Ghost Peppers Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Julia Stein sat at her desk, her eyes drifting to the gloomy skies hanging over the schoolyard. The final bell of the day rang faintly, bringing with it a predictable surge of fatigue. She had just taken care of another student with the flu, yes, the third one that day and hoped it was the last.

The door creaked open, and a skinny teenager slumped in, her face looking downcast and flushed. Julia noticed her pale cheeks and the sheen of perspiration on her forehead.

"What's going on, sweetie?" Julia asked in a gentle yet firm tone. She beckoned the girl to sit down with a kind smile.

"I'm not sure," the girl replied with a sniff. "I just feel all achy."

Julia felt the girl's forehead with the back of her hand. "Looks like you've caught the flu, too. Do you feel sick to your stomach?"

The girl nodded, looking down at her hands, which were clutched tightly in her lap. Julia went through the motions automatically, getting a thermometer and some tissues ready.

"Rest here for a bit," she said soothingly. "We'll call your folks to come get you."

As the girl laid her head back, Julia's mind wandered. The idea of reinvention had been on her mind all day. It was something she'd fully embraced, a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time. Once, she'd been a different person, a version of herself that she barely recognized anymore. Back then, she'd felt weighed down by her own body, self-conscious about her curves that she'd joked about in private with a hint of bitterness.

But she'd worked hard to change, to become the woman she is today—slim, fit, and powerful. She liked to think of herself as a butterfly that had broken free from the cocoon of her old life, leaving behind the timid moth she used to be.

Yet, there was one thing from her past she couldn't shake off entirely—a regret, a longing wrapped in disdain. It was the woman she'd admired from afar, but it was more than admiration. It was a desire that had remained unrequited, something that made her furious and sad all at once.

The sick girl on the cot stirred, snapping Julia back to reality. She checked the thermometer and saw the low-grade fever.

"Your folks need to come pick you up," Julia said, her voice calm and professional. "You're not well."

The girl nodded gratefully, and Julia dialed the number.

While waiting for the call to connect, her thoughts drifted back to that woman from her past. But she pushed those feelings aside. She was strong now, not the weak person she used to be. She wouldn't let anyone, not even a ghost from her past, bring her down.

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The email notification popped up on Frank's screen, making his stomach clench. He felt like he was being punched as he read the words, a painful reminder of a time he'd rather forget.

"So utterly pathetic, Frank. You've always been a mistake—a failure who can't keep the woman he loves."

The email seemed to know just where to hit him hard, digging into his deepest fears and insecurities.

"Remember the nights you felt invisible? She's with someone else now, and it's a woman. She laughs at you, Frank."

The embarrassment and anger grew within him, a potent mix that was hard to ignore.

"But you can change that. You're part of something important, something that really matters. And you know what you have to do. Just like before. Show her you're not weak."

The message gave him a strange sense of purpose, a mission to prove himself.

"Make it look the same as last time. We're counting on you, Frank. You're not just watching anymore. You're making it right."

It was cold and cruel, but it felt like the truth, and he clung to it like a lifeline. He had a purpose now, something no one could take away from him.

The email provided an address and a time. He'd been down this road before. It was time to set things straight