Page 54 of The Ghost of You

She bites her lip as she steps back a few more feet. “Can I let you know in the morning?”

“Yeah. That’s fine.”

She attempts a smile. “Okay. Thanks, Noah.”

“Goodnight Mayberry.” I walk out the door.

What the hell?

Did I really just invite her to my parents’ house? Isn’t that what Mason wanted?

Shit, I need to call my mom in the morning.

* * *

I feellike a zombie as I finish my third cup of coffee. I only got three hours of sleep. Despite the fact I knew I had to be up early to head to my parents’ house today, I still made sure I worked out and got some studying in.

I pour two cups of coffee and carry them over to Anna’s house. I hope she is feeling okay. Hell, I hope she isn’t pissed at me for driving her home last night.

But I also hope she is willing to go to my parents. From everything she has told me, I think she will find comfort there. A stepping-stone before she can reach out and see her own family.

I knock on her door and can’t help but grin when she answers. She has on a pair of sweatpants that are too short, ending a few inches above her ankles. She is wearing a stained and torn University of Georgia t-shirt. Her hair is half piled on her head, half falling everywhere. She yawns as she answers, covering her mouth with her hands. I can make out the dusting of freckles across her nose. And her eyes are slightly crusted over from sleep.

She is fucking adorable.

“Hey, Noah.” Another yawn escapes her.

“I brought you some coffee.”

She looks at the cup then rips it out of my hand, downing half of the hot liquid like it’s her lifeline. “The gods do listen. Thank fuck.”

She walks into her house and I follow, shutting the door behind me. She walks through her kitchen and into her sunroom, taking a seat on a giant beanbag. I take the one chair in her room and turn it around to sit on it backward, leaning my forearms on the back of the chair. I sip my coffee as I wait for her to speak.

She rubs the sleep out of her eyes as she looks out the window. I’m not even sure she is going to say anything but after a few minutes, she finally does. “I used to love the holidays. All of them. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Independence Day. Hell, I even loved Memorial Day. Being with family was my favorite thing. Now,” she sighs and looks down into her cup before she continues. “Now I don’t even know what to think. I used to see the beauty of family getting together, laughing over memories, making fun of each other, even fighting over stupid shit that’s forgotten within minutes. Now it seems like a joke. Why do people put each other through that? The fights, the memories… the pain.”

I try to gather my words. Because all of this is hard for me too. Today is hard for our whole family. “I had a sister.”

She looks up at me. “Had?”

I nod. “I was ten years older than her. So, we weren’t close. I always found her annoying, to be honest. And I hate that I felt that way. Because when she died, I felt like it was my fault. Why did I always pick on her? Why didn’t I give her advice as she went through high school? Why didn’t I spend more time with her?”

“When did she die?”

“Six years ago. She would have been twenty-five this year.”

I look at Anna and can tell she is hesitating about what she is trying to ask. “What happened?”

“Drug overdose.” I keep it simple.

“I’m sorry Noah.”

“It was a long time ago. But it still hurts every now and then. Just like all grief. The memories of everyone we lose, fade in and out. Some days are harder than others. But those are the days we need those we love the most around. So we can find comfort in each other.”

Tears sit in her eyes, but she blinks them away. “Did she umm... die in November?”

I nod. “Yeah. Two days before Thanksgiving. We hadn’t heard from her but it was normal for her to disappear for a few days at a time. She started getting into trouble a lot after she graduated high school and started dating a loser she met at college.” I take a deep breath before I continue the story. “Everyone was at Mom and Dad’s house for Thanksgiving except Rosie. There was a knock on the door. And I know that knock. At the time I had been a cop for five years. I’ve had to give that news a handful of times. It’s never easy. But it’s never as hard as being on the receiving end. My mom lost it, she was broken, her only daughter was dead.

“It took us all a while to recover. It was hard on all of us. But Mason and Everett took it the hardest.” I pause as I look back up to Anna. Sympathy is etched across her face but also understanding. “Mason had been partying with her two nights before. He let her run off with some guys. He was wasted and didn’t see the problem with a nineteen-year-old girl wandering the streets of downtown at two in the morning with strangers.” I force the anger out of my voice. I’ll always be angry with Mason for his stupid decisions but I can’t blame him for Rosie’s decisions. “Rosie was Everett’s twin. Everett started beating up Mason. He knew they were at a party that night. Everett was always the good kid though and he was always trying to get Rosie to make better decisions. Despite their differences, those two were closer than any of us, maybe it was the twin bond or just the fact that they always relied on each other. Anyway, I broke up the fight not without getting hit in the face a few times by both of them.”

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