Taking Risks Read online

  “Uh oh.” I repeated Gray’s words. We had seen this before. There was a ghost that stayed here to be with her son. She stayed with him his entire life until he died of cancer at age 32. She was pissed at the universe and we couldn’t do anything to bring her back from her downward spiral. If a ghost let’s an awful feeling eat at them for too long their eyes turn red and they seem to be in a constant state of pain and anger.

  “We have to do something. He’s just a little boy.” I whispered.

  “All we can do is try and help, but if we can’t get through to him than you can’t beat yourself up about it. You’ve helped so many of us.”

  I just shook my head and laid down on my soft bed. I was exhausted and the lack of sleep was really starting to catch up with me. Gray laid down next to me and softly sang “Every Rose has its Thorn” by Poison.

  “Why’s it always 80’s songs?” I mumbled as I drifted to sleep.

  HERE COMES THE PROM

  Saturday morning I woke up to silence, which made me uneasy because Gray loved to wake me up on the weekends. I sat up and looked around, but saw no sign of Gray. I was usually having to kick him out of my bedroom just so I could change my clothes really fast or use the bathroom. I decided to venture downstairs to see if he was hiding there. When I made it to the living room I found Gray sprawled out on the couch wearing a pair of lounge pants and watching Saturday morning cartoons.

  “Jeeze, put some clothe on why don’t ya?” I said teasingly.

  Gray flashed me a cheesy grin and said, “I’m betting that, back in my day, ladies would swoon over this fine physic.” Then he winked at me.

  “Hilarious.” I teased and then went to fix myself a bowl of cereal.

  When I joined Gray on the couch I noticed that he had changed his clothes. He was now wearing an orange and blue plaid button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow and a pair of khaki cargo shorts.

  “How do you do that?” I was totally jealous of that part of being a ghost.

  “I just think hard enough about what I want to wear and it appears. Presto-Chango!”

  I rolled my eyes at him. Gray always had such a flair for the dramatic.

  “Can you do that with your face…and stuff?” I asked.

  Gray looked as though he might be trying for a minute. He scrunched his face up and stared into the distance, but nothing happened. “Nah, just with things that weren’t permanent on me when I died. I could probably change my hair too, but this style has always suited me.”

  I got the sudden urge to see Gray in some platinum blonde pigtails and laughed out loud at the thought. He was so used to my out of nowhere laughter that he just flashed me his cocky grin and settled back onto the couch.

  Gray and I spent that Saturday much like we spent all Saturdays, laying around on the couch and watching TV until I had to get ready for my shift at Rocktop. I took my time getting ready for my Saturday shifts. It was nice not having to rush to the bar after school and my tips always seemed to be better with the more that I wore. I got out of the shower and dressed in my barely-there uniform, just in time too, because Gray emerged from the air. I tried to give him a dirty look to show him that I didn’t approve of his unannounced entrance, but he was doing some crazy hip hop dance that I had seen on a music video and I couldn’t keep from laughing at him. After he finished his dance and I gave him a standing ovation, I dried my hair and then pulled it back into a messy, but cute, high pony tail with a purple headband that matched my Ravens jersey. I applied a little mascara and then finished my makeup with some pale pink lip gloss.

  “You look smokin’ Spud!” Gray said when I emerged from the bathroom. Gray had chosen the nickname “Spud” for me when I was little. I’ve never asked him why he called me that, but I avoided talking to him about it at all costs. I could only be glad that no one else could hear him say it and start to follow the trend. I rolled my eyes at him and he gave me a disapproving look. Irritating him with eye rolling was the only ammo I had against him.

  “I’m ready!” I said.

  “It’s about time.” Said Gray and then we headed out to the Delray. Usually Gray and I rode in silence as we listened to the radio, but something had been eating at the both of us.

  “What are we going to do about Little Dirty Boy?” I asked.

  “Little who?” Gray was confused. I guess I had never said the nickname that I had chosen for the boy out loud.

  “You know, our friend we made. The one that’s going on a downhill spiral…fast.”

  “I’ve been wondering the same thing myself.” Gray said and his mouth turned down into a frown.

  Neither of us had any idea what we could do to help Little Dirty Boy, so the rest of the car ride we were quiet and thoughtful. When we got to the bar I walked straight to the employee room to clock in. Remi was there looking at something on her phone and waiting to start her shift. Gray moved behind her and started checking out her ass just for the sake of making me uncomfortable. He was never that inconsiderate unless he was trying to be a jerk. I tried really hard not to pay any attention to him, but the room was small and it wasn’t long before I started to giggle at him. Remi must’ve heard me because she tore her attention from her phone and said, “Oh hey chick! Did you get your boy problems figured out?” I began to blush which made Remi laugh. She loved making people squirm and she knew how easy it was for me.

  I punched my time card and put on my little black waist apron to start my shift. When I got into the dining room the other server girls were in a huddle pointing at something and giggling. When I saw what they were pointing at, my jaw dropped. Risk was sitting in the restaurant section of the bar. He was sitting in my section to be exact. There were only two other occupied tables in my section and they had already been served their food, so I took a few long deep breaths and headed over to his table.

  I tried not to make eye contact with him so that it wouldn’t be obvious that I recognized him. “Can I get you anything?”

  After he didn’t respond right away I decided to quit being a sissy and look at him. Risk looked like I had caught him by surprise and he didn’t know what to say. I cleared my throat because I was uncomfortable with the silence and his face lit up. “I’ll take whatever’s on tap.” He said and his green eyes twinkled. Weird.

  “I’ll have to see some I.D.” I stuck my hand in his face and waited for him to start making excuses about how he had “forgotten” it in his other pants. I was shocked when a Georgia state driver’s license was placed in my hand. By the date on the license, Risk had been old enough to drink for four months.

  “Shit, seriously? You’re in high school!” I said.

  “Read em’ and weep.” He said and winked at me.

  That’s really more of a poker term, I thought, and stalked off to the bar to order his beer. Girls under the age of twenty one weren’t supposed to carry alcohol, but when the bar got busy no one seemed to pay attention to which girl was grabbing which drink, and Rocktop was packed. After I had waited on a few more tables my thick tights had already started to feel like they were microwaving my legs. When I couldn’t ignore Risks beer anymore I grabbed it from Jane and stalked off to his table. When he came into view I noticed something horrifying. Gray was sitting right next to Risk with his arm around his shoulders and smirking at me. I knew that the only reason Gray might have taken an interest in him would have been because Risk had been talking about me.

  I set Risks beer down and glared at Gray. That’s when I noticed that two people, besides my stalker ghost, had joined him. It was an older man and woman who couldn’t have been older than their late thirties, but looked like they were well in to their fifties. Time had definitely not been kind to these people, and from the smell of them, it was their own doing. The man was borderline drooling on himself and reeked of cheap vodka, while the woman was trying to act composed and classy, but she really just looked snooty, especially in comparison to Risks easy going manner.

  “Here’s your beer.
Can I get anything for the two of you?”

  The man looked at me with hooded eyes. I think that he was trying to be seductive, but he could’ve just been on the verge of passing out. “God son, she’s hotter than you said! Look at that fine ass!” The man slurred and my mouth hung open in surprise. I looked at Risk who had started to blush. “Uh…Thanks, sir. Can I get you something to drink? Our specials are…”

  “I don’t want any of that shit! Give me a vodka straight and dry. And I want the top shelf stuff too, my son here is buying.” His lips curled into a smile and Risk looked down at his hands while he fiddled with a piece of his napkin.

  “Coming right up!” Was all I could say as I spun on my toes and hurried back to the bar.

  While I was picking up the drinks Gray appeared next to me looking a little too peppy considering what I had just witnessed.

  “You won’t believe what he’s saying about you Spud!” I rolled my eyes and Grays smile wavered.

  “Oh, I think I can probably figure it out.”

  “No, not his jackass dad. Risk was telling his parents how beautiful you are and that he was thinking of asking you to prom!”

  I took a moment to process that information. Was I seriously going to be asked to prom with a guy that was drop dead gorgeous? No. No way was that happening. I just didn’t have that kind of luck.

  I only realized that I was standing there with my mouth hanging open when the bartender, Jane, yelled from behind me, “Are you gonna take this drink or stare at that fine piece of ass all night?” I turned to look at Jane and then whipped my head back to Gray, but he had already rejoined Risk at his table. I took them the drink and tried my hardest to set the glass down and scurry away without being noticed, but Risks dad grabbed my hand. “Aren’t you just a precious little thing? I’ve heard some stories about you girl. You’re some kind of invalid aren’t you?” I tried jerking my arm away but he had a good grip. I started to panic and ended up dumping the glass of vodka in his lap by accident. “Oh Jesus! What the fuck is wrong with you?” My manager saw me dump his drink and rushed over to offer the bastard drinks on the house for the rest of the night. Too bad my manager hadn’t seen the near assault or his ass would have been out on the street.

  Risks cheeks looked like they were on fire and I’m sure that I looked pretty flustered myself. Sometime during the scuffle Gray had appeared at my side, but it’s not like he could’ve done anything to help me. I was disappointed that Risk hadn’t jumped in and helped me, but I was only a girl he knew from school, and I understood that he couldn’t go against his father for that kind of relationship.

  Risks father left me alone for the rest of the night unless he was demanding another free drink. He drank until he couldn’t stand anymore, and the mother snuck sips here and there. Risk just sat there watching the room and several times I noticed him watching me work.

  Just before Risk was about to help drag his father out to their car he got up from his table and walked up to me at the bar. He had his hands shoved in his pockets and he looked nervous. “Can we talk sometime?” He asked with a smile.

  I was already putty in his hands with that smile. “Ummm…sure!” I tried my best to look cute as a button.

  He smiled bright and his green eyes twinkled. “Cool, can I have your number so I can text you tomorrow or something?”

  “That sounds amazing!” Man I was sounding desperate. After I wrote my number on a bar napkin he shoved it into his pocket and turned away from me with a big grin after promising to text me the next day. EEEEEK! He’s so hot! Oh gross, I’m gushing.

  As soon as I was done with my happy dance that I thought I had only been sharing with Gray, I heard a sultry chuckle behind me and I froze. “I knew you had a boyfriend! And man is he H.O.T!!! Tell me everything now, bitch!” Remi was way too excited about my personal life, but I was on cloud nine so I filled her in on everything so far.

  “Well he’s new at school, and an outcast like me, but I’m not sure why because everyone thinks he’s hot and he isn’t weird. He has great hair and a rockin’ body and I really hope he asks me to prom! Oh! And his name is Risk….something. I don’t know his last name yet.”

  Remi “eeked” just as hard as I had and we shared another round of the happy dance. Gray watched from a corner with a satisfied smile on his face while I had my moment. He was always so worried about how I would live my life being able to talk to ghosts and do normal things like have friends and fall in love. I always wondered if maybe a normal life just wasn’t in the cards for me. After all, talking to ghosts is pretty freaking awesome most of the time and I would never vote against having Gray around. We were stuck with each other until he crossed over or I died and crossed over, and I liked the minimal chances that either of those things would happen anytime soon.

  After work, Gray and I decided that we would go see our Little Dirty Boy as soon as I woke up the next morning. His situation was a delicate one and it needed attention, fast, if we were going to be able to help. After giggling about my encounter with Risk, I shut my light out and went to sleep.

  I woke to the sounds of crashing and my eyes snapped open. I saw Little Dirty Boy throwing my things in every direction and screaming every obscenity that he could think of. Trash and pieces of my bedroom furniture littered the floor and Gray was nowhere to be found. I was frozen in fear when Little Dirty Boys bright red eyes locked onto mine. He tossed something aside and stalked towards me yelling, “You did this!” over and over again. I was glued to my spot on the bed wondering how the hell he was trashing my house. Ghosts weren’t supposed to be able to touch things. When he was mere inches from my face I heard a voice that seemed far off.

  “Marlee!” said the voice.

  “Spud, what the hell?” It was clearer that time.

  And then all of the sudden I was pulled from my dream. “Oh…That was creepy.” I said.

  “You were yelling something I couldn’t understand and crying.” Gray said, concerned.

  “I’m fine, it was just a dream.” I hoped so anyway. With that kind of start to my morning I was curious to see what the rest of the day had in store for me.

  I got up and dressed myself. It was a lazy kind of Sunday, and I didn’t have to work, so I just wore my favorite lounge pants and a t-shirt that represented the Rocktop Bar and Grill. It was actually a warm morning and I took advantage of the sunlight by not wearing a jacket and taking a moment to bask in the rays of light between trees on our way back to the old town square.

  When we go there we saw that Little Dirty Boy was nowhere to be found. We looked around the surrounding wooded area and even asked a few other lonely souls (the ones that didn’t seem so lost) if they had seen a boy that was covered in dirt wandering around. When Gray and I met back up I noticed that he had a look of defeat on his face that matched the feeling that was in my heart. If we couldn’t find the boy, we wouldn’t be able to help him before his soul was lost to a world of loneliness and anger forever.

  As we were heading back to the house my phone chirped. I had already talked to my mom this morning and she told me that she would be in meetings all day long so I knew it wasn’t her. That only left one other person that it could be. I grinned from ear to ear before I even had a chance to look at the screen. It was a number that I didn’t recognize and the text simply said, “Hey this is Risk.”

  I squealed a little and typed, “Hey, What’s up?”

  Seconds later my phone chirped again. “Do you realized that you’ve never actually told me your name?”

  Oh my gosh, he’s right. I couldn’t remember ever actually introducing myself. To be fair though, I didn’t know anything about him either other than his name is Risk and he was an amazing specimen of a man.

  “Oh, I guess I haven’t. I’m Marlee Chase.”

  “Nice to meet you finally ;)”

  Oh snap, I just got a winky face from the hottest guy in the world! I was in a daze when my phone chirped again.

  “Can we meet up toda
y? Maybe we could go to that coffee shop that’s around the corner from Rocktop?”

  I so badly wanted to ask if he was asking me out on a date, but I had already repeatedly made an ass of myself in front of Risk so I didn’t want to risk it. As I was sending my reply, which said that I would meet him in two, hours I stumbled over a fallen branch and fell to my knees. When I looked up, Gray was standing beside me with terror in his eyes. I wondered what had gotten his panties in a bunch so I followed his gaze. Then I understood what he was so scared of.

  Just about ten feet in front of us there was a somewhat transparent, red eyed, figure of a woman. I stood slowly, hoping not to spook the ghost. I tried staying as far away from those guys as I could so I really knew nothing of their temperament. I just knew they were dangerous. She looked at us with angry features and I flinched when she moved, even slightly. Gray and I stayed as still as possible for several minutes. Suddenly the ghost screamed. She screamed so loud and awful that I had to put my hands to my ears and I thought that my head might burst. After the scream faded away I opened my eyes slowly and hoped that she was gone. She was nowhere to be seen. I looked up at Gray and then back down at my phone. My giddiness returned.

  “I have a new text from Risk. He said he could meet me in two hours!” Gray laughed a good hearty laugh and we kept trudging through the woods towards home, completely forgetting our unpleasant encounter.

  While I was getting ready to meet Risk at the coffee shop, Gray sat behind me looking like he was struggling to tell me something.

  “What’s up?” I asked him and raised my eyebrows so that he knew there was no hiding from me.

  “Oh I was just wondering what’s going to happen whenever Risk catches you talking to me…or another spirit.”

  I guess I hadn’t thought about what my abilities could do to a relationship. I always thought I would die a crazy cat lady.

  “Oh…I’ll just have to be careful.” I tried to reassure Gray.