He wasn't worth it.

He knew that. He neighbors knew that. Heck, probably the whole Neitherworld knew that! As a matter of fact, forget the 'probably'.

He wasn't worth it.

No one really liked him. Frankly, he was fine with that. He didn't like anyone else anyway. Well, no one except Lydia. And Jacque. And maybe Ginger. And the Monster Across the Street. And Doomie. And…

Oh, who was he kidding? He liked a lot of people. But it was better to keep the 'like-list' short. Less people could mess with you that way. And even for the people he did like, he made sure to keep them a good arm's length away. A good prank always riled them up and kept them on their toes.

It was safer that way.

Well…except for one. Lydia. He wouldn't pull a prank on her. Not like the others. She'd probably see though it anyway, but he didn't want to risk it. Not with her. More than someone he liked a bit, she was…his friend. His best friend.

For…some reason.

Lydia was a girl. A normal, teenage, human, mortal girl. She was his only friend in the living world. Had been for centuries. Well…actually…ever.

There was just no call for Lydia to even acknowledge his presence, let alone be his friend. She said he was funny, but she could just as easily laugh at him from the other side of the street like everyone else in the Neitherworld. He knew he gave her dull mortal life some excitement, but with all the times she reined him in, rather than turning him loose, he didn't think that was the reason. She got him out of all of his troubles, while he got her into more trouble in one day than most girls her age got into in their entire lifetimes!

But at the end of the day. She still said 'See you tomorrow, Beetlejuice!' like it was a promise.

He wasn't worth it.

He was a rude, crude, smelly, mean, disgusting, greedy, heartless, uncaring, filthy, crass, conniving, idiotic, 'Ghost With The Most' and that wasn't even the complete list of vices he had.

But she still called for him. She still came over almost every day. He couldn't understand it. He didn't understand a lot of things, but this was really brain-twisting.

Ow.

She…liked him. She liked him, and she liked being his friend. He knew he drove her nuts sometimes, but still, she would giggle at his puns and help him out of whatever situation he'd gotten himself into at the time.

He wasn't worth it.

Oh, he knew that hanging around with him had its few perks. He usually had the most fun in the Neitherworld. But he could handle the dangers that came with it because…there wasn't much more anyone could do to him. He was dead, and she was alive, and he put her in danger.

He wouldn't trade their friendship for anything, though! Not even all the money in both worlds. But he still prepared himself for the day when he popped into her mirror, and she wouldn't be there. She was a teenager after all. She still had a lot of growing up to do. He could frighten anyone and everyone, but the thought that he might just be a phase to her, scared him more than Sandworms. He feared the day that she rejected him, more than anything, but he still showed up every day. He waited for the moment when she would turn her head away, not saying his name even once, but he still asked for them every time he came over. And she still said them, with a smile on her face.

"Hey, Babes!"

He wasn't worth it. He wasn't worth her. But he couldn't ever tell her that. If she hadn't wondered why she was still hanging around some smelly, creepy, old dead guy, he wasn't going to bring it to the forefront of her mind. He was going to savor every smelly, disgusting, freaky little second of their time together.

"Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!"