When you look up and he's already staring.
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'Are you still mad at me?'

'Gavin, I'm not mad.' I repeated for the umpteenth time. 'You're right. I overreacted.'

'You didn't overreact. I was being a jerk. And I know something happened. Why won't you tell me what it is?' He frowned.

'I already told you to forget it Gavin! I don't want to talk about it.' I snapped.

'So what about the bruises on your arms? They may have faded but I can still see them.' He pressed.

'Gavin, you want my forgiveness right?' I asked.

'Yes.' He nodded.

'Good. I forgive you just stop asking questions.' I gritted.

'Okay. Okay. You don't have to answer.' He conceded.

Finally! He has been bugging about it for the past two days. And I really don't want to talk about what happened when he blew me off. I still get chills just thinking about it.

'So are we still going to the Callahan house?' He asked.

'Did I tell you we weren't?' I snapped.

'And you say you aren't angry.' He grumbled. I shot him an unimpressed look.

Of courses I'm still angry. Does he have any idea how painful it was for me? It's not that easy to just forgive and forget.

'Cone on. Don't be mad anymore. Or at least tell me what happened.' He sighed.

'Gavin.' I gritted.

'Please.'

'Fine. Because you refused to show up to help me help someone, I had to live through the most excruciating pain I have ever experienced. It was like a thousand people were hitting me at once. I felt my bones break even though they didn't really break. Every muscle in my body was on fire. It was the most terrifying moment of my life.' I shuddered. '
'And I don't want to relive it by telling you every tiny detail so just drop it.'

'I'm so...'

'Don't say you're sorry because you weren't sorry when you did it.' I said. I hugged myself to ward off the sudden chill in my bones. Gavin looked away from me. His shoulders slumped.

'I'm not angry at you. Not much at least. You didn't know this was going to happen.' I shrugged.

'Why didn't you tell me this could happen?' He frowned.

'Because I didn't know either.' I sighed. 'Not until it happened. It was... Scary.'

'How can I make this better?' He asked.

'You can't. Some things can't be fixed. Just don't ever do it again.' I replied. 'I really have forgiven you.'

'But you look... unhappy.' He said hesitantly.

'Gavin, I lived through a level of pain I didn't even know existed until yesterday. This "unhappy" expression feels like the way to go.'

'Right.' He muttered sadly.

I rolled my eyes in frustration.

'Look, I'm not trying to make you feel bad.' I stated.

'I know. That's the tragic part.' He sighed, meeting my gaze.

I arched an eyebrow and surprised look slid onto my face.

'What?' He asked.

'Nothing. I'm just surprised you know what tragic means.'

'I'm a jock not an idiot.'

'Yeah. You're also the same guy who told me that he didn't believe he was cursed because all the girls think he's hot. So forgive me for assuming that the two aren't mutually exclusive.'

'First of all, the world we live in now is governed by social acceptance and a person's social standing so I think it makes sense for me to assume that if I were cursed, the effects would start showing from there.'

'Whatever.' I shrugged. I wasn't exactly in the mood for banter.

Gavin frowned. His brows creased like it usually does when he's in deep thought. Suddenly his face lit up like he had just discovered the cure for cancer.

'Throne-y throne-y throne-y.' He sang in a girly high pitched voice.

I bit back my smile and slid on my PokerFace. I know he was trying to get me to laugh and it worked because I couldn't hold it in. He sounded so ridiculous I just had to laugh.

It might not be the cure for cancer but at least he got me to smile.

'Shut up.' I couldn't help it. My lips quirked up in a smile.

'What? You don't like the song? I'm told it was all the rage in the 1800s.' He cheeked.

'And what idiot told you that?' I smiled.

'Well, you see I happen to know this ghost who was born around that time and its the only song she's ever sang in all the time I've known her. So I figured the song had to be quite something two hundred years ago.' He smirked.

'You are such a dork.' I chuckled.

'Just because you're one doesn't mean everyone else is. Especially not me.' He said.

'You're such a dork.' I giggled.

'Oh jeez! Thank God you know. I was always wondering how I would break it you. You're the biggest dork I know. But its okay. You can live with that. I can live with that. Life goes on.' Gavin nodded gravelly.

'Shut up.' I rolled my eyes. Gavin got into the car and gestured for me to do the same. He started the engine and backed out of the driveway. I would have complained about how fast he was driving if I was alive. I'm a ghost so I can't die.

'I can't believe you're making me volunteer at a bakery. Without getting paid!'

'That's why its called volunteer work.' I cheeked.

'Well it's the most awful thing since the second world war.'

'Volunteer work isn't awful.' I refuted.

'It is when you're being blackmailed into doing it.'

'I see you've given up on the whole pretense that you're actually doing this of your own free will.' I smirked.

'It's not like you ever let me forget the blackmail for a day.' He shrugged.

'Now what sort of ghost will I be if I did that?' I grinned.

'A nice one? A kind one? A good one?' He replied sarcastically.

I faked a shudder. 'Vomit. Vomit. Vomit.'

'You're hopeless.' Gavin rolled his eyes.

'Ehh.' I shrugged. Gavin swerved to the right and we narrowly avoided being hit by an SUV. The driver gave us the finger along with a few rather colourful words.

'Jesus Christ! Would you slow down! You could get yourself killed. And my God! Twenty first century drivers are quite the rude bunch!' I exclaimed.

'Wow.' He gasped theatrically. His eyes widened in horror.

'What?' I snapped.

'I didn't think you cared whether I died or lived.' He answered.

'Of course I care. If you're dead then how am I going to break my curse? You can die after we've broken my curse. That's not my problem but for now you do your best to stay alive. Understood?' I said. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head at me.

'What? At least I'm being honest.' I replied, unperturbed.

'Yeah. No one can accuse you of not telling the truth. The sad ugly truth.'

'Exactly.'

'That was not a compliment!'

'Really? Sounded like one to me.' I smiled.

'Then you have bad hearing.' He declared.

'No. My hearing is fine. It's just selective.' I shrugged.

'We're here.' Gavin announced, pulling into the bakery's parking lot. It was a small cozy building covered in bright blue paint. It had big floor-to-ceiling windows. Inside, we could see seven tables. Two were occupied by middle schoolers and one by a mother and her five year old daughter.

'Well at least it's not a busy place.' Gavin observed. I didn't bother to correct him. By the time lunch hour rolls around, he'll understand.

'Hey.' Gavin approached the waitress. A bored looking girl with a green streak dyed into her pixie cut hair. She was leaning over the counter, reading a magazine on interior décor.

'What?' She snapped, barely glancing away from the magazine.

'Isn't she a little ray of sunshine?' I muttered sarcastically.

'More like pitch black.' Gavin grumbled under his breath. I chuckled.

'I'm looking for Mr Callahan.' Gavin stated, unperturbed by her hostile tone.

'Unless you're Gavin Connor, he's not here.' She replied lazily. Her name tag read, Seb. Seb as in Sebastian? Isn't that a guy's name? Must be why she's so hostile.

'I'm Gavin.' Gavin said. She raised her head up, just enough to eye Gavin uninterestedly.

Impressive how she manages to pull that off while chewing her gum so loudly.

'Come with me.' She sighed. Gavin glanced at me as she led the way past the kitchen and into Mr Callahan's office.

'Don't look at me. It's not my fault she's unfriendly.' I shrugged.

'Unfriendly is a nice way to put it.' He grumbled.

'How would you put it?' I asked drily.

'Aggressive. Hostile. Violent.'

'Don't you think you're exaggerating just a little?'

'We're here.' She snarled and gestured for him to go in.

'You were saying?' He shot me a pointed look.

'Oh stop exaggerating. It's not that bad.' I rolled my eyes. As soon as Gavin entered the office, she slammed the door shut behind us. The sound echoed in the silent room. I could hear her footsteps as she retreated to the counter.

Mr Callahan, a tall lean man with smattering of dark blonde hair sat in a chair behind a small desk. He was on the phone with someone.

'How is she holding up?' He asked, loosening his tie.

'Good. And the baby?' He ran a hand through his hair nervously.

Gavin shot me a questioning look. I shrugged.

'Okay... Yes.... I'll be home in a few minutes..... Yes, I understand.' He hung up. He took a deep breath before addressing Gavin.

'Hello Gavin. Thanks for offering to help out. You don't know how much it means. Our previous waitress, Andrea quit a few days ago and it's been chaos ever since. More so now with the baby. And Seb isn't exactly... the nicest person on the block but she's the only one we have-- had. That's why you offering to help out was a much needed saving grace.' He buried his face in his palm.

'Uh... You're welcome.' Gavin muttered, shuffling his feet awkwardly. 'Happy to help.'

'It didn't sound like you were happy to help when you were busy complaining about how unfair it is that I'm forcing you to do this.' I chipped in.

'Thanks.' Mr Callahan stood up from his chair and came around to where Gavin was standing. 'You're a good kid, Gavin.' He squeezed Gavin's shoulder. Gavin shot me a confused wide eyed look. I shrugged in response.

'Call me if you need anything and you can swing by the house after your shift to check on our little angel, Audrey. And Lydia would be very happy to see you as well.' Mr Callahan beamed.

'Lydia?' Gavin asked. Mr Callahan frowned.

'Yes. Lydia. His wife. Mrs Callahan.' I resisted the urge to smack his head.

'Right Lydia. Of course. I would love to.' He said hurriedly to cover up his mistake.

'Great.' After one last shoulder squeeze, Mr Callahan left.

'Wait, did he mean their baby?' Gavin asked, staring at me with wide eyes.

'What else would he mean?' I countered.

'Why did you let me agree to that?' Gavin whirled.

'How is that my fault?' I gaped.

'How is it not your fault?!' He yelled.

'Are you even listening to yourself right now? What are you blaming me for anyway?' I asked.

'How could you let me agree to go to his house? With a baby? A baby?! Please tell me the little angel he was talking about is an actual angel and not a baby?' He looked mildly terrified.

Okay, a little more than mildly.

'Most normal people would be more confused if "little Angel" turned out to be a small heavenly creature rather than a baby.' I said drily.

'I'm being serious here!' He glared. 'This is all your fault.'

'How could it possibly be my fault that you agreed with your own mouth to go to the Callahan house to see Lydia and Aubrey? And yes Aubrey is their baby.' I frowned.

'This is all your fault.' He reinstated.

'God! Someone please tell me I'm not the only one that finds your accusation ridiculous.' I threw my hands up in the hair.

'This is your fault. This is all your fault.' He gripped his head in his hands.

'Please tell me you're not freaking out because you're going to see a previously pregnant woman and her baby. A week old baby!'

'Of course I'm freaking out. How can I not freak out! It's a baby!'

'You're scared of a baby.' Colour me shocked.

'Yes! They are unpredictable. They cry! If you drop them, they could die! You carry them the wrong way and they could die. Choke. Whatever! Babies are scary!' He ran his hand through his hair nervously.

'I don't think that's feasible. Babies don't usually die from being carried the wrong way.' I snickered.

'Of course they do. They die from everything. Even from being fed the wrong kind of food.' He stuttered miserably.

'Please tell me this is a joke and you're not actually scared of babies.' I pleaded.

Terrified chocolate brown eyes met mine.

'You are scared. You're scared of babies. Gavin Connor is scared of tiny humans.' I shook my head slowly. 'That's mildly disconcerting.'

No matter how many times I said it, it didn't make it sound any less ridiculous.

'Oh God.' Gavin whispered shakily. 'I'm going to see a baby. My life is over.'

I rolled my eyes. Talk about being overly dramatic.

'It's not over yet, big guy. One step at a time. First let's go downstairs and help Seb with the lunch hour rush. As hostile as she is, she can't handle lunch hour rush by herself.' I said, gesturing for him to follow me back into the bakery.

'Oh God.' He whispered.

'One step at a time. Just push the entire visit and the baby out of you mind. Focus on getting through lunch hour first.'

'Right. Lunch hour.' He nodded.

'That's the spirit! Just focus on that.' I added.

When we returned to the bakery, it was a complete opposite of what it was when we left. There was a line of customers waiting to be served and Seb looked just about ready to murder all of them with an axe.

'What do you want?' She asked in a flat tone.

The first customer, a man with thick beard requested for a muffin and some coffee. To go. Seb took her sweet time getting his order ready. She couldn't have moved any slower if she tried.

'Is she doing that on purpose?' I asked. Gavin shrugged, pulling on an apron. It was comical.

He went to take the next customer's order. I hung back and watched him work. At first he had to ask Seb where everything was but he soon got the hang of it. His movements were relaxed and precise.

For every customer Seb served, Gavin served four more.

'If the whole football thing doesn't work out, you can pursue a career in waiter-ing.' I teased. There was finally a lull in customers. Gavin sat on one of the stool's behind the counter. Seb eyed him with distaste before stomping into the kitchen.

At least we've found one girl who isn't susceptible to his playboy charms.

'Football isn't what I want to do with my life. Its just my license to college.' He replied.

'So what do you want to be? What do you want to do with your life Gavin Connor?' I cocked my had to the side.

'Architecture.' He feigned nonchalance.

'Architecture. That's fancy.' I teased. 'Are you sure you're smart enough for it?'

He glared at me. 'Just kidding.' I chuckled.

'Why architecture?' I asked.

'I don't know. I love drawing but it's more than that I guess. I love creating things. I love the thought that something I draw is going to be made into something real.'

'That's nice. I think.'

'Yeah. So what did you want to be when you grow up? I mean before you turned into a ghost.'

'I'll answer that if you tell me what inspired you to pick architecture.' I replied.

'Fair enough.'

'I thought we already covered the fact that I'm never fair.'

'Right. Unfair enough.' He corrected. I nodded my approval.

'Like I said, I've always liked drawing. But that's not why I love architecture so much. This is going to sound very cheesy. You have to promise not to laugh.'

'I make no such promise.' I responded. Gavin rolled his eyes to heaven and back.

He took a deep breath before continuing with his story. 'Well there was this assignment Kelsey had when she was sixth grade. She was supposed to make something, anything actually out of clay. It was a project and she was kind of failing the class so she wanted to do something really impressive that would boost her grade and so she came to me. Our parents weren't home that week. Technically, mom wasn't home but dad was always at work so it was like they were both gone. We spent the entire night brainstorming on the best thing to make. She fell asleep in my room while we were brainstorming.' He smiled fondly at the memory.

'When she was a kid, she used to talk in her sleep. And she kept yapping about how the teacher was obsessed with pyramids and all those ancient Egypt traditions and stuff and how she'd get an instant A in class if she could turn herself into a mummy. You know, those dead people wrapped in white cloth?' He glanced at me.

'I know what a mummy is.' I rolled my eyes.

'Just checking.' He shrugged.

'Just get on with your story.' I grunted.

'Fine.' He muttered. 'That's where I got the idea for her art project from. My sister's crazed sleep rantings. Well, that and I watched one mummy movie I had on my laptop. Then I spent all night drawing the plan of some imaginary ancient ruin in Egypt and then we, mostly me, created it because Kelsey was awful at moulding back then.' He chuckled.

'So I made the ruin and everything and it just felt... I don't know. I just really liked it. It felt really good to create something I had drawn. I knew she was going to get an A for sure?'

'And did she?' I asked.

'Yeah. Her teacher loved it. She even featured it in their art exhibition that year.' Gavin smilingly shook his head.

'That's a nice story.' I remarked.

'Now your turn.'

'My turn to?' I feigned ignorance.

'You know exactly what.' Gavin narrowed his eyes.

'Fine. I wanted to be a doctor and I realize how ridiculous that sounds considering I don't really like people or even get along with them.' I stated.

'That's a nice way to put it but go on.' He snickered.

'I wanted to be a pediatrician. It's easier to get along with children than adults. Besides, children are better than adults on most fronts. And they laugh and play like they have no care in the world.' I smiled fondly, recalling a memory of how the children in my small village loved to play and have fun day and night.

'Their laughter just makes everything seem so much easier and the world looks brighter when they smile. That's why I wanted to be a pediatrician. To put smiles on kids faces when they're ill and to help them get better. That and I'm less likely to kill a kid than an adult.'

'Wow. I guess you really do have a heart after all. Other than the less likely to kill a kid comment.' Gavin smirked.

'But that's never going to happen
I'm never going to get to be a pediatrician anymore.' I shrugged, a little saddened by the realization.

'I'm sorry.'

'It's not your fault so don't apologize for it.' I mumbled. He kept staring at me intently and it was unsettling. I didn't like it at all. It was like he could see right through me.

Time for a subject change.

'So, I put this off for as long as I could but it is time.' I said to change the subject.

'Time? Time for what?' Gavin frowned.

'Time to go see the mother and her baby.' I smiled. Gavin paled instantly.

I am going to have so much fun with this!

Author's Note:

I'm so excited for next chapter!

Teaser: There's going to be a gunfight.
I can't wait to write it or for you read it.

What do you think of Seb? Typical brooding teenager?

Which characters do you want to see more of?

-Asia.

-Adriana.

-Leo.

-Tom.

-Kelsey (I really want to explore her character more).

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I just realized that I have silent readers. Please please please vote or comment. I want to know your thoughts.

Hopefully, I'll be posting the next chapter sometime today. In the meantime, vote/comment/share.