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Teenage Ghost
Evan looked up Jeff from the floor, “I’m glad you and your mom worked things out. Can I see your new school clothes?”
“Sure.” Jeff said not looking up from the comic book he was reading.
Evan opened the closet and went through the clothes hanging in the closet. He slowly looked over his shoulder at Jeff, “Are you going for a new look this school year?”
Jeff looked over at his friend in silence.
Evan studied his friend closely. The clothes he wore now were just a baggy t-shirt over second hand jeans. The shirt was a faded green, well worn. It bore no special markings, it sported no sayings or logos. Jeff never wore brand name clothes, or anything that looked newer than five years. There were small holes in most of the comfortable looking garments Jeff wore. Even his high top sneakers were a faded black, more a patchy grey than the black they had been when they were new. The edges were almost all frayed from wear, and small holes showed in various places.
The clothes in the closet were that of someone who would be popular at school. It was all name brand clothes, with sneakers to match. He pulled out a brand name denim jacket and held it up. “I’ve never seen you wear anything like this before.”
“My mom bought it.” Jeff said disinterested and went back to his comic.
Wheels began to turn in Evan’s mind. With a wardrobe like this he would be able to date any girl he chose next year at school. He’d never actually been the cool guy on campus before, he’d never been able to afford clothes like these. “Hey Jeff…” he said slowly. “Do you care if I borrow some of your clothes when school starts?”
“Naw, I don’t care.” Jeff didn’t even look up or pay attention.
Evan held the clothes up to himself in Jeff’s mirror and imagined what the next school year would be like.
Jeff looked up and watched Evan daydreaming aloud. He drew in a deep breath and contemplated what the next year might be like. He promised he would keep Evan Jr safe, but how would he be able to do it if there was another girl like Vi? He was only slightly grateful Vi had a new plaything to occupy her time.
Evan began to part his hair on the opposite side, then he pushed it all forward while imagining himself in the new clothes.
“What do you care about your looks so much for?” Jeff closed the comic book and set it aside.
“Don’t you ever think about girls, Jeff?” Evan’s reflection shot him a look.
“I think about getting out of school, and getting into a decent college.” Jeff assured him. “Girls can wait.”
“Pfft.” Evan went back to his hair. “You study too hard, you’re a brainiac already. You don’t need to study so hard to make good grades. There’s no such thing as a triple A you know, so there’s no sense in trying to get one. You have time to get a girlfriend.” He put the clothes back in the closet and sat on the edge of the bed. “You got the clothes, all you need now is the girl, and you’ll be popular at school. I’m going to make it my mission to get you a girlfriend this year.”
Jeff gave him a concerned look, “I thought you wanted to get you a girlfriend.”
Evan smiled, “I can do both.”