Chapter Text
Simon Elroy was scanning his classmates one by one as he sat up in the bleachers, he didn't actually give a shit about how many people showed up ‘because they cared’ because he knew they didn't.
No, His mind was focused on finding one person in particular; Maddie Nears.
She has been his best friend since they were kids trying to make their own horror movie.
Now Simon almost misses her because of the dark hoodie that almost hid her entire face but he thankfully saw Charlie who was sitting by her.
Charlie was trying his best to comfort Maddie while she glared up at their principal like he was the one who took Simon…or maybe he did.
It's not like Simon remembers anything that happened. “Maybe this is all a dream…”
He mumbled to himself, looking away from maddie and back up at the screen where his picture faded away off the screen.
He slumped down onto the bleachers, burying his face in his hands before taking a deep breath.
But that's when he notices a group of students whispering nearby, their eyes darting back and forth between the now white screen and themselves.
“Of course, I’ve got rumors spreading already!” he said bitterly, God did he hate this fucking school.
“Maybe you'll get cool rumors?” A voice spoke behind him causing him to jump from where he sat and whip around to see who spoke.
A girl his age sat behind him, she had dark curly hair and looked straight out of a 70s photo with her bright orange flowery shirt, demi flare jeans that had a pair of brown boots peeking out from under them.
Simon remembers her from when she first tried to talk to him but he just thought he was fucking hallucinating and was still overall panicking that he never got her name.
“I'm Nicole by the way! You're probably wondering what's happening but everything is okay.”
She then held out a hand out towards him.
"I'll be your guide to ghost lif-ow!”
Nicolo was cut off by her own yelp as Simon smacked her hand away.
“No way, this is just some dream or a …coma! That's it! This is just a coma!”
He quickly turned away from the 70s hippie only to find the school band playing some depressing song as a sign of ‘respect’ for his disappearance/death.
Simon threw his hands into the air and stormed out of the gym, Nicole following behind him.
“You won't be able to make sense of all this!” Nicole told him as caught up enough to walk side by side with him, her heeled boots clicking as she walked.
“because this is definitely NOT a coma.
You're dead! And the sooner you realize that, the better it is for you!”
Simon groaned, rubbing his face while he tried to walk down the hallway in hopes of getting rid of Nicole, it didn't work and Nicole kept going on about how she would help Simon move on or something but Simon blocks her out of his head as He came to a halt in the middle of the hall at the sight of Maddie, He must've not seen her leave earlier because now she was putting up missing flyers of him all over the lockers.
Not one locker was left free of a missing flyer.
“Maddie...”
Simon rushed to her side, waving a hand in front of her face hoping for a reaction. “Maddie! I'm here...come on Maddie… I'm right here!”
“She can't hear you..” Nicole whispered in his ear. He turned his head slowly towards her, glaring. So far this ‘ghost guide’ wasn't helping him very much.
“Yeah? I really couldn't tell!” he replied coldly. He was turning back to Maddie when he saw Mr. Anderson came out into the hallway, The teacher’s eyes landed on Maddie and flyers she was still trying to put more up, even though they were falling to the floor.
Mr Anderson slowly walked over to her as if she'd bolt if he spooked her, concern written on his face as he spoke.
“hey maddie...are you doing alright?” And Simon couldn’t blame the man’s caution- his best friend was acting a little intense as she slammed flyers over and over onto the locker aggressively.
Simon closed his eyes trying to block the banging sounds of Maddie slamming a flyer on the lockers, for some reason it made him sick but he couldn't remember why.
He was brought back by Maddie's voice, it was harsh and cold, something Simon wasn't used to hearing in his best friend's voice. “Of course not! My best friend is out there missing and this fucking school doesn't seem to care…
They're acting as if this isn't such a huge deal!”
She snapped at Mr. Anderson, not looking at him as she kept putting up the stupid flyers.
“Stop it with the fucking flyers, Mads!” Simon groaned, but of course, she couldn't hear him. She then lays her head against a locker and sighed, closing her eyes as Simon watched, unable to comfort his best friend
“..I know Simon and he wouldn't just randomly leave..”
“You're right, he wouldn't but how about we talk and maybe we should go around town with the flyers?..I believe this spot is completely covered.” Mr. Anderson offered Maddie, who slowly stopped, her hands dropping from the locker.
“I promise, we'll find Simon… together.” She glanced at Mr. Anderson, looking just as stubborn as Simon had always known her to be, a silent debate in her head.
In the end, she followed him down the hallway, holding a pile of flyers in her arms tightly. Simon watched them leave, trying not to cry in front of Nicole.
He felt himself getting angry, he whipped around and started ripping down the flyers, only to see them reset back up, his own face smiling back at him. “What the fuck…?” Simon whispered as he stepped back in confusion
Nicole crossed her arms and sighed in pity. "you really weren't paying attention to anything I was saying... Everything you touch in this world, resets in theirs.”
Her words only make him more pissed off.
Adrenaline overtakes him, causing him to kick a locker.
The effect only causes him to cry out in pain, which rings through the empty hall.
“but you'll still feel pain.” She added unhelpfully as always.
“Fuck it!..Alright, I'm a ghost! Happy? Do I now go to heaven or some shit!?” Simon growled through his teeth while rubbing his foot.
“Not that easy. See, if you're a ghost…means you've got unfinished business. So you're stuck until you figure it out! We have these meetings to talk about it.” Simon groaned and rubbed his hands over his face.
“Not this again… I dont need or want to go to this undead group therapy or what the fuck it is!” he snapped before turning to storm down the hallway.
Only to hear Nicole’s footsteps rushed after him.
“Okay, maybe not, but at least you can meet the others?” Simon stopped just a few feet away from Nicole and turned to her. “What do you mean? How many ghosts are in this school?”
“I'd say around sixteen, give or take.”
“Sixteen?..you're telling me sixteen ghosts in this school?!” Nicolo nods, her curls bouncing with the movement. She looked just as lost as Simon was feeling. it makes him feel guilty but he was glad he wasn't alone.
“Why are you still here?..” "Now that's the question, isn't it?..” she mumbled under her breath.
"...Alright, I'll go! but only because I want to meet the others…”