Shadow Souls

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Well, it could have gone worse," Tyler says.

I roll my eyes at him, "I can't believe I just defended that jerk to my father. I must be taking crazy pills are something."

"Yeah, that was a little unexpected," he laughs clearly finding my lapse in sanity amusing.

It was like my body became momentarily possessed by some other Alice and that was the person who said Finn was going to prove himself. I wish I had the words to explain to Tyler the feeling that comes over me when it comes to Finn. It's not like a normal 'butterflies in the stomach' and 'he's so hot so I want to believe he isn't a dirtbag' kind of thing. It's more akin to the deja vu feeling I've been getting lately. Like, I already somehow know he is so much more than that. Unfortunately, those feelings don't always last and then I go right back to kicking myself for trusting him or giving him more chances.

"I never did get my explanation he promised me, either," I grumble.

"Well, maybe it's not too late," Ty says.

I shoot him a quizzical look and he points over my shoulder. I spin around and see Finn on the roof, approaching my bedroom window. And as mad as I am at him, I still can't hide my smile as I walk over and raise it open.

"Were you just talking to somebody?" he asks me, looking around to see who else might be in the room with me.

"Just myself," I try to joke. "What are you doing here?"

"I promised you an explanation. Didn't I?"

Yes, he did, and it seems like Tyler was right and I might be getting it after all. "Come inside, it's freezing out there."

He steps through, closing the window behind him, and to my relief is perfectly soundless while doing both. Then to my not-so-relief, I realize that it's probably because he's had a lot of practice sneaking into girls' bedrooms at night.

"I'll be right back," I tell him while subtly signaling to Tyler to follow me as I head out the door. Leaving Finn standing alone in my bedroom.

When we get into the hall, I ask Ty to wait there, then sprint downstairs to say goodnight to my dad and wish him a safe flight. I know he won't want to wake me up so early in the morning to say goodbye, especially on a weekend, and I don't want him leaving for two weeks thinking I'm still mad at him. I know he was just being a dad, an overbearing one maybe, but he does mean well.

So, after one last hug and a promise that I would be okay while he is away, I head back up to talk to Tyler.

"I need you to make yourself scarce," I whisper so low, afraid of being heard by both my dad and Finn, I'm not sure if he can even hear me.

"You've got to be kidding!" he whispers back. "I want to hear whatever lame excuse he is going to come up with, too!"

"Why are you whispering?"

"Because you're whispering, duh."

"But nobody can hear you, Ty!" I remind him.

He starts to pout, but I stand firm, and it only takes a few seconds of staring him down to make him cave.

"Fine! I guess I'll just go see if Paige wants to hang out," he declares.

That's not exactly what I was hoping to hear, but I can't ask him not to after kicking him out. Although I have to admit, as much as I didn't want to share my ghost bestie with anyone else, I am glad we told her. But I also know that Tyler really likes her, and I worry about him getting attached to someone he can't have a real relationship with. I'm not even sure how he plans to 'hang out' with her now when she can't see or hear him. Unless he means he is going to go spy on her or something. I really hope not, because that would be super creepy.