Ghost Of You (A Novella)

Chapter Seventeen (REWRITTEN)

Staring at the Ouija board for the better part of the day, Avery finally broke down after the sun fell beneath the horizon.

Every bit of Sebastian's presence lingered on, silently haunting her. His absence left a cavernous void and though Milo tried really hard, his loud purring couldn't comfort her. Hugging the toilet, she dry heaved through sobbing coughs, feeling nothing less than stupid for thinking they were friends.

"Think whatever you want, but I am not here because I chose to be."

"This isn't ideal."

"I tried to leave..."

"Decided I would just make the best of it."

"I'm Avery—woe is me!"

"I'm done with this!"

Why hadn't she seen it before? He had made it quite clear. Of course they weren't friends. He had found a way to rid himself of her and it was all her fault because she was the one that brought him back to his body. He no longer needed her.

Avery knew she should be happy for Sebastian—she really wanted to. He could go and do and be without any of the prior restrictions she always suspected he blamed her for. That was great news for him, even better if he was able to wake up but she couldn't get over the betrayal of being left in the dust the first chance he got.

She thought she had meant more to him.

Avery created her best artwork that night. Dark and gloomy and only a shadow of the Sebastian she once knew... the first piece in a line of many to come.

***

"Yo, new-bie!," Chase shouted through cupped hands. Avery hadn't taken two steps out of the elevator before he was pulling her by the arm through the streamer lined hallway, kicking colorful balloons that randomly littered the floor.

Loud music blasted through the speakers, the obnoxious vibrations grating on the already tense headache she was nursing. "What's going on?" And how long was it going to last? In hindsight, she should have brought extra painkillers but then again, she hadn't expected a Sunday at the hospital to be so chaotic.

"'Bout to show you, noob." Grabbing her hand, he led her through Sebastian's door, much to her dismay. "I found her, Miss Julie!" Chase jeered, raising her hand in his like a prized fighter and practically sending her careening into a makeshift table with a half eaten cake on it.

Actually, that wasn't true.

She hadn't noticed the table.

It was the curious hazel eyes staring back at her from the hospital bed that held her attention, much like a deer in the headlights. Thankfully, Chase saved her from a potentially embarrassing display of stupefaction, drawing her to his side.

Avery vaguely heard Julie introduce Sebastain, but the pounding inside her head was even louder than the music above.

He's awake?

"You're awake," her inner monologue was the only thing that seemed to be functioning correctly. She would have to work with what she had.

He's awake!

"And you're Avery," he replied, matter of factly, instantly causing her heart to drop. "It's nice to finally meet you. These two—" he pointed to Chase and Julie "—won't shut up about you." Though his gaze lingered longer than it probably should have, it was the lack of recognition in his features that made her want to vomit.

He didn't know her.

It was obvious that all the time they had spent together had not leaked over into his consciousness. To him, she was nothing more than a stranger crashing his make-shift party and she suddenly felt very out of place. A trespasser.

She could feel the heat on her cheeks and the traitorous tears welling in her, threatening to expose her secret pain. The pedestal she had once put him on shattered to pieces at her feet, bringing her world crashing down with it.

Sebastian raised a single brow, watching the blonde stumble over an excuse to bail. He knew he was a little restricted at the moment but all in all, he was a fun guy. He found it odd that she would rather work than hang out with them.

Once she was gone, Chase bounded over to him, "So? What do you think?"

"I think she should have eaten the cake," he grumbled, though he wasn't sure why it bothered him so much. He, himself, didn't want the sugary substance after being tube fed for months. A double cheeseburger sounded much better.

Julie hissed, "Sebastian!" He wasn't a child anymore, she shouldn't have to scold him for such behavior.

"What?" He asked, innocently. "It was rude." Actually, he didn't care, but she could have spent a little longer conversing with them. He was a little bummed she didn't.

Chase, never the one to drop something so easily, he pressed, "She's hot, right?" Honestly, she was gorgeous, but Sebastian would rather end the topic of Avery entirely. She hurt his chest. Of course, that could be indigestion.

Yeah. It was totally indigestion.

"I guess."

"I think I'm gonna shoot my shot today."

A pang of jealousy hit him out of nowhere and his immediate response was not well thought out. "No. Absolutely not." And by the startled look on both their faces, he needed to scramble quickly to save his own, "She's my nurse, dude." Which was true, it would just be awkward for him to see them together. Regardless, it was a more believable reason than 'I don't want you to.'

"She's an aide," Julie corrected. "Not a nurse." An insignificant detail like that would only bother his mother. The best years of her life were spent getting her nursing education. She took way too much pride in it, insulted that anyone would think an aide could do the job of a nurse.

"Whatever," Sebastian retorted. Returning his attention back to Chase, he added, "You can't date someone that took care of me."

Chase scoffed, "Why not?"

He knew it sounded silly, but it was all her had. "It's just... its w-weird, man."

"Oh, come on!"

"For real. Find somebody else."

Chase whined, lacing his fingers together in an unspoken prayer, "Sebastian..."

"Chase," Sebastian mocked. Begging wasn't going to change his mind. Not now, not ever. The fact that he understood that he wouldn't have fought Chase as hard, if at all, had he chosen a different one of his mother's coworkers made Avery all the more prohibited. Do Not Enter. Roadblock, caution signs, trespassing declarations, yellow tape—or red, whichever, it didn't matter. Avery was a no-go. "Off. Limits." And Sebastian enunciated each word.

"Fine!" Chase threw his hands up in surrender. Slouching in his seat he sighed, much more dramatically than Sebastian thought was necessary. Feigning sadness with a pouty lip, he tried one last time, "But she could be my soulmate and I would never know 'cause you ruined it. I'd be missing out!"

"She's not your soulmate, man." Avery wasn't Chase's type—too backwards and soft. Sebastian was saving them both. That was totally it. He didn't want to see his best friend heartbroken and he hated it when girls cried. Yucky things, emotions.

"How do you know?"

Sebastian shrugged. He didn't know, but the thought of the two of them together just felt wrong... but mostly, he didn't like the mental image. It twisted a knot deep inside his body he wasn't comfortable with.