Chapter 6 

-Wrigley-

I frown slightly, poking Cash in the chest. “What’s the point of breaking the contract? I mean if you don’t disappear from it, why not just stay and ignore me? Plus we need to work out why I can touch you, aren’t you curious about that?”

Cash pushes me away and I scoff, flicking his arm. “Listen Wrigley, I don’t want to be contracted to you because if I have to spend my death with someone, I want it to be someone who deliberately summons me. Summons me and not by accident. I don’t think you get how special contracts are to ghosts, I don’t want to just ignore you or something. I want to spend time with a contractor who actually cares about and wants me.”

Opening and closing my mouth a few times, I take a step back, playing with a strand of my hair. “Wow. Um, fair enough. I um. I guess you’d want to have a spiritualist who actually has powers, for one. I mean I’m probably every ghosts’ last choice when it comes to…well, everything. I mean I’m literally a charlatan, so. It’s not like I have any power I can share with you or anything.”

Cash sighs, sitting down on my bed and shaking his head. “I don’t even really care about the power thing, a lot of ghosts do, but I just want to not be bored, to not be lonely. I want a companion, I don’t want to ignore you. Or um, my future contractor or whatever. So yeah. Let’s break the contract.”

Wringing my hands together, I sit next to the ghost on my bed. “I don’t really- I don’t want to though,” I say quietly, tucking my hair behind my ear. I watch from my peripheral vision as Cash raises an eyebrow at me. “Why don’t you want to?”

Glancing up at him, I shrug, glancing up at the ceiling. “Well, you’re annoying but…also kind of fun. It’s just nice to have some company, I guess. I don’t really have normal conversations with people that often. I don’t just sit down and watch a movie with anyone; I literally don’t remember the last time that happened.”

Cash bumps his shoulder against mine gently. “Wrigley I’m not the annoying one, you are. But I do agree with that, the movie was fun. But I’m surprised you say that we have normal conversations, I mean I’m literally dead and we talk about contracts and ghost stuff 90% of the time.”

Snorting, I bump Cash’s shoulder back, except I deliberately put more force into it, successfully shoving him over. The ghost laughs and swears at the same time, kicking my leg. Laughing lightly, I grab Cash’s leg and gently tickle his knees.

Somehow, I just got the vibe from him that Cash would have ticklish knees. And oh boy was I right, I mean he’s basically dying from laughter and that’s saying something. I eventually relinquish my attack on him when Cash grabs my waist and starts his own tickle-attack, and I know that I absolutely cannot let him know how ticklish my waist is, so I shove him backwards with all my might.

And Cash drops through the floor.

Sitting up from the bed immediately, I jump up, frozen whilst I try and work out if I should go look for him or see if Cash shows up again. A moment later something as white as clouds and just as hard to catch appears in the corner of my room and I let out a breath.

“I can’t believe you’ve done this,” Cash says in mock seriousness. I just snort, crossing my arms again and sitting back down on my bed. “So, you get to tickle me as much as you like but as soon as I try and get a few laughs from you I get sent through the floor? A bit unfair don’t you think,” Cash says, giving me an elbow to the ribs.

I growl slightly, elbowing him back and scooting away when he tries to elbow me again. “Oi, stop that. We were in the middle of a serious conversation. Keep explaining to me why you want to break your contract with me.”

Cash huffs, lying back against my cushions and glancing over in my general direction. “We both know that you’re the one who started tickling me first so don’t even start. Also whilst I was having a lovely trip through the floor something occurred to me: it takes a lot of power to enter a contract and a lot of power to break one. And as far as I can tell, you have literally no power. So how come you were able to do any of this stuff in the first place, and how would you even be able to break the contract?”

Sitting up slightly, I throw a cushion at the ghost. He just smirks as it sails right through him and whacks into my lamp. Scowling, I grab another whilst shoving my foot against his leg. This time, the cushion whacks into his chest. 

It still has no effect on Cash whatsoever other than pissing him off slightly, so mission successful on my part. Placing the cushion back next to him, Cash opens his mouth to say something again, but I have a few things I’d like to address first.

“Umm so I don’t like how you called me powerless, I mean sure I’m a charlatan but give me some credit my dude, I mean I’m trying my best over here. But also yeah as far as I know I’m just a regular guy so I don’t even know how I magically found the power to summon you or form a contract. I could um- I could ask my mum. I’ll do that now actually, I haven’t called her in a while. So just uh, sit tight before coming up with some other way to break the contract.”

Cash raises an eyebrow but nods in agreement, watching as I grab my phone and struggle to put in my passcode three times in a row. Of course he just snorts.

Once I finally get into my phone, I call my mum, hoping that 1) she’ll pick up and 2) she’s in a good mood. And by in a good mood, I actually mean holding onto her mind. Of course though, the person who picks up isn’t even my mother.

“Wrigley. Are you wanting to speak to mother?” Asks a familiar and always slightly unfriendly voice. Clearing my throat, I glance over at the ghost next to me- he must have moved closer when I wasn’t looking and he’s like 2cm away from me now. 

“Yes, is she available?” 

“Yes. Wrigley, can you please not put any more silly thoughts in her head though? She’s struggling enough as it is, especially since yesterday was an important day for her. She needs time away from all this silly stuff you always tell her about.”

Grimacing slightly, I grip the phone. “Of course, I just want to talk to her. Do you know why yesterday was special by the way?” I ask, hoping that maybe this will have anything to do with how I was suddenly able to do all this cool stuff.

“I’m surprised you forgot, she went on about it throughout our childhoods. It was her grandmother’s birthday and death day. You know, the day she always tried to see dad on.”

I blink a few times before tugging on my hair in annoyance. “Of course, I can’t believe I forgot. Can I talk to mum now?” After a moment of silence, my sister hands the phone to my mother. 

“Wriggles?” My mum’s soft voice always makes me smile and I absentmindedly lean into Cash’s side, not sure when he began fully sitting next to me so that he became solid again but oh well, it means I have a nice head rest for the conversation with my mother.