"Kim? Wake up"
I opened my eyes to be blinded by a bright white light.
My eyes were adjusting to the light now. "Jerry?" I looked up at him "Where am I? I was just in the library"
As soon as I asked I realised where I was. I was in the hospital. I was in a surgery room and that was my body laying all pale on a stretcher as doctors and nurses operated on me.
I gasped "Jerry is that my body? Frank he shot me" My leg ached.
"He shot us both" Jerry smiled weakly.
"So we are both dead then?" I asked.
Jerry shook his head "No we are not both dead. I am. You aren't. So you have got an important choice to make and I am here to help you. " He snapped his fingers.
"What choice...wait how did we get here?"
We stood in the school library.
He didn't reply. "Just watch"
I gasped again, feeling sick "Jerry is that...?"
"my body bag yeah it is. This was just after they stopped Frank"
"I am so sorry" I said.
"It's okay Kim I have come to terms with it. I died saving you and Donna, the best girls I have ever known." he snapped his fingers.
A tear rolled down my cheek "Jerry seriously a graveyard?"
There was a church behind us but in front of us all I could see were graves.
Jerry laughed "Kim I am dead remember"
I went to hit him but my hand went through his head "Jerry it's not funny"
"No it's not" he agreed with me and led me inside the church "Come on let's sit, we both need to see this. Relax no-one can see us"
If we could be seen we would have stood out since everybody else was wearing black. Jack, Donna and Julie stood at the front of the church speaking to Jerry's parents. They came at sat down revealing the picture which had been hidden behind them.
I gasped again. "Jerry that's me!" I gasped pointing at my most hated picture of myself. "Jack knows I hate that picture"
"This is your chance to change this future" Jerry whispered in my ear. "Should be my funeral or yours too?
"Jerry I..."
"You know" Jerry said "Kim do you want to live?"
I didn't answer straight away. I honestly didn't know my answer. It would be easy to give up. But I want to see my friends.
"Kim if I had the choice I know what I would pick" Jerry said after a few moments.
He snapped his fingers again and we had returned to the hospital. But this time we were outside the surgery room.
Jack was pacing up and down. I could tell he was impatient. Milton was sat watching him, looking sick with worry.
"What's taking so long?" Jack complained.
"Kim's in surgery it could be a while yet before they have answers" Milton said.
"I would choose to see my friends" Jerry said.
"Jerry what about Julie and Donna? Wait... He didn't ... Did he?"
He shook his head.
I let out a sigh of relief that I hadn't realised I had been holding.
"He tried boy did he try but I died protecting you both. You see Donna rushed straight to you as soon as he shot you and fought to keep you alive. Frank was going to kill her for trying to help you. I jumped in front of that bullet just before it was about to hit Donna. Kim don't let my sacrifice be worthless"
My mouth dropped. "Jerry I have never heard you say those words"
Jerry smiled "I've had nothing to do since I died I've just been floating around the hospital listening in on some very awkward and difficult conversations. Let's go see Donna and Julie"
I was waiting for him to click his fingers but instead he got up and started walking. I followed him over to where Donna sat on a stretcher.
"Donna I am so sorry are you okay?"
She didn't reply.
"She can't hear you. None of them can hear or see us" Jerry said sadly. "i would give anything to have just enough time to have the change to tell her how much she really means to me. I never got the chance"
"i am sure she knows Jerry" I said, fighting back tears as I thought about what he sacrificed for me and Donna.
He looked at me right in the eyes "Kim you need to make that choice. Do you want to stay here or do you want to go home?"
"What about Julie?"
"She is a bit freaked out, still in shock but she is okay"
I nodded "Yes Jerry I want to go home and see our friends but before I do, do you have a message for them?"
He smiled "You already know" he grabbed my head before I could reply. It felt like someone was stabbing me with a thousand knives, that had been heated in a fire, in my forehead.
I was engulfed by the bright light again.
"Live Kim" Jerry whispered as I opened my eyes "Live for the two of us. My death isn't worthless"