The thing about suicide is that it doesn't end with you. Emory Mathison had every reason to take her life after a cyber-bullying video goes viral. She thought her pain would end with a bottle of pills. Imagine her surprise when she wakes as a ghost...
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Picture of Emory :)
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No one wakes up and decides out of nowhere that they want to die. You have to be in incredible mental pain to reach that point. Call it what you want; bad genes, a chemical imbalance in the brain, fact or fiction. Every suicide has a story, but no one talks about what comes next. Nobody considers the consequences or what we leave behind. No one speaks about suicide period. At least, not until it happens to you - friend or relative touched by the ripple effect. People prefer to look away and forget, because forgetting is easier, but death isn't.
Parked in front of the bar, I peered at the blinking neon lights beyond my windshield. For an inexplicable reason, my hand wouldn't reach for the door. All I had to do was go in, grab my dad by the arm, and haul him to the car. I'd done it twice now, and he'd been too drunk to put up a fight. My stomach twinged. What was different? Why was there an awful bile building in my mouth?
The tiny voice in my head told me to listen to the ache in my stomach. Something was wrong, and the fear told me if I went inside it would somehow seal my fate. Come on Ems, it's just your stupid anxiety. I scolded myself, though I remained planted in my seat, watching as strangers came and left the bar.
Out of thin air a dark shadow appeared and knocked on my window, causing me to jump. They had a grey hood drawn over dark hair and a lazy grin spread across their face. Despite their smile my heart hammered in my chest.
I cracked the window. "Yes?"
"Hey, Emory. Fancy meeting you here."
My eyes grew at the sound of the boy's voice. "I've had a class with you, right? You go to my school?"
"Jared. Freshmen history."
"Oh! Oh, right! Jared!" I rolled the window further down. "What are you doing here?"
"Fake I.D. gets you anywhere in this crap town. I prefer to be here." He paused and took a hit from a blunt in his hand.
When he breathed out, a putrid scent similar to a skunk attacked my nose. I coughed a little, but held in it the most I could. I didn't want to be rude.
"Mind if I come in? It's a little chilly out here."
"Oh, yeah. Sure thing." I unlocked the passenger door.
