Page 47 of Homecoming Spirits

I was being harassed by one ghost and stalked by another ghost and even Cassian, who tried to spend time with me between classes (he stayed at his locker) couldn’t get a word in because if Beatrice wasn’t there yelling at me, then Shelton was wringing his hands together and letting out all of these sighs as if he were still a freaking human being. He wasn’t, but tell that to his nervous system. Cassian didn’t get a lot of attention from me and he couldn’t ask me what was really going on because if the ghosts weren’t there, his friends were.

Cassian was popular.

I knew that, but I didn’t realize the extent of it. There was a reason he was on Homecoming Court. Everyone loved him, literally. No wonder I hadn’t known this was his locker. Where he went, so did a crowd. Even Ethan had taken to hanging out at our locker by the end of the day.

I knew there were texts on my phone from him and Lee, but the only time I could answer them was in the bathroom and by then, I was selfish enough to want to pee in peace.

Ethan, of all ironies, was the one who relayed Cassian’s message that he had a hockey meeting even though they didn’t start practice until the following week, and that Ethan was going to walk with me to the store.

He grinned at me. “He even gave me a nickname. Eli.”

I stared at Ethan for a full minute, unsure how I felt about anything that happened today. That’s when Noah sauntered over and took his normal leaning stance against Cassian’s locker, not giving one damn that he was half inside of Ethan’s body.

“Coco?”

“I prefer Cole.” I snapped and immediately crunched up my face because I hadn’t meant to literally snap at Ethan. “Sorry. I mean⁠—”

“Oh. No. I mean, my bad. I didn’t know,” he said hurriedly.

Because he never asked.

Because I never insisted.

“No. It’s my issue. You’re just following our boss’s lead.”

“Um. Yeah. But, anyway, are you ready to go? I told Cass that I could walk you to work. You know, since I know where to go. I know the route.” I was giving his chest the side-eye. Was it puffing up, or was that my imagination?

I glanced toward where Noah’s smirking head was showing. He narrowed his eyes at me. His smirk fell away. I was thinking… I was supposed to go to Lee’s tonight, who mentioned taking me over to my grandparents’ to get clothes at some point. Him or Cassian. It’d been all weekend so a change of clothes was due. No one seemed to notice I was wearing Lee’s sweatshirt today, but it was more because there was no Ravens Hockey wording on it. If there had been, I knew it would’ve gotten noticed. Or maybe it did and I just hadn’t noticed because of certain distracting ghosts?

Either way, if Cassian or Lee showed up at my grandparents’ house with me, it would be game over. They’d learn quickly that I was about to be homeless by the end of this week. No one said homeless was sexy.

I made a decision. “You’re not working, right?”

Ethan had been talking. I completely cut him off. “What? No. But don’t worry. It’s not out of the way. I mean, it’s a little out of the way. Like three miles, but I can walk it. That’s fine. I told my buddy that I’d escort you, so here I am, reporting for duty, ma’am.” He paled. “Or—you know what I mean. I said I got you for Cassian, so I got you.”

“Right. You do got me.”

Noah slowly stepped out of Ethan’s body completely and came to stand in front of me. His arms crossed over his chest and his head cocked to the side. “What are you thinking?”