Second Chance

Answers and Betrayal

“What are you talking about? Maddie what is going on?” Damian asks with concern written all over his face. We're finally in the car and I feel like a balloon that deflated. All the tension is gone now that I'm out of the hospital. 

“Okay, you know how you said that you thought that I was dead?” I ask. 

“Yeah.” He responds. 

“Well, I really was dead.” 

“Holy shit! Wait what? I knew it! I was right, Mondays suck.” You have no idea. 

“Yeah but the problem is that I don’t remember how I died.”

“Are you serious?"

"Yeah.."

"How do you not remember?” 

“Okay that’s another thing.” 

“Fantastic.” 

“I was a ghost.” 

“This is just some sick joke.”

“Damian, listen to me. You are one of my good friends. One of my only friends, actually. When I have someone close to me, I never lie to them. Even if it means that their feelings get hurt, I never lie to them. You are one of those people that I would never lie to. I’m telling you the truth, and you have to believe me.”

He says nothing and we sit in silence. His facial expression is something that isn’t easy to identify. It looks like a mix of hurt, anger and confusion. When he looks over I just don't know what to say. I open my mouth to explain and he cuts me off.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Damian whispers.

"Do you seriously think that telling someone that they're alive now is something that goes over smoothly?  I also just didn't want to hurt you."

"How would you hurt me?" His ocean blue eyes search my face and I just stare right into his. 

"You seem like the kind of person who doesn't like being lied to, and I think that saying that I didn't die would have been a lie." 

"Well you're right about that. I don't like being lied to."

"I'm so sorry about lying to you. I just didn't know what to do and I also don't feel like going to a mental hospital. "

"Well, it's your lucky day because I'm not going to send you to a mental hospital. But you need to explain more about this being dead and turning into a ghost shit." 

"Okay, so honestly I'm not too sure what happened. I don't remember how I died because like a memory, it faded after a while. Supposedly, the one thing about your death that you remember is a very important detail. The important detail is a woman screaming. And when you found me, I was only alive for about three hours or so. I woke up in my coffin after yelling at one of my friends. I was still a ghost at that point. My friend Liam could see me as a ghost. But when I went into the hospital I could only see figures walking around your head. He could only see me. That's why we are going back to your house to meet him there. I also needed to get out of there because they have it on record that I'm dead. Does any of this make sense?" 

"Everything except the ghost part and the coming back to life part, but other than that I think I've got it all down." 

"I'm sorry." 

"Stop saying that. I understand that you weren't exactly sure what to do and, let's face it. It's weird telling someone your whole death story. I get it. And I also know that you are someone that keeps your word."