Teen Ghost at Dead Lake

by R. Barri Flowers

Paige wondered if there was such a thing as having too much fun, even if she got her meaning. Maybe Noah would be at the party and they could get to know each other a bit better. Or was that not his thing now that he was no longer in school?

  * * *

  On Saturday, Paige showed up at Amber's house, having walked the two blocks. She felt awkward coming alone, but didn't know anyone well enough yet to ask them to come with her, except for maybe Noah. However, she didn't have a way to contact him.

  She rang the bell and could hear music inside the huge house.

  The door opened and Amber stood there looking as gorgeous as every time Paige had seen her. She was even dressed nicely, making Paige wonder if her attire was too casual.

  "Glad you came," she said with a toothy smile. "Come on in."

  Paige smiled back and walked through the entrance, stepping into a tiled foyer. She could see a large great room, where the party was already in full swing.

  "Nice place," Paige commented.

  "Thanks." Amber took her hand. "Let me show you around."

  Paige didn't object, believing that it couldn't hurt to have the host befriending her.

  They were met by Scott, who kissed Amber on the mouth, as if staking his territory, before he looked at Paige. "What's up?"

  "Just enjoying the party," she told him. Actually, she hadn't been there long enough to do so.

  "Well, there's a lot to enjoy," he said. "Amber always gives great parties—with my help."

  Amber giggled. "They're even better when my parents aren't around to keep tabs on things."

  Paige smiled while thinking that her mother wouldn't be too cool on a teen party with no parental supervision. But what she didn't know wouldn't hurt either of them.

  They met up with Lora and her boyfriend, Kyle, and Roni, who was with her boyfriend, Paul Chase. He was around six-five, towering over everyone else.

  After Amber introduced Paige to a lanky guy with short dark hair parted on the side named Jeffrey Harper, he, Amber, and Scott went off somewhere, and Paige found herself alone.

  As she tried to decide if she should go hang out with one of the girls she'd met in school, Paige was approached by a nice looking, tall guy with dark blonde hair parted in the middle and blue-green eyes.

  "You're the new girl, right?" he said.

  "Did I give it away?" she half joked.

  He grinned. "I recognized you from school. I'm Drew Lombard."

  "Paige Preston," she told him.

  "Looks like you're having about as much fun here as I am," he said with a deadpan look.

  Paige chuckled. "I'm not really much of a party goer."

  "And yet you're here," he said.

  "Amber invited me."

  "So you came to check out the competition or what?" Drew asked.

  "I'm not competing with anyone," Paige made clear. "It was just a chance do something other than hang around the house."

  "Yeah, I know what you mean," he said. "I love my parents and all, and I can even tolerate my kid sister. But if I can find something else to do that puts a little distance between us, I usually take it."

  She laughed. "Makes sense."

  He laughed, too. "At least I try to convince myself of that, until I ended up at a party that wasn't really all that cool, till now."

  Paige was surprised that he was hitting on her. Not that plenty of guys hadn't hit on her when she was in Indiana. It was just that there were other girls at the party, maybe even prettier, that he could have gone after. Or was she selling herself short that a hot guy might actually like her?

  Make that two guys, Paige thought, as Noah entered her head. Only he wasn't there, so she shouldn't really be thinking about him.

  "Do you want to get something to drink?" Drew asked.

  "Sure," Paige said, while wondering if there was alcohol with no parents around. It would be just her luck to go home intoxicated. Her mom would probably never let her go to a party again. That thought was put on hold when Paige looked across the room and spotted Noah. At least it looked like him. He seemed to be standing by himself.

  "See someone over there you know?" Drew got her attention.

  "I think so," Paige said, feeling herself drawn to Noah. She gazed up at Drew. "Can you excuse me for a minute?"

  "No problem," he told her, sounding disappointed.

  She left him, hoping he didn't take it the wrong way, but she really did want to talk to Noah. That is, if he wanted to talk to her.

  Paige made her way to the area where he had been standing, but he wasn't there. Had she even seen him at all?

  "Having fun?" the voice asked.

  Paige looked at the redhead named Monica from Civics class. "Yeah," she responded routinely.

  "I didn't know you were tight with Amber," Monica said.

  "I'm not," Paige told her, "not really."

  Monica chuckled. "That makes two of us. But hey, it's a party with free drinks and cute guys, so what the hell."

  Paige smiled. "True." Though she had no problem getting to know another girl from school, right now she was still more interested in talking to Noah.

  She looked down a hall and saw him walking away. He turned, as if sensing she was looking, before continuing to walk.

  "I have someone I need to see," she told Monica.

  "It's cool," she said. "There's someone I'm hoping to see tonight, too—just not here..."

  Paige assumed she meant a boyfriend. Why wasn't he there with her? Maybe he wasn't in school, sort of like Noah. "Good luck."

  Monica grinned. "You, too."

  Paige turned, spotting Noah just before he rounded a corner. She followed, hoping he wouldn't mind. Why should he, since it was a party for people to socialize.

  After turning the corner, which led to some rooms, Paige didn't see Noah. She walked to one room where the door was closed. Did he go in there? Should she open the door to find out?

  Feeling almost desperate to speak with Noah, Paige squeezed the doorknob, twisted, and opened the door. She saw a girl and guy making out on the bed. He wasn't Noah.

  When the girl saw her standing there gawking, she stopped what she was doing and said sternly: "You mind?"

  Paige colored. "Sorry." She quickly closed the door, embarrassed that she'd stepped in on their make out session.

  Where is he? she asked herself. Maybe she hadn't seen him at all.

  Paige considered going into the other room, where the door was only partially ajar. She didn't want to risk further embarrassment if Noah wasn't there.

  Maybe he was suddenly avoiding her. But why?

  As she considered the situation, a girl nearly ran into her, having apparently had too much to drink.

  "Have you seen Noah?" Paige decided to ask her.

  The girl, who had black hair that was combed straight back and a nose ring, gave her a strange look. "You're weird," she said, and headed back in the opposite direction, as if to get as far away from her as possible.

  What was that all about? Paige wondered, befuddled.

  "Did you find who you were looking for?" Drew asked her from behind.

  She faced him, noticing he had two plastic cups. "No, I didn't," she admitted.

  "His loss," Drew said. "Here's your drink."

  Paige took the cup, gazing at the pink contents.

  "It's just fruit punch," he told her. "There are other drinks with alcohol, but I didn't know if you went for that or not."

  "Punch is fine." She smiled and took a sip.

  He tasted his own drink, regarding her intently.

  "Maybe we should go back in there," she suggested, in case he had something else in mind.

  "Yeah, let's do that." Drew grinned at her. "Then you can tell me more about yourself."

  Paige nodded and glanced again at the other room, wondering if Noah had chosen to hide in there or if there was some other reason he was avoiding her.

  * * *

  Noah had purposefully avoided Paige, not for himself, but so she wouldn't fr
eak out or be thought of as a freak by talking to someone that no one else could see.

  He wondered if it had been a mistake to communicate with her in the first place. Of course, he had been shocked when she actually saw him as a human being that she could speak to.

  But now that there was this link between them, he couldn't turn his back on it. Not when she was the only one he had. Not even his own mother could communicate with him. And certainly not his old girlfriend, Amber Hurley.

  Noah made his way back to the center of the party, hoping he wouldn't run into Paige again. He stood next to Amber as she and Scott made out in the great room like there was no one else around.

  It reminded Noah of the past when it was him kissing her. Amber had a way about her of making a guy feel really special. His memories began to surface...

  * * *

  Noah and Amber were kissing passionately, as the party went on around them. As far as he was concerned, Noah could have stayed that way all night.

  But Amber pulled away. "As much as I love kissing you, I do have a party underway."

  Noah put his arms around her waist, wanting more. "Can't we have our own little private party?"

  She grinned. "Later. Right now, we have our friends to hang out with."

  "That's right," Kyle said, approaching with his girlfriend, Cheryl, both holding drinks. "Don't leave us hanging while you two make out."

  Noah didn't argue the point, realizing it would do no good. There would be plenty of time to make out. "I won't," he said, eyeing Cheryl, who played flirtatiously with her long and curly blonde locks. Amber never seemed to notice. "So go play host," he told her.

  "What about you?" she asked.

  "I'm not going anywhere," Noah promised. "I'll just circulate."

  "Okay." Amber gave him a quick kiss and walked off.

  "Hope she's worth it," Kyle said, sipping his drink.

  Noah felt defensive for some reason. "I could say the same thing about Cheryl," he said bluntly and met her eyes apologetically.

  "She definitely is," Kyle said, glancing at her.

  "I better be," Cheryl said, batting her eyes at him.

  "If you two need a room, there are a couple of empty ones down the hall," Noah informed him. "I need to go out for some fresh air."

  He left them standing there as he gazed at Amber, who was talking animatedly with some of their friends.

  * * *

  The memory over, Noah watched Amber talking with others at the party. She had her arm looped around the arm of her new boyfriend, Scott Sanderson.

  Moving by them without being seen, Noah was thoughtful, while trying to remember more of his former life.

  He spotted Paige talking to Drew Lombard. Noah felt a twinge of jealousy, which surprised him, considering he hardly knew her. Was it even fair to want to occupy Paige's time when he was in one place and she was in another?

  It was a question Noah could not answer logically. There was no logic in what he was going through. All he knew was that he had made a connection with Paige—his only connection with anyone alive—and he didn't want to see it broken by Drew or anyone else, including Amber.

  When Paige turned to look his way, Noah made sure she didn't see him. He wasn't ready to talk to her. Not there.

  He would wait for her when there was no one who could come between them.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Paige was in the passenger seat as Drew drove her home in his silver Lexus. She listened as he talked about being the captain of the swim team and being in the art club, but her mind was still on Noah and why he seemed to be playing hide and seek.

  "My dad has his own business," Drew said, as Paige honed in on his words. "He'd like me to join the firm someday, but I don't see that happening. I've got other things in mind."

  "At least you have a dad, if you need him," she said. "I don't. His choice."

  Drew frowned. "Sucks, doesn't it?"

  "Yeah, it does—sometimes," Paige admitted, refusing to feel sorry for herself. She was well aware that some people didn't have any parents to love them.

  "Maybe your mom will meet someone new."

  "Maybe." Paige wasn't so sure about that. Her mother didn't seem to be very interested in romance these days, as though afraid of history repeating itself. But now that they were settling into Dead Lake, anything was possible. Right?

  Paige watched as Drew pulled up in front of the house without her guidance. "Thanks for the ride," she told him.

  "Not a problem," he said.

  She smiled. "See you in school Monday."

  He smiled back. "Yeah."

  Paige got out and watched briefly as he drove off. He seemed nice enough. She wouldn't make too much of it, until they got to know each other better. If they ever did.

  She had started to move up the walkway when Paige heard movement to her right. Turning, she saw Noah step out of the shadows, startling her.

  "Hey," he said smoothly.

  She took a breath. "Do you always just sneak up on people?"

  "Only the ones I like being around."

  "Funny." Paige sneered. "Is that why you disappear just as quickly—because you like being around me?"

  Noah pondered this. "I don't want to wear out my welcome."

  Paige wasn't sure she understood him. "I saw you at Amber's party, didn't I?"

  "Yeah, I was there," he admitted.

  "But when I went to look for you, I couldn't find you," she said.

  He shrugged. "I didn't feel I belonged there and didn't want to be a party pooper."

  "You wouldn't have been—not to me."

  Noah met her eyes and smiled slightly. "That's nice to know."

  "So why did you go to the party anyway?" Paige asked curiously.

  He shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea at the time."

  "And then not so much?" she gathered.

  "Right," he said tonelessly. "So I saw you get out of Drew Lombard's car."

  "He gave me a ride," Paige said, as though needing to explain.

  "He likes you."

  She batted her lashes. "It was just a ride."

  "Drew is always going after something or someone," Noah remarked. "I'd be careful if I were you."

  Paige gazed at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "Only that I don't want to see you get hurt."

  "I don't think Drew would hurt me."

  "You hardly know him," Noah said, putting his hands in the back pockets of his jeans.

  Paige couldn't disagree with that. Still, she wondered why Noah would think such a thing. "Has he ever hurt you?" she asked.

  Noah paused. "Not physically."

  "So he hurt you some other way?"

  He took one hand out of his pocket. "Look, just forget I ever said anything."

  "How can I since you brought it up?" She frowned. "What aren't you telling me?"

  Noah stiffened. "I have to go."

  Paige was about to say something when the porch light of her house came on and the front door opened. Her mother stuck her head out.

  "Paige..." she said.

  When Paige turned back to look at Noah, he was gone. It seemed like he'd developed this habit, which she was starting to find annoying. Did any of his coming and going have anything to do with his moving out of the house? Or leaving school?

  Paige walked up to her mother. "Hey."

  "I saw you standing there talking," Sharon said.

  "Yeah."

  "Who were you talking to?"

  "Just a guy," Paige told her.

  "What guy?"

  "Someone from school." Paige figured that was not totally untrue.

  Her mother's eyes narrowed. "I didn't see anyone."

  "He was kind of standing in the shadows," Paige said, assuming that's why her mother couldn't see him.

  "You're sure you weren't talking to yourself?"

  "I wasn't." Paige thought this was a weird conversation. "He was there. His name is Noah. I guess when you opened the door he walked off.
"

  Her mother seemed skeptical, but left it alone. "Come inside."

  Paige glanced over her shoulder to where she had been talking to Noah. By now he was long gone. She wondered where he lived. She also couldn't help but be curious about his concerns about Drew. What was that all about? Was he trying to warn her that Drew could be dangerous in some way?

  It gave Paige something to think about as she gave her mother a brief summary of the party, since she asked. Then she went up to her room, suddenly feeling tired, but not necessarily sleepy.

  * * *

  On Sunday, Paige was up early and went for a walk with Bonnie, who was outside before her.

  "So how was the party?" Bonnie asked casually.

  "It was pretty cool," Paige said, apart from the fact that she hadn't been able to locate Noah at the time. "You probably would've had a good time."

  "I doubt it. That's not really my thing."

  "And what is?" Paige decided to ask, figuring it was a good way to learn more about the girl who lived across the street.

  "Lots of things," Bonnie said. "I like to hang out at the pier, go shopping, to movies, play games on my iPad. What about you?"

  "I like doing those things, too," Paige said. "I also like to read teen romances and sci fi."

  "I'm not much of a reader," Bonnie admitted. "But I do like some sci fi shows on TV."

  Paige compared notes on favorite television shows and found they were on the same page with many, even if she didn't watch TV that often.

  Her thoughts turned to Drew. Or, more specifically, what Noah said last night about him.

  "Do you know Drew Lombard?" Paige asked Bonnie curiously.

  "Not that much. Why?"

  "We hung out a little at the party," Paige remarked.

  Bonnie smiled. "So you like him?"

  "I guess," Paige said thoughtfully. "But someone told me not to get too comfortable with Drew. I just wondered what that meant."

  Bonnie snickered. "Maybe this person was trying to tell you that he's a player and don't get played."

  Is that what Noah meant? Paige asked herself. "It doesn't seem like he's playing me."

  "Does it ever?" Bonnie rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he likes you. But he likes half the girls at school."

  "Including you?" Paige looked at her.

  "I'm not his type," she said simply.

  "I'm not sure I'm his type either," Paige said. "We're just friends."