𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟓

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CONTENT WARNING ⚠️: This chapter contains mild of profanity.


𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐕

• • •

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆





I stood outside the high school gates, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the campus. The building loomed ahead, a reminder of all the teenage drama and memories I'd spent years trying to forget. My eyes scanned the crowd of students spilling out, searching for her. Brooke.

"God, look at these kids," Darius muttered beside me, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "What the hell are they wearing? Is that supposed to be fashion?"

He snorted, shaking his head as his eyes flicked from one poorly dressed teenager to the next. A group of them passed by us, laughing and pushing each other, completely unaware that Darius was standing right there, mocking them with every breath. But of course, they didn't see him. They couldn't hear him.

Only I could.

"Seriously, that one looks like he raided his grandma's closet. And don't get me started on that," he gestured toward a girl with neon pink hair and uggs, "Is this what passes for normal now?"

I bit down on the inside of my cheek, trying to ignore the knot forming in my stomach. This was already hard enough without Darius running commentary like some kind of twisted ghostly peanut gallery. I had to stay focused, but his constant quips kept pulling me out of my own head.

"Why are you even here?" I muttered under my breath, my eyes scanning the sea of faces. I knew Brooke had to be here somewhere. I just needed to find her. Needed answers.

Darius chuckled, stepping in front of me, forcing me to look at him. "Hey, I'm here for moral support, sis. You're the one who dragged us to this hellhole."

"Not helping, Darius."

"Oh, come on," he grinned, his expression that same cocky, carefree smile he always wore, even when he was alive. "You're telling me you don't find any of this ridiculous? This place is a breeding ground for stupidity."

I ignored him, my eyes darting toward the parking lot. Brooke had to come out eventually. And when she did, I was going to make sure I got some real answers about Haley's murder. This wasn't a game anymore. A innocent person is dead, too many secrets tangled up in knots I couldn't unravel.

"Think she'll actually tell you anything?" Darius asked, leaning against the school's brick wall like he had all the time in the world. "Or are we just here for you to stare awkwardly at high school kids?"

I shot him a glare. "Shut up."

He grinned, clearly enjoying himself. "What? It's a valid question. What's your plan, sis? Gonna corner her in the parking lot? Rough her up a bit?"

I shook my head, trying to push away the growing frustration that Darius seemed hell-bent on stoking. He wasn't real. He wasn't real. No one else could see him, no one else could hear him, but here he was, haunting me, cracking jokes like we were back in the real world.

But nothing about this was real. Not anymore.

The high school bell rang in the distance, signaling the final release of students for the day. My heart quickened, my pulse throbbing in my ears as I spotted a familiar head of blonde hair weaving through the crowd.

𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 | 18+Where stories live. Discover now