Phantoms of Fall (The Haunting Ruby Series Book 2)

by Joy Elbel

  On the way back down the hill, he started making small talk. “So are you driving to school tomorrow or do you want me to pick you up?”

  Really? Really!? After that smokin’ hot make out session, that was all he had to say? I was so frustrated I was practically livid.

  He was so infuriating! I wanted to give him a piece of my mind only minutes after I wanted to give him a piece of something else. Telling him I would drive myself would have made me happy in the moment, but come morning, I knew I would want him by my side. So I choked down the bitterness and asked him to pick me up for school instead.

  He rattled on until we got to our cars, but honestly, I barely heard a word he said. He gave me a quick kiss, told me he loved me and he was gone. When I got in the car, my mouth dropped when I saw the time. It was only eight o’clock.

  8. Bad Dreams and Rotten Eggs

  I did my best to act like nothing was wrong when I got home but it was killing me inside. Why did he take off so early tonight? How many more signals did I have to send him before he would understand what I wanted? I found a text from Dad and Shelly that I didn’t know they sent. My phone was in my pocket but I never felt the vibration. Honestly, I was too busy feeling other things instead. They assumed I wasn’t going to be home any time soon so they went out for dinner. Great. Now I was all alone to deal with my sudden hunger and mounting misery.

  I still had to decide what to wear tomorrow, so I went upstairs for what I knew would be an hour long fashion show. One that would be just as frustrating as my night with Zach. Coco rubbed against my legs as I violated my closet, ripping nearly everything out and throwing it onto my bed. Starting with the things I definitely knew I wouldn’t wear, I rehung them one by one. Long sleeves—too hot. Tanks—too cold. Jeans or shorts—no. The pile grew increasingly smaller making my choice even harder. What would look good standing beside a Norse god? And then I saw it. The perfect outfit to wear when you were dating the hottest guy alive. I tried it on just to be sure and then, satisfied that I was right, I put it in the bathroom for morning.

  I looked at the clock. 8:45. Sigh. It didn’t take me as long as I thought—or hoped—it would. Plopping down on my bed, I stared at the ceiling and thought about Zach. Things felt so perfect between us not so long ago. What happened? We used to talk about how we couldn’t wait until we could be together. Maybe I should just call him and talk to him. I picked up my phone just as it started to ring. It was Zach.

  “Hey, sweetie. We need to talk.” We need to talk. There should be some universal law that prohibits anyone from having to hear those words twice in one day. My stomach started to churn. He couldn’t possibly be breaking up with me—again—could he? And the night before school started? That would be the ultimate slap in the face.

  “Okay,” I said slowly. “What do you want to talk about?”

  “I want to talk about what happened earlier. I want to say I’m sorry.”

  Sorry? Sorry for what exactly? Sorry for setting my heart and my body on fire? Or sorry for not extinguishing it?

  “Um…for what?” “For not being able to stay with you longer. And for being a little off lately.” He sounded sad and I hated to hear him like that. Someone so beautiful should never be sad.

  “Oh…so what’s going on?” I was about to get an answer—finally.

  “I love you, Ruby. You know that, right?” Oh God. Was this the “I love you but…” speech I always feared would come? He finally realized that he was too good for me. I was next to tears—I couldn’t lose him now.

  “Yes,” I squeaked the word out of my throat, “I love you, too.”

  “Good. Because I don’t want you to ever doubt that. I love you more than you’ll ever know.” He was being mysterious and it scared me. What should I say to him? Should I ask him for details? Why was our relationship so damned confusing?

  Awkward pause. He was waiting for me to say something, but what?

  I must have hesitated just a little too long because he spoke again. “So I had fun tonight, did you?”

  Fun? It was a strange word to describe the passion, the fire we shared. But I went with it. “Yeah, did you?”

  “Yeah. I always have fun when I’m with you—now that the ghosts are gone, that is,” he said laughing. I knew that he didn’t know what Rita really said to me today. I knew that he didn’t mean for the comment to cut through me like a white hot knife. But that’s exactly what it did.

  What was I supposed to say to that? God, why didn’t boys come with a handbook? Step one: When he says x you reply with y. Really, was it too much to ask for?

  “Now that the ghosts are gone,” I repeated, thinking it was easier than trying to come up with something of my own. Silence. This was the worst conversation we’d ever had. I felt like there was something he wanted to say to me but for whatever reason, he wasn’t doing it. And I suppose, neither was I.

  Time to forget about unspoken words. There were other important things to deal with. “I’m really nervous about tomorrow.”

  “Don’t be—you’ll be just fine. I’ll be with you every step of the way.” Zach sounded more like himself and I liked that. When he was normal, I felt normal. And a good healthy dose of normal was exactly what I needed.

  “Always?”

  “Always. I’m your one true love, remember? You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.” “How ‘bout I never try then?” Just the thought of spending the rest of my life without him made me want to reach for the anti-depressants.

  “It’s a deal. I should probably let you get some sleep now, though. Love you, sweetie. Sweet dreams and mwah.”

  “Love you, too—mwah. See you in the morning.” Sweet was hardly the word to describe my dreams. I was walking through the halls of Charlotte’s Grove High School and I was alone. Books in hand, I was making my way to the cafeteria. I was meeting someone there, but they were late. I kept checking my watch as I walked. Then from behind, I heard a clicking noise. Someone was following me. I turned just in time to see a dark shadow duck into an open classroom. The lights at the far end of the hallway flickered and died. And then the next light and the next. Something was closing in on me—fast. Tossing my books to the floor, I ran for it. Just as I was about to step into the cafeteria, something caught me from behind and jerked me to the floor.

  With a jerk, I fell out of bed, smashing my head on the nightstand on the way. No! No! No! This couldn’t be happening again!

  rocked back and

  Curling up into a tight ball on the floor, I forth crying until my alarm went off signaling the start of a new kind of nightmare. The water pouring from the shower was as cold as I could tolerate. Barely any sleep coupled with massive anxiety didn’t make for a very pretty picture. I had to wake myself up any way I could. As I stood shivering under the icy flow, all I could think about was the dream. Was I just so nervous about school that I created that horror in my mind? Or was there a darker meaning behind it? The only time I was prone to nightmares was while I was being haunted. Could Rita be right? I wanted to sink down onto the floor of the shower and cry again but I couldn’t. There wasn’t enough time for that. So instead, I dragged myself out of the shower and got dressed. I couldn’t let Zach know there was anything wrong other than being petrified about my first day of school.

  Once I was ready, I went downstairs for something to eat. On my way to the kitchen, I smelled something strange. Something I’d never smelled in that house before—breakfast. Shelly and my dad were already at the kitchen table when I got there, plates full of scrambled eggs and bacon.

  “I made your favorites for breakfast, Ruby. I wanted to be sure you had something solid in your stomach for your big day.” Shelly was positively beaming. She didn’t cook— ever—so this would have been a welcome surprise on any other day but just the smell of grease was making me want to hurl. I knew I would really hurt her feelings if I didn’t eat, so I took the plate she offered anyway and said thank you.

  “So are you driving yourself to sc
hool today or is Zach picking you up?” Dad asked between bites.

  “I’m riding with Zach.” I took a bite of eggs and instantly felt like I was going to be sick.

  “Good. He’ll get you all settled and today will go just fine. No worries.” No worries? I wish. I had a list of worries a mile long. Classes, Misty, fear of getting lost, Misty, Zach’s weird behavior, Misty, dread at the thought that Rita may still be right…oh, and did I mention Misty? I mean, the last time I saw her, the bitch did push me into the swimming pool.

  I stayed quiet throughout breakfast, eating the least amount of food possible to not hurt Shelly’s feelings. I was both happy and terrified when I heard the sound of Zach’s car outside. I mumbled my goodbyes and made my way to the front door.

  Zach was waiting for me on the porch when I opened the door. “You look beautiful, sweetie. As always.” I didn’t exactly feel like being charmed, but I simply couldn’t resist him. It just wasn’t possible. But he certainly seemed to have no problem resisting me. Ugh!! Just one more week of summer would have been awesome. Maybe I could have summoned enough courage to talk to him about why he always pulled back when things got intense. Maybe we could have sorted things out and lifted the virginity curse before school started and there weren’t as many other things to worry about. But it was too late for that now.

  Constructing a semi-believable smile onto my face, I walked with him to his car. “Do I really look okay?” I tossed my bag onto the floor and climbed in beside him.

  “You look good enough to kiss.” He planted his lips on mine and for that moment I almost forgot where we were going. Almost. Until my stomach churned and gurgled like I’d just eaten a whole plate full of salmonella. Those eggs tasted fine, but maybe Shelly did something funky to them. I mean, she wasn’t exactly known for her fine cuisine. Case in point— the lopsided turkey loaf incident. Oh, just thinking about how horrible that thing smelled made me even sicker.

  Placing my hand in the center of his chest, I pushed him back roughly. “I have to vomit!” I barely got my head out of the car door when the flood gates opened. I threw up until there was nothing left to come out. Zach held my hair and rubbed my back while I sat there heaving. Could this day be any worse? I couldn’t even make it out of my own driveway without falling apart.

  He gently massaged my shoulders. “Are you okay?” He sounded worried about me. Hell, I was worried about me. I nodded my head and swung my legs back inside the car. I couldn’t be late on the first day—I wanted to make the least amount of waves possible.

  “Are you sure? You don’t look okay. Maybe you should just stay home today, go back to bed.” “No, I have to go,” I insisted. The last thing I needed was for Misty to think I was too intimidated to face her—even if it was at least partially true.

  “If you’re sure….” He started the engine and looked to me one last time before putting the car in drive. “I’m sure.” I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes. I felt like a warrior marching into battle with a plastic knife for a sword.

  “We’re here.” Feeling the warmth of his hand on mine, I reluctantly opened my eyes. Charlotte’s Grove High School. The building looked so small when we were here for open house but it loomed before me now like a maximum security prison. And everyone knows what happens to fresh meat in a place like that. Rations were about to be served with me as the main course.

  If Zach hadn’t opened the door for me, I probably would have sat there until the last bell rang. But I got out, took his hand, and let him lead me into the school. Our first stop was the administrative offices so I could pick up my schedule. My dad picked out my classes when he was here in the spring, so I didn’t even know what I was taking. Two guesses—math and science to an excess. My dad wanted me to follow in his footsteps and become a doctor. I wanted nothing to do with it. Writing was my passion but he didn’t think it was a good decision—funny for someone who was married to a millionaire author. I didn’t care if writing was a long, hard process with only a small chance for a big payoff— it was what I loved.

  I hid behind his massive frame as he walked straight into the office. It was a good thing I already threw up, because if I hadn’t, I would have probably done it right there. He walked up to the front desk and waited for the secretary to finish her phone call. She was clearly arguing with someone on the other end, but I could see a smile form when she saw who was standing in front of her. I had to hand it to him—he definitely had the power to captivate any audience.

  “Hello, Zach. What can I help you with?” The secretary was at least well into her forties but I could see her eyes roaming over his muscles as she spoke. It was time to rename the town again, I guess. Welcome to Cougar’s Grove.

  “This is Ruby Matthews—it’s her first day here.” He took me by the waist and nudged me forward. “She needs to get her schedule.”

  I could almost feel her sizing me up, top to bottom, and deciding whether or not I was worthy of being with him. Giving me a courteous smile, she reached into a filing cabinet and produced a sheet of paper. But instead of handing it to me, she slid it into Zach’s hand. “Here you go, Zach. Hope you have a good year.”

  Really? Didn’t I even deserve a polite “Hello, Ruby? Welcome to Charlotte’s Grove?” Zach thanked her and we walked out of the office. About halfway to the door, I glanced quickly over my shoulder and caught her checking out his backside. Again, it was a good thing I’d already thrown up.

  The hallway filled up while we were in the office. I wasn’t normally claustrophobic, but panic welled up inside me as he led me to our homeroom. The noise was deafening as everyone seemed to be competing to be heard over everyone else.

  Zach pulled his schedule out of his pocket and held it out. “Do we have any classes together?” He was right beside me but he still had to practically scream it at me.

  “I don’t know—I haven’t had a chance to look at mine yet.” No chance? It was more like avoiding it like it was a bad case of acne. I was afraid to see the damage my father had done to me.

  “This is us,” he said pointing to Room 124. The door was closed and as Zach opened it, the hinges creaked like something out of a horror movie. All we needed now was a creepy janitor and a machete. But once inside, I changed my mind.

  At the desk sat a man around my father’s age intently reading a newspaper. He had wavy brown hair and just a hint of a goatee. He was dressed professionally but through the fabric of his shirt a tattoo was visible on his left bicep. Simply put, he was old but he was hot. I racked my brain to remember seeing even one ugly person in this school. It was kind of like being in the Village of the Damned. Or more precisely, Village of the Damn, Why Was Everyone So Good Looking in this Town? I was anxious as hell but I still chuckled to myself at the thought. It was the little things that were going to carry me through this day.

  Zach looked around until he found our seats. Each desk had a name on it, going in alphabetical order around the room. Mine was the last seat in the back next to the window. Zach’s empty desk sat directly beside mine. The man at the front of the room watched as Zach slid his desk across the aisle until it was flush with mine. Then he simply nodded and returned to his reading.

  “I thought for sure he was going to yell at you. We never got away with that kind of stuff back in Trinity.” My stomach finally settled enough for me to talk without thinking I would barf.

  “Oh, if that were any other teacher he would have. That’s Mr. Raspatello—he’s the coolest teacher here. He rarely ever yells at anybody. But he’s a good teacher, though, too.”

  I nodded distractedly as I unfolded my schedule and smoothed it out on my desk and compared it to Zach’s. We had a lot of the same classes, just unfortunately not together. We didn’t even have lunch at the same time. The only one we had in common was Advanced Math in eighth period—the last class of the day. While I was grateful to at least have that, I was definitely disappointed. My only hope was for Rachel to have the same lunch as me. Nothing said “loser”
like eating alone in the cafeteria.

  While I was busy obsessing over our schedules, the room filled up. When the first bell rang, nearly everyone was in their seats. I glanced around the room nervously, watching as almost everyone looked away when my eyes met theirs. The only one who didn’t look away was a straggly looking girl in the far corner who just sat there staring at me. I recognized her from open house but I never would have guessed she was a senior. She was small and frail and looked just as scared as I was. Zach gave me a quick kiss just as Mr. Raspatello rose from his desk to take roll.

  Rachel slipped into the room behind Mr. Raspatello’s back and slid into her seat hurriedly. I wanted to ask to see her schedule, but I didn’t want to get yelled at on my first day. Mr. Raspatello worked his way around the room, calling each name on the list. There were still a few empty desks, so I knew someone had to be late. As he called Zach’s name, the door opened and in walked Misty Landrum with her boy toy Kody Kirk in tow. Kody’s shirt was crumpled and his zipper was down. One guess as to why they were late.

  Mr. Raspatello called, “You’re late,” as Misty slithered into her seat. “Fashionably,” Misty replied sarcastically, causing Kody to laugh uncontrollably. It said a lot for Kody’s intelligence that he found a comment as lame as that to be funny.

  Mr. Raspatello earned some respect from me when he talked back to her. “See that it doesn’t happen again.” Misty tossed her hair over her shoulder defiantly but held her tongue. I was so busy enjoying the show that I forgot my name was next on his list. I nearly jumped out of my seat when he called out, “Matthews, Ruby.”

  Raising my hand timidly, I figured that was all there was to it. Nothing ever came that easily for me, so I should have seen it coming. “So I see you know the Masons, but why don’t you tell the rest of us something about yourself.” I deducted every last one of the respect points I just awarded him. “Stand up so we can all hear you.” No, now he was losing points he didn’t even have to lose. Negative respect points.