Sidekicks

by Linda Palmer

  “Such as?”

  “I do scheduled one-on-ones at the house, spontaneous readings all over the place, and I sometimes help the police.” I shared my college plans and admitted I hoped to make a living with my abilities. “Can’t you just see it: Mia Tagliaro, Medium. I’m sure A&E would pick me up for Friday nights.”

  He laughed without humor, kicking at an exposed tree root.

  “We’ve sure taken different paths.”

  “Baby, you have no idea,” he said.

  Baby? Too bad he didn’t mean that in a personal way. “But it’s only because you lost your powers. I’m so sorry about that. You were amazing at eight. You’d have been incredible by now.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. I wasn’t lying when I told you it was a good thing. Every time I saw a spirit, Mom got really sad. She was never as gung ho as Dad was about me seeing ghosts.”

  That’s not how I remembered it, but maybe she’d been pretending for the producer, too. “Got any college plans?”

  “I’ve been accepted to LSU Martinsburg.”

  “Major?”

  “Kinesiology.”

  That didn’t surprise me. They had a good athletics program, and I knew he was into sports. For a few seconds we stood there in awkward silence. Then I blurted what was most on my mind. “Can we be friends, Cooper?”

  He smiled. “Absolutely.”

  I dug my cell phone from my jeans pocket. “What’s your number?”

  Cooper gave it to me and then got mine. I grabbed the strap of my backpack and hefted it onto one shoulder before stepping close to him. The hug I offered was the causal-friend, sort-of-stiff type, but it still felt wonderful to be in his arms again, if only for a second.

  I edged back, my heart full. “I’ll see you around.”

  “Right.”

  I gave him a wave and turned toward the parking lot, very self-conscious that he was watching me walking away. A quick peek over my shoulder set me at ease. He’d already picked up his own backpack and headed in the other direction. He did not look back at me. I know because I checked to see if he would.

  Tyler and Brynn came out of Starbucks, which told me they’d been spying. Naturally they gave me the third degree on the way back to Ville Cachée, but I really had nothing earth shattering to tell. I did admit to feeling more positive about Cooper, something I credited to his apparent acceptance of the loss of his psychic abilities. At least he was at peace with it.

  I half expected him to call me that night, but he didn’t. And though I wanted to call him, I didn’t. I’d sensed a hesitance about him that told me he needed space. Besides, I had plenty to do handing out Tootsie Roll Pops to Disney princesses, Hulks, and SpongeBobs. I’d see him tomorrow.

  But by Tuesday, final bell, I had talked to him a total of zero times. That night, I texted Cooper, a simple Hey, everything okay? I got no answer. Wednesday and Thursday? Repeats of Tuesday.

  The only thing that broke the monotony of the week was my Thursday evening appointment with a middle-aged woman who’d lost a son. We sat at my kitchen table, site of all my readings. I recorded the session so I could burn a disc later and send it to her. Right on cue, her son, who’d died in Afghanistan, revealed his presence to me. I first gave her enough information that she’d know for sure I wasn’t making anything up, in this case telling her I knew about the Purple Heart medal she kept in her purse. Then I offered the comfort that he wanted to give her by sharing how very proud he was that he’d died for his country.

  She left in tears, but they were the happy kind. And as usual, it took me a while to settle down after the session. While I did that, I burned sage in a metal bowl and waved my hand over it to spread its smoke in the air. That cleansed the house of lingering spirits.

  By Friday, my mood couldn’t get much blacker. During that week’s final drive home from school, I actually admitted to thinking about attending the high school football game, something I’d never done before since I didn’t particularly enjoy that sport. But Cooper would be playing, so… “Do you want to go to the game with me tonight?”

  Brynn gave me the oddest look ever and finally addressed the situation. “Give up on Cooper, Mia. He’s just not into you.”

  I bristled a little. “And I’m not into him, at least not that way.”

  Tyler snorted from the back seat.

  I glared at him over my shoulder. “I’m simply trying to rekindle a friendship.”

  Brynn sighed. “Well, it’s not working, so you should quit chasing him.”

  In the rear view mirror, I saw Tyler wince at her choice of words. I caught his eye. “Do you think I’m chasing him?”

  “No, but speaking from a male point of view, I think he might think that.”

  “I’m just worried about the guy, okay? Something isn’t right at the Marsh house, and I can’t resist trying to find out what it is. Maybe Nick will know.”

  Tyler, who knew about my spirit guide, snorted. “I understand that your world is a little skewed, but trust me when I say most people’s issues can’t be fixed by a visit from a ghost. Forget the Cooper dude. Get on with your life.”

  Brynn nodded her agreement. “And a great way to start doing that is go with us to Breckenridge tomorrow. I need new shoes.”

  Though I didn’t really want to go to the mall in Martinsburg, I realized they might be right about Cooper. Shopping would get him off my mind. “All right. Am I driving?”

  “No, I am,” said Tyler. “Dad promised me his truck for the weekend. God, I’ll be glad when May gets here. I have to be the only guy at Martinsburg who doesn’t have his own ride.”

  Brynn sighed her sympathy. “And I’m the only girl. At least your parents have promised you one for graduation. I’m beginning to think mine are only willing to pay for tuition at colleges that won’t let dorm freshmen bring a car to campus.”

  Though that was pretty pathetic, I couldn’t help but laugh as I wheeled my car into Tyler’s drive.

  He opened the back door. “Pick you up at ten?”

  “Okay.”

  He shut the door and started walking toward his house.

  I carefully avoided the topic of Cooper on the way home to cut down on more free advice or a lecture I didn’t want to hear. Since Mom and Dad made it a point to be in the restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights, they weren’t home when I got there. Tagliaro’s stayed open until eleven on weekends, and business was always brisk. Though I waitressed for them during the summers, they preferred that I didn’t when school was in session. I did help when they catered, but seldom on a week night.

  When I finally went to bed a little earlier than usual, I thought about listening to the football game on the radio. Then I wondered why I would do such a thing since I wasn’t into rough sports or Cooper. Even more important, the game confused me, which would make hearing it instead of seeing it a joke. In the end, I fell asleep watching TV.

  True to his word, Tyler showed up at ten Saturday morning. Dressed in jeans, a red tank and a light denim jacket, I ran out the door and crawled into the passenger seat of his Dad’s white Silverado. He next drove to Brynn’s. Since she was ready, too, we got to the mall by ten-thirty. We hit our usual favs plus some others before heading to the food court around noon, where we split up since we all wanted something different.

  Tyler went with egg rolls; Brynn got pizza; I chose a burger. We met at a table midway in the eating area and took a seat, where we talked while we ate. Feeling the tug of a spirit, I tried not to look in that direction. I must’ve done a bad job of it. At any rate, they both groaned.

  “You may as well get it over with,” said Brynn with a dry laugh. She looked especially cute in skinny jeans that showed off her slender build. “You won’t be able to eat until you do.”

  Was I that bad? Tyler’s nod of encouragement told me I probably was. Oh well. I swiveled in my seat and scanned the other shoppers in the court. My gaze belatedly pounced on a young woman with a baby in an infant seat, sitting at the table next
to us. Yep. I was being called to her. The sudden increase in my heart rate proved it. I noted how natural her blond highlights appeared and how her coral lipstick contrasted with her golden tan and gray eyes.

  Without a second thought, I spoke to her. “Hi. My name is Mia.”

  She smiled rather cautiously. “Hi.”

  “I’m a medium. Do you know what that is?”

  Eyes a bit wider, she slowly nodded.

  “Did you just lose someone dear to you? A male?”

  She nodded again.

  I could see that her eyes were filling and rushed to give her a message I knew would help ease the pain of her loss. “Was it your dad?”

  A third nod. A couple of tears escaped, running down her cheeks.

  “Okay. He’s here, and he wants you to know that he saw you kiss his picture this morning.”

  She gasped and pressed her fingers to her lips.

  “He also wants me to tell you that he held your baby son before he was born.”

  “Oh my God.” A steady flow of teardrops now tracked her makeup. “I’ve wanted that so badly.”

  “You named your baby after your dad, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “He knows, and he’s very, very flattered and so proud.”

  For a couple of seconds we just looked at each other. Then she stood and closed the distance between us so she could hug me. “Thank you so much.”

  “It was my pleasure.” As in totally. I felt the happiness of a job well done, a surge of emotion that I guessed might be as addicting as a narcotic. If so, no wonder people lied, cheated, and killed for drugs. Poor Cooper. He’d lost so much. Thank goodness the loss had come before he really experienced the joy he could bring.

  When I turned back to my friends, Brynn gave me a big smile and a low-key high-five. I expected Tyler to be stoic, as usual.

  But even he had been touched. “That’s better than dessert.”

  I grinned. “Isn’t it?”

  I managed to take two whole bites of my burger before another spirit approached, this one oddly…cautious, I guess. The presence actually felt sort of familiar, but when I tried to probe for information, all I got for my trouble was the entity’s fast retreat. Didn’t know what was up with that.

  We shopped for another hour and then went home. When Tyler dropped me off, I went into an empty house and got started on the laundry to help out my mom. I also put a roast in the crock pot, a non-Italian meal my parents would appreciate no matter how late they got home.

  I had a pretty normal, as in boring, weekend, all in all. Sunday night found me on our back deck in a lawn chair, alone, chilly, and watching for a meteor shower that was supposed to light up the southern sky around eleven-thirty. Since that gave my mind permission to wander, my thoughts found Cooper, who’d been a constant presence inside my head for days.

  Why couldn’t I just give up on him? His actions—or lack thereof— the past week spoke much louder than his claimed willingness to be my friend. Yet I foolishly clung to the hope that he hadn’t called, texted, or even spoken to me because he was just too busy with school and football. Was my innate need to help everyone to blame? Or were the leftover emotions of an immature eight year old confusing me beyond belief?

  When the meteor shower finally began, I forgot all about Cooper. Watching those bright lights streak past the earth and into infinity made my own insignificance hit home with a vengeance, giving me the ability to put my problems in perspective.

  I realized I didn’t actually have any.

  Later in my bedroom, where I snuggled a body pillow under a couple of quilts, Nick came calling. I gave him a short and not-so-sweet progress report. “Sorry, but I’ve given up on Cooper.”

  Someone wants to talk to you.

  Before I could give the go ahead, I sensed the presence I’d felt in the mall on Saturday, the semi-familiar one that had retreated. This time I knew who it was immediately: Brett Ray, Cooper’s deceased dad. My heart sort of swooped inside my chest as I pictured him in life: tall, brown hair, brown eyes. A good looking guy with tons of charisma. I hadn’t realized Cooper favored him so much. In death Brett was nothing more than a feeling, communicating with thoughts and emotions I intercepted as images that held meaning to me. Learning those meanings had taken me my whole life, and I was constantly readjusting to nuances as I fine-tuned my skills and dealt with spirits that had vastly different backgrounds and personalities.

  Brett Ray’s thoughts were no challenge at all. He was worried about his son.

  I heaved a sigh of frustration. “What do you want me to do?”

  He presented me with an image from an old movie my mom had watched a zillion times, The Miracle Worker, in which Annie Sullivan finally got through to deaf, blind, and mute Helen Keller. I knew exactly what that meant. Keep at him. Don’t give up.

  “Okay,” I said with a sigh and new determination.

  But I didn’t see Cooper until after lunch on Monday when everyone gathered for one of those informational assemblies that Mr. Marsh loved. We sat in alpha order by homerooms, which meant I was seated between an S and a W. A glance to my right revealed that Cooper sat one section over, but a row down. I stared hard at the back of his head, hoping he’d feel my heavy gaze, but he never looked my way.

  Normally I slipped into a mental daze when Mr. Marsh began droning about upcoming events and the importance of studying hard, but the sudden appearance of a young spirit on the stage behind him made that impossible today.

  I hadn’t seen an apparition that clearly in ages. If I hadn’t known Jim Carey was alive and well in Hollywood, I’d have wondered if he’d died and dropped by to haunt Martinsburg High. This joker was that funny. I actually struggled not to laugh out loud and truly wished every other student bored silly could see his ridiculous antics.

  On that thought, I automatically glanced around expecting nothing but straight faces. That’s what I saw, too, until I got to Cooper, who was hiding a grin with his hand. Had someone around him said something funny? My quick check told me no. Besides, he had his eyes glued to the stage.

  That could only mean one thing.

  The moment Mr. Marsh dismissed us, I darted into the aisle. Cooper soon passed, walking as fast as he could with his gaze straight ahead. I didn’t let that deter me and fell into step beside him. “Feeling the heat are you?”

  He spared me a split-second glance. “Huh?”

  “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” I deliberately shoved him aside with my shoulder before weaving my way through other exiting students and stepping into the afternoon sun.

  Of course he caught up, grabbing my arm to keep me from descending the steps of the concrete landing. He pulled me to the side, avoiding the streams of students on their way to fourth period. “What the hell was that supposed to mean?”

  “You’ve been lying about your powers.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “I saw that you saw that idiot on the stage. You know the one. Young, male, talking out of his butt…”

  Cooper’s cheeks turned bright pink, but he didn’t give in. “The only person on that stage was my stepdad.”

  Suddenly I’d had enough. “You are such a jerk!” I tried to get by him.

  He blocked me. “I believe we decided that last Monday.”

  “Would that be when you said we could be friends?”

  Cooper’s shoulders sagged. “What do you want from me, Bella?”

  “It’s Mia now, remember? And all I’ve ever wanted is the truth. Give me that, and I’ll never bother you again.”

  “You’re not a bother.”

  “Could’ve fooled me.”

  He hid his face in his hands. “I know.”

  “Just tell me this. Were you glad or sad to see me at that dance? And please don’t lie. I deserve your honesty for worrying about you all week.”

  His arms dropped to his sides. “You worried about me?”

  Could the guy be more exasperating? “Of course
I did. I care. Now answer my question.”

  “I was both, but not for the reasons you probably think.”

  I glanced at my watch, vaguely noticing that Tyler and Brynn had just stepped out of the building. “You have thirty seconds. If I’m late to calculus again, I’ll get D-hall.”

  “Okay. All right. I was sad because I knew I’d have to lie if you starting talking about our sidekicks. I was glad because…” He hesitated as if dreading what he had to say.

  “Oh my God. Out with it!”

  Instead of answering, Cooper swooped in for an open-mouthed kiss that shocked me stupid. So when I immediately melted into him, it was probably nothing more than reflex. But pure desire prompted me throw my arms around his neck and really go for it, pressing my body close and tangling my tongue with his.

  “Geez. Get a room.” Tyler’s taunt was followed by a pained yelp and Brynn’s squeal. Cooper and I broke apart. I saw that my friend, undoubted distracted by us, had missed a step or maybe two and now lay sprawled on the sidewalk.

  Brynn dropped to her knees beside him. “Holy crap, Tye. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  As she helped him to his feet, I shifted my attention back to Cooper. I kept my voice low so only he could hear me. Didn’t want to deal with my friends just then. “Meet me right here after school.”

  “You’ve got it.”

  *

  Chapter Four

  I was an honest-to-goodness wreck by last period. Though tempted to hope Cooper’s kiss meant he was madly in love with me, his behavior the past week wouldn’t let me go there. So when the bell finally rang, I actually dragged my feet a little getting to the door. One step into the hall revealed that Cooper was right outside the English room dodging students hell bent on leaving. How’d he know my schedule?

  Then I remembered. The boy had connections.

  He grabbed my arm. “I was thinking we could go to the park or something instead of talking here.”

  “I have riders.”

  “If you trust one of them to drive your car, I can take you to it when we’re done.”