quote: "sometimes being lost is worth being found," — unknown

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"MAY," MY MOTHER CALLS her voice echoing throughout Whipstaff. Casper sat on the edge of the bed as I ran around my room, searching for some clothes that he could wear that so he didn't look like he stepped out of 'Back to the Future.' "Coming!" I shout. "Just give me five minutes." I found a large pair of grey sweatpants that were once my dads and a large white top from one of my drawers. I quickly find a toothbrush and pull out one of my travel tubes of toothpaste I had spare. "Here." I hand the items over to Casper. "I'll find you some socks and shoes," I say, pulling out an old suitcase that had a few of my Dads things. "Thank you, May." Casper walks over to the bathroom and closes the door, silently.

I end up finding my Dad's old running shoes, and I find a pair of my Dad's black socks. "Perfect!" I exclaim, then I let out a relieved sigh. I sit on my bed and wait for Casper to appears with a warm smile and he had put on the shirt backwards. "Casper, " I muttered trying to hide my laughter and barely keeping a straight face. "You put the shirt on backwards." Casper's face twists as if he had bit into a sour lemon. "Oh right, Can you p-please help me?" He stutters sending me a worried look, I was sure Casper knew how to put on a shirt. I bit my lip, trying to hide my sudden amusement and surprise, "Sure."

Casper pulls off the shirt, revealing his lightly muscled chest. I could feel the blush rising up onto my cheeks. Casper hands me the shirt and he leans over the shirt as I explain. "See the tag that goes at the back and the part without the tag is the front." His locks fall onto his forehead making Casper even more attractive, he concentrated very hard memorising what I told him. "Sorry," Casper says his eyes full of embarrassment. He pulls on the shirt this time the right way and does it very quickly. "I found these socks and shoes." I hand them over and as he sits on the bed, he pulls on the socks and ties on the laces. "It's been a long time since I did this." Casper apologies as he had to redo his left foot again.

"I understand." I smile sweetly, planting a kiss on his cheek. He smiles like a goofus, his smile very much like last night. My stomach fills with butterflies of the thought of it. And the kiss and the dancing until the early hours of the morning. "May, I told you that we had to go ten minutes ago." My mother growls, leaning against the door frame then somehow my mother laughs. "You both look so cute," she adds almost adoring us. In a way, I could see the longing for my father in her eyes. Casper stands up, pulling me with him. Casper was at least a head taller and a half than me now, maybe more. It was weird that he was warm, I was getting used to his cold, see-through body. I wasn't tall but I wasn't short for my age I suppose rather an average height. Casper, when he was a ghost, was only about half of me, constantly floating at my height.

You could see that my dad's running shoes were a little bit as he walked a little funny. He turned to me intertwining our fingers, then kissing my hand. For a moment he was wary as if he'd done something wrong, his face growing red of embarrassment. It sounded stupid and very cliche but our hands fit perfectly. "I-I like it," I mutter nervously. Casper smiles happily, "I like it too." My mother looks back, laughing quietly to herself, slowly descending down the long staircase.

We walk out of Whipstaff's entrance and make our way to my Dad's old truck. My Dad was a once real-estate man selling houses, I often thought why people from other towns out of Friendship didn't buy Whipstaff, it had been around twenty years since Carrigan Critten had taken ownership after her father died and herself not much latter. They had kept it in the family until not so long ago about six months to sell it, whom my mother, of course, brought it, although it's Casper now, legally is in Casper's name.

Casper opened the door for me. It was a simple gesture, he was truly a gentleman. I quickly scooted over, my dad's truck was a three seated car, but only had one cab. Casper climbed over next to me and closed the door with a loud bang. "Sorry." He mutters. My Mother turns the key and the truck comes to life. My Mother changes gear. Casper gasps in amazement, clearly shocked by how a modern car worked. "It's so much smoother!" He exclaims, smiling like a doofus. "Look you can turn down the window with just a button! My father would have loved this!" Casper exclaims with such excitement in his voice it made me happy although I thought to talk about his father would have made it sad. Casper smirked at me, his eyes were bright like when a child's on Christmas Day which in all honesty wasn't that far away. A part of me ached for this wonder in everything, I was scared of losing my dad.

Casper had lost his mother when he was so little, died when he was twelve, became a ghost so his father wouldn't be lonely, lost his father, a boy who cared for his ghostly uncles for many many years. Casper watched time go by, himself never changing, until, Kat and her father, who came but left and came in three years. He was alone, lonely just wanting a friend, and then I came. A girl, a loner, a girl who missed her father more than anything in the whole world. Casper saved me, he saved me for this aching deep inside my heart, giving me a chance to be happy, being a friend, giving me a life.

Casper sat eagerly his seat, the sun dancing over his face, the freckles sprinkled on his nose seemed a little darker, his lips were slightly agape breathing softly, his eyebrows furrowed noticed how much everything must have changed, his crystal blue eyes absorbing everything, his nose was utterly adorable. Casper was shockingly handsome, you didn't even have to question it, he was one of those strangers you'd instantly look at and be in love with. Maybe I was in love with him, I wouldn't be surprised. My mother makes a sharp turn, making me shift closer to Casper, not that I minded at least. My heart speeds up, our legs were touching. Casper turned to me, raising his eyebrow. He gave me a mischievous smirk, knowing that he had an effect on me. "Shut up!" I playfully slap his leg, pulling out my Dad's old ray-ban sunglasses from my pocket.

"Sexy, eh?" I joke, flicking them up and down making different faces. "Very." He answered. This made Casper and I laugh until our stomach's hurt. From the corner of my eye, my mother smiled trying to keep her focus on the road. My mother made her way into the parking lot. "It's my lucky day!" She jokes, spinning the wheel into a parking spot. I roll my eyes, earning a slap from my Mother. "It's your boyfriend, were here for. Remember that." She says seriously, but in a way, she was teasing. I'm going have a horrible Christmas with Aunty Jan and Nanna they won't stop teasing me. I felt my cheeks go a dark crimson red, Casper's cheek's went red too and he fiddled uneasily in his seat. Although Casper and I haven't talked about what we were. We hadn't had the time really.

I followed my Mother around countless stores, along with Casper who seemed very very lost. I started laughing when he tried to act like he wasn't from the past. He tried a new walking style too, I had never laughed so hard in my life. My mother gave me a death glare. If looks could kill, I'd be dead. Then I and Casper would have swapped roles. Casper ended up with ten t-shirts, two pairs of sweatpants, two pairs of jeans, a leather jacket that I secretly got him as you could see his eyes light up when I brought it as a surprise, two hoodies, a Parker, a pair of runners, Nike sneakers, underwear, socks, toiletries etc. Casper said 'thank you' so many times, if he said it once more I'd start crying. All these years he was a ghost, I could have visited him. I didn't purely because I was scared and didn't know of his existence, well sort of.

My Mother informed on the drive home was that tomorrow morning (as she couldn't be bothered now, she was shopped out) she'd call up the school to get Casper enrolled into school and would ask if we could have a few classes together. As Casper doesn't know many living people and using the cover story that; he's an orphan that has just moved back to Friendship since he had family origins here and was named after Casper McFadden the boy who died. Haha what a coincidence that we became friends with our family history, wink wink.

As soon as we'd got home Casper's uncles were having a shoot out, throwing objects up and shooting them. Casper pulled out one of his old baseball caps and scribbled our names on two separate pieces of paper, then placed it in the hat and got my own mother to draw out a piece of paper. It had May, on it. I feel horrible, utterly guttered and disappointed. I wanted Casper to have his room. Casper seemed fine with it, but I also felt that it was wrong. "May, listen. I know you feel like a horrible person but we couldn't decide, this was the best solution okay?" Casper debates in an attempt to make me feel better. I scoff, okay I grunt. "Yeah but, you don't understand, it's your room. You've lived here for a century and I'm an intruder—"

To shut me up Casper did the last thing I would have expected, he peaked my lips with his own, his touch lingering. "Now you'll be quiet, you surely are able to remember last night how a kiss fixes everything!" He jokes, giving me a lazy smile. "God, you! Prominent solution this Casper Jonas McFadden, I've lost it!" I dart up the stairs with some of his new things. "Okay, Mary Amira Clarence." He pauses as if he was admiring me. "You look very beautiful when you're angry." Casper states, strolling into the room next door to what was now so much to my disgust and disproval 'My Room,' it was pretty much the same as his room but it was a little less furnished and very dusty.

"It needs a very good clean, which is why you should have your room," I state bluntly folding my arms across my chest. Casper rolls his eyes, "Why are you so stubborn?" I frown, questioning it for a short moment until I decide to joke, "Who knows?!" I say then poking Casper in the chest. "Maybe I'm not in a good mood."

"Hmm..." Casper says a in a playful way tapping his finger against his chin, pretending to be deep thought, "Are you implying something?" Casper suddenly teases, stepping closer so our faces were inches apart. I shake my head wildly but unable to hide my smile, "No." Casper chuckles violently, poking me in a playful manner. "I thought you wanted something?" Caspers asks and I knew to play along in this game. "What do you suggest?" I ask mischievously, placing my arms around his neck a little boldly.

"The prominent Solution," Casper says, trying not to smile and be serious. Within seconds Casper gently places his arms around my waist and kisses me, a little more passionate than last night both of us a little more confident in what we were doing. It was like reliving the feelings from last night like I was the girl in grammy Amira's dress all over again. Casper helped me to not forget, my past but to heal from it. Casper was the home that I had been looking for. I felt safe and loved and at home. I felt love for him and was possibly loved in return and it was this moment it came to me as we both broke apart sending each other bashful grins.

I was in love with Casper McFadden. I love him.

— Edited: 25/08/2019