I was just trying to focus on breathing. It was difficult, trying to keep a level head about having to tell the guy that had asked me out that I was no longer interested in having a potential relationship with him.

"Beej, I'm having second-thoughts," I whispered over my shoulder, ringing my hands anxiously. I felt his cold hand gently rest on my shoulder.

"Hey, (Y/N), it's okay. I'm right behind you."

I inhaled another deep breath and walked up behind Dalton, nervous as crap. I hesitantly tapped him on the shoulder. "Uh, Dalton?"

He turned around to face me. "Oh, hey, (Y/N)! I was just gonna..... wait, what's wrong?" he asked suddenly, his brow furrowing.

"I uh, I can't do this."

"What?"

I stared at the ground.

"I'm sorry. I really wanted this to work out, but... It just feels all wrong."

"I don't understand-"

I took a deep breath and looked up at him resolutely. 

"This relationship can't go anywhere." 

He stared at me. I stared back. Neither of us made any move to address the situation and move the conversation along. Beej floated beside us, watching the awkwardness ensue. Before Dalton even uttered another word, I mumbled a quiet "goodbye" before swiftly exiting the building and hopping into my car, locking it and just sitting in silence. 

Beetlejuice materialized in the passenger seat beside me, glancing over at me in concern.

"Hey, ya did good back there, you know."

I sighed. "It doesn't feel like it. I feel awful. I just hate that-"

I bolted up-right in my seat and stopped talking when I saw Dalton quickly emerge from Panera and search for my car. He spotted my lime green Kia and made a beeline straight for it. 

"Crap! What do I do??"

Beej gave me a sly look, and I knew what he wanted. 

I hesitated.

Then I had a thought.

I was done being scared and cautious. 

Screw it.

I turned to my companion. "Okay, I'm gonna summon you, but only to kinda back me up, okay? Can you somehow disguise yourself to look more...."

"....Alive?"

I nodded. "Yeah. That."

With a snap of his fingers, Beetlejuice was suddenly in cargo shorts, flip-flops, a t-shirt depicting the band QUEEN, and a stylish pair of aviator sunglasses. His hair was now more fully brown, with only the very tips their normal electric green color. His skin was slightly less pale. I stared at him, impressed.

"Okay, that's really good."

"I know."

I rolled my eyes at him, glancing at the rapidly approaching Dalton in front of us. I turned back to Beetlejuice and sighed. 

"Okay, here goes," I said, squeezing my eyes shut. "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!"

Other than a deep chill that ran down my spine and seemed to seep into my bones, nothing noticeably changed when I chanted his cursed name. I cracked an eye open hesitantly. 

"Did it work?"

He grinned at me. "It did."

I exhaled in relief, a knot forming in the pit of my stomach. I ignored it. 

Before I knew what was happening, there was tapping on my window. I looked over, slightly startled, and noticed that it was Dalton. I cranked my car so I could roll the window down, squinting as the tinted glass descended out of the way of the morning rays of sunlights. 

"Look, (Y/N), I-" His gaze shifted past me and landed on something in the passenger seat. I knew he saw Beej. "Um, who's that?"

I turned. "Oh! Dalton, this is BJ, my best friend. BJ, this is Dalton. The guy that it didn't work out with."

My companion gave him a tight smile and nodded at him. Dalton gave a slight, awkward wave in response. I turned back to the red-head, putting on my own sunglasses. "Can I help you?"

He sighed. "Look, I want you to come over for dinner tomorrow night. Let me convince you that this could work. I really... I really like you, (Y/N)." 

I shifted uneasily. "Dalton, I really don't think-"

"Come on, let me prove it. Let me make you see how this can work."

"Dalton, really, I-"

"Please, (Y/N)."

Beetlejuice leaned forward in his seat and glared at Dalton. "Hey, pal, she said no, so get lost before I get out of this car and beat your-"

"Beej. Stop."

"Well, he needs to learn no means no!"

"Yeah? And what are you going to do to me, old man??"

I could feel Beetlejuice tense up, and my worried, slightly scared gaze flitted over to him. His fists were clenched and his jaw set. Rage was pouring off of him in waves. 

"Beej, I swear to god, if you possess him-"

That caught both of their attention. 

"Possessed??"

"You know, I was considering getting a sandworm involved, but possession is so much simpler...."

I glared at him. "Beej."

We were locked in a stare-down for a few seconds, but I finally won, because he broke eye contact and folded his arms in a huff. "Fine. But if he tries anything again, I will personally show up to his house with one of those old-fashioned guillotines they used in the French revolution."

Dalton looked mildly horrified. "Um, yeah, like you have one," he taunted, trying to save face. 

That's when I realized that Dalton wasn't the sharpest tack in the box. I mean, who jeers at a man who just implied that he was going to show up to where you live in order to decapitate you?

With a snap of his fingers, a large, ancient-looking guillotine appeared right outside the car and next to Dalton. He yelped and jumped away from the execution device. 

"I have one, now. And unless you'd like to volunteer for a live demonstration here in the parking lot, I suggest you leave. Now."

Dalton had gotten extremely pale, and nodded shakily, stumbling as fast as he could back to his car. 

I sighed, and slumped back against my seat. "Well, that went well."

Beetlejuice shrugged and snapped his fingers once more, the guillotine suddenly vanishing. "I thought I got the point across pretty effectively."

"WITH A FREAKING GUILLOTINE??"

He shrugged again. "Viva Lá Revolution, I guess. Those French knew how to make a head-slicer."

I made a face. "That's disgusting."

"It's just business."

"Nasty business."

".....I got rid of him, didn't I?"

".....I guess."

"A thank-you would be appreciated, right about now."

I rolled my eyes and sighed. 

"Thank you."

I then turned up the radio and sped towards home, cranking the volume up and rolling the windows down as "Vampire Money" by My Chemical Romance started blasting over the speakers.

*AUTHOR'S NOTE*

Hey, everyone! Sorry about being MIA lately lol. I've been SUPER SUPER busy with commissions and studying for the ACT. I also just moved, so things are a little topsy-turvy right now, but I'm trying to get back into writing as much as I can! I'm hoping to update the other two fanfics on my page as soon as I can! A new chapter of Timeless should be out sometime in the near future, and as for A Perfect Broadway Cover-Up, I don't know how long the next chapter for that one is going to take. I'm having a bit of trouble with fleshing that one out, so please bear with me! Thank you all so much for your love and support, I really appreciate it.

Ciao, bellas!

~Smol Emo