Short & Sweet | ✓

Poltergeist

I scrape the chair back and sit on it, turning the heads of a few people around me. They look straight through me, almost as if I'm not there. To be fair, it's almost like I'm not.

I start singing as loud as I want, it's not like anyone can hear me. I stand on one of the canteen tables, causing the trays of everyone sat eating their lunch to shake. They look around confused, but I don't really pay attention as I continue to walk along the table, singing.

I've been at this school for what feels like forever. The people change, the days change, maybe even I change. But other than that? Every single day of my life is the same.

I never leave this school; and that sucks.

I can't even have a conversation with an actual human being. I haven't had one in 10 years. 10 years of watching people grow up; move on in life and leave me behind.

I get off the table and walk towards a crowd that has formed in the corner of the canteen. I watch as Brandon knocks another kids tray to the ground, food flying everywhere.

I sigh, and shake my head. Brandon does this a lot. He's a bit of a bully. So, I walk over and pants him.

"Who the hell did that?!" He shouts angrily, looking around and pulling his pants back up.

I laugh slightly as everyone backs away, hands in the air.

Obviously he doesn't see me, stood there, laughing. Why would he? I'm dead.

Dead. No longer living. Kicked the bucket. Passed away.

So why am I stuck in this damned place?

Because some idiot ran me over in the car park; that's why.

There I was, happy that I was finally free to go home, when out of nowhere I get shagged by someone's car bonnet. And now I'm never free to go home. So yeah, that's great.

I turn away from Brandon and sit with this boy who's on his own.

Sometimes I like to sit people on their own. So even though they can't see me, they're not completely alone.

He looks up and as expected, looks right through me.

I put my legs up on the table and cross my arms, singing once again.

Lunch ends and I walk between classrooms, knocking the occasional sheet of paper off a desk or hiding teacher's paper clips. Anything to keep myself entertained.

I walk into a science lesson that's just starting and take an empty stool next to a boy about my age. Well, my age before...y'know.

"Right, quick warm up question: What's the food test for glucose?" The teacher asks at the front of the classroom.

When no one puts their hand up to answer, I throw my arms up, exasperated.

Are they kidding? This is easy.

"Benedict's solution. It's not hard." I shout.

The boy next to me flinches.

I freeze instantly.

There's no way he heard that. He must be flinching at something else. He must be.

He looks around confused and I breath a sigh of relief, he probably just felt a draft when I threw my arms up or something.

He raises his hand to answer the question. "Benedict's, sir."

"Yes, thank you Liam."

"They ignore you if you just shout it out." He whispers next to me.