A/N: So, this crossover one-shot is Cassadee Pope and Alex Gaskarth.. I just picked them randomly, idk why.. I wrote this story a while back, but I felt like it needed a refresher, since things weren't explained all that way.. So.. Here you go :)
"A Reason To Stay"
ANNABELLE'S POV
Most people aren't who they appear to be. In fact, most likely they are the exact opposite. And we judge people on this. If they wear a short short skirt they must be a whore, and if they shop at Hot Topic they have to be emo or goth. Sometimes I used to wear short skirts, but I bought them at Hot Topic. So, what type do I fit into? Slut, Geek, Jock, or Emo? None of the above. Because I'm not a person—I'm a ghost.
You're probably thinking, what the hell? My thoughts exactly when I found out I was dead. Well my first words were "Ow!" but that's beside the point. So you ask, what's the point of me dying? Not to stare at hot guys, and them not realize it (but that is fun!) Nooo, apparently I have to stay on Earth, until I'm needed. Bullshit, right? My point exactly! …Would someone just come and need me already? I just wanna go to heaven and relax. …And a tiny part of me wants to be needed. Hey, I've been dead for a week, and it's been extremely lonely. But yeah, at least it's not lonelier than my human life was.
At least during that time everyone knew I was alive, and chose to ignore me. Here's a good thing about me dying, they can ignore me fully now. However, before they could do that, there was a funeral for me. On a whim and to see how much people cared, I went to the cemetery where it was being held. You want to know a secret? I stayed there for the whole thing, and no one showed up. Not even my mom.
Although, I shouldn't blame her, she shouldn't handle loss that well. She normally dives into baking more stuff for the bakery, which is doing very successful since I passed. Seems like everyone is trying to make her feel better since the tragedy. Plus, the donuts are fucking amazing. Yes, I'm a 15 year old ghost girl who eats donuts. Ain't that special? Throw me some dog treats, why don't ya? I kinda doubt they would though. All you would see is a dangling donut, with nothing attached to it. Talk about calling ghostbusters. I could only imagine how it must look.
I try to sit down on a nearby bench and of course I phase through. God allows us ghosts to eat and drink, but not sit? I'm guessing he's trying to promote an exercise program. Hello, we're dead, hence we don't gain weight. Neither do we gain muscle. I mean come on, even Sam and Dean's ghosts can sit down. Can't I be like one of Supernatural's ghosts? Please?
I groan after I hear no response, and then focus on the sun that is setting. I can't help but smile. The purples, reds, and yellows seem to be splashed on by a paint can. But the painting seems to be missing something. Ah, yes, the finishing piece. Here they come now, and right in my way too. A couple is making out right in front of my view of the sunset. I cock my head to the right and watch them play doctor with their tongues. Each tongue is trying to be the tongue depressor by trying to keep each other's tongue down. It's quite disturbing, and depressing. If I saw this a while back, I would have been even more afraid of doctors. And tongue depressors. Not saying that I wasn't afraid of them when I was little.
I think it's probably because you are going to die eventually, so why prolong the inevitable? Or maybe I'm just bitter. But who could blame me? I died before my first kiss, first date, first everything. I could have had the opportunity to ask someone for my firsts, but I assumed I would have time. Something I learned? Assume nothing.
After five minutes, and multiple burning of my eyes, the couple is gone. My smile is back when I see the colors of the sunset, and my mind starts to go back to my childhood. My mom used to tell me that mother Mary would grace the sky, watching us all, and that's why the sky was different colors. Each color expressed her emotion at that time she was watching someone. Red would mean love and war, purple means mystery, yellow is happiness and wisdom. Of course, like always, right above me is an unknown color. I scowl at my bad luck, and wonder at how ironic this is. Because honey, I don't even know what I am.
When I look back at the sunset, another person is standing in my way. This time, a sophomore, who is wearing a white tanktop, and pink skinnies. By his body type, and style you could obviously tell he was a skateboarder. I always hated skaters. When my eyes reached his feet, a pang in my chest rang out. He wasn't wearing any shoes. This was always a close thing in my heart. I hated when I saw homeless people around. Especially when the person was so young. When I told my mom how I felt she told me that they wanted to live like that… I wonder if he did too…
ANDREW'S POV:
"Wish I could have saved her… Only a freshmen… She was so young…" I sit down by the nearby fountain, and run my hand through the water. "Annabelle… Please forgive me…" "Forgive me for ignoring you… I never had the guts to talk to you. You seemed so quiet and intense when you were on the bus. All you did on the bus was read a book and listen to your music. Plus, you didn't even cast me a glance… Of course it didn't help that my friends don't like girls who are smarter than them" I can't help but laugh at myself for talking out loud. It's not like she's going to hear me. She's DEAD!
I get up quickly and throw my skateboard into the fountain with anger. After I stood there breathing heavy, I looked down at the water, and watched the little ripples appear in the fountain. It was peaceful to watch all those ripples dance across the water. They were little ballet dancers, small, and precise. They never missed a beat.
I look up at the sky, and whisper, "Why her…? Why…?" I continue looking up at the sky, as if I was expecting a response. It never came. I rest my eyes on the fountain, and reach down to get my skateboard. When I'm about to leave to head home, I hear a faint whisper, and I quickly turn around and hold out my board as if it's a weapon. "Who's there?", I scream, half about to pee my pants, and half excited My eyes scan the area around me, and no one shows. I let out a deep breath, and once again look up at the colors in the sky. "I'm sorry…""You're forgiven," says a soft voice nearby. My eyes search for the mysterious voice, and once they do, I'm almost speechless. "A-A-Annabelle, is that you?," I try to say without stuttering, which is a fail.
ANNABELLE'S POV:
"You can see me? And hear me?" I ask incredulously. He nods softly and slowly as if afraid. I start pacing back and forth, as I always do when I'm nervous or thinking. "But I'm a ghost… No one has been able to see me, and believe me I've tried everything to get noticed… I've set off the fire alarm in the school, you're welcome for that break by the way; I've tried to talk to my mom… Hell, I even threw a donut at someone in my mom's bakery… Hehe… She lost some money that day when people ran out of the store screaming: "GHOST DONUT!"I ramble on with.I lookat him and expectfor an answer, but all I get is a deer caught in headlights look. I laugh slightly, and try to break the ice. "This must seem weird. After all, you are talking to a 15 year old ghost who's a girl. I'm just like you, except I don't gain weight, I can eat whatever I want, I don't age, I can walk through walls, I can't sit down, andddddd I died. So, don't worry, I'm not bad. At least I don't think I am. Just in case, you might want to have ghostbusters on speed dial." I say while once again rambling. "So you won't attack me… Or hurt me?" He asks after what feels like an eon.
I look at him dumbfounded. How the hell could this dude think I would hurt him? For one, he's got like a foot on me, and two, he seems to have muscles… Then again, I could possess his body… But that's another story for another day. I quickly gain my composure after my fighting thoughts. "Attack you? Why would I hurt someone who said all that stuff about me..? I've never met ANYONE who has said all those nice things about me" I feel like a blush is starting to appear on my cheeks, but it doesn't, because I don't have blood anymore. Instead I have to stand there, and keep feeling like it's going to approach any second, it's quite uncomfortable. "You haven't?" he spoke again with surprise in his voice.
"You're surprised? I'm not exactly the social butterfly, who has lots of friends. Unlike you of course, I'm sure you are the life of the party," I stated while I folded my arms across my chest. Does he really think I'm stupid? I know his type. I see them everyday… Well, I SAW them every day. "Ever since you died I haven't been the same. I've went home every day, and studied instead of going out and partying. I asked for extra help" He shrugs and sighs. "But I'm just a random dude who liked you at school. And happened to know where you lived" I whip my hair around so fast at him that even Willow Smith wouldn't be able to keep up. I give him the what-the-hell-dude face. "You stalked me? Dude! If you saw me while I was getting dressed I will possess your body and make you do such things that you won't ever be able to repair the damage to your rep"
He quickly backed up and put his hands up, as if he was defending himself. "I'm not Peeping Tom. I just wanted to try and get up enough courage to talk to you. But of course now I won't have the chance to." He sighed, and shook his head at his own disappointment. I look around us, and then shrug. "Now here's your chance… So… Talk to me"
He sat down on the stone bench, and began to talk. "I've been struggling with depression for a while now… It's part of the reason why I go and party because I don't have to deal with the pain for a couple hours. Problem is, when you leave that atmosphere, you are in even more pain than before" He takes a deep breath then begins again. "I wanted to talk to you and ask you out, because you seemed like someone who could help me out of this feeling… You are exactly what I need. Someone who is smart, and can kick my ass when I need to be ass kicked" He hesitates, and clears his throat before he starts the next sentence. "And… I found out two days ago… That my dad was the one who ran you over. He was drunk, and he was racing back to me to tell me how sorry he was for leaving us when I was little. I was in the hospital with a broken leg, and I guess it just scared him… He thought he was going to lose me… And God… Annabell.. My dad is the reason you are dead… I'm so sorry… If it wasn't for me, you would still be alive today" He buried his face into his hands. It took a few minutes for me to process all of the emotions I was feeling. If I was mother Mary my cloud would be a fucking rainbow.
"You can't blame yourself for my death… It was no one's fault. Except maybe the car for not having brakes. However, the car isn't someone, now is it? Neither the less, you couldn't have stopped it" He shook the hair out of his face, and began to speak, an obvious hitch in his voice. "Still… You should have been able to experience more before dying""Should have. But many things don't work out. I mean, look at the world around us. We have so much loss around us. Although, there is something I learned… With every person you lose, you find someone new" I attempt to hold his hand, but I phase through as usual. He looks at my hand and smiles. "How is a freshmen smarter than I am?" I bite my lip at an attempt to stop myself from smiling back. I settle for a simple smirk, and a laugh. "It's called reading and listening to the teacher in class. I also took advanced classes… I wanted to get into a science field."I state while I keep my smirk in firm place. "Wow… Here I am, a sophomore, and I don't even know what I'm going to eat when I get home… And there you stand a freshmen who had everything planned," He says in complete and utter awe.
I shrug my shoulders. "It doesn't really matter anymore. It's like I can go to a ghost college" "Now THAT would be a much better show than Jersey Shore! We could call it Ghost Acamedy!" He suggests. I let out a little giggle, and then cover it up quickly. He smiles once again, and then frowns when he looks back over at me. "So… Uhm… Do you just stay on Earth, or do you move on? I don't really understand all this ghost stuff… Except for the stuff on TV, which I assume is bullshit" He seemed to be actually to be nervous, and bashful. It was kind of cute. I mentally curse myself, and adjust myself. "You really think I know anything about this? This is my first time being dead" His eyes crinkled at the edges, and he focused his big brown eyes on me. "Well, you may be a ghost, but you still have the mood swings of a 15 year old girl," He continued focusing his brown eyes on me when I started to open my mouth.I wanted so bad to throw back an insult, but I couldn't when he was watching me with those deep chocolate eyes. He grinned when he knew I couldn't say anything. "Who knew Annabelle couldn't come up with good comebacks?"He chuckled at his own joke. I blow at my bangs, which are falling out of my eyes when I notice something weird. My lips are disappearing. I try and speak, but nothing comes out. I watch as he sprints towards me, but it's too late. I've disappeared.
ANDREW'S POV:
My hands catch air when I try to reach out towards the spot where she was standing.I let out a nervous laugh. "Annabelle… This isn't funny… Where are you?" Worry shows in my voice and mind. She couldn't have left, she just couldn't. "Annabelle… Please don't be gone, I need you… I need someone who is smarter than me, and can help me with school work… I need someone who can kick my ass, but can still be caring. I need someone who will never give up on me. And I need someone who can put up me even when I'm being a jackass… Now I may have just met you… But it seems like I've known you for my entire life. So please… Please come back to me. Just for one more day. I've screwed up so many times, and I know I don't deserve this. But I promise I won't do it again. I just need one more day to get to know you. I want to know what your favorite color is, what your favorite food is, what your pet peeves are… I just want to know you. Please… Just come back to me…" I continue looking around, hoping she'll pop up… But she doesn't. However, I won't give up. I walk back over to the fountain, and sit down by it. Then, I wait.
"Andrew..?" I nearly jumped when I heard her was weak, and soft, but I could tell it had power to it, like she was back for good. I couldn't help but smile. I ran towards her, and hugged her. "I'm here… I'm here…" I said softly, while stroking her hair. "You were my reason to stay… I want to stay for you…" She snuggles her head into my chest, and sucks in my warmth. She seems so cold. "We can go back to my house… Get you warm" Now I know what you must be thinking, what a pervert. But that wasn't my idea at all. I just wanted to make sure she was okay. She nodded, and I scooped her up into my arms.
I started walking, and kept glancing down at the beauty that rested in my arms. She seemed so peaceful, and undisturbed. As if no one could hurt her. But the truth was, so many things could hurt her. She's too fragile. I had to protect her. Problem was, I was just like her. I was just as fragile as she was. "Are we there yet? I'm cold…" As if on cue, she shivered.I walked up to the front door, and then opened it. "My mom is upstairs asleep… She gets up pretty early, because she has a job at the ER. She takes that shift so she can be home when I get back from school everyday" I shut the front door with my foot, and then I place her down on the couch. I throw a blanket over top of her. "Is that okay?" I ask, slightly nervous. I've never had a girl inside my house before. She nods, and then speaks, "I want you to sleep next to me" I lie down next to her carefully, and wrap my arms around her. I breathe in the scent of honeysuckle, and vanilla. "I'm glad I met you… In this way I mean" She smiles softly, and then traces my face with her fingertips. "I am too Andrew… But promise me, if anything ever happens to me again, I want you to move on, okay?" I nod softly, and then I close my eyes. My breathing starts to slow down, and I fall into happiness.
ANNABELLE'S POV
I sit up when I'm sure that he has fallen asleep. I sigh softly, and kiss his cheek gently. I wish that I could have stayed on Earth longer… I wanted to grow old with him. But I wouldn't be able to. I know now that I was his shoulder to cry on. I was needed by him, and now it would be my time to go. I know that it's going to be hard for him. It'll be hard for everyone. However, I knew that something good for him would come along. Plus, I'll always be looking down on him. I will protect him. Even from up here in Heaven. "I forgive you Andrew" I say to his sleeping remember what I say, whenever you lose someone, when you lose, you find someone new.