The Ghost In My Bedroom - By Heather Jones Page 0,38

I asked as the side door slid open for me to get in.

"Spencer is, not me." Jon answered.

"I can stand up a little, but not really," Kate chimed in from the front seat. "Hey Lucy."

"Hey Kate, how are you?"

"I'm good." She smiled sheepishly at me and turned back around in her seat.

"That's cool."

Jon looked at my overstuffed tote bag. "You got everything?"

"I think so."

"Then let's roll!" Spencer exclaimed from the drivers seat. He cranked up his music and headed off.

I managed to fall asleep a few minutes after that, when I woke up I found I had my head in Jon's lap and he was tousling my hair, engaged in conversation with Spencer and Kate. I shifted my weight to relax a crick in my neck and he looked down.

"Hey sunshine, have a nice nap."

"Mm, are we there yet?"

"Still about another hour."

"Do you mind if I go back to sleep?"

"Nope, go right ahead."

I smiled and closed my eyes. I rolled to my side so my face was against his belly. I nudged my nose up into his shirt and kissed his stomach, then settled back into a comfortable position and fell back asleep.

He woke me up as we were crossing the bridge into Ocean City. The familiar sight of the Ferris wheel appeared in the distance as I stretched out the kinks in my body from sleeping in such an awkward position. A lone seagull cried from outside.

"They're laughing at you," I said automatically to no one in particular, an old joke Stazi, Natalie and I would call out every time we heard a seagull.

"Who me?" Spencer said from the front seat. "You must mean Kate."

"No, she was talking to you loser!" Kate laughed at Spencer smacking him on the shoulder.

"Sorry, old habit."

"You awake now?" Jon asked rubbing the back of my neck.

I nodded and stretched some more before settling back into my seat. "Do you guys go on the Ferris wheel or anything?"

"Yes!" Kate shouted from the front seat. "Spencer is too cool to go on rides so he never takes me on anything, I'll go on rides with you Lucy."

"Cool." I went to smooth my hair in order and realized there were now lots of braids throughout. "What happened?"

"I got bored. I braided it. Do you want me to take them out?"

"Nah," I said catching a glimpse of my new 'do in the rear-view mirror. "It's kinda cool, I'll just leave it in."

Spencer found a parking spot and we climbed out of the van to go for the 'infamous cinnamon buns' as Kate put it.

We all squeezed into a cozy booth and ordered coffee and buns all around. I never had coffee before but I was still sleepy so I figured why not as everyone else ordered it.

"Your hair is sexy like that," Spencer informed me from directly across the table.

Inappropriate much? "Um, thanks." I felt my face turn red. "Your hair is nice too," I said and laughed out of awkwardness.

"Don't hate me because I'm beautiful," he said shaking his hair out. He actually did have a really nice head of hair.

The waitress came back with 4 coffees. I watched as everyone put cream and sugar in theirs and did the same. I took a sip and grimaced and reached for more sugar.

"Lucy you are so adorable, don't tell me this is your first time drinking coffee?" Spencer looked amused from across the table.

"Yes," I admitted. "My family never drinks it. I thought I'd give it a try because everyone else was having it."

"It's an acquired taste," Kate said nodding still stirring hers with a spoon. "Try a little more half and half too, it's better when it gets really light, like beige colored."

"Do you want to order something else?" Jon asked me.

"No, I'll suffer through it."

"That-a girl," Spencer smiled at me and took a sip from his mug staring at me intently.

"Here we go, fresh from the oven," the waitress butted in handing us each a plate with a cinnamon bun that was smothered in icing.

"Yum!" Kate squealed with delight attacking hers with her fingers.

I personally liked to peel the layers off and scoop up the icing with it. Jon just took bites like a normal person and Spencer used a knife and fork.

"Are you afraid to get your fingers messy?" I asked him between gooey mouthfuls.

"No, I just eat like a civilized human being is all."

I watched him now in fascination at how neatly he ate his breakfast. He caught me looking at him and