I spent the rest of the day unpacking and arranging my furniture. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that I worked on unpacking and arranging furniture in short bursts in between long bouts of surveying my apartment in satisfaction and daydreaming while looking out the windows at the surrounding property. Despite my laziness I had managed to unpack all my belongings and had put nearly everything into its proper place by midafternoon.

Unfortunately I hadn't considered what I would eat for dinner that evening and hadn't had the foresight to buy anything to eat. I went through the cupboards in the kitchenette on the off chance the previous tenant had left behind a can of soup or perhaps a perhaps a perfectly preserved package of Twinkies. Unfortunately, I had no such luck.

A quick search of the refrigerator yielded the same results. I couldn't help sighing in exasperation. I really was an idiot sometimes. For a moment I considered just skipping dinner and going to bed. However, it was far too early to go to bed and I had already skipped lunch.

In the front room I took the thick flannel shirt that I was using as a light jacket off the hook on the door and put it on. For a moment I thought about Bill's aborted comment about how I dressed. He was right, I did dress like a boy. That with my short hair and nickname, well, no wonder why people mistook me for a boy. I considered taking off the flannel shirt but quickly rejected the idea. I didn't own anything particularly girly. More than though was the fact that I liked my clothes and my hair. Even my name. If the price was being mistaken for a boy every so often then so be it.

Having made up my mind I stepped out into the hallway, locking the door behind me. I wasn't sure what to do about dinner but I assumed there would at least be a convenient store not too far away. I tried to remember if I had seen any convenient stores on the way this morning but couldn't dredge up any clear memories. For a moment I considered asking Ranalea where the closest one was but then it occurred to me that she and Bill would probably insist on feeding me themselves. It was already pretty clear that they were planning on treating me like family. I was grateful for the kindness and I was already fond of them but I didn't want to impose on them more than necessary. As friendly as they were I was very aware that they were still my landlord and landlady.

As I descended the stairs to the first floor I worried that one or both of them might be out on the porch. As it turned out neither of them were but someone else was; a girl around my age. She had shaggy dark hair with bangs long enough to cover her eyes. Her hair was long enough in back to spill over her collar. She was quite pale and when she turned to look at me as I stepped out onto the porch I could see a light sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheekbones.

If I had an over-all impression of her it was black. She had heavy black eye shadow and had painted her fingernails black. Her clothes were black as well; a black t-shirt, black jeans, and heavy black leather boots. About the only things she wore that weren't black were the profusion of bracelets on her wrists.  

She smiled at me and I noted the straight, even, white teeth. "Hi, you must be the new tenant. I'm Jamie."

"I'm Ronnie," I said, returning her smile. "Nice to meet you." 

She put out her hand and I took it in mine. As our hands touched I felt the same shock that one sometimes gets when making physical skin-on-skin contact with someone particularly attractive, as if there was an electric current being passed between the two people in question. I was surprised by my reaction to her touch. I wasn't a confirmed lesbian by any means although I had fooled around with a female friend in high school and enjoyed it well enough. Still,I generally had a preference for boys.

"Nice to meet you," she replied as I withdrew my hand. "So, how do you like it here so far?"

"It seems nice," I answered. "Bill and Ranalea are really great."

"So finished with unpacking yet?" she asked.

"Yup, now it's dinner time," I said. "Unfortunately, I forgot to get something to eat this evening. I don't suppose you could point me toward the nearest convenient store."

"You're going to walk there?"

"I was planning on it," I told her.

"That will be a long-ass walk," she said.

I shrugged. "It's either that or go hungry for the night. Anyway, I don’t mind a bit of a walk."

She held up a finger. "I have a better idea, just wait here for a minute." Not waiting for an answer she ran off the porch and around the side of the house. I wasn't left with much of a choice but to wait for her. While waiting for her to return I contemplated my luck. Jamie was cute but with her deliberately unkempt hair, pale skin and dark clothing she seemed like the stereotypical emo type to me. Yes, she was cute but she was a girl.

Jamie came back around from the side of the house pushing a bicycle. "Why walk when you can ride?"

"You're going somewhere?" I kept my tone light in an attempt to mask my disappointment.

She gave me a funny look, raising an eyebrow. "We both are."

"There's only one bicycle," I pointed out.

"What, you've never seen two people riding on the same bike before?"

"Well, of course I have but-"

"Then don't worry about it so much," she said. "See, this bike has a banana seat. Plenty of room for both of us." She climbed onto the bicycle and turned to me, holding out a hand. "C'mon, get on."

I didn't have to be told twice. I left the porch and climbed onto her bicycle, sitting behind her on the banana seat.

"See, like I said, plenty of room," Jamie said. "Now, just put your arms around me and hold tight. I don't want you falling off." I followed her instructions and put both arms around her as she kicked off and started pedalling. "See, that's not so bad now, is it?"

I had to admit it wasn't so bad. I clung to her a bit tighter than necessary and closed my eyes, imagining for a moment that I was holding onto a boy. I even rested my head against her shoulder.

I didn't realize we had arrived at our destination until Jamie stopped the bicycle and dismounted. I opened my eyes when she pulled away from me to get off of the bicycle. "Uh...."

"We're here, Sleeping Beauty," she said as she held the bicycle steady so I could get off.

Where "here" happened to be was a 50s style Americana diner. Even from outside I could hear an Elvis Presley tune playing from the jukebox. The restaurant featured a profusion of American flags and neon both inside and outside. A huge neon sign in flashing red, white and blue informed me that the name of the diner was Hamburger Heaven.

"I'm guessing you're no vegan," I said, still staring at the flashing neon sign.

Jamie laughed at that. "I tried it once, it didn't take."

I nodded in agreement. "Even if I could manage to never eat meat I could never go without ice cream, cheesecake or chocolate milk."

"Well, since we're both red-blooded meateaters let's go on in and send a couple of hamburgers to heaven," Jamie said as I opened the door for her. She gave me a lovely smile as she walked through the doorway. "You're such a gentleman."

I almost laughed. Mistaken for a boy twice in one day. No wonder Jamie seemed interested in me. Well, it settled the question of any possible attraction. I was somewhat disappointed but also relieved. Finding a potential boyfriend or even girlfriend so easily was too good to be true. But once the other shoe had dropped I no longer had to worry about it.

Jamie noticed that I was no longer walking behind her but had stopped while contemplating my situation. "Is something wrong?"

I smiled and shook my head. "Sorry, I just had a sudden thought. I'm one of those clumsy people who shouldn't think and walk at the same time. Anyway, where should we sit?"

Jamie pointed to a booth in the far corner that was butt-up against one of the windows facing the street. The window ledge sported an assortment of memorabilia, the centerpiece of which happened to be a two foot tall statue of Big Boy. I shrugged my assent and followed her to the booth.

"Now there's a guy who sent a lot of hamburgers to heaven," Jamie said as she took the bench on the opposite side of the table.

"And a lot of hamburger corpses down the...nevermind."

"There's a nice image to start of a meal with," she said.

"Sorry," I said, my face feeling as if it were burning. "Sometimes I forget to engage the all important brain-to-mouth filter."

"Not a big deal," she said, shrugging her shoulders, "I've heard a lot worse. My family has a real penchant for that sort of thing."

"Sounds a bit like my family," I said.

Embarrassing discussions about bodily functions at the dinner table," Jamie said, rolling her eyes. "That's one thing I can say I don't miss about living with my family."

"I really can't say much since I apparently will be continuing my own family's fine tradition."

"Well then, let's talk about something different," she said. "So what do you think of the place so far?"

"Seems really nice," I said, grateful for a safe topic to talk about. "The house is pretty and my apartment has a good amount of space for just one person. Plus, Bill and Ranalea are nice. The only real downside is it's so close to the Verboten Woud."

"There is that," Jamie said, nodding her head. "So why did you choose your apartment?"

"Rent is cheap," I answered.

"Rent really is cheap there," Jamie said. "When I was apartment hunting I found that Bill and Rana have the cheapest rental rates by far. My apartment costs less than apartments that are half the size."

"How do they manage to make any money?"

"I'm pretty sure the house is just a hobby to them," Jamie replied. "I think they run a business in town."

"Oh? What kind of business?"

She shrugged as she picked up a menu and looked it over. "Don't have any clue. They could be Lotto winners or drug dealers for all I know."

"Oh, I see," I said as I picked up a menu as well. I certainly didn't think that Ranalea and Bill were drug dealers. The chances that they had won the lottery was pretty remote as well. I decided that whatever it was that they did for a living was unimportant.

"So have you met your next-door neighbour yet?"

I looked up from the menu. "Not yet, Ranalea mentioned something about her."

"I'll bet," Jamie said. "Did she mention that your neighbour is creepy as hell?"

"Those weren't her exact words but yes, she did say something to that effect. I take it you met her?"

"Jezebel?" Jamie said, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I met her. I know that Ranalea thinks that living so close to the Verboten Woud twists people but that girl was clearly a weirdo long before she ever moved to the Wilkes Barrington."

"Ranalea says that everyone at the Wilkes Barrington is at least a bit weird," I said. "I know I am."

Jamie shook her head. "You seem pretty normal to me. Almost boringly so." She gave me a wink. "Cute though, so the boring part is forgivable."

"I'm afraid I might have to disappoint you," I said. "I'm not what you think I am."

"You mean you aren't a cute but somewhat socially awkward tomboyish girl named Veronica?"

"You know?"

Jamie laughed at my open-mouthed reaction. "I overheard you and Bill this morning. Even if I hadn't I wouldn't have mistaken you for a boy. Bill is an interesting guy to talk to but in some ways he's an idiot."

"I don't think he's an idiot," I said. "Not for something like that. I've been mistaken for a boy quite a few times."

"All that proves is that there are more idiots than just Bill," Jamie replied.

"Usually I feel like I'm the idiot," I said.

"Why ever for?" Jamie asked.

"Well, you said it yourself," I answered, "I'm socially awkward."

"That hardly makes you an idiot," Jamie said. "Besides, you're doing just fine right now with me, you can't be that socially awkward."

"Were you unpopular in school?"

She laughed, a sudden loud bark. "Hell, yes!"

"There's your answer," I said. "I do well with other social outcasts."

Jamie pumped her fist into the air. "Here's to the Sisterhood of Social Rejects!"

Total membership: two," I said as I looked down at the menu if front of me. "This half of the Sisterhood is hungry."

"Yes, as a newly formed group the Sisterhood's first order of business is to send some hamburgers to Heaven."

I had a sudden thought. "You know, I'll bet Jezebel was pretty unpopular in school too."

"Probably," Jamie said. "However, I doubt she's Sisterhood material. For one thing, I doubt she'd join us for a night of sending hamburgers to Heaven. She strikes me more as the type that drinks the blood of small animals."

"C'mon now," I said, uncomfortable with the amount of bile that Jamie seemed to insist on directing at Jezebel.

"She really is that creepy!" Jamie insisted. "Just wait, you'll find out for yourself."

***

That night I had a chance to find out for myself. It was dark by the time Jamie and I got back home and she dropped me off at the front porch. "Wait for me, I'm gonna put my bike away, I'll be right back." I did as she asked and waited on the porch until she returned a couple minutes later. "C'mon, let's go on up," she said when she returned. I followed her up the stairs. She didn't stop when she reached the second floor and I continued to follow her up to the third floor where she stopped in front of the door to my apartment.

"You want to come inside?" It seemed like a silly question, I certainly couldn't think of any other reason for her to go up to the third floor.

"I'd love to but not tonight," she replied. "I just wanted to tell you that I had fun tonight and to give you this."

She didn't have anything in her hands so I had no clue what 'this' was. "Give me what, exactly?"

"This." She grabbed the front of my shirt and yanked me forward. I was so taken by surprise that I was completely unable to resist when she leaned forward to kiss me. Her lips were soft and warm and I decided that there was no reason to resist something so pleasant.

She finally pulled back and I opened my eyes. "What...what was that?"

"Are you angry?"

I was certainly feeling a number of things at that moment but anger wasn't one of them. "Not at all, you took me by surprise is all."

"Well, it was a kiss," she said. "It can mean as much or as little as you want."

"A kiss of indeterminate meaning, huh?"

"I guess so," she said. "The meaning depends on you. Look, Veronica, I like you. I'm also lonely and quite often, horny. I think you can connect the dots."

"So you want to...." I was unable to finish the sentence.

"I know it must seem really sudden to you," Jamie said. "I'm not trying to pressure you into anything. I'm just signaling my availability. Very emphatically signaling my availability."

"You've certainly given me a lot to think about," I said.

"I went too far, didn't I?" Jamie said. "I'm sorry, I'm very impulsive and I do stupid things like this. I always fuck things up."

"No, no, no," I insisted. "I'm not upset at all. It was actually enjoyable. I just haven't figured how I feel about it yet. It's okay if we're just friends?"

"Of course!" she said, vigorously nodding her head. "Of course we can be friends. Or friends with benefits. Or more. perhaps. There's no rush. We just met today after all. I'm just letting you know that there are...options."

"Okay," I said. "For right now I'm going to choose the friend option."

"Benefits to be decided later?" she asked.

"Benefits to be decided later," I confirmed. "I can promise you the benefit of my friendship but beyond that...."

"No, that's totally cool, I understand," she said. "Anyway, see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow," I said, smiling. Having a friend to spend time with was something to look forward to. It was something a majority of people took for granted. For me it was still something pretty rare at the time and thus a real treat.

"Come down to my apartment in the morning, we'll have breakfast together," she said.

"Okay, what time?"

Jamie considered the question. "Hmmm, why don't I just come and get you when I'm ready?"

"Okay, sounds good," I said. "Anyway...."

"Good night, Ronnie," Jamie said.

"Good night," I replied.

***

Once inside my apartment I realized it was still too early to go to bed. I regretted not inviting Jamie in. But perhaps inviting her in would have led to something even more regrettable. Either way, the issue was moot since I was already in my apartment and presumably she had already returned to hers.

At a loss as how to kill time until I went to bed I ended up just sitting around on my bed. The apartment was small enough that exploring it in its entirety took less than a minute. Then I realized that there was a part of the apartment I hadn't explored yet. The balcony.

In the small study I unlocked the door that opened onto the balcony and stepped out. It was already dark out and it took a bit for my eyes to adjust to the lack of light. However, when my sight finally adjusted I realized I wasn't the only one on the balcony. Just beyond the railing that cut the balcony in half stood the tenant that shared the third floor with me. The so-called Ghost Lady. And she was staring at me.

I wasn't sure what the proper response was for the situation so I managed a weak half-wave, did my best to dredge up a convincing smile and after several long uncomfortable moments managed an awkward sounding, "Hello!" She didn't reply at all and again there was a long uncomfortable silence. I tried reading her face but it was too dark to make out her features clearly. I made another attempt at conversation. "Beautiful night, isn't it?" I looked up at the night sky. "The view of sky is just amazing."

I looked over at my neighbor to discover she was retreating. She backed up until she reached the door to her apartment. She blindly groped for the door handle while continuing to face me. When she found the door handle she pushed the door open and backed into her apartment. At that point she was no longer shrouded in darkness and I understood why Ranalea had called her the Ghost Lady.

She shut the door to her apartment, looking at me through the window. We both stayed like that, staring at each other through her window. Then she drew the curtain across the window, blocking her from sight. A moment later she turned off the light and her windows went completely dark.

Whatever spell had kept up us staring at each other apparently was more effective on me because I continued to stare at her window. Finally, I shook myself free of whatever spell was holding me in place.

I almost went back in my apartment. However, I had a very strong feeling that despite the fact that I could no longer see her my neighbor was still standing just on the other side of the door. I walked to the railing that separated my part of the balcony from hers. From there it was only a few steps to her door.

"I know you can hear me," I said while looking at the door. I was answered only by silence. "Fine, be that way. You know, I was only trying to be friendly. You didn't have to be so damn rude about it! I have as much right to be on the balcony as you do, you know!" With that I stomped back into my apartment and shut the door behind me.

My aborted attempt to talk my neighbor had completely ruined the good mood I had from meeting Jamie. Even though it was still too early to go to bed that's exactly what I did. I kicked off my shoes and flopped back onto my bed. I must have been more tired than I realized because as soon I laid down on my bed I fell asleep.