Chapter 1.
Running down the road my school is in has become a habit of mine. I'm always late now, since my father's soul became attached to me after he died in a car accident three years ago. His energy messes up my electronic devices, especially my phone and my alarm clock. My phone is usually buzzing or ringing, and if I turn it off it comes back on and starts ringing again. It's quite annoying actually... I've tried getting rid of it quite a few times too, but Mum always makes me get it back or buy a new one. She hasn't let me leave the house without it since Dad died. She is adamant that if Dad had taken his phone to work that morning, he would have been able to phone someone for help. The accident he was in was hit and run. The driver sped away and left my Dad alone, to die in the street. Coward. Mum thinks that he was laid by the side of the road for hours, fighting for his life in agony. But he didn't. As soon as the car hit him, Dad had a heart attack. He died only momets later. I miss him so much, but his soul remains with me, so I don't feel quite so lonely.
I race up the front steps of my school, not looking where I'm going, and immediately crash into Abbie, my best friend.
"Sydney! Slow down! You've got ten minutes to get to class, yet," she laughs, rubbing her arm.
I hugg her and apologize, and then we begin walking down the corridor together, discussing the party Abbie went to on Saturday.
"Sydney, it was so funny! Michael was so drunk, he tripped and landed on Kayleigh! She wasn't too impressed, mind. You know what she's like about Michael... Always picking on him, and calling him names."
I nod and ask questions about what else had happened. I let my mind wander whilst she's talking, and because of that I don't really hear what she was saying properly, so it comes as a shock when she grabs my arm and yankes me to the other side of the corridor.
"Oww! Abbie, what did you so that for?!"
She sighs and began playing with one of her plaits.
"Syd, you really need to start paying attention more. Try and stay out of that fantasy land inside your head, it's annoying when you zone out. I said to move out of the new kids way. He wasn't looking where he was going. He had his nose stuck in some book. If I hadn't pulled you out of the way, you'd have walked straight into eachother. Maybe I shouldn't have, the crash might have knocked some sense into you!" She giggles and throws her plait back over her shoulder.
"Very funny," I say, rolling my eyes.
What's all this about a new kid? Our school rarely accepts transfer students this late in the year. Especially to the last year of school. Weird. He must have some kind of special reason or something.
Abbie links her arm through mine and tries to make me skip. She does that every day, and then gets annoyed when I don't join in. She drops my arm and we walk side by side instead.
I look at my watch, and realise the time.
"Abbie we have, like, two minutes to get all the way around the other side of the school. And we have Mrs. Sanchez first. You know what she's like when I am late.."
I watch as Abbie's eyes widen in fear. She has a perfect attendance and lateness record, and she is committed to keeping it that way.
She snatches my hand up and bursts into a full powered sprint, dragging me along with her. We race around the school, ignoring various teachers warnings about running in the school building. The bell rings just as we get to our classroom.
"Phew! That was so close! Thanks for the heart attack Sydney!"
I look at the floor and frown.
"Wait, Syd, I didn't mean it like that... I'm so sorry, I didn't think!"
