"You ice that arm yet?" he felt a presence behind him trying to shake him awake. The familiar voice continued. 'Is that? it can't be.' Jamie spun around seeing the long unforgotten face, he moved into the corner of his bed the furthest he could get away from the person standing in the middle of his room.
"Mas" Jamie's heart nearly stopped beating in his chest. His lips began to dry from keeping his jaw opened in shock. "You're, you're, not real," Jamie said shaking his head in disbelief, licking his lips for moisture. "Uh uh."
"I'm not real? We grew up together goof." Sounds like something the person he once knew would say, but he knew it couldn't be him.
"How are you here? I this isn-" Jamie began frantically.
"I came to see you," Mason said softly, water burst from Jamie's eyes. "You said that you didn't feel me anywhere- So here I am."
"You- you died Mas."
"I'm standing right here." Mason stood with his arms right opened Jamie got out of his bed staring down Mason, moments later just going in for a hug, Mason surprisingly feeling like a person.
"Mason, I miss you so much, man." Jamie broke into Mason's shoulder.
"I've missed you, Jamie," Mason said tightening the hug. "More than you know." the hug broke.
"So you and Eddie huh." Jamie shook his head, wiping the tears from his face, even in the afterlife Mason always made things about others.
"Yeah." Jamie laughed. "She's my girlfriend."
"Ahhh I knew it!" Mason playfully shoved Jamie "That's great! you deserve each other Reagan."
"Thank you, Mas." Jamie smiled.
"What about school? pick a school yet?" Jamie closed his eyes a moment of silence engulfs the room.
"I just can't go if you're not going." Jamie broke, not that it wasn't noticeable but he kept this secret for a long time.
"I am.. with you-"
"That's not the same." Jamie Interrupted turning around, he couldn't look at him. "You won't physically be there and that hurts."
"Sometimes we must get rid of the life we have planned... to accept the one that is waiting for us. There's a lot of things that I won't physically be there for.. that doesn't mean I'm not there." Mason spoke. Jamie had yet to make eye contact. "Look at me, Jamie." Jamie faced his hazel-eyed friend. "Please don't miss out on this and if you were where I am you'd say the same."
"I know but all of this was so damn unexpected."
"I know." Mason patted him on the back. "But I'm so freaking proud of you Jamie, playing baseball again, pitching." Mason smiled trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah, me and the guys are going to win State for you." Mason looked away from him.
"Ah, now I'm going to cry." Mason laughed off the tears to his best ability. "It means so much to me, win or lose, seeing everyone carry on with life without me is amazing, especially you." Jamie's facial expression changed, saddening a little bit.
"What about you Mas, where have you been.. I know you're dead but whe- I mean what do you do there?" Mason let out a soft sigh, Jamie knew the kid and he could tell he was having difficulty answering.
"The first rule of angel club is not to talk about angel club" Jamie stared at him confused ready to ask another question but before he could, Mason put one arm around Jamie. "This isn't about me.. just know, I'm happy where I am and everything is fine, I saw my grandma, Maggie and my uncle Andrew. I just don't want to see you where I am for another sixty plus years. Okay, Reagan?" Jamie nodded tears threatening to fall again. "I love you, Reagan." Jamie heart clench at those words from him again.
"I love you Mas." Jamie mumbled. Everything was dark, his mouth dry, he opened, his eyes to his wall, he spun around to the spot that he swore he just was. He wasn't there. Jamie sat up bringing his knees to his chest slightly sobbing into them. "It was just a dream."
Jamie played with the lock at his locker too much was running through his mind for him to put all his attention into opening it when he eventually got it open his thoughts were interrupted;
"Hey, I haven't seen you all day." She held her books close, smiling at him, going in for a soft kiss, she noticed he had something on his mind. "Something up Jamie?"
"Oh uh," He paused, he couldn't even think of a little white lie. "I saw him." Jamie stared into her confused blue orbs.
"You saw who?"
"Mason." He whispered, her face shared a mixture of confusion and shock. He closed his locker taking her by the hand and guiding her over to one of the empty bench tables in the quad.
"Jamie." She was a loss of words. "What do you mean you saw Mason."
"So after I left your place last night I went home and I just thought long and hard about things, past conversations and I just fell asleep with all it on my mind, next thing I knew I was being woken up by Mason." Jamie's eyes are glazed. "God Eddie... It was so real." Jamie gulped. "He even knew about us and he knew I was playing baseball again."
"That's so amazing," Eddie exclaimed placing her hand over Jamie's on the table. "What else did he say?"
"That he wants me to commit to a college... He said that there's a lot of things that he's not going to physically be here for he's always going to be with me.. It's so crazy Eddie two nights ago I was at his place talking to his dad and I told him I don't feel Mason's presence anywhere and look what happened." Eddie listened intensely. "He told me he was fine and he saw a few of his family members and he didn't want to see me up there for another sixty plus years, then I just woke up and he wasn't there anymore." Eddie saw the sadness in this face.
"He's a true guardian angel." Eddie smiled. "I'm so happy that he came and visited you." Jamie reached into his backpack, laying out a folded piece of paper onto the table.
"I also know where I'm going to school." Eddie's jaw dropped in nothing but happiness in shock, she moved closer to him and just hugged him tightly.
"Oh my gosh, Congratulations." She broke the hug reaching for the paper, Jamie quickly grabbed it before her. "What the?"
"I just have something to ask of you." She looked at her seriously.
"Okay, shoot."
"I want you to be with me, even if it's in LA or here." her eyes widened.
"Of course I was hoping we weren't over no matter what college routes we were to take." He smiled he was completely relieved. He placed the paper down so she could take a look. She unfolded it finally taking a look, "I knew it."
"Off to practice." he smiled lifting her chin for a quick kiss, taking off.
He tried his best not to cry at the boy's words. Jamie had told him all about the surprise visit he had this morning. "He said sometimes we must get rid of the life we have planned... to accept the one that is waiting for us."
David tried to laugh through the knot present in the back of his throat. "I hope my visit is soon."
"He is going to come to see you soon," Jamie assured.
"I can't wait to let Amanda know that he came to see you, she'll be home later on tonight."
"And it made me realize something that I've been meaning to do for a long time." Jamie slid the piece of paper across the table David took it opening it. "So there it is."
"Congratulations Jamie." David looked up from the paper.
"Thank you so much, David, I just need you to help me set something up."
"So how do you plan on doing it?" She took a bite of the strawberry. She laid there staring up into the dusk New York sky.
"I don't know I haven't really thought of a speech." Jaime watched the ladybugs move through his fingers. "There's like twenty ladybugs on our blanket." Jamie looked down at their picnic palette,
"No seriously! Jamie, it's in two days" She sat up from cloud glazing.
"You know, this is weird but I used to collect ladybugs." He continued to watch it move throughout his hands. "Erin had this old plastic fish cage in the garage, I took it one day and I poked holes in it to it and filled it with grass and ladybugs, I kept it in my room, one day I knocked the cage over by accident and they were everywhere, all throughout the house, My mom was so pissed because Erin hated ladybugs.. Honestly, anything that crawled and I had to collect them all the best I could and I returned them here."
"I never took you for a guy that liked ladybugs." Eddie leaned on him. "You seem like you would have collected something like grasshoppers."
"I hate grasshoppers."
"Of course you do." She laughed. "Okay but seriously what's up with Wednesday night."
"Well I talked to Mason's dad and he is going to invite my whole family to dinner and I'm going to tell them there." Jamie took a bite of the strawberry she held.
"Oh, that's a really good plan Reagan that way they won't expect it." She nodded in her thoughts. "I really like tha-"
"I want you to be there." he turned to face her.
"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it." She grabbed his neck slowly leading into a meaningful kiss. "We're at a park are you sure you want to make out?"
"Nope let's save it for Saturday because I'm taking you out on a movie date." He gave her a quick peck on the lips, picking his ladybug up from the ground.
"This Saturday? What do I even wear!"
"This Saturday," Jamie confirmed. "And maybe clothes, genuinely up to you." He joked.
"Hahaha funny." She said in a sarcastic way.
"All jokes aside." Jamie looked to the sky, it was golden hour, the sun made everything in the park a sunlight gold color, it was a perfect sunset. "This is nice. For the first week after Mason passed, it felt like the world stopped spinning on its axis, I wasn't sure what I was going to do."
"You're strong, not too many people can lose their lifelong best friend almost two months ago and come this far as you have." Eddie comfort.
"My family have helped me through a lot. Especially you, I don't know where I'd be if I didn't meet you. My mom always said when God closes one door he opens another." She hugged his arm tighter resting her head on his shoulder. "I know the project is due next week and I have an idea for it." she listened intently to his idea explanation.
"So nice of the Reid's to Invite us out." Erin sat down with the rest of her family.
"Yeah It's good to catch up, I haven't seen them since them funeral." Danny sipped his water.
"Nice to see you here Eddie." Mary welcomed.
"No thank you all for inviting me." Eddie smiled.
"When's the last time we all gathered like this," Henry spoke.
"Last year when the boys took State pops." Henry smiled at the memory
"I hope everything's okay we usually never met unless its something special."
"Everything should be fine," Frank exclaimed, If he was being honest with himself he was a little nervous, minutes later the couple walked into the restaurant.
"Hello everybody!" David boasted he pulled a seat out for his wife.
"It's so nice to see you all." Amanda chimed.
"It's good to see you as well, you look good." Mary cheered.
"Let's order, I can eat." David chimed after their plates had arrived they ate and had small talk, but still, the Reagan's had no idea if this was something serious or a gathering of old friends.
"I actually have an announcement I'd liked to make," David announced. "I brought you all here today because every single one of you at this table have a special meaning to me, I've watched some of being born and grow into the finest people you are today, you helped look out for my youngest son when I was there to and words can express how grateful I am for all of you, but this gathering isn't for me." The Reagan's looked confused. "Jamie." Eddie looked at him giving him a soft nod of encouragement.
"I um.. asked David to help me bring all of you here today and I want to thank him so much for it, He's always been there for me and is a second father to me, so thank you so much, David." David smiled at him. "Well, I also wanted to thank my dad." Jamie looked over to Frank. "You helped me through so much, thank you for playing ball with me in the yard when I was a kid, Taking me to hockey games, Major league baseball games, being the one I can come to no matter what it is. I don't know what I'd do without you." Frank smiled through the emotions. "Same for you mom, you're always willing to talk to me when I try to push you away and I love you for it." Jamie looked over to his siblings. "Also with Danny and Joe and Erin, Much as I hate to admit it you guys are pretty cool siblings." The three of them laughed. "Everyone at this table has a special meaning to me. Especially my girlfriend Eddie," Eddie looked up at him this part wasn't in the speech he had read to her. "She's gorgeous, smart and one of the best people I have gotten to know."
"Awh Jamie!" Erin quipped, Jamie rolled his eyes laughing.
"And I wanted to say I finally found the college I'm going to attend in the fall of this year and it's." Joe and Danny were nearly out of their seat.
"Columbia." The excitement in the room was still there but so was shock. "I know I talked about UCLA since I was a kid and I don't want you guys to think I'm not going because Mason isn't here anymore, I wasn't even committed when he was here because all cards on the table, I don't think California is for me. I'm going to play baseball at Columbia with a full ride and I'm super happy about it, I'll still get to visit Mason's grave on Sunday, hang out with David, annoy Joe and Danny" Jamie smiled "Hang out with pops and visiting my beautiful girlfriend at NYU."
"Oh, my goodness congratulations Jamie." Erin smothered him into a hug. "And you too Eddie, NYU? that's amazing." She also hugged her.
"I'm proud of you kid," Danny whispered into his ear.
"That's my baby boy." Mary smiled tears in her eyes.
"Congratulations Jamie." Amanda also hugged him, right after her he got on from David and all family members present around the table.
"Graduation is a month-and-a-half away state not too far behind it, So I have plenty of work to do."
TBC!
Did Jamie make the right choice? Let me know in the reviews! This story definitely isn't over yet, but when it is I might turn it into a sequel or turn back the clock and bring Mason back in another story, let me know what you guys would like to read, and I appreciate all of the ideas i received through reviews and inbox, if you have an idea you would like to see in the story don't hesitate to let me know, please review and like, it means a lot to me!