Ghost In Red

---    

A deep sigh escaped my lips as I walked to my bed to lay down. I just arrived in my room after searching for anyone who could notice me and help me out. Another day has passed, and eleven days is all I have left. I feel worried, anxious, and a bit hopeless.    

I don't know what to do anymore, but I can't give up. I need to keep going. Perhaps I should go to the Academy since I am done wandering at the mall, parks, streets, and other places where there are many people, which I hoped that I could find the hero that could save me from death.    

I looked at the digital clock on my nightstand and saw that it is already dismissal time at the PWA. There will be only a few students there. Maybe tomorrow.    

When my gaze stopped on the particular picture in a picture frame beside the clock, a smile slowly crept on my face. It's the five of us—my girls. Amanda, Daisy, Pauline, and Grace. Jonas took this photo of us last year on my seventeenth birthday. Damn, I missed them. I wonder, how are they doing now?    

Mmm, I think it's a good idea to visit them. That's what I am going to do right now. Who knows, maybe one of them could notice me. And it would be so wonderful.    

---    

After I went to the Thales' residence and found out that Grace isn't there, I went to Pauline's house, yet the girl was not there, also. Hmm, I bet a million bucks, they are hanging out altogether. Maybe they are working on an assignment or just having fun watching movies and chatting about anything.    

And, I know that they are indeed at the Grayson's condominium unit. Those two have always been the ones to offer their home for us to huddle whenever Dad and his wife are home, in which we cannot hang out at my territory.    

When I was almost halfway through my destination, I stopped in my tracks as I had arrived at the place that changed my life and made me what I am right now. I know that I wasn't the only one who got into an accident at this same crossing. Many have even lost their lives and left their loved ones. Now, I have one person in mind that this place reminds me of. And I am pretty sure that that accident her parents got into somehow made her much colder than she was before it happened. If she wasn't so mean towards me, almost all of the time, we could have been friends. But perhaps we could. Well, if what she said to me were true that she has nothing to do with that scandal with Harvey, maybe it's a perfect time to make a brand new start with her. Oh, what am I thinking?    

Damn, these shits I am going through indeed make me look at my life differently and how I would want to live if I would have the chance to be. Yeah, all the way to a happy and new life! My to-do list consists of finding my mom; treating Candice somewhat nicer; find out if Sydney really had a relationship with my ex... No, I will find out if who gave me those pictures and ask them why did they do it; then, find signs that the mean blondie is gay and is into me---shit, why would I even include it? But, yeah, why not? That would be so fun.    

My smile formed into something bigger when I had just thought of the perfect way to accomplish the last things on my list. Hmm. Me, a ghost? No problem. It will be the safest way to stalk someone. She better watch out.    

My grin disappeared when an aggressive bark of a dog cut me off from my pretty evil train of thoughts.    

"Hey, buddy! You can see me?" I asked the creature while I try not to get too close to him as he might bite me. Wait. No, he can't bite me. Who the heck am I kidding?    

The adorable husky has been barking while facing me, and his lady hooman tried to drag him away and belted, "Come on, Miggy! Do you see some ghosts again there? Come on, just let them be."    

I knelt to be on his level and tried to hush him, "Hello, nice to meet you, Miggy! I'm OJ. Can we be friends? Your kind has been the only ones who have noticed me so far. You look so cute; you know that? Now, I am thinking of getting a dog to be added to my list."    

He whined and wiggled his tail as I patted his head, and I stood up when they had left.    

I finally continued walking/floating to my friends' home while feeling so excited to see them all again.    

---    

"Yow, Mandy! Are you done with this chemistry book? Can I borrow it? I left mine at home."    

I smiled when I heard Grace's voice boomed even if I hadn't got inside the unit, and I think they had been doing homework or studying together. Oh, I missed going to school. The quarterly exams are approaching fast. That's going to be next week, and that would be the least of my problems. Life comes first.    

"No! Give me that, Grace! I am not done with it, you bitch! Go and get yourself one!" Amanda replied, walking out of the kitchen with some junk food in her hold, and the gay girl quickly stood up with the book in her grasp and went to Mandy.    

Oh, I missed all of these bitches.    

I went to the couch to have a better view of each of them. Hmm, Paulie changed her hairstyle. Wolf cut with red tints, huh? She looks good with it. Also, Daisy seemed to have gained a little weight while the two greatest enemies of our clique look the same.    

"Switch. I give you this; you give me those." Grace let out and handed the book to the girl who has been raising her left eyebrow and hiding the food behind her back, and Daisy, who was on the floor with Paulie and writing something in her notebook, snickered, "Everybody knows that you're a bottom, Grace."    

And, Paulie followed, "I think she never got laid since forever, girls. Isn't it right, Grace?"    

I laughed out loud as my poor roasted friend replied with a middle finger on her right hand's highest reach. Damn, if I am physically here with them, I would be cheering her up. But I don't think she is still a virgin, though. I mean, she dated quite a couple of girls since middle school, and I don't believe that she hasn't scored. Or maybe she really hasn't.    

"You all, shattap, because you know nothing about the whole story. I had even slept so late last night. We did seven rounds in two hours, you damn losers." Grace countered boastfully, and it made me look at her in wonder. What did she just say? Ooh, I think she is dating someone now. Mmm, that's so interesting.    

"And who the fuck is that? Your pillow?" Mandy jeered and laughed with the other girls, while the lesbian just smirked and wiggled her eyebrows, then replied, "You won't know her because I won't tell you."    

"Oh, trust me, if ever you are dating someone, you could have already clung with her at the academy... If she's our schoolmate." Pauline remarked and flipped her notebook to the next page, and Grace chuckled like a witch in response.    

"Oh, no, trust me, too, we have fucked in the restroom countless times." Grace bragged, which made the rest laugh even louder than earlier. Maybe she really is telling the truth. I mean, she looks so pretty and gay. Yep.    

Then Daisy composed herself and let out, "Now, that sounds like a fantasy to me, Grace. Are you working on writing a fiction novel? Let me be the first reader, alright?"    

"Well, no. It's not. Piss off if you won't believe it. Because I know I'll never love this way again~." She answered and sang full of emotions, which made me giggle at her silliness.    

"Seriously, Grace. Are you dating someone?" Pauline asked her with a firm tone of voice, and Grace just went to sit down on the bed after getting one pack of potato chips from Mandy and replied, "I already told you. But you won't know her yet, not unless OJ will be back."    

There was a moment of silence from the girls when my name was mentioned, and I noticed Mandy let out a sigh. "I missed her so much. I know we all do. And I hope she's getting better where she is right now and will be back here soon."    

"Yeah, I hope she's okay now. Well, anyway, why don't we take a five-minute break? Could you give me some of that, Mand?" Pauline uttered and stood up from the carpeted floor to sit down on the bed to munch some chips.    

---    

A few hours passed, and the girls had already eaten dinner. And they continued with reviewing and answering their other textbooks while I tried to see what lessons I have missed from the last month of classes.    

"Mwahahaha! I'm done!" Grace cackled and announced after she finished her Chemistry homework, and Mandy, who sat on the bed beside her, hit her with a pillow on the head, then shushed her, "You are so noisy, Grace. You better go home now or answer these chem-shits of mine. It's either of the two that you could do."    

"No, no, no. I have already helped you with your History reflection paper, your sister's stats homework, and Paulina's outline of her History class report. One at a time, bitches. I'm not a damn machine." The lazy smartass loud-ass lass protested as she stood upon the bed and bounced off.    

"And what would you do then?" Daisy asked her, lifting her gaze from her notebook, and Grace chuckled with a little bit of evil sound in it.    

"Now that you have asked me that, girl... Hand me your laptop as payment for the twenty-five-item statistics homework. Come on. I'm going to watch a movie. My curfew is nine, and I still have an hour and forty-two minutes. That's one movie without watching the credits. But doncha worry because you can throw me hard questions that you don't understand about the stuff you are working on, and I will try to supply your needs with what my pea brain could produce." Grace answered, and Daisy let out a sigh of defeat, then pointed at the study table, where the gadget is on. Well, thankfully, Grace helps them with their lessons. It used to be both of us.    

Sitting on the couch beside me, Grace turned on the laptop, and she snickered when she saw the wallpaper. It's Daisy and her boyfriend, Philip.    

She opened a folder named New Movies but went back when she saw something else on the computer screen. And instead, she opened the folder named Photos.    

Mmm, I would love to see moments of them that I have missed which Daisy has captured since I left. That girl is such a techie.    

Grace scrolled one picture to another with a broad smile on her face, the same as I do. These are mostly pictures of their cute munchkin cat and her babies.    

When my friend is currently looking at a recent photo of the four of them, I noticed her sigh sadly.    

"You could have been here, OJ." She muttered and continued scrolling down, and I know she is sad with the look in her soft blue-green eyes.    

"I am here, Grace," I answered and smiled. I just don't know how they will react if they hear that I am about to depart from the world of living completely. But no, I should think positively. I have faith that I can get through this. I can, and I will.    

A smile slowly crept again on her face when she looked at the picture where the five of us were eating at the diner in front of the Pryce Winsley Academy. I remember that day. It was last month—the first Friday of February. We usually hang out there whenever the weekend is about to come.    

Then suddenly, her smile faded while looking intently at the picture that flashed on the screen. I also wonder why Sydney Roswell has a picture here on Daisy's stuff. And both Grace and I looked at the thing in her hold with baffled faces as to why there are so many of them... not just Sydney's but also Harvey's.    

What is the meaning of this?