==Be the dead man

Oh you're dead? You didn't know. Everything was so calm and quiet just like the water you were just submerged in. The ocean water was getting warm too and this place was nice and toasty; you didn't notice the difference. The only thing that wasn't similar was that your lungs were not hurting from the lack of oxygen and your clothes were now dry.

Everything was deafeningly silent too, like time had stopped. The last thing you remember was Dave swimming away to someone else. You knew he saw you when you were in the water. Why didn't he come to save you? Maybe he went to save John instead? You don't really know what happened.

You looked around you and some things came into view. The halls from your old school back in America. Why were you here of all places? You walked down the science hall where your old locker was situated. It seemed that your locker was ajar. You walked up to it and opened it. Books and jackets littered it. You closed it and continued walking, finding no interest with the contents.

As you continued down the hall, you passed the science award case. You noticed a reflection in the glass that did not match your own. You looked back at it and noticed your hair was longer and your face was not as defined. You looked down at your clothes and noticed they were the clothes you wore on the Friday after school was over. You were young again; in your senior year to be exact. How strange…

"Dirk?" You heard a soft voice call your name and you almost choked on the air you were breathing. Your heart began pounding so fast you were sure it was not working. You grabbed your chest and made sure you weren't having a heart attack. Wait you were dead so it wouldn't matter. But that voice belonged to someone you knew once. Your teen love from so long ago. Why was he here? You slowly turned around and saw the outline of his body, still kinda chubby and short. It was most defiantly Jake.

You were frozen in place. You couldn't move; your legs were stuck and your heart was trying to break out of your chest. You painfully watched as Jake stepped closer. You could see his facial features. His eyes were just as vibrantly green as the last time they burned a place in your heart. His face had some stubble on it and his hair was lightly greased up. You remembered how odd it used to look and smiled faintly at the memory. His shoulders were less broad, still in development. Your eyes traced down to his hands, fiddling with his pant material. You missed holding them.

Jake walked closer and your lungs quit working. You couldn't breathe. You watched helplessly as Jake stood in front of you taking you in. It had been so long and you wanted to reach out and touch him but you were so scared right now. Scared that he would disappear or you might break down into a sobbing mess. He locked eyes with you and you bit your lip. You could feel all your past emotions welling up inside you.

He reached up and held his cupped hand above your cheek. He was asking for permission to touch you. You barely nodded before Jake pressed his hand to the side of your face. You broke down then. You could feel tears rolling down your cheeks and you shut your eyes. You were not ready to deal with this. These were too many old emotions you were done dealing with.

But that didn't stop Jake. He noticed the tears and grabbed you into a tight hug. You could smell the smell of faint smell of dirt and pine mixed into his skin from all the time he spent in the forest. You wrapped your arms around his neck and his arms found their way you your back. Jake held you there as you sobbed into his shoulder.

You could feel Jake's staggered breathing; he was almost on the verge of crying as well. You held tight to him, not once trying to let go. You loved this boy so much you didn't want to risk losing him once more. In between shaky breaths you would whisper "I love you" right beside his ear and feel his posture slouch. You were both crying now but you both kept saying it.

After not enough time, Jake pulled you off him and looked at you. You kept your hands on his shoulders and his were on your upper arm, holding you still. You looked up at him and saw how red his eyes were now. His face was puffy from crying and you probably didn't look any better. You chuckled quietly and he looked at you funny.

"You look ridiculous," you muttered and started to laugh. Jake smiled and looked at you like you were an idiot. Though no sooner was Jake laughing along with you; you held tight to his shoulders as you laughed away the tension. You pulled Jake into a hug and ruffled his hair. "I love you," you smiled.

"I have been waiting for a while now." He said and your smile faltered. "Don't be glum! You're here now and I'm here now so it's all good. It's only a short while compared to the rest of the time I get to spend with you." You still felt a bit bad though.

"Do you know why were young again?" You stood back from the hug to now have a normal conversation. Jake started to walk as he explained; you followed.

"I don't to say the least. I walked around a lot when I was waiting for you to show up. The doors to outside were all locked, but everything else was open. No one else is here I'm afraid." You took a right down towards the gymnasium.

"How did you know I was here anyway? The school is pretty big." You looked around at the walls and the lockers. The exact same condition as how you left them when you graduated. Some were bent and rusted and the wall paint was chipping in the one spot by the bell.

"I was walking around the library for something to fiddle with. When I looked to the window and I saw a blue sky. Normally it's just white light and nothing more. I then went to check the front door and found it unlocked. I knew someone had to be here. I never figured out why I was waiting here but then I realised I was waiting for someone. I thought that it would be you once or twice, but I didn't expect to be waiting for the time you died. Probably in your eighties, all wrinkly and slow." He chuckled and you elbowed his side.

"So now what exactly?" You continued walking towards the front of the school, if you remembered that right. You didn't spend much high school time memorizing the exact location of where things were in the school. You mostly just followed Jake around because he was better at that stuff than you.

"I guess we leave the school." You continued walking silently for a few moments before you came upon the main entrance of the school. Jake reached over, grabbed your hand, and squeezed it tight. "We'll be okay" He said and you squeezed it as a reply. Your stomach knotted as you slowly stepped alongside Jake, out the old grey doors of the school, and into the white sunny light that surrounded the school. Off to start another adventure with the one you loved.