The Ghoul Next Door

chapter Forty

Having Beth around was nice. I realized that I’d isolated myself from the living too much. Only having the ghosts to talk to all day wasn’t healthy. Sure, I had Mindy, but she had her own business to run.

I’d spent the morning catching up on work, and when lunchtime came around, I was actually able to leave the store instead of eating at the counter while I worked.

Mindy grabbed my arm. “Come on, you need to take your mind off this for a while.”

I knew exactly where she was taking me. How could I say no? She was always there for me. I had to be there for her too, no matter how embarrassing the act. Again I’d let Mindy talk me into a class. Why did I try to fight it? I knew I was going to do it every time she asked. She knew I was going to do it every time she asked, so why put up a fight any longer? I was officially running up my white flag. She won. Who knew, maybe someday I might actually be better than pathetic at it.

“I’ll do this class and then we can go in search of answers to my problem.” I wiggled my index finger at her.

We hopped in the car and made the short drive to Mindy’s fitness studio. After Mindy exited the car, I had to break it to Elvis gently that he wasn’t invited inside this location.

“Okay, Elvis. I’ll be inside for a short time.” I climbed from the car and smiled when shutting the door.

Before I made it to the front door, Elvis was beside me. I stopped and looked around to see if anyone was watching me before speaking. The coast was clear. “Elvis, sweetie. I think this is something I need to do alone.”

“Right.” He nodded and looked up at the sign above the door. “I’ll just wait out here.” He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the front of my car.

Whew, now that I’d taken care of that, I could go in and not worry about being embarrassed in front of Elvis. I didn’t even acknowledge the other ghosts as I walked through the door. I knew they were with me, I sensed them. They thought they were so slick. They’d probably pop up at the most inopportune time, but I’d given up all hope of trying to control them.

Mindy smiled when she saw me take my place on the floor. It was worth the embarrassment to make my friend happy. I’d get through the forty-five minutes and it would be behind me until next time. Of course no matter how hard I tried, I always got stuck in the front of the class. I just wanted to fall behind into the background… hidden away from judging stares.

When the first stream of music from Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game poured from the speakers, I hopped on the pole and spun around. The awkwardness of my movements had vanished and I moved with ease. No banging, no falling, and no loud squeaking noises as my skin jerked across the pole. My body moved across the metal like water flowing through a stream.

My thoughts had changed and I didn’t know what came over me. My body grew hot, but not just from the workout. I felt as if I was on fire as I continued the acrobatics. I glanced to my right and spotted Elvis in the corner. He hadn’t stayed away after all. His mouth hung open and I flashed a devilish smile as I spun again.

At the front of the class, Mindy stood with her mouth agape too. She was transfixed on my movements. Why was everyone staring? Hadn’t they ever seen a girl work the stripper pole before? I owned that thing. I could show Mindy and thing or six. Hell, maybe I’d start teaching the class from now on—after all, the residents of Magnolia deserved an expert like me.

The more I spun, the faster I got. I had no idea my hands could move that way. It was as if someone had cranked up my dial to super speed. A fog clouded my brain, but somewhere in the back of my thoughts I knew what I was doing wasn’t normal. This wasn’t me. I had to stop, but my arms and legs wouldn’t listen to my brain. They moved of their own will.

When the song finally stopped, I fell to the floor with a loud thud. The next thing I remembered was waking up on the floor with everyone leaning over me.

“Larue, wake up. Speak to me, are you okay?” Mindy asked with her voice full of panic.

My head spun. With my foggy brain, it felt as if I had a hangover. “What happened?” I asked.

I tried to sit up, but dizziness still took over.

“Do we need to call an ambulance?” someone asked.

“No, no,” I muttered. “I’m fine.”

Mindy held out her hand and helped me to a sitting position. “Someone get her some water,” she said. “Larue, are you feeling better? Do you need to see a doctor?”

The fog in my head began to dissipate. “I’m feeling better now. I’m really thirsty.”

Mindy handed me a towel and I wiped the sweat from my forehead. My body didn’t feel as if it was on fire like it had a moment ago. I remembered everything that had happened, but I had no explanation as to why I’d acted that way. Someone or something had been controlling me and that was the most terrifying feeling I’d ever had. A woman thrust a bottle of water toward me. She pushed it at me in a hurry as if I might bite her hand. I didn’t blame her for being terrified of me. I’d acted like a crazy woman. I took a couple of drinks and wiped my face again.

“Do you think you can stand now?” Mindy asked. “Back away, people, and give her some breathing room,” she said while shooing the crowd away.

With her arm around my waist, Mindy helped me to my feet. I wobbled at first, but finally found my footing. She guided me toward a seat at the side of the room. Elvis stood beside me with a concerned look on his face, while Mr. Fine and Candy Cherry had appeared next to him. I glared at them and a woman walking by quickened her step thinking that I’d glowered at her.

“What was that all about?” Mindy asked.

“I have no idea what came over me.” I took another swig from the bottle. “I was aware of what was happening, but I couldn’t stop.”

“You should have seen your moves. I was shocked. I never knew your body could move like that.”

In spite of the seriousness of what had happened I couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “I did have some killer moves, huh? But that wasn’t me and I know someone else was responsible.” I glared at Candy Cherry. “I have a feeling I know who did it.”

Mindy looked over her shoulder. She knew who I was talking about.

“I’m calling off the class,” she said.

“No, no. I’m fine now. I’ll go outside and get a little fresh air.”

She paused. “If you’re sure?”

I nodded. “I’ll be fine.”

Of course I told Mindy that, but I wasn’t so convinced myself.