Out of the Darkness

102 Anna's POV

Rage and hurt consumed me, as I heard the girl's voice standing outside Colby's bedroom door. He called back to her, but I didn't hear the words. There was a buzzing sound in my ears that wouldn't lessen. His eyes met mine, and his words broke through the buzzing. "What happened?" he asked, his eyes hardening for some reason. I sniffed, and lifted my chin. "Nothing happened," I spat out. "I just felt bad about how I left things earlier so I wanted to see how you were doing. I see that you're completely fie though. So, I'll just go." I didn't wait for a reply, just automatically faded out as he started to speak. I didn't leave though. I couldn't. Where would I even go? Back to the Darkness? No. He had to go on with his life and I would just have to accept that. I drew in a ragged breath and watched him run his hand through his hair. "Fuck," he muttered, an anxious look on his face. "Colby?" I heard the girl's voice again, and the rage flared up again. I glared at her head poking through his bedroom door. I wanted to manifest and slap her right across the face. I knew it was irrational and that she hadn't technically done anything. That didn't matter to me. What mattered was that she was alive and in his room, smiling up at him with her perfect smile, her perfect lips, her perfect hair, and her clothes showing most of her...assets. "Bitch," I spat out, under my breath. I didn't think she heard me but she did look around the room, a little confused, while Colby started pulling clothes out of his dresser. Wait. Why was he handing her his clothes? What was going on? I probably should've listened instead of fantasizing about ripping her hair out of her head. "I don't have shoes that'll fit you, so you'll have to ask Kat. I assume Tara's won't fit you. Why do girls need so many different pairs of shoes, anyway?" Colby was saying, shaking his head. He reached his hand to his head, and ran it through his already mussed hair. "So yeah, there's a bathroom downstairs that you can change in. I'll show you." They started to walk out, and I noticed that he put his hand on her lower back, leading her out the door. I knew that the anger and the hurt that I was feeling was irrational, but that didn't seem to matter. When he pulled the door closed tightly behind him, I threw my hand over my mouth and screamed as loud as I could. The muffled sound reverberated through his room, and possibly downstairs. I collapsed onto his bed, and threw my arm over my eyes. Would this get any easier? I had the freedom to be here, to spend time with him and his friends sometimes. But I had to always be guarded, to never get to close, to never truly be with them. To have no chance with Colby, to never truly be friends with Kat, Tara, and the rest. Did I have the strength to live my so called life this way? I wasn't sure, if what I was feeling right now was any indication. This hurt way too much. My chest ached, and my eyes burned with unshed tears. I was a fucking ghost! I shouldn't be feeling all of this. I moved my arm and sat up, noticing that I had become solid again without noticing it. I faded back out slowly, watching my body disappear. The burning in my eyes stopped but it did nothing for the ache in my chest. Against my better judgement, I decided to go downstairs and see what everyone was up too. It didn't make sense and I knew I was just punishing myself, in a way, but I was inexplicably drawn to them, to Colby. I wanted to see him, to watch him interact with his friends. I thought that I knew what kind of person he was. I was sure that I did, but it was always so interesting to see how someone acted when they didn't know that you were watching. Okay, that sounded stalkery, but I was a ghost. It didn't count. What else was I supposed to do? I floated over the banister and into the hallway leading to the kitchen. I could hear Jake talking to someone, then a light tinkling laughter. It was Tara. When I entered the kitchen, he had his arms around her, picking her up so that he could kiss her. Their height difference would've been comical if it weren't so damn cute. Jealousy flared up in me, and I looked away. I didn't want to become this bitter person that was just envious of everyone around me. I didn't see anyone else in the kitchen so I floated through the glass doors, out into the backyard. I expected to see everyone lounging on the patio but there was no one there. A loud peal of laughter, followed by a booming one pulled my eyes up and towards the basketball court. I saw quite a few dark shapes standing around the court, and then others playing basketball. I floated down onto the ground and walked the rest of the way, slowly, keeping my eyes on one particular player. His shirt was off, his thick chestnut hair flying back from his forehead as he dribbled the ball closer to his goal. I almost didn't notice the girl with the moonlit blonde hair come out of nowhere and steal the ball from him. He looked momentarily stunned, as cheers rose up from the onlookers. "Woohoo! Go Addy!" I heard Tara call out from behind me. She and Jake walked up next to where I stood, and took a seat on the ground next to Kat, Devyn, Cassie, and a couple of faces that I didn't recognize. "She's gonna stomp their asses," she giggled, passing out the cans that Jake handed her. "She's so good," Devyn replied, watching the blonde girl with the impossibly good jump shot, who was wearing Colby's clothes.