Hey everybody, it's finals week and I'm panicking. Currently taking a break to upload this, my heart goes out to anyone also worrying over finals. Anyways, have fun reading, nerds.
Ghost AU
Evie just wanted normalcy, that's all she was expecting when she had first got here. Her mother had moved to the city of Auradon, wanting to expand her beauty business into the area and forcing Evie to go with her. She had to leave all of her old friends and life behind, plastering on a smile to please her mother.
She took a deep breath as she entered the school, Auradon High, it seemed like a nice place with decent people. The girl looked around, the typical groups of jocks, nerds, artists, and outcasts. She sighed with relief, fitting in was going to be a piece of cake. Evie could easily get into the popular girl clique.
Evie was on her way to her first period, looking at her schedule. Hearing footsteps coming towards her, she looked up and barely dodged them, "Hey, watch where you're-" She turned to face the person, but was only met with strange stares. The girl blushed and immediately walked away, not wanting to draw anymore attention.
She had finally found her first period, and walked into the English classroom. Everyone was talking with friends and follow classmates, she tried to find an empty seat, the only desk available was next to a purple-haired girl who was sketching. Evie walked in that direction, tapping the girl's shoulder, "This seat taken?"
The girl shook her head, "You new?" Evie nodded as she sat down, "Hi, Evie Grimhilde." The other girl waved, "Mal. Where you from?" Evie swiftly answered, the conversation growing and Evie feeling as though she had found a new friend. Their talk had ended with the teacher taking attendance and Mal inviting Evie to sit with her during lunch.
Lunch with Mal and her group of friends was great, but now Evie sat bored in the chemistry classroom, listening to Mr. Delay drone on about various compounds. Evie was counting down the minutes until she could go home. Her interest had been taken away easily by the door opening, a student returning from the bathroom and another student ducking his head down not to be seen. She smiled to herself, realizing he was late and didn't want to get caught.
She looked him over, he didn't really seem like the type to be ditching or showing up late to class. Evie had figured that he was probably doing some other nerd thing, getting wrapped up and not noticing the time. He wore brown trousers and a tucked green button up with suspenders. His glasses were slightly crooked and he seemed to be a bit out of breath. The brunette looked around, finally spotting an empty seat, right next to her.
He quickly placed himself in the chair, paying attention to the lesson. He didn't have a notebook or anything, just listening to the old man lecture on. Evie stared, her curiosity growing. She wondered about him throughout the period.
The bell soon rang, and students were rushing to get out of the class, Mr. Delay following behind them. She stayed seated in her chair, the boy also staying. His eyes glazed over the board again and again. She asked, "So why were you late? Studying too hard at the library?"
The brown haired boy looked up at her, then looked around, seeing no one else. She raised an eyebrow and he pointed to himself, "Wait, are you talking to me?" She chuckled awkwardly, "Yeah." He stood up from the desk, "You can see me?"
She stared at him, "Yes…" He smiled and laughed, his hands going up into his hair, "You can see me! Oh my gosh, this is wonderful. I haven't been able to talk to anyone in ages." Both of her eyebrows went up, "What?"
He calmed down, sensing her confusion, "Well, you're the first person to ever see me. Everyone else just…can't." She held her hands up, "Wait, you're telling me, you're a ghost?" He nodded, "For lack of better words, yes."
Evie placed a hand on her forehead, trying to process the information, "You're dead, and I'm the only one who can see you." He nodded, "That appears so."
She started gathering her things, throwing her bag carelessly onto her shoulder and grabbing her books, "This can't be happening. This is just a dream, or I'm going insane." Evie started walking to the door, the boy standing up and trying to block her off, and she had walked right through him. Her eyes widened, meeting his for a moment, and she went straight out the classroom.
It hadn't gotten much easier since that day, the ghost following her constantly. He didn't bother her directly, he just mainly watched from a distance, giving a polite smile whenever she looked his way. She was currently at a picnic table, waiting for her driver to pick her up (the car had broken down earlier, the cause of why it was so late).
Evie was trying to do her chemistry homework, juggling the numbers and letters, attempting to make sense of them. "You solved the equation wrong." She turned to see the ghost peering over her shoulder, looking over her work, "What?"
He pointed towards the paper, "You added instead of multiplied first, that's why your numbers are all weird." She turned back towards her paper, erasing it and solving it again, hearing an affirmative noise when she did something right. He sat down next to her, helping her whenever he could.
She had finished the worksheet in no time, looking back at it, "That was really easy." He chuckled, "You're a lot smarter then you let yourself be." She looked back at him, staring into his eyes. He then tugged at his sleeves, "I guess I should be going, don't want to bother you any longer."
She shook her head, "You can stay. It's not like anyone's going to see you anyways." The corners of his lips dipped a little bit, and her heart filled with guilt. She immediately switched the subject, "I never got your name. I'm Evie."
He smiled, "Douglas, but you can just call me Doug." She put the paper away in her binder, "Do you remember how you…?" The boy in glasses shook his head, "Died? No, all I know is, one day I just woke up and then no one could see me." She tilted her head, "What about a last name? Or something that could help figure out how you died?"
Doug sighed, "I don't remember anything, just my name. I have no idea who my parents are, how old I am, or even if this is my school." Evie frowned, but Doug reassured her, "Don't worry, I got over it. Anyways, its interesting to watch everyone and learn new things. Also, I can easily just walk into the library at any time."
She chuckled, "Is that all you do?" He shrugged, "Sometimes I like to watch band practice, I think I used to play an instrument, just no idea which one." They went into a whole conversation, learning more about each one another. He was in the middle of explaining his theory on school lunches when she heard her phone go off. It was a text, alerting her that her ride was here.
Doug looked up from the phone in her hand, "Guess I'll see you tomorrow?" She stood up from the table, "Bye Doug." He waved, "See you later, Evie."
They were currently in chemistry class, Mr. Delay passing back the tests that had been taken last week. Doug had been helping Evie with the things she was having trouble with, and she waited patiently for her test back. Mr. Delay walked in front of her table, sliding her paper in front of her, "Excellent work, Ms. Grimhilde."
She turned it over, astounded by the score. She got an A-, that was the highest score she had ever gotten! Evie turned towards Doug, who had a proud smile that matched her own, "I knew you could do it."
Evie wrote in her notebook, thank you. Their moment was disrupted by a clearing of the throat, she looked up, immediately seeing Chad Charming in front of her. Chad was a player on the Tourney team, and one of Auradon's hottest princes at the school. He smiled at her, "Wow, smart and pretty. You're gonna have all of the nerds falling for you."
She laughed, hoping her highlight was still good, "No, I'm not that smart. Really." He looked at her, "Maybe we should, you know, study together or sometime." Evie nodded eagerly, "Yeah, that would be great."
He shot one last smile at her, returning to his seat when he heard his name being called by Mr. Delay. They stared at each other across the room, a worried Doug sitting next to her.
Evie had just gotten off from her study date with Chad, still basking in the glow. Doug walked next to her, watching as she carried Chad's binder. Evie and Chad had been studying together for a couple weeks now, Chad slowly piling more and more homework on Evie. Of course, she didn't notice due to being astounded that Chad had noticed her.
Doug walked in front of her, facing her way, "Hey Evie?" She looked at him, "Yeah?" He continued, "Do you want to see something with me?" Her curiosity peaked, "What is it?" Doug chuckled, "Well, you're just going to have to follow me."
She gave him a playful look, as she followed him through various doorways and stairs. Soon enough, they ended up on the garden roof. Evie looked around at all the plants, "They're so pretty." He chuckled, "It's winter, so the flowers haven't bloomed yet. You should see it in the spring."
He waved her over, "Come on, the best part is over here." She walked to where he was standing, seeing the view. It was magnificent, you could see past Auradon High, the trees becoming small and the people even smaller. "It's beautiful."
He agreed, "Yeah, it is." She asked, "How did you even find this place?" Doug stuck his hands in his pockets, "I followed one of the gardening club members up here, and now I like to go here whenever I need to think."
They basked in the view, the sun beginning to set. He cleared his throat, "Can I be honest?" She nodded, "Of course." He breathed out, "I think you need to stop seeing Chad." Evie turned, "What?"
The nerd scratched his neck nervously, "I have a bad feeling about him, is all. There's something off about him." She tried to process the information, her eyes starting to water. Doug continued, "I'm worried for you, you know. He just gives you more of his work, every time you hang out with him." She paused.
Evie glared at him, "You're just jealous that I don't spend as much time with you, isn't it?" Doug shook his head frantically, "No, I'm just-" She raised a hand for him to stop, "I don't want to hear it Doug. Chad's real, I can touch him and interact with him, he's going to grow old!"
The boy's mouth was open and had promptly shut it, hearing the words she had said. There was a pause, the air between them full of emotion. Evie was immediately full of guilt, "Doug-" He waved her off, "No, you're right. I'm sorry."
Doug started walking away, Evie said his name again, and he turned around. He gave her a small smile, "I-I hope you're happy with him. I really do." She watched him leave.
Evie had cried that night, a true friend had left her, and she pushed him to. She spent all school day keeping to herself, her friends comforting her through distractions. Evie had decided to study at the library, not wanting to go home and be alone with her thoughts. She was working on algebra when she heard the librarian say the library was closing soon. She walked out of the building, the first thing she saw was Chad kissing Audrey against the lockers.
Evie started walking away, but had looked back, and that was when she realized it. She didn't really care that Chad was with another girl, she didn't care because she didn't even really like him. Evie had liked his status, the fact that he was popular and rich. But, he didn't make her laugh, not to the point where she accidentally snorts. He called her pretty, but never beautiful. He never taught her that she could be a lot more than she pretended to be.
Evie felt tears returning to her eyes as she started running through the building. It was mainly empty, everyone had gone home by now. She started yelling, "Doug! Doug! Where are you?" She searched everywhere, he was in none of the classrooms, the band room, the picnic tables, or the bleachers. She was catching her breath when the idea had struck her.
She ran through the various doors and up the stairs, her heart racing. She opened the door leading to the roof, "Doug!" Evie looked around frantically, only the plants and the view of Auradon. That was it, the last place he could be, he was gone. She felt her heart break and water trailing her cheeks. She fell down to her knees and wept for the person she cared for the most but had realized too late.
Eventually, Evie had picked herself up. Mal had invaded her room, demanding what was wrong. Evie had tried to explain that it she wouldn't understand, but Mal was stubborn and showed no signs of leaving. The fashionista had sighed and started explaining. When she had finished, Mal had hugged her and Evie cried again. Since then, the girls were inseparable.
Slowly but surely, Evie returned to her normal state. She had thrown herself into her friends and school, she was now a straight A student. She cut off ties with Chad, Jay and Carlos blocking him off when he had tried to approach her.
She was happy now, but there was still that hint of sadness at the bottom of her heart. Sometimes, she would solve a chemistry problem or see band practice, and be reminded of him. Whenever she felt it, she would go up to the garden roof. The pretty flowers and the beautiful view was all that she had left of him.
Today, Evie swore she saw a flash of green and was filled with emptiness. Her attention was then drawn elsewhere, but the thought lingered in her mind. It was lunch time, and she had found herself on top of the roof. She looked out, seeing everyone below her. Evie felt a tap on her shoulders and she turned, brown eyes meeting green.
"Hey, this is really weird, but have we met before? I just got a feeling that-that I know you. I'm sorry, I'm Doug."
I know, I know. I left off with another cliffhanger, but it makes for a pretty good story and also a possible sequel. Tell me if I should write more of something and I'll consider it, I'm currently working on a sequel for last week's one-shot. Comment, SEND PROMTS (especially holiday ones, Christmas is next week for those who celebrate it), I might write them. Happy Hannukkah to my Jewish readers, and happy any other holiday you might celebrate. Doesn't matter what religion you celebrate, or if you chose not to celebrate one, you're here for devie and that's all that matters. 'Till next time, friends.