Same day 12.00
It was a rare occasion that Mia would go to the college toilets. She loathed public toilets, everyone's excrement flushing down the loo that girls had to share. She was thankful that it wasn't a unisex bathroom. The sharing wasn't much of the issue, it was the mess, soggy tissue lumped on the floor and you couldn't really tell if it was tap water or urine running amuck.
She let out a high pitched ewwww when zoomed out of the cubicle and hurried to wash her hands. She turned to the side and saw him.
"Oh hey Tom," she said casually but then stopped in her tracks and spun around to see him leaning on the doorframe of the cubicle she had used. "Tom, what are you doing here? Please tell me you didn't see me -"
"What? Mia that's gross. I was waiting near the sink till you finished your business."
Relived yet grossed out that Tom had followed her she scanned the bathroom by peaking under the cubicle doors. The coast was clear. "When did you come in? I didn't see you in the morning."
"I needed a break from you. Your routine is boring."
"Really must you be rude. I'm the only one helping you."
"Yeah but you got Chris Young involved."
"Since when did you have a problem with Chris?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "I just don't see how he can help me."
"You should give people more credit." She dried her hands with the paper towel. She didn't like the noise from the hand dryer. "Chris told me about this ghost that haunts the library. Have you seen Cassie Day?"
He curled his upper lift and raised his eyebrows. She told him the story about the girl who died in a library.
"Well isn't that just morbid," he commented. "How is this going to help?"
"Cassie might know what had happened to you? Both of you died at the library."
He strolled towards the taps and stared ahead at the mirror that didn't hold his reflection. "If Cassie's been stuck here for nearly thirties years then what chance do I have from leaving." he turned to her. "I don't want to see her."
She held his arm. "You've got to at least try. She's been here for a long time and she must know something."
"It's just that," he moaned, hunching his shoulders, "I haven't seen any other ghost walking around here and I feel invisible."
"Come on Tom. Meet me half way with this." She pleaded, grabbing her shoulder bag from the side sink. "Chris might know a way to summon Cassie."
"You don't sound too confident about it."
The door opened with a bang. Jenny Morrissey appeared before them in her small checker skirt and long dyed red hair. She raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk edging from the corner of her pink glossed lips before standing too closely to Mia.
Mia edged away. "You know there are seven tiled mirrors with seven sinks. Six of them are vacant yet you decide to park your arse right next to me."
Jenny snorted, unzipped her makeup bag and roughly searched for her brown eyeliner.
"It's a free country," she retorted.
"Clearly the concept of personal space has escaped your mental capacity."
"Oh I love listening to the book worm lecturing me about personal space."
Mia huffed. "Just get out of my way."
Jenny abruptly stuck her arse out to stop Mia. Tom glanced down at the pin up legs, nodding an approval. After a silly giggle she stood properly applying units of lip gloss on her angular lips. Mia edged away from her and headed to the door. As she glanced back Tom loomed beside her, a cheeky grin escaped his mouth. Suddenly he rushed and pushed down on all the taps and Jenny edged back, a tight squeal of horror vibrating the walls. He then scooped a handful of water and chucked it right in Jenny's face.
She didn't mean to laugh but the thought Jenny being haunted was hilarious. As Jenny continued to scream in that high pitched tone, standing in one position, Tom rushed towards the door.
"Come on. Move it before she starts."
Mia cheeks stretched with laughter as Tom pushed into her, jamming the door wide open and as if liberated they ran down the hall. The faces of students and teachers did a double take before following the everlasting squeal of a girl in the bathroom.
"You don't think she'll pin this on me?" Mia panted when they got out of the building and began walking towards the open fields.
He walked beside her "She'll definitely brand you as a witch."
"Well I better go and pack for Hogwarts then," she chuckled heartedly. She then checked her watch. "I've got human bio in ten minutes."
Tom dug his hands in his joggers. "I'll meet this Cassie chick tomorrow. There's no class on a Wednesday afternoon so the library will be less packed."
"You promise Tom?" she asked.
He nodded before poking her shoulder. "Tag you're it."
As he ran ahead Mia pursed his lips. She needed to get to the truth.
Same day 12:30
Before class had started Chris had grabbed Mia's upper arm and led her to the side.
"Have you checked your email?" he asked in a hush tone.
"No," she said. "I was meant to but Tom pulled a stunt in the toilets and then he wanted to play tag."
A squint of confusion formed in his eyes. "You know that actually sounds like him."
She glanced at the queue of students swiping their cards for attendance to class. "So what is it?"
"Principle Kinsley sent an email around about Tom's funeral." He paused clearing his throat. "His funeral is this Friday and the college is holding a special service."
She bit her lip. "So that means I have only two days to solve this?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "We need to get something sorted."
"I got Tom to agree to meet Cassie tomorrow," she said. "Hopefully something good can come out of this." She saw three students waiting to swipe their ID cards in the card holder by the door. "Look I got to go now. Keep me updated."
YOU ARE READING
Loose Ends
Teen Fiction(Formally titled Ghost, Loose Ends) There's always that one guy you can't stand. For Mia Sparrow, that person was Tom Cidal. The class clown teased the geek all through high school and hasn't changed since. That's until his dead body is found outsid...
