Once inside, Paige's first thought was how to get to the main office to get her class schedule, school map, and welcome packet.
She was approached by a group of girls, all a little taller than her, and gorgeous with long hair. They were led by a dark-haired girl with pale skin and green eyes.
"You must be the new girl," said the dark-haired one.
Paige wondered how she had managed to give it away so quickly. She did not try to deny it. "Yes," she admitted.
"Hi, I'm Amber Hurley. And these are my friends, Lora Estrada and Roni Sinclair."
"Hi." Paige smiled thinly. "I'm Paige Preston."
"We know," Lora said, flipping thick brunette hair to one side and widening her bold brown eyes.
"How?" Paige asked.
"It's a really small town," Roni said. She had blunt cut light blonde hair, thin arched brows, and blue eyes. "Everyone knows everyone. And when your mom happens to be the real estate agent who sold a house last month to a woman with a teenage daughter, it's easy to connect the dots."
Paige grinned, remembering when her mother mentioned how talkative the real estate agent was. "That would explain it."
All the girls chuckled.
"Are you on your way to the main office?" Amber asked.
"Yeah, I guess that's where I need to go," Paige told her.
"I'll show you where it is," Amber said. "I'll catch up with you," she told her friends.
"Later," Lora said, as she and Roni flashed Paige a smile and headed off.
Paige walked with Amber, who said: "So you're from Indiana, right?"
"Yes, South Bend."
"I've been to Indianapolis once for my cousin's wedding," Amber said.
"So you've lived here all your life?" Paige asked, hoping she didn't take it the wrong way.
"Afraid so. It's a pretty nice place to live overall. But that doesn't mean I don't have dreams of living somewhere else one day."
"So do I," Paige said. "But first I'd like to give living here a chance."
Amber grinned. "I think you'll blend right in." As they approached the office, Amber stopped just short. "Are you doing anything Saturday night?"
"Not that I know of," Paige told her.
"Good. I'm having a party at my house," she said. "You know, just some friends having a good time without getting too crazy. I'd like you to come."
Paige wasn't used to someone being so nice to her, so soon after meeting. Nor was she complaining. Especially since Amber was beautiful and seemed like a nice person to hang out with.
"I'd love to come," she responded.
"Cool." Amber smiled. "Do you have a cell phone?"
Paige nodded, taking it out of her pocket.
Amber grabbed it. "Here's the address. I'm just two blocks over from your house on Grove Road. It's the big gray one on the corner. You can't miss it."
"I'll find it." Paige had always had a good sense of geography. Simple directions would make it that much easier.
"Well, here's where they give you the new student treatment," Amber said. "Good luck!"
"Thanks." Paige smiled and went into the office.
She met the principal, Mr. Cambridge, who was short and balding, and the vice principal, Mrs. Huntington, who was taller with short, gray hair. She was the one whom Paige spoke most with in asking and answering questions.
At the end, the vice principal told her, "I'm sure you'll do fine at Dead Lake High."
"Thank you," Paige said politely.
"If you need anything or have further questions, my door is always open."
"I'll remember that."
Paige stood and was pointed in the direction to find her locker. She found it with no problem and put some things from her backpack inside.
"Hey," she heard the voice over her shoulder.
She turned to find the cute guy who used to live in her house.
"Hey," she said back, smiling.
"So how's your first day at school?"
"Ask me when it's over," she told him. "I haven't even had my first class yet."
"Yeah, I guess it is early in the day," he admitted. "Sometimes I lose track of time."
"I know what you mean." She met his eyes. "I'm Paige, by the way."
"Noah. Nice to meet you, Paige...again."
She chuckled. "You, too." She noticed he wasn't holding a backpack or any school supplies. "Are you a student here?"
He twisted his lips awkwardly. "Used to be."
Paige wondered if he'd graduated. He didn't look old enough to be a teacher. "What are you doing here?"
Noah grinned. "I came to see you."
"What for?" She was curious.
He shrugged. "Just because I liked talking to you yesterday."
Admittedly Paige liked it too. "Cool." She would have loved to keep talking, but it was nearly time for the bell to go off. "I have to get to class."
"I know," he said. "I wouldn't want you to be late on your first day."
"Yeah, not a good idea," she concurred.
"I'll walk with you for a bit," he told her, "if it's all right?"
Paige had no problem with that. She only wished he was still in school. "So do you work, are you in college, or what?"
Noah seemed to have to think about it. "Right now I'm in between those things. Just trying to decide where I go from here, you know?"
"Yeah, I think so." She wouldn't hold that against him since lots of people weren't sure what they wanted to do after high school. Maybe she would go through the same thing, though she did have some definite ideas about going to college, getting a degree, and then on to graduate school.
"So what's your first class?" Noah asked.
Paige pulled the schedule out of her pocket. "Civics."
He wrinkled his nose. "I remember that class."
"That bad, huh?" she asked.
"Not if you're into that type of thing."
"I'm not exactly," she told him. "But it is a required course, so I don't have much choice."
"True." He guided her in the right direction. "Don't trust those maps too much. They'll have you walking around in circles before you ever get to where you're going."
Paige laughed. "Since I won't always have you around as my personal guide, I'll just have to figure it out."
"Something tells me you won't have any problem there," Noah said.
"Hope not."
When they neared the class and other students, Paige turned to say goodbye to Noah. But to her surprise, he was gone. Just like in her room and on the pier.
She'd never seen anyone so quick footed. Or was he just really shy? Somehow he didn't strike her as the shy type.
She headed into the room, already wondering when and where she would see Noah again.
* * *
Noah walked the halls for the first time since he began living the life of a ghost. He had been emboldened by the presence of Paige, whose energy seemed to revitalize him, making it possible to return to Dead Lake High School. It was there that he once enjoyed the good life of a popular athlete with lots of friends.
And a few enemies.
He tried to focus on the positive as he walked amongst the students, none of whom had a clue that he was there.
It brought him back to his life before it ended...
* * *
Noah stormed into the entrance of Dead Lake High, surrounded by best friends, Kyle Manning and Scott Sanderson. The three sixteen-year-olds spilled into the main hall, laughing and acting silly.
"Did you see the way that girl looked at you?" Kyle asked Noah.
Playing coy, Noah gazed at Kyle, who was two inches taller with blonde hair parted in the middle and blue eyes. "Never had a clue."
"Yeah, right," Scott said, running a hand through wavy brown hair, matching the color of his eyes. "She wanted you, dude!"
"Maybe," Noah conceded, as they headed down the hall, passing others along the way. "But since I'm already spoken for, I'll leave the other hot chicks to you guys to have fun wi
th."
"Your loss," Kyle said. "The more for us, the merrier."
Noah laughed. "Guess I'm just a sucker for someone who gets me."
"You think we don't?" Scott asked, pushing him playfully. "That's the point, we know you better than you know yourself."
They reached Noah's locker. He opened it and grabbed a couple of books. "That's what I'm afraid of. Guess what I don't know won't hurt me."
Kyle chuckled. "I wouldn't be too sure of that."
Noah gazed at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Kyle glanced at Scott and back. "Nothing. Just messing with you, man."
Noah relaxed. "Well mess with someone else, otherwise you'll have me to deal with."
"I'm shaking in my boots," Kyle said.
"We both are," joked Scott. "So let's get to class before we're late—"
They walked away and Noah thought about his girlfriend, Amber, and everything else that seemed to be going his way these days.
* * *
Noah came back to the present. He missed his friends and his life. Why did it all have to end so soon?
Was there anything he could do about it? Could he get some answers he could live with, even in death?
Or was this all he could expect for eternity?
He resumed walking, this time with the halls empty of other students, as though they had all left for the day.
Noah wondered what Paige was doing right now. He was into her, maybe more than he should be, considering they couldn't possibly have much more than they did now. Even then, he wasn't sure exactly what they did have.
He only knew that she was his lifeline. As such, he wanted to stay as close to her as possible without pushing her away, leaving him alone once again.
CHAPTER THREE
After informing the teacher, Mr. Dixon, that she was new, Paige wondered if he would give her the third degree.
Instead, he said, "Welcome to Dead Lake High School, Paige. Have a seat so we can get started."
Paige nodded at him, believing the tall, dark-haired, handsome teacher was in his mid-twenties. She found a seat in the middle of the room right next to the red-haired girl she had walked alongside into the school this morning.
Her green eyes twinkled. "Hi, I'm Monica Blake."
"Paige Preston," Paige told her, assuming she hadn't been paying attention when she told Mr. Dixon the same thing moments ago.
"Civics is the perfect class to start a new school," Monica joked.
"Yeah, it should be a barrel of fun." Paige chuckled. In fact, Civics had been one of her favorite subjects at her old school.
"If you need any help with the assignments, let me know."
"I will," Paige promised, though doubting that would be the case.
They both faced the front of the class as Mr. Dixon began to speak.
That afternoon, Paige entered the cafeteria for lunch. So far things had gone better than expected the first day. No one was really treating her like the new girl no one wanted to hang out with, even if she hadn't as yet been warmly embraced by everyone she ran into. Then there was Noah. He no longer attended the school, but he clearly liked being around her, which made Paige feel good. She wouldn't get too far ahead of herself on what it might mean, but saw nothing wrong with them hanging out together sometimes.
She chose chicken tenders, seasoned corn, apple sauce, and milk, carrying her tray into the lunchroom. After looking around for some the students she'd met and finding none, Paige sat at an empty table. She felt it made her stand out and hoped someone would join her soon.
No sooner had she pondered this when Paige heard someone say softly, "Hi."
She looked up and saw a girl around her height and build, with short brown hair. The girl was holding a tray with a chicken salad, crackers, and fruit juice.
"Hi," Paige said.
"You just moved in the house on Cedar Lane, right?"
"Right." It still amazed Paige how practically everyone in school seemed to know she was new.
"I'm Bonnie Stewart. I live in the house across the street."
Paige smiled, remembering looking at the white house through her bedroom window. "Paige Preston."
"Hi," Bonnie said again, flashing her teeth. "Mind if I join you?"
"Not at all," Paige assured her, welcoming the company.
Bonnie sat across from her. "I wanted to come over and say hello when you were moving in, but my mom felt I would just be in the way."
"You wouldn't have been," Paige said nicely.
Bonnie smiled and put a fork to her salad. "Bet you never imagined living in a place called Dead Lake."
Paige chuckled. "You're right about that." The moment her mother told her about the possibility, she'd looked up Dead Lake, Michigan on the Internet. The town had been given that name more than a century ago after a drought nearly dried up the lake.
"I felt the same way when my parents and I moved here two years ago from Memphis," Bonnie said.
Paige tasted the seasoned corn. "From what I've seen, the lake looks pretty alive."
"Yeah," Bonnie agreed. "Everyone goes swimming there in the summer. Gives people something to do, other than fish or dump in the water who knows what when no one's looking."
Paige wrinkled her nose at that last part. "Maybe I better stick to swimming pools."
Bonnie smiled. "That's probably not a bad idea." She paused. "If you want, we can walk to school or home together sometime—unless you have a car."
"I wish," muttered Paige. "My mom says it could happen when I turn seventeen, but I'm not holding my breath."
Bonnie bit into a cracker. "Parents always make promises they don't keep, as if we're just supposed to forget."
Paige grinned in agreement, though she knew her mom meant well most of the time and was doing the best she could raising a daughter all by herself.
"Sure, it would be great to have someone to walk to or from school with," Paige told her.
"Cool," Bonnie said.
"Hey," the voice said over Paige's shoulder.
She turned to see Amber standing there with a tall, dark-haired guy. Both were holding trays with matching lunches on them.
"Hey," Paige said.
Amber smiled. "This is Paige," she said to the guy. "She's new at the school."
"Hi," he said. "I'm Scott."
"Hi," Paige said.
"Hey, Bonnie," Scott said tonelessly.
"What's up?" she said routinely.
There was a moment of awkward silence as Paige wondered if they would want to join them.
But Amber quickly ended that thought, when she said, "We're sitting with our friends over there. Catch you later. Oh, and don't forget about the party Saturday."
"I won't," Paige promised.
After they had moved on, Bonnie frowned and said, "She always has to be the center of attention."
Paige was surprised, even if she could imagine that as all eyes seemed to turn to Amber naturally, given her looks. But she sensed there was more to the story so she played dumb. "Really?"
"Yeah," Bonnie said. "She likes to monopolize newcomers, especially the good looking ones."
Paige wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. "I'm not here to be monopolized by anyone."
Bonnie smiled. "Good. Same here. Guess that's why she and I don't get along very well."
Paige wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin. "So does that mean you aren't coming to her party?"
Bonnie sneered. "I don't think so."
Paige wondered if she would only be stirring up trouble as the new girl if she invited Bonnie to come along with her. Maybe that wouldn't be a good idea. It would be better if she went with Noah, but she didn't know where he lived or how to contact him.
She was going to ask Bonnie about him until another girl named Tabitha O'Brien with long, straight blonde hair sat at the table and talked nonstop till it was time to leave.
* * *
That evening, Paige and her mom had pepperoni pizza at the di
ning room table. It wasn't the healthiest food in the world and Paige had become more health-conscious of late, wanting to protect her body as much as possible. But there were times when something quick and tasty won over. This was one of those times.
Before her mother could ask about her first day, Paige volunteered the information. "It was great at school today. I made new friends and learned my way around pretty good."
"That's nice to hear, honey," her mother said. "I was sure you would figure things out and that other students would gravitate toward you."
"I think it was more we gravitated toward each other," Paige said, while grabbing a slice of pizza. It made her think of Noah, in particular. She wasn't sure her mom would approve of her hanging out with a guy out of high school. But it wasn't like they were really hanging out, as she'd only talked to him at the house and school.
"That's the way it should be," her mother said.
"How was work?" Paige asked.
"Good. Everyone made me feel welcome. The people here seem really supportive of one another."
"I'm glad they've got your back," Paige told her, feeling that some students had her back, too. And maybe even a certain non-student.
"And I've got their backs too," Sharon told her, putting a napkin to her mouth. "This is our home now and I just want things to work out."
"They will," Paige said. At least she hoped so. It was too early to know what their lives would be like there after only a couple of days. But so far, so good. "By the way, I've been invited to a party on Saturday," she tossed out tentatively.
Her mother gave her one of those looks. "Oh, really?"
"Yeah, one of the girls I met at school is giving it."
"And her parents will be there to keep an eye on things, right?" her mother asked.
"Of course," Paige said, assuming as much. "So can I go?"
"Yes." Her mother lifted a slice of pizza. "Just act responsibly and be home by eleven."
Paige smiled, knowing how irresponsibly some people acted at teenage parties. That wasn't her, at least not most of the time. "No problem," she agreed, figuring she could get away with stretching it a little longer.
"Then go and have fun," her mother said. "Just not too much fun."
Teen Ghost at Dead Lake Page 2
