Ghost Lover

The usual hustle with students rushing in early, Austin missed this. He was used to coming late, meeting empty hall with students in their classes. He could see parents dropping off their kids and kissing them goodbye, couples hanging around green trees and selling whatever lies they could to each other. He came down from the bus and met his brother waiting, Nala also with him. She waved to Allen, with her face all bright and smiling. Austin saw this and felt disgusted.

“So where’s the classroom,” Allen asked his brother.

“You’ll need to see the principal first,” he replied.

Nala was still there, love-struck by Allen but he couldn’t notice it. Austin shook his head in disappointment ” you should be getting to class”

“Oh yes,” Nala replied, hanging her bag properly and looking back to steal one more gaze towards Allen and walking away.

Austin got his brother to the principal’s office and he was quite elated with the resemblance Allen shared with him. He left his brother there and rushed to the class, trying to figure out how to get a weed plug for his brother. He thought about people he could go to, but no one was forthcoming, either he didn’t share a relationship with the people that came to mind or they were too razz for him to mix himself with. He thought about Jason, the friend he made off the football team. Austin was a grade higher than him, he took off to his classroom but saw a lecturer inside and decided to wait till he was done.

The bell rang and students started making their way out. He saw Jason come out and hurriedly ran over, tapping him on the shoulder. Jason turned, surprised to see him “Hey”

“Hey, umm how are you?” Austin said with his hands over Jason’s shoulder.

“I’m fin…e” Jason replied, uncomfortable and looking disturbed with how Austin was acting.

“I kind of need your help with something”

“What’s that?”

He leaned closer to Jason’s ear and muttered slowly “introduce me to your weed plug”

On hearing that, Jason quickly pulled off Austin’s hand off his shoulders, enraged.

“Do I look like I smoke?”

“Well…”

“Well I don’t” Jason shot back.

“I’m sorry” he replied, burying his head in embarrassment.

“You smoke?”

“Ugh, No”

Jason looked like he wasn’t convinced by that reply ” Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’s for my brother”

“Since when do you have a brother?” Jason asked with a sarcastic tone.

“Trust me, I can’t start to explain everything right now. But it’s for him”

Jason sighed “well you can ask Jade, I think he should have”

“You’ve got to be joking,” Austin replied, laughing.

“I’m being serious,” Jason retorted.

He looked at Jason and saw no form of humor on his face, nor could he hear it in his tone.

“Hell no, I’m not asking Jade for help” he scoffed and wanted to walk away, but Jason urged him to stop.

“Do you have a better option? Just ask him. I’m sure he’ll wanna help”

Austin nodded as though he agreed with Jason, but knew nothing would ever make him ask Jade for help. His phone vibrated and it was a Text from Nala,

Nala

How are you?

He knew she was interested in Allen and this message had nothing to do with him, he felt anger suddenly building up. He convinced himself that it wasn’t jealousy, but the thought of Nala together with Austin disgusted him more. He barged into his brother, as he was about to go in for his chemistry class

“You’ve gotten that plug ready yeah?” Allen asked, smiling. His meeting went well with the principal, Austin could feel it but he chose not to ask about it.

“Sure, it’s ready,” he replied, feigning a smile. As soon as his brother got into the class, he fell back on the wall frustrated. He had to do the one thing that made him sick, ask Jade for it. He ran into the class, instructing his brother if the teacher asked about him, he should say he went to the restroom.

Austin went hunting for Jade, right from the gym to the Field and Cafeteria but he couldn’t find him. He was beginning to doubt Jade came to school. He was passing by the music room, he heard the most beautiful rhythm played by a piano. It’s been a while since he acknowledged good music, he wasn’t a fan of it, but this particular one struck a nerve and he loved it. He went closer to the music hall from the opening on the door and he saw Jade on the keyboard. He was left in shock and utmost awe. If anyone had told him, Jade would be good at anything except bullying and playing football, he’d feed them to the wolves.

He cleared his throat as he opened the door and that caught Jade’s attention. Austin could see Jade’s face brighten up as he saw him.

“Look what the cat dragged in,” Jade said, still playing his piano and swinging his head, flowing with the sound.

“You play real good,” he said, walking slowly toward Jade

“I know that” Jade replied, still engrossed in his music while closing his eyes.

Austin waited for him to open his eyes again so he could ask him about the weed stuff. But Jade wasn’t opening his eyes anytime soon, he kept standing for minutes and was getting fed up.

“Umm Jade, I would like to ” Jade raised one of his hands instructing him to shut up and use the other to play.

“It’s import….” Jade’s hands were up again, as Austin tried to talk again. Austin was frustrated seeing how Jade was killing his efforts. He saw the connection cable connecting the piano to the socket on the wall. He went over and unplugged it.

“What the fuck is wrong with you” Jade yelled in anger as he noticed he wasn’t hearing any sound.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Do I have your attention now?” He waved his hands

“I hope this is worth it or you’ll regret it” Jade scoffed.

“You won’t do anything, that I know of”

Jade smiled and sat down, raising his legs on the piano comfortably.

“Go on”

Austin came over and leaned on the piano “I need you to link me to your weed connect ”

Jade looked at him and kept a straight face, he was confused why Jade wasn’t saying anything or his face wasn’t revealing any expression. Jade suddenly burst into laughter

“Wait, you are serious?”

He didn’t feel embarrassed by Jade’s reaction, because he saw it coming. Never expected to have it smooth with him, without him trying to be little him.

“Yes I am Serious, are you going to link me or not?” Austin asked again.

Jade regains his composure and looks at Austin again, but bursts out laughing again.

“I don’t understand what’s funny,” Austin said. He was getting angry with Jade’s behavior and he felt the urge to just smash his head into that big black piano.

“Well, look at yourself. You would know” Jade, brought his leg down and walked over to Austin. “I didn’t know you smoke”

“Well it’s just a one-time thing”

“If you need to hit a blunt now, I’ve got one in my pocket” Jade reaches out to his left pocket but Austin stops him

“I just need your plug, that’s all”

“You would owe me”

“Why would I owe you just for this?” Austin yells in shock.

“Just know you do, or else you don’t want the connect ”

“Okay okay.. fine by me ” he sighed “I’m coming with my brother after school ”

“You what?”

“Yeah, I’m already used to that kind of reaction anytime I mention my brother”

Austin left the room, feeling half satisfied and scared. He was satisfied he got into a room alone with Jade and no fight happened plus he was able to get it done. He was scared that everything with Jade later that evening might go south and he didn’t want things to get ruined