What Ghost? (Complete)

Chapter Seven: Contact

Becky stormed out of the dining room. She'd so wanted to wipe that smug, non-believer smile off Kate's face. She hated people who made sweeping statements regarding things they knew nothing about! And to make matters worse, Billy was obviously besotted with the stupid cow already!

She noticed John hovering nervously nearby, obviously keeping his distance until she'd calmed down. Hmmm... hot and intelligent... nice! A sheepish grin spread across her face. "Sorry about that. Being told I don't exist would make my blood boil, if I had any! Stupid cow..."

John moved closer, and patted her shoulder in sympathy. Becky reeled from the contact... she'd actually felt it. "How did you do that?" she squeaked.

John looked confused. "Do what?"

"Touch me... so that I actually felt it?"

"I've no idea. Is that not normal? I'm so sorry... did I hurt you?" He looked so worried she felt sorry for him. He really was new to this whole 'what-can-ghosts-do' thing.

Becky laughed. "No, of course you didn't hurt me. I just never realised ghosts could actually touch each other... and feel it. It's the first time I've ever had contact with anyone. To be honest, it's one of the things I've always been jealous about my mum and Billy being able to do. I watch them hug and..." She couldn't believe she was getting teary. What an idiot!

John moved closer and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close. "You mean like this?" he whispered.

Becky had no words to describe how good it felt. She hugged him back, revelling in the sensation of being this close to someone. And then reality raised its ugly head, and she realised she was hugging a complete stranger, and not Billy or her mother.

She dropped her arms back to her sides, and stepped away from John, totally embarrassed. The guy had just been testing what he could do as a ghost, and she'd practically mauled him.

Becky tried to laugh it off, but the sound came out more like a chipmunk on helium. "Ummm... yep... just like that. So, I've known you for like five minutes and you've taught me something. And here I was thinking I'd be the one doing all the teaching."

John smiled. "That was pretty amazing. I never thought I'd ever get to do that again... thanks Becky."

He had the damn 'puppy-dog-eyes' thing going again. Get a grip girl! You just met the guy! She was having trouble fighting the urge to throw herself at him. She took a deep, calming breath. "Hey, thank you... I never thought I'd ever get to do that... for the first time!"

She cleared her throat to break the suddenly uncomfortable silence. "Okay then... so tell me about the new guy in your room? What's he like?"

John frowned. "Eric? Yeah, he's alright I suppose. Actually, he reminds me a lot of me when I was here. He obviously doesn't want to be here, and I heard his mum saying something about 'trying to make it work this time'. Apparently, this is like his third school in two years. He pretty much keeps to himself. You know the type, puts his head down when someone's walking past so he doesn't have to acknowledge them?"

"You were like that when you were alive? Seriously? Why?"

John shrugged. "I had stuff going on at home that I wasn't dealing with very well. The whole new, jerk-for-a-stepdad who didn't want me around so sent me to boarding school. I was angry with the world, and instead of talking about it, I buried it and let it brew. I wasn't supposed to change the light-bulb in the ceiling, it was totally against college policy, but I was pissed that I couldn't lay in bed and read. What a dumb-arse!"

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. We all do dumb stuff sometimes. Besides... it's done, and there's nothing you can do to change it. So move past it, and get on with being a ghost. It can actually be fun once you know what you're doing. Have you tried moving stuff around yet?"

John's face broke into a huge grin. "We can really do that? I always thought it was just a party trick people set up at séances and stuff."

Becky giggled. "Nope, it's real. Takes a bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it; moving stuff is easy. Watch this..." She focused on the ball she'd seen laying on the basketball court as they passed. She looked at the ball, and then at the backboard where she wanted it to go. She swept her hand upwards, and the ball launched itself from the ground, hit the backboard and scored a basket. "Ta-da!"

John stood staring at the ball with his mouth open. "Wow... that was awesome. Do you reckon I'd be able to do that?"

Becky raised her eyebrows and grinned. "That's taken years of practice. Why don't you just try moving it for now? Concentrate on the ball, and picture it moving in your head."

John's face took on a serious look, as he frowned and stared hard at the ball. He'd been like that for about twenty seconds when the ball slowly moved a couple of inches. He let out the breath he'd been holding with a loud whoosh.  

"Man... that's really hard work! I didn't think it was even gonna move. How the hell did you get it to fly through the air?"

Becky grinned. "Practice! Don't forget, I've been doing this since I was a little kid. Billy and I used to play for hours..." She shrugged off the memories of when she'd been the most important part of Billy's life. Those days were long gone. "Anyway... you're probably best off starting with smaller stuff and working your way up. Come on let's go find some easier targets." She laughed as she floated off towards the trees.