Translucent

Chapter 28: Second Chance

"So I heard..." Lorelai began. "I heard things aren't goin' well wi' ye 'n' Greg, eh?"

"So what now, the entire Perthshire knows about it?" I rolled my eyes.

"It couldn't have been more obvious," Phoebe added. "First, you left very early. Second, they found Greg blootered at the bar alone. Good thing those chaps caught up with him."

I groaned, not knowing how extreme my action could lead to. Just like how the news of me and Greg getting together quickly got to everyone's mouths, the news of my fallout with Greg spread just as fast. Every now and then I heard murmurs questioning my sanity of breaking up with a near-perfect guy like Greg. But getting a replacement with his personality wouldn't be a tough job for him would it?

Obviously, our fallout only made things worse between us. At school, he didn't bother making eye contact with me. He just walked past me and I wondered if he went off snogging other girls, which I wouldn't mind. I last spotted him mingling with different groups of friends, mostly in the cricket league at school. As long as those blokes provided him comfort.

"Ye just zoomed past us without sayin' anythin'." Lorelai broke me off from my muse. "Ye had nae idea how worried we all are wi' ye. Ye looked pale as a ghost."

"We all just wondered what's with the sudden breakup," Phoebe added. "You two look so perfect for each other. Even all the girls, as much as there's still jealousy reeling around here, they're rooting for you two!"

"Yeah, what's goin' on?" Lorelai demanded.

I felt Sophie's glance penetrating me. She must have sensed it at least. She warned me to stay away from Cornelius yet I didn't oblige.

"See, it just didn't work at all." I sighed. "I..."

"Lis!" Ruby suddenly strode in out of nowhere. "Where were ye? Too bad you didn't stay till late. The lads and I hit the bar. You should've seen how screwed your lad was. Damn, you miss all the fun!"

Phoebe nudged her on the elbow. Ruby's sudden excitement fell at the sudden realisation of how serious the state I was in at the moment. "Oh, right, I heard about ye and...Greg." Ruby winced. "I'm getting something to eat. Maybe we should talk it over at the canteen."

I dismissed them, half eyeing Phoebe who was opening her lunchbox.

"We'll be back, Lis," Phoebe said, as she and Lorelai were taking off with Ruby. "Remember, you owe us loads."

"Och ye full of trouble, Lisa." Lorelai added.

Soon after they left, I walked across to Sophie and sat next to her with our lunchboxes on our laps. Silence between us, as though we shared the same headspace.

"Cheating on a human lad for a ghost one." Sophie broke the silence just as I was opening my box's lid. I gulped. "Lis, it seems pretty obvious to me, especially when it comes to him."

I winced. My stare came off as blank at the sandwich.

"I wasn't cheating." I began. "I have always loved him, Soph, even before Greg came along. I just bottled it up, I guess. I tried it with Greg and it didn't work. Even more, you had no idea how much it hurt me to pull a charade with Greg. How much I had hurt him."

"You really love him, don't you?"

"I didn't mean not to follow your words."

"What can I say?" Sophie took a bite of her sliced chicken. "You really are a loony, Lis, you know that."

"Are you...mad?"

"Mad? I'm mad worried. My friend is dating a ghost, what good could come out of that?" she hissed. "Look, you know how it will end and I sure hope you do understand the consequences, but if you're happy then the least I could do is to support your decision."