Ghosted (completed)

Should've Just Gone To Bed

My eyes trailed Oliver as he jogged up the staircase, passing right through people without as much as a glance back down at me. Once he'd disappeared in the crowd of young adults crowded around the railing at the top of the stairs, I leaned back into the wall and shut my eyes, inhaling and exhaling for a few minutes in hopes it'd help me keep it together.

Outside of my frequent vistors every Halloween, I was always in a constant state of depression. This wasn't just my birthday-but the day my mother's heart had stopped beating. My beautiful, selfless mother who'd insisted if it came down to it that I be saved and not her.

Before I could lose myself further in my own head, I glanced to my right in hopes I might spot a familiar face, and nearly slammed my head back against the and jumped, my heart kickstarting into gear when I found Kingston had joined me.

He was in a Mad Hatter costume, the green hat on his head deliberately askew, and tie backwards. I fought the urge to run him to the bathroom to add some finishing touches to the look.

"Kingston." I eventually greeted, trying to keep my voice neutral.

He dropped his eyes to the red solo cup in his hands. "Ophelia."

Hearing him using the full-name card on me had my heart sinking and I pushed away from the wall, but he caught my wrist before I could get too far.

"I'm sorry for overreacting." he apologized. "Look, it's none of my business who you decide to mess around with, alright? I just wish it wasn't him. I miss you, Fai."

I didn't hesitate to throw my arms over his shoulders and burrow my head into the tattered red jacket of his costume. "If you would have listened, let me explain, then you'd know it's not like that. I. . . I've been seeing Oliver St. James."

Kingston looked confused-and a little impressed. "You've been messing around with both of them?"

"No, King." I cuffed his wrists. "I mean I'm the only one that can see Oliver."

I watched realization dawn on him before his eyes started to widen, scanning our surroundings, "He's dead?"

"I don't know." I answered honestly. "Something is different this time, King. Everything. . .it feels different."

He stared down at me for a while, taking in my fearful expression as he sipped at his cup, then finally said. "I'm sorry I didn't listen, Fai. But. . . but what the hell is going on with this costume? It isn't you."

I shrugged a shoulder, "I kind of like it."

"Why?"

"Because it makes me feel like I'm actually worth looking at."

King reached out with his left hand and squeezed my shoulder, "Fai, you don't need to dress like this to feel that way. The kind of guys you'll attract wearing this aren't worthy of you."

I felt that was an indirect dig at Marcus and it made me smile. "I know."

"You're beautiful." he complimented, brushing a strand of hair out of my eyes. "I've told you that since we were kids."

"I know. I just. . . sometimes I feel like a freak. Like nobody living wants to come within a hundred feet of me."

He shook his head, "It's not that, Fai. You just don't allow anyone in. They try, you're the one who pushes everyone away when they get too close."

I wanted to respond, but I wouldn't have gotten the chance even if I had one, because my best friend leaned in to hug me from the side, readjusted my faux wings, then excused himself to go greet some of his teammates.

I turned on my heel and started for the kitchen, only slowing when I caught sight of Axel with a girl as sparsely dressed as me dragging her long acrylic down his chest. Before I could even comprehend how to feel about the scene, every hair on my body stood and I lifted my head a fraction of an inch, not surprised to find Oliver had reappeared beside me, eyes shooting from my trembling hand to his brother, then behind us.

The feeling wasn't like the cold dread that surfaced whenever a ghost was near, but something I don't think I've ever quite experienced before. My skin started to crawl, goosebumps spreading across both arms as I whispered, "You feel it too?"

Oliver nodded, but rather than utter a word to me, he crossed the kitchen and locked his fingers around a red solo cup. I straightened, my eyes widening in horror over the action, and I watched as he closed the distance between himself and his older brother and his new friend, then dumped the beer over Axel's head.

Except when I blinked again, it was me standing inches from the couple, the girl flinging excess beer from her hands and across my face before she snapped something under her breath and stormed off. I wholeheartedly expected Axel to explode on me over ruining his chances of getting laid, but glancing up, I realized he probably didn't care too much. He was more than a little tipsy, and the blues in his eyes intensified as he glared down at me.

"What the hell, Ophelia?"

I spun to make a gesture toward Oliver, but he'd disappeared. Of course, he had.

"I. . . he. . .Oliver." I shook my head, realizing trying to explain what happened when I still couldn't process it myself was useless. "You know what? Whatever. Someone is watching me."

Axel didn't seem concerned. Hell, the asshole yawned before muttering, "Every guy here is looking at you."

"Axel, I'm serious." I huffed like a young child. "I felt it. Oliver felt it."

Axel straightened a little at that and grasped my hand in his large, calloused palm, then dragged me out the front door and onto the porch. The second we're outside, he starts to move forward until I'm cornered in between the railing encasing the porch and the wall. He's no doubt blocking everyone's view from me, but I'm far too aware of the heat of his body against mine-and I don't like it.

"Hey, Ophelia." Oliver whispered, earning a gasp out of me as he leaned forward. "Your friend, did he tell you that he was leaving?"

"No." I breathed, then peeked under Axel's arm to follow Oliver's gaze.

King, Marcus, another guy, and two girls are crowded around Marcus' BMW.

Something started to tighten in my gut and I slowly tilted my head back to get a good look at Axel. He was still staring at the group across the yard, eyebrows drawn in concentration. "They look like they're in a pretty heated argument."

My eyes flickered from Axel to his brother shaking his head to my left. "Do they look familiar to you? Do you remember anything?"

Oliver staggered back suddenly, and my hand instinctively shot out to get a hold of him before he could fall, but my fingers went right through his arm.

"What?" I asked. "What's wrong?"

Oliver buried a hand in his dark hair and looked at me. "Serena. All of them. I left with them around midnight after the party."

The knot tightened and expanded to my chest. "Where'd you go?"

"I don't know." Oliver mumbled, then shouted, "Fuck!"

Axel, reminding me of his presence, touches a hand to my forearm and asks, "What? Does he remember something?"

Seeing King climb into the passenger seat, I nodded slowly. "Yeah. And if we want answers, we're going to need to follow that car."