PHANTOM SEPILOGUE

CHAPTER 2

I ended up falling asleep on the floor last night after folding Harry's shirts. I grab my phone and see it's 3 pm. I stretch and get up to walk to the bathroom to get ready to go to the police station. I need to talk to Whitmore again and find out more about what happened. I was in so much shock yesterday that I didn't even ask her any questions.

On my way to the police station I get a text from Whitmore:

"Hey Jane, I assumed you would want to come in today to ask some questions and get more information from me, but I won't be in the office till around 5. So if you can stop by around then I'd be more than happy to answer your questions."

I look at the time, it's only 4:13. Shit. I keep driving because I figured it's way better than sitting at Cadence Manor alone.

As I cruise around Castle Hill I realize I'm about to pass Mel's Diner; I am pretty hungry I haven't eaten since yesterday morning. I pull into a parking spot near the entrance and sit down at a random booth.

"Hi welcome to Mel's, what can I get started for you?" a too annoyingly familiar voice asks me.

I look up from my menu to be met with the grey eyes I never thought i'd see again.

"Max??" I say astonished at the fact that the boy I sat next to in first period everyday is taking my order. He looks just as surprised as I do.

"Jane! So good to see you... but, what are you doing here?" He gives me a confused look, the slightest hint of bitterness in his voice

"It's a long story...." The last thing I want to do is tell Max that both of my parents died in a car accident and I'm staying in my old house until I'm mentally stable enough to go back to college.

"I've got time," He smirks, sliding into the seat across from me setting down his notepad.

I take a deep breathe to prepare myself to tell Max what has happened to me in the past 24 hours. This isn't going to be easy. I tell him everything. From the start of move in day, to the worrying drive back to Castle Hill, and all the way up to where I am now, but of course left out the parts about my memories of Harry, Wesley, and Em. I would have to take breaks to keep myself from crying so much about the thought of my parents actually being dead.

"Oh my god, Jane. I had no idea. I'm so sorry that this is happening to you right now. Is there anything I can do for you?" Max says with pure sympathy.

"I'm alright, thanks Max. I'm gonna stay at my house until I get everything situated. I still don't know what is going to happen to the house once everything is out of it."

"Okay, but if you seriously need any help, you can come to me," Max explains as he reaches a comforting hand over to place onto mine. We start to chat some more and catch each other up on our lives, talking about this and that. Max suddenly bring up something that quickly grabs my attention.

"Hey, I almost forgot to mention, Ava is having a little party with our old friend group on Friday. I'm sure everyone would love to see you."

I'm hesitant at first, but think to myself that it would be a good idea to get out of the house since all I would be doing is packing and grieving. "That sounds really nice Max, I'll be there."

"Awesome. Now did you want to order anything?" he asks, standing up. I check my phone, seeing the time reads 5:02.

"No I should get going. I need to meet Whitmore at the station now." Honestly after talking about everything I wasn't even hungry anymore.

"Okay... It was really nice to catch up with you Jane. See you Friday"

"See you Friday Max!" I give him a quick side hug and make my way to my car and drive myself to finally ask Whitmore my unanswered questions.

I drive through Castle Hill towards the police station, wondering which questions I want answered first. That's when I realize I don't even know what caused the accident that took my parents life. I pull into the front parking spot next to a cop car and walk into the building to Whitmore's office. I knock twice on the door before entering and sitting down in a chair with a fresh mint in my mouth.

"Hey Jane, how are you holding up?" Whitmore asks.

"I'm okay. Just ready to have my questions answered."

"Okay well let's start then, huh?"

I take a breath before asking with a shaky voice, "What caused them to crash? How did all of this happen?"

A wave of sadness and anger washes over her face before she hesitates to say, "Jane, this is going to be hard for you to hear. But the crash was not your parents fault. A drunk driver was swerving past them and hit the passenger side of the car. Both of the cars were going very fast, which is what caused them to roll multiple times into the ditch. The drunk driver was reported by a car driving behind them. He was pulled over and taken into custody the same morning."

I choke on the mint in my mouth at the words she just spoke. A drunk driver. Of all things it had to be a drunk driver. I can't believe my parents died because of someone else's mistake of getting behind the wheel while under the influence. And the worst part of all is that the son of a bitch gets to live and my parents don't. It doesn't take me long to start for the door out of her office and for Whitmore to call after me.

"I just need some air!" I shout at her while I hurry out of the building and into my car. I start the car and don't realize where I am going until the familiar surroundings of the cemetery appear outside my windows. I need to talk to someone. Not Max, but Em.

I slam the driver door before running up the hill to the gravestones we would always meet at. I can't help but notice a weird feeling as I walk through the grounds. I reach the top of the hill and look around. No one. "Em?" I start to say at a whisper yell. Nothing. Walking a little farther around the surrounding areas, I raise my voice to a yell, not caring if anyone sees me, "Em where are you? Em!" And that's when I realize. I'm not cold.

It finally happened. Em passed. I fall to my knees and start to sob for what seems like an eternity. I hold myself in a ball on the grass leaning against a gravestone. I look to see who's it is. And there it reads,

"Harry Styles 1995 to 2013. Rest in peace."

I shut my eyes, pushing out more tears, as I silently look at the gravestone. I do the only thing I can bring myself to doing at the time.

"Harry," I say, feeling slightly comforted at the sound of his name. "I'm trying my hardest right now. I really am. But I don't know how much longer I can keep going. This is all too much too fast. I have no one left. Not even Em," I slightly chuckle to myself at the realization that I don't even have a dead companion with me anymore. "Why did this have to happen to me? I was just getting used to not having that empty feeling inside me anymore after I left Castle Hill to go to college." I lay on my back and look up to the sky, noticing night has fallen and I can see many stars shining over me. Different thoughts pop into my mind until the one that has been stuck in the back of my mind makes its way to being the first one.

I sit up to face the stone and reach for my keys in my back pocket, grasping onto them tightly making sure they won't fall out of my hand.

"I'm so sorry," is the last thing that makes its way out of my mouth before I do the last thing I thought I would do in my entire life. I know I said I wouldn't anymore, but that doesn't stop me from pressing the key deep into the skin on my wrist, rapidly moving it back and forth. I shouldn't be doing this. But I don't feel any guilt at all anymore when I start to feel light headed and feel my eyes slowly close along with my motions, becoming slower and slower until, I stop. And then it all goes black.

My eyes fly open to the old grey walls of my bedroom. What happened? How did I get here? Who brought me here? Then I remember what happened the night before. The stars, the keys, and me fainting. It all comes flooding back to my memory all at once. Is this real? Am I really... Am I really dead? I begin to sit up from my bed and rest back on my arms. That's when I notice it. I can't feel anything. I can't feel the softness of my bed sheets, or the blanket over my legs. I don't feel the normal rising and falling of my chest or the slight tickling feeling of the hair on the side of my face.

This can't be. Why would I be here? What is my reason for being in the in between?