Chapter 4
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-Helena's POV-
"Ahh." I squealed as Reid stared wide-eyed at me before reaching forward, letting his hand pass right though my stomach again. "Stop that you git!"
That sensation… it's so unnerving. It still feels so strange when things pass through me or I pass through them. But passing through people is worse. It's going to take time to get used to. Not that it matters much since I'll have the rest of eternity to get used to it.
Reid pulled his arm back before standing up and pacing the room. "This doesn't make any sense!" Reid announced, stressed and pulling at his hair. I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. Uh hello, understatement of the year much?
"It should make perfect sense to you!" The look on his face told me he had no clue. Did I have to spell it out?! "I'm sure you've sat in the back row of enough movies where someone gets killed and the person who sees their ghost is the one who killed them!" He looked at me as if I were insane.
"What?! Wait, you think I killed you?! Are you dead and stupid?!" I scoffed and wished I could slap him square across his face at this current time.
"Well then what other explanation is there for why only you can see me?" I crossed my arms over my chest. This ought to be good.
"I don't know, but I didn't kill you! Why the hell would I kill you?! I didn't even know you! Trust me, if I was gong to kill someone, I wouldn't waste my time with some chick I don't even know." I looked at him strangely. That was a bit of a weird way to come to reason, but he had a point. He really has no motive for killing me. Unless...
"Did you do it by accident? I won't be mad if you just admit it." I lied. If he confessed and told me he'd crashed into my car with his little friends boat he calls a motor vehicle, I was going to haunt Reid Garwin until the day he died.
"No! I didn't have anything to do with it! I wasn't even in the area where they found you!" I opened my mouth to protest again, but he must have guessed my next comeback because he raised his hand to shut me up. "Trust me, I was with someone that night."
"Yeah right. Unless you have proof I-"
"I have video proof if you need it." He held out his cell phone and looked like was about to toss it to me. I quickly raised and eyebrow and he got the point. Rolling his eyes, he walked over to me and put the screen in front of my face. The video started playing and it showed him on the bed with his hands folded behind his head. I glanced up at him not really getting the point. "Keep watching."
I snorted and rolled my eyes but looked back at the screen anyway. There was some giggling, obviously not from him, and then I saw a girl make her way over to his bed. She swayed her hips as her hands ran over her body before pulling her shirt over her head. It wouldn't have been that bad except she didn't have a bra on and I just got an eye full. A smug smirk appeared on his face and I looked away, disgusted.
This is just peachy keen. My only salvation is a perverted jerk. I would ask for someone to shoot me now, except I would still be dead and stuck with him regardless.
"Well if you didn't kill me, who did?! Did you have something to do with it?! Is that why you can see me?! Reid, do you know who did it?! I swe-"
"Would you shut up?! God, I thought dead people rested in peace. I don't know anything about who killed you, okay? I wasn't there. I had nothing to do with it. And I still have no idea why I can see you, all right?"
I hate being yelled at. I suppose I had it coming with all the serious accusations I was throwing at the blonde Son of Ipswich, but my lip still began to tremble and my eyes began welling up with tears. "Oh God. Don't cry, please?" he begged, at least calmer now that he'd lashed out at me.
"What happened to me? How did I d-die?" Reid rubbed the back of his neck and frowned, looking down at the floor.
"I mean it's pretty obvious you were killed. They just... aren't giving out any details. Police are keeping it real hush-hush." He sighed, out of pity for me or for the uncomfortable position he was in, I'm not sure. "Sorry, but I don't have the answers you're looking for."
This was worse then finding out I was dead. I mean how can he not know anything. Everyone… anyone must have at least a clue to how it happened. I mean Ipswich is like a gossip vineyard.
"Anything? You don't know anything? How can you not know anything?" Reid growled, pretty obviously annoyed with me and ripped his jacket off roughly, tossing it onto the floor.
"Listen, I can't tell you what I don't know! We can try to figure it out tomorrow, okay? I'm fucking tired and I have class in the morning." By now Reid had thrown all previously worn articles of clothing into each corner of the room, leaving him bare chested and only in boxers. I was a little uncomfortable as he climbed into his bed and clicked the light off, but then again, Reid was on the swim team, and those boxers definitely left more to the imagination than the speedos.
So that was it? He was just going to sleep like I wasn't here. What happened to chivalry for a lady or respect for the dead!? Seeing him lying on his bed made something click in my head. Oh yeah I almost forgot... I don't have a room anymore.
"I don't have anywhere to go." I couldn't see Reid anymore in the dark room, but I heard him groan.
"So? It's not my fucking problem! You're dead; you don't need to sleep anyway. Go for a walk or something."
"Ugh, Reid Garwin you are the most insensitive and useless person I have ever had the misfortune of knowing and I can only be thankful that I never wasted any part of my life getting to know you or swooning over you like the other mindless slags in this school!" With that, I stormed through the door, and right through Tyler as well, causing him to shiver as he entered his dorm.
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After spending most of the night walking around the campus and sobbing to myself, I reentered the dorm of the only person, as of now, who could see me. I figured out, while trying to make myself comfortable on a bench outside, that sleeping was not something that was coming easy. My body would not relax and my brain would not dream.
I stared at Reid while he slept, Tyler being absent from the room. Though it was morning and most students were up and getting ready for class or eating breakfast, it was no surprise to me that Reid was sleeping in. I can't once remember him coming on time to any of the classes we shared. He was notoriously tardy.
He actually looked rather harmless when he slept. Awake, everyone knew he was a constant prankster, troublemaker and flirt, but lying there with his eyes closed and a peaceful look on his face, he actually looked very childish and innocent.
Not that I'd ever believe he was either.
I don't know why I accused him of killing me. I mean, really, what reason would cool, popular, playboy Reid Garwin have to kill me? He didn't even know who I was. I almost feel bad for throwing accusations at him like that now that I look at how innocent he seems in his sleeping state. Almost...
I didn't realize how close I'd gotten to him while studying his unusually vulnerable looking features until his eyes fluttered open. A groan signaled me hovering over him was not his preferred way to wake up. He rolled over and I could hear muffled curses as he growled them into his pillow before rolling over on his back once again.
"You were supposed to be some horrible, annoying nightmare," he groaned and I huffed as he sat up in his bed, swinging his legs over the side.
"Sorry. No such luck," I said back in a nasty tone. It's not as if I chose him to be the one who was able to see me.
He scratched the back of his neck and shook his head before standing up and going into the bathroom. I studied some of the things on his dresser, using my eyes only obviously. Cologne, Axe, socks, wallet, a few photographs... far too many empty condom wrappers. He's disgusting. But he's my only hope at the moment.
Wonderful.
"So, what are we doing today?" I asked once he'd emerged from the bathroom. He chuckled, a bit bitterly and shook his head as he grabbed a pair of the Spencer uniform slacks from the floor and smelled them. I made a face. Men are pigs.
"We? What are we doing? Sorry babe, but we aren't doing anything. I'm going to class." For a minute I felt almost defeated at his response, but then my eyes widened as I thought of a wonderful possibility!
"Sounds great! I'll come too! Maybe people will be talking about my death and I'll find something out." Helena, you are so bright!
"Whatever. Suit yourself." He shrugged as he collected other pieces of his uniform from around the room and tossed them all on his bed. He went into his drawer and pulled some socks and underwear out, clean thank goodness. "You might wanna leave now," he said with a smirk. I looked at him confused until I saw him reach for the elastic band of his boxer shorts and quickly turned around before I saw something far too many girls in this school have seen before.
At that exact moment, the door swung open and Tyler walked in, fresh from showering with nothing but a towel around his waist. Drops of water fell from his hair down to his bare torso. That oh so toned torso. My eyes followed the drip of water slid all the way down till it reached the towel on his hips. Gah! Bad thoughts! I gasped and felt my face flushing.
"Aw man! Put some pants on!" Tyler complained, obviously seeing his nude friend and I took the chance to rush out of the room, completely embarrassed.
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How convenient for me. I had this class with Reid and I recall his seat being right on the end next to the stairs. Maybe things were finally starting to take a turn for the better. I took a seat on the step next to his empty seat and sighed as the final bell rang, everyone present except for Reid... and me of course. Technically anyway.
Christ, I'm dead and I still managed to make it to class before Reid.
Bloody idiot.
He strolled into the classroom nearly ten minutes late. "Thank you for gracing us with your presence Mr. Garwin," the teacher recited and I mouthed the words along with him. Among the Spence staff, that was probably the most common phrase used.
And of course, Reid smirked and retorted with some smart remark that I didn't hear because I was too busy looking at Kira, who had began tearing up while her eyes were glued to the empty seat that I had once occupied two rows in front of her. Her hand raised and the teacher nodded to her in acknowledgement. "Mr. Garwin, please take your seat. Yes Miss Snider?"
"May I please go to guidance?" she sobbed. The teacher nodded and appointed another student to escort her. I felt horrible. Reid stood in front of me and cautiously passed through me to get to his seat, shivering a little.
"Damn it, couldn't you move?" he grumbled. I ignored him and listened to the professor speak.
"I know it's been a difficult time for a lot of you. Losing a peer is never easy, whether you were friends or not. What happened to Helena was... horrible, but life must go on. I'm not going to bombard you all with homework tonight and if anyone feels the need to go to guidance, please just raise your hand. Now, open your books to page 316."
"Reid," I whispered, for some odd reason. No one else can hear me; I don't know why I bothered. "Reid!" I said again, much louder this time.
He closed his eyes and sighed before looking at me expectantly. "Ask someone about me."
"No," he whispered very quietly.
"Reid! Please! I need to know and I can't do it alone!"
"I'm not asking anyone anything. Shut up and leave me alone," he hissed, louder than he had before. A few students looked at him strangely.
"You're a jerk, you know that?" He just ignored me and began taking notes, surprisingly. I looked down to his notebook and frowned as I tried to read what he was writing. "What does that even say? You have very messy handwriting. It's like chicken scratch." I heard a low growl in his throat as he continued to copy the notes the professor had projected on the wall. "That's spelled wrong. For Christ's sake Reid, it's on the board. Can't you even copy it correctly?"
"Would you shut up?!" I jumped at his sudden outburst and all eyes were on him. A snicker escaped my lips as the teacher cleared his throat and Reid glared at me.
"Is there a problem Mr. Garwin?" Professor Conner asked. Reid looks around and shakes his head. "Yes well, please do not disturb my class again or you will be in detention after school. Understood?"
"Yes sir," Reid mumbled, obviously unhappy as giggles and whispers flooded the room.
"All right, settle down. Since you all feel the need to talk instead of taking these notes, I guess you're ready for a pop quiz? Books away." The class groaned and a lot of people glared in Reid's direction, blaming him for initiating the entire thing. He slumped down a little in his seat but glared back, scaring most of the accusing eyes away.
I watched over his shoulder as he read through the questions and filled in the answers slowly, obviously not quite sure about the subject matter of the quiz, Antigone. I, on the other hand, had read it thoroughly last week. Like we were supposed to. No surprise Reid hadn't bothered.
I laughed as he filled in some ridiculous answer for the third question. "That's not right. Why would you even think that?" He ignored me and continued filling out the quiz. I snorted with laughter at another very wrong answer. "Not even close," I informed him.
"Fuck off!" The entire room seemed to freeze at his vulgar outburst. Reid ran his hands over his face and leaned back in his chair.
"Mr. Garwin?" Professor Conner said in an unpleasant voice.
"Detention?"
"Bingo."
Somehow I don't think 'oops' or 'my bad' would stop the glares of death he was sending me. This was definitely not the way to get him to help me out. So much for things looking up.
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author notes: major kudos to cara for this chapter. I have two papers due and have no time to write for the next two weeks. the next chapter will probably take a lot longer to get out. sorry but im on a mini hiatus. sneak peeks for all those who leave a review.
