✨A WATTYS 2022 PARANORMAL & "BEST CHARACTERS" WINNER✨
A college basketball star risks everything to prove his innocence with a girl who can communicate with ghosts.
***
Ace Jones isn't certain about a lot of things in life, but basketball has always...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I WAKE up with a big fuckin' headache and a chill I can't shake in my bones. My brain feels all scrambled and I can't remember how I ended up on the floor.
When I sit up, Devyn catches me in a hug. "I'm so glad you're alright!" Her sugary warm scent floods my nostrils and I breathe her in as if I could never get enough.
"What happened?"
"You don't remember?" She groans, helping me to my feet.
The last thing I remember is kissing Devyn. Her pressing her body up against mine, our passion growing. I remember thinking I was gonna need one of those condoms buried at the bottom of the grocery bag. Turns out Devyn had brought her own. And then—oh, shit.
My cheeks and forehead heat up with embarrassment. "Did I black out on you while we was having sex?" I grab Devyn's hands as her forehead creases. "You need to know that is not a typical performance from me. I promise."
Devyn shakes her head, facepalming. "No, that's not what happened—Peewee, please shut up."
"Aye, homegirl's here?" I turn around quick, surprised. The whiplash causes my head to spin and suddenly there is a growing pain in my chest. Almost like I got run over by a semi-truck. "Owe."
"Ace, you need to sit on the couch, okay? A lot has happened." Devyn leads the way, grabbing onto my hand.
I clutch the spreading pain around my heart. "It feels like my bones and muscles tried to bench press six-hundred pounds. Did I have a heart attack or something?"
Devyn hasn't let go of my hand. She pats the top part and looks me in the eye with all seriousness. "I need you to breathe."
"What the hell happened to me?"
"Are you breathing?"
"Devyn."
"Alright, alright." She sighs. "You were possessed. By a dark spirit. Do you remember me warning you to run?"
She waits patiently as I search my mind for details. I remember us kissing—my hands working up and down her body. I remember the condom discussion. I remember gushing my feelings to her. I remember us heading to the bedroom.
Ah, that's right. It's starting to come back.
I remember how a demon showed up to much of mine and Devyn's disappointment, the fire once alive in us entirely getting lost at sea.
Then it came after Dev, forcing her to back up. I tried to jump in front of her to protect her but obviously that did no good. Apparently he possessed me. I do remember feeling a kind of cold I've never experienced before. One that got deep in my bones and still hasn't completely left yet.
"I remember," I tell Devyn, hugging my shoulders. "Why am I so cold?"
"It's a side effect when making contact with a ghost. Have you ever been minding your own business and suddenly get a shiver? Goosebumps rise and a vague trepidation overwhelms your emotions?"
