Chapter 19 - The Chase

A school is actually a lot bigger than you’d think. The halls seem endless and impossible to walk through when you’re desperate to find someone. Or something. It was quite awkward walking around with Nate in a guy’s body. If my--the ghombies--heart was still beating, I’m pretty sure it was be on overdrive, trying to keep up with my racing pulse. But since I didn’t have a pulse or heartbeat, it didn’t exactly matter. Still.

 

I’d honestly never noticed Nate’s presence as much as I did walking through the school. It was scary to think that some sort of feelings were being developed for him. I shook it off and focused on my task . . . I had to find the ghombie.

 

We searched every inch of the school, looking in every washroom, and I checked every classroom. Nothing. I sighed and leaned against a random locker, feeling hopeless. Nate hesitantly touched my arm.

 

“It’s kinda awkward since you look like a dude right now.” He sounded joking, in a way that was totally and completely serious.

 

I laughed anyways. “If we could find the stupid thing, everything would go back to normal.” I stopped talking, but wasn’t ready to be done. I gulped down a deep breath and continued. “You’ll go back to Clarissa Flory, and I’ll go back to being the loner girl with no friends.”

 

It took him a minute, but Nate responded with, “I’m your friend.”

 

I clenched my teeth. “Only when it’s convenient for you.”

 

Nate stepped in front of me, his arms crossed, his gray eyes as stern as I’d ever seen them. He looked kind of silly, acting all tough and serious.

 

“Excuse me, but do you think this search is convenient for me?” He sounded like a scorned woman.

 

Damn, I hadn’t thought of that. “Fine, except for this time, you’re only a friend to me when no one else is watching, when you can be sure no one cool or important sees you with me.”

 

I gave him my best angry look, but alas, I was not in my body, so it wasn’t right at all, and obviously didn’t work the way I wanted it to.

 

Nate flipped out. “Okay, really? That’s bull, Andrea, and you know it.”

 

I stepped up. “No, I don’t know it, Nate.”

 

He puffed out his chest a little. “Well--”

 

I decided I wasn’t done yet and cut him off. “You’re way better friends with Clarissa Flory than me, anyways.”

 

He gave me an angry look. “Clarissa has absolutely nothing to do with this!”

 

I put my hands on my hips. Well, the ghombies hands on its hips. “So you’re saying that if Clarissa walked by right now, you wouldn’t drop me and chase after her?”

 

Panic crossed his features. I slumped against the locker, a bit sad that I had been right. That’s a first.

 

“Well, I can’t just continue a conversation with an invisible person if she walks by,” he tried to rationalize. “So, yes, I would address Clarissa.”

 

“Then leave with her and go make out in the bathroom.”

 

His cheeks flushed, and I took a teeny bit of pride in the fact that I knew how to embarrass him.

 

“No, that’s not what--”

 

“What if I wasn’t invisible?” I asked, interrupting him again. “If I were in my body, totally visible, and Clarissa walked by, would you honestly stay with me or run after her?”

 

His hesitation was enough answer for me. I started to stalk away, but something clanged behind me. I turned to see myself running in my direction, but turned away when it saw me. Wow that was a confusing sentence. I saw the ghombie in my body running this way, and stop in it’s tracks when it saw me standing there.

 

“Hey!” I yelled after the ghombie.

 

I ran through the halls after the ghombie, leaving Nate behind in a cloud of dust. Okay, not really, but that’s basically how fast I was running. I screamed and yelled after the dead thing in my body, but it didn’t stop. It’s shrieks of laughter tore through the halls, and I was scared that a teacher was going to come out and see. Then I’d end up getting in trouble, since it was my body. I ran faster.

 

I heard Nate’s footsteps behind me, and was surprised he could run so fast. I was really good at running, and this toned body was only helping. It didn’t seem to matter that it was a dead body. I chased the ghombie into the girl’s bathroom, and some redhead screamed when my body burst in.

 

“Okay, ghombie, give me my body back.” I heard a poison in my voice that hadn’t been there before.

 

I/the ghombie smiled. “No.”

 

The redhead left, giving me/the ghombie a strange look. I hope she hadn’t memorized my face well enough to recognize me if she saw me.

 

“I know how to chase you out,” I said calmly. I crossed the ghombie’s/my arms over my/it’s chest, giving it a hard look.

 

It scoffed. “Hah. Your naivety humours me.”

 

I lunged and grabbed my long, dark hair. I yanked it hard, pulling the ghombie to its knees. I bit into the wrist, and swallowed a teeny gulp of blood. The immediate pull began in my gut, and spread everywhere else as the blood lingered on my taste buds. I wanted to vomit; the taste of blood was so strong.

 

The ghombie screeched, and then everything faded back to the white world. I stared at the ghombie, shooting it a cocky look.

 

“You little--”

 

 

Again, I woke on the tiled flooring of the bathroom. I felt a second of calm before the coppery taste of blood registered in my mind, and bile slithered up my throat. I sat up quickly and crawled to a bathroom stall, where I threw up the few things I had in my stomach. I could still taste the blood. I spat eight or nine times into the greenish-looking toilet bowl, and it helped a little, but there was still a bloody tang.

 

I pushed out of the bathroom stall, smacking Nate in the face.

 

“What the hell?” he yelled, a little too loudly if you ask me.

 

I gave him a weird look. “What are you talking about? You’re the one in the girl’s bathroom! Seriously!”

 

Nate shrugged, and tenderly touched his nose. “You were screaming . . . I had to see if you were okay.”

 

Something panged in my heart. I didn’t like it. “Well, I’m fine.”

 

Nate grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to stare right at him. “Are you sure? Are you really Andrea?”

 

I scowled. “Yes to both.”

 

He let me go a few seconds later, letting his grip linger longer than necessary. His gray eyes were staring into mine so hard that I couldn’t look away. That is, until someone opened the bathroom door.

 

Her name was Kelly. I’d had science with her last year. She was a sweet girl, but didn’t know when to speak up and when to stay quiet. This was one of those times where she should have stayed quiet, but she shrieked and ran back out of the bathroom.

 

Nate and I rushed out of the bathroom, but Kelly had already snagged a teacher.

 

“Mr. Bushell, they were both in there!” yelled Kelly. She always had been a bit of a goody-goody.

 

“Hall passes,” he said calmly. Then addressed Nate. “Detention for you anyways, buddy.”

 

Nate handed over his hall pass, but unfortunately, I didn’t have one. I gave the teacher a sad look, and shook my head. He understood.

 

“Detention for you both. Tomorrow after school.” Then he stalked away without saying anything else.

 

I groaned and began stomping back upstairs. Nate caught up with me.

 

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked. He grabbed my hand, making me halt.

 

“No, I’m not. I do not want detention, and it’s not even my fault.”

 

“I mean, from the possession. Are you okay from that?”

 

I turned around so we were face to face. “I’m. Fine.”

 

The bell rang, and I pulled away from Nate and his confused looks. I angrily pushed through the growing swarms of people, wishing I had stayed with him just a few seconds longer. Then I mentally kicked myself for having such thoughts. 

Author's Note

whoo, this is long.... :D! i liked this one, mainly because it was easy to write, and words just flowed onto the page. oh, and Nate was in it. hehe. thanks for reading, reviewing, and rating. (if you do.)

Reviews

[selkietales]

Nooo Andrea, don't push him away! And Nate, grrrr stop thinking about other girls you meanie-head.
Sorry, I'm tired. So hey, I was wondering, what to Ghombies feel like to themselves? Can they feel despite not having firing nerves? Of course, they do walk around so I suppose they could feel... but idk. Just curious.

[Jasmine Thousand]

Yeah I like Nate! He's sweet! BTW, I think it would be better if you said I. Am. Fine.
instead of I'm. Fine.
It adds a bit more emphasis (i think)
LOL ~Jasmine Thousand~

[Ness of Love]

I can't wait to see what will happen next!

[13ReasonsWhy]

OHHH CANT WAITFOR MOREEE

[Caitlyn Murray]

Woot this was good. Cant wairt for more

[Eversea]

*Winces* Andrea sure knows how to hurt a guy.

[KT]

What was the ghombie doing when she wasn't in her body? Sorry, just had to ask. :) Anyways, great chapter and I'm looking forward to more!!

[BloodyMary]

AWWW, Nate.

[SwagMaster]

Nate: You are so cute!! But walk away from Clarissa!
Andrea: You walked away from Nate. Congrats. You're an idiot.
Clarissa: I HOPE YOU DIE IN A HOLE!!

[TWISTED NIGHTMARE]

hehe love nate sooooooo much... damn that ghombie was mean but still awesome chapter and will be sure to read the next one