H A U N T E D

f o u r t e e n

f o u r t e e n

The rest of the week goes by with a growing amount of affection towards my newly found friend group. Nicky is not as bad as I originally thought, but he still makes some crude jokes that can be seen as being distasteful, knowing that I don't appreciate it. Kofi and I have an unspoken arrangement that he waits for me at the school entrance every morning, where he greets me with an 'O-Ophelia'. Eben doesn't like me much, it seems, since he ignores me, but that's okay because I have Neo to keep me entertained. Neo and I have similar music tastes and he gives me a few song recommendations after I introduced him to Lord Huron's music. MacKenzie was all too grateful when I arrived Sunday morning with my notes and a few old exam papers that we could work through. We spent about eight hours studying before her mom invited me to dinner.

Nicole...is still Nicole. She doesn't make snide remarks anymore, not for the lack of trying. She still makes the offhand comment, but I've noticed that her demeanour seems to be a bit sensitive and quiet on Friday and the group chat. I am not sure if she's virtually responsive so I wouldn't be the best at knowing whether she's avoiding my presence or if she's generally reserved on social media.

Come Monday morning, and my grandfather is his normal, stoic self. I know he is trying to be more social towards me, but I won't be changing his personality just because I feel uncomfortable and awkward at times. It seems like he's given up on my driving lessons, both for his lack of patience and my lack of willingness to learn. I don't know why I don't enjoy driving, but I think it's because I know of the risks of taking responsibility for driving. Maybe it's a mental block, I don't know. I didn't tell him where I was Friday and Saturday afternoon, having spent the day at the crystal shop while exchanging stories with the owner. Her name is Queenie and she's lived in Homer all her life. She and Flynn used to go to school together, but he never liked her due to her beliefs. We don't talk about my mother, as the subject seems to be a sore point of conversation. Flynn drops me off at school, handing me a $10 - dollar bill for lunch, even though we both know I have leftovers from last night's dinner at the Douglas'. We're slowly building a foundation for a good familial relationship. I found out that Flynn volunteers at the church on Sundays and during the week, he helps out at the soup kitchen at the next town over. In his free time, he builds and makes stuff - mostly wolf-related. I caught a glance at his stuff on Friday when we were carrying a newly made wooden wolf sculpture towards his truck.

"O-Ophelia!", Kofi exclaims once I exit the truck. He waves to Flynn, who blows the car horn in response.

"I am waiting for the day a song about your name is released", I joke and punch his shoulder. Kofi snorts back a chuckle and throws his arm around my shoulders, pulling me towards the school building entrance. I am once again reminded of my conversation with the spirit Steve, that took place on Thursday. After thinking about it, I have decided to ignore the wacky old dude. I bet there are still remaining goods in his system from his life back in the seventies.

"How was MacKenzie's?", Kofi asks as we walk towards our English Literature classroom. We're early but usually, we wait outside of the classroom. I shrug and play with a necklace around my neck. The stone on the necklace is rose quartz. I liked the color originally, and it fits my outfit for the day. An oversized pink sweater with mom jeans - it's starting to get colder and I don't want to get sick. They're expecting premature snowfall in a few days, which I am pretty excited about.

"She's smart, I just wish she'd give herself more credit", I say as we round a corner. The one moment I am walking with Kofi's arm around me, guiding me through the hallways, the next moment I am on the floor, having walked into someone. Originally, I thought Kofi steered me into a wall but a sleek pale hand extending towards me makes me look up into the eyes similar to piles of riches, that I encountered on Thursday.