike mumbled.
"They are," Lyssa confirmed.
"They are!" Mike shot his head up.
Lyssa nodded.
"Don't give him hope," Joan said.
"I'm simply stating a fact. Spirits do in fact live among us. Now whether or not someone becomes one when they die is another story."
"Wait, I'm still new to the club here. So far I know you're a vampire, my boyfriends a warlock, and now ghosts are real? What else is out there?" Darci asked.
"So much more," Bex said.
Lyssa nodded in agreement.
"Wait when did you guys tell Darci?" Jaden asked.
"Yesterday." Joan and Bex said in unison.
He sighed in relief.
"So... Do you think... maybe Monroe could be a ghost?" Mike asked, hopeful.
"Not likely," Lyssa said.
He deflated.
"Wait why would Monroe be a ghost?" Darci asked.
They all gave her a look.
"No!" She said in shock.
"We'll have to catch you up later, but as for now let's just all accept the fact that a Monroe Ghost isn't a thing," Joan said.
"Well, how does it work?" Bex asked.
"It's very complicated. I don't know the details but basically, if a person has a strong tie to the world when they pass-on there is a chance they can come back. A slim one, but it has happened." Lyssa explained.
"So there is still hope then!"
"See what you did," Joan sighed.
"Don't hold your breath," Lyssa said to Mike.
He pouted.
Jaden patted him on the shoulder.
After School Bex and Lyssa walked to Bex's house.
"Are you sure you don't want to come over?" Lyssa asked.
"Yeah, I'm just really tired. I would much rather you cuddle me while I sleep."
"You can sleep in my bed,"
"Lyssa Norwood, are you suggesting what I think you are?"
"W-what!? Of course not!"
"Relax, I was just teasing." Bex playfully swatted at her.
Lyssa huffed.
Bex giggled.
Bex interlocked their fingers as they walked and their arms swayed together. A cold breeze whistled by and blew dead leaves across the sidewalk pavement. Lyssa glanced at Bex who was looking ahead with a goofy grin on her face. She felt all warm inside just seeing it and it made a small smile appear on her lips.
"I love you," Lyssa said.
"I know," Bex smirked at her.
"Don't you love me too?"
"Hmm... Maybe."
Lyssa glared at her.
Bex giggled and let go of her hand and ran ahead. Lyssa sped up and stopped in front of her, just outside Bex's house. Bex ran into her.
"Oof." Bex nearly fell down, but Lyssa caught her in her arms.
"Trying to outrun me? How foolish Rebecca." Lyssa teased.
Bex giggled.
Lyssa smiled at her and brushed Bex's sun-bleached brown hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear.
Bex leaned in and kissed Lyssa, Lyssa kissed her back.
"Love you too," Bex said as she slowly pulled back.
"I know." Lyssa smiled against her lips.
For a moment they stared into each other's eyes.
Bex's mom was walking into the kitchen when she caught sight of the two in the window. She scowled at the sight and marched over to the front door.
"Rebecca get inside, it's freezing out!" She called.
Both Bex and Lyssa flinched.
Bex sighed.
"You know back in the day, potential partners parents would lay out set sums of money for their daughter's hand. How much do you think your hand is worth?" Lyssa smirked.
"Ha, yeah right. Just try that one with my mom and see what happens." Bex walked toward the door.
"You underestimate my determination." Lyssa followed after her.
Bex stepped inside but her mom blocked the door, stopping Lyssa from entering.
Lyssa eyed her.
"Mom, really? Lyssa's here to help me study for my French test tomorrow." Bex said.
"Prove it." Her mom said.
Lyssa then proceeded to recite France's constitution for the 5th republic in perfect French. After speaking a few lines Bex's mom caved.
"Okay, okay, you can stop. You may enter." She grumbled as she stepped aside.
Bex giggled at Lyssa.
Lyssa stepped in and took Bex's hand.
"Thank you for allowing me entrance into your home Mrs. Cross." Lyssa seemed to mock.
Bex's mom narrowed her eyes. She opened her mouth to make some retort just as Bex and Lyssa ran up the stairs to the bedroom giggling.
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