Kat Wells is the perfect student, cheerleader, and daughter. But that's not who she really is, not truly. The real her is hidden behind a perfect mask that nobody sees, except him.
Wally Clark was the perfect jock, friend, and son. But everything ch...
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When Kat woke up the next day, she had no idea where she was or how she got there.
All she knew was that she had died, and that Wally Clark was the only one who could see her.
She knew it was him. She was sure of it. But still, she couldn't ask him directly because when she opened her eyes, he was gone. Regaining her spirit, she recalled all that had happened the night before. Kat was dead, and it wasn't a bad dream anymore. Kat clutched her stomach and took deep breaths, suddenly feeling nauseous. After a few moments lost in her thoughts, she heard a gentle knock on the door.
"Yes?" she got up at the same time as the door opened. A teenager, looking a bit younger than her, was standing in the doorframe. She immediately felt reassured in his presence. Something about the boy was very calming. He adjusted the glasses on his nose, and the corners of his mouth turned up.
"Hi, I'm Charley!" he waved shyly before adding, "I'll be your afterlife guide for today." The word afterlife stuck in Kat's mind, and she cringed, crossing her arms around her body.
"So, it's a real job around here ?" she questioned with sarcasm. "You are a ghost too, right?" Charley nodded before asking her to follow him.
Walking through the halls, knowing nobody could see her, was a new experience. She tried to avoid bumping into people, but her new friend assured her that it was pointless. She was a ghost, so people would just go through her. To illustrate his point, a girl walked right into her, and nothing happened. So weird, she shivered from this odd experience.
She didn't think she would experience anything weirder than that until she saw her old friend group. The cheer squad was gathered around her locker, putting in place what seemed to be a memorial for her.
"It's so weird," she finally acknowledged out loud but Charley remained silent in respect for her.
"Hello, there, Cherry Pop!" a new voice echoed behind them. At first, she didn't pay attention to it since no one could see them, but then she felt eyes on her and turned around. A brunette with charcoal makeup and a beret was staring at them. She took the lollipop out of her mouth and began to study Kat with a smirk.
"I'm Kat," the girl said, maintaining eye contact.
"Yeah, I know, Cherry Pop," Kat couldn't help but smile a little at her nickname. She thought it was cute.
"That's Rhonda," Charley introduced, and she winked at me in confirmation. "It's nice meeting you – despite the...context," Kat sputtered, searching for the words to best describe the unreal day she was having.
She turned back to the scene unfolding before her eyes. The only one missing was Nat, and Kat's heart broke a little. She wanted to tell her she was okay and still here. Out of curiosity, she got closer and picked up a picture of the two of them on the locker. To her surprise, she managed to take it in her hands. What the...?
"Yeah," Charley explained. "That happens." Still holding the picture, she looked back to see the same photograph still in place on the locker. It was like there were two copies of it now, one for the living and one for... her.
"C'mon, Cherry Pop, M. Martin wants to meet you."
"Who?"
She stared at the two in shock. "How many more ghosts are there?"
"It's a school, dummy. How many people do you think have died there?" the brunette responded, beginning to walk away.
With so many questions in mind, Kat started to follow her but was cut short when she heard Clara's voice. "She was one of my closest friends, not to say the best...it's so horrible." Her eyes widened as she studied the crocodile tears of her former not-so-close friend crying in the arms of Liam. Her ex-boyfriend, douchebag Liam.
"Who the hell does she think she is?" stated Rhonda.
"Wow, that's harsh," added Charley. All Kat could do was watch. Not that she cared about Liam, but her friend's behavior was kind of unnatural. Something was wrong here, but she couldn't tell what exactly.
She felt Charley's hand on her arm. "Come on, it's better not to think about it. Let's join the others." She let him direct her to the gymnasium but couldn't help but question what Rhonda had said. "Why do you all stay here? You're ghosts. You could go anywhere in the world!"
Nobody answered. Rhonda looked down, and Charley bit his lip. Before she could ask again, they were in the middle of the gymnasium, and she suddenly forgot her question. Wally was there, a big smile on his face as he watched her take a seat next to him. A group of teenagers was settled on chairs, displayed in a circle.
Wally greeted her but his eyes didn't leave hers. And she couldn't look away either for some reason. Her cheeks went red when they heard a throat cleared, and she looked away, still sensing the boy watching her.
The origin of the sound was a skinny yet strict-looking young teacher with round glasses and a style from the 50s.
"Welcome, Miss Wells. It is truly a pleasure to meet you," he began, his mouth curving into a half-smile. "Everyone, let's welcome Katherine."
"Hello, Katherine," everyone echoed, making the girl blush even more. "Just Kat, please," she rectified, sensing Wally quietly laughing next to her.
"Well, Kathe – Kat, I hope you're not too shaken by your situation. Charley has been appointed as your guide, and he will help you settle in the school. I don't usually give a lot of homework to do but – well, I'll need you to write a necrology and explain what exactly happened and –"
She didn't really listen to the rest of the request, and she wasn't even sure he was done talking before she cut the discussion short. "I don't need a guide. I'm going to go home actually. This place is not for me," she got up, everyone looking down except for Rhonda who was smirking at her. "This place has a lot of memories, some bad and – well, all bad actually so I'm just going to go."
She began walking away but turned to the small group adding, "and I'm not writing that. It's...it's," her mouth was dry, and she wiped her palms against her cheer skirt, suddenly feeling very anxious.
"Kat," Wally stood, walking slowly to her. "You can't leave."
She took a step back. "Why the hell not?"
"Let her try, sunshine," responded Rhonda behind them.
At those words, she turned and began to walk fast towards the exit. Her walk became a run as she raced through the building. She passed the gates and didn't stop. She was leaving, she was going home and –
As she passed the sidewalk, she suddenly found herself on the field, on the exact spot she died the night before. She stared in disbelief at the dried blood still on the ground. "What is happening?" she exclaimed out loud, clearly letting the panic explode. She got back on her feet and started running again, and again, and again, until she was too tired to try anymore.
When she finally gave up, she lay down on the grass, looking up at the sky, which now had an orange and pink glow. She knew he was there but didn't say anything until he was lying next to her.
She turned her head to Wally and asked, "What now?"
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well well, some people are sus don't you think ?
little spoiler for the next chapter : Wally and Kat are finally going to talk to each other AHHH i'm so excited, are you ?
