Call Me Ghost ✔️

Chapter Eighteen

"You okay, Em? You look kind of pale?" Brody asks me with concern as we stand in line, waiting to get into The Scrap.

I tear my eyes away from the sidewalk and force a smile, "I'm good. Just a little cold."

"Oh, well we should get in soon, don't worry."

Getting inside is what I'm worried about. What if we run into Ghost or his friends? What if they mention our friendship or the last time I was here. So much can go wrong. I want to turn to Brody and beg him to take us somewhere else, but I know that would just raise questions with him.

I stay panicking as we reach the front of the line. To my dismay it's the same bouncer at the door; Clive. I just pray he doesn't remember me.

He nods at Brody and grumbles, "Tickets?"

Brody looks confused and replies, "I didn't know we needed tickets."

For a moment I'm flooded with relief, we might not even get in after all. We can turn back and go somewhere else and I'll be free.

Unfortunately Clive's gaze drifts to me and a genuine smile tugs at his mouth. With a nod of his head he steps to the side and remarks, "Sorry, I didn't recognize you at first. You're both good to go."

Damn it.

I smile shyly and duck my head before quickly scurrying in, Brody right behind me. We enter the crowded place and over the pounding music Brody leans close to my ear and remarks, "That was weird."

I nod my head, "Yeah."

"What do you think he recognizes me from?" He muses, and I turn to face him with a frown. He thinks Clive meant him? He frowns as he thinks about it before deciding, "Maybe he knows my dad owns half of the city."

I have no desire to correct his assumption so I just nod and remark, "Maybe."

Brody then takes a moment to look around the place with an approving smile. His eyes land on the boxing ring and he nudges my shoulder before pointing over to it, "See that? It's why I wanted to bring you here. It's not just a normal bar, they have boxing matches here every weekend. Isn't that cool?"

I raise my eyebrows in feigned surprise and agree, "Yeah. Wow. That's really cool."

"Let's go get some drinks and then we can find some seats." He suggests.

My eyes dart to the bar and sure enough I spot Tay working behind it. So far she's the only of Ghost's friends I see, and I hope that they're all hanging out in the back like they were last time so there's no chance of running into them before the fights start.

"Actually, you get the drinks, I need to, uhm, use the bathroom." I tell Brody.

He nods his head, "Okay, be safe. Text me if you get lost."

I quickly scurry through the crowd, keeping my head low and my eyes peeled. The hairs on my arms are standing on end. I'm so worried about running into Ghost, I have no idea what I'd do if he walked up to me with Brody right beside me.

In the bathroom all I do is splash some water on the back of my neck to cool down a bit and stare myself down in the mirror. I had been so happy with the way I looked before we left, but now I just feel silly. Like a little girl playing dress up.

Hey, maybe Ghost won't even recognize me with all the makeup and tight clothes? Although, Clive who I've only met once recognized me, so that small hope is quickly shot down.

A group of girls enter the bathroom so I quickly leave. I scour the bar from a distance to see if Brody is still there, but I don't spot him so I head over to the ring instead.