At the End of the Garden

Chapter Four

It didn't go away.

I spent the whole weekend not thinking about the ghost rumour. Quite peacefully too. On the one or two occasions that it did cross my mind, it caused a sigh of relief that it was all over. Although it was sometimes followed up with anxiety about how people were judging me for asking about it.
I didn't really have an important reputation at my school. My relationship with Eden was the only reason people noticed me most of the time, even before we were dating. The same people who avoided Eden for being the Headteacher's son avoided me, although I think for me was much more relaxed. My friendship group had always been small, tiny. Before Angie, Eden was who I hung out with. Now it's just Angie and another small group of girls we'd sometimes sit with or choose when we had to do group projects. But I knew how people my age talk. I've seen the way they talk to Eden, and how differently they talk about him. It's almost patronising. Eden can't help but stand out in school, considering he was an overachiever and the child of the headteacher, which made people say his good grades were corrupt. I've always been impressed with how indifferent he was to it.
I didn't want people to start thinking I believed in ghosts, or even cared. It made me seem childish or stupid. I didn't have a strong impression of myself to give to other people, but I know what I didn't want them to see me as. Despite this, Monday morning, when I thought this was all over, Angie sent me on another quest.
"Her. Ask her."
We were sat in the cafeteria during break. It was my least favourite room in the school. Firstly, because it was where Angie had made me talk to most of the people regarding the ghost. Mostly though, was because it was so dull. Each table was either black or white, and each chair was grey. Some walls were glass, but if they weren't they were grey. It wouldn't surprise me if Victor Quinn had designed the room himself based on his wide range of emotions. At least the windows let natural light in. If they weren't there, the room would look something like a medieval dungeon. The only other good thing about the windows was if there was anything going on outside you could see it, but there often wasn't. Any liveliness created by the people inside or outside was dampened by the décor.
We were surrounded by enough noise that I could have pretended I didn't hear her. But, I was too angry that she had bought the topic back up to do that. Angie used the spoon she was eating with to point at a tall girl at the other end of the room. She stood out, but not like Eden. She was one of the last girls in our year to still be wearing trousers, for everyone else it had been a phase. Not only that, she had dip dyed blue hair that she'd failed to tuck into her bun. I was sure that was against the uniform policy. Worst of all, she looked angry about something. There was an empty space around her where others had got out her way, giving her the room to pace while she ranted.
"I thought this was over."
"Last one, I promise."
"No. I don't believe you. Ask her yourself."
"I can't." Angie almost sounded convincing.
"Well then neither can I."
"I'm serious, Marie. I know her. We're not on great terms."
"I thought it was impossible to find out where it came from."
"That's why she's the last one. Her names Renée if that helps you. Just go ask."
I looked at her accusingly across the table. Had she been looking into this in private? Then what did she want me for?
"Last. One." I warned her as I stood up. I began to approach the girl with the dip dyed hair.
She seemed to be directing a rant at another kid in our year, but she wasn't angry at him. He was just listening, and nodding every now then. The familiar fear of strangers rose up as I approached them, it became worse when I wondered if the furious girl was going to snap at me. This caused me to aimlessly stand and stare at the pair, until the boy finally noticed me and smacked his friends arm to get her attention too.
As if by magic, Renée snapped out her anger.
"Can we help you?" She asked.
I was freaked out by her sudden mood change, but I swallowed my fear.
"Yes - um - hi." I began, trying to remember the lines I had rehearsed so many times last week. "I was wondering if you had heard about the that ghost rumour."
Renée laughed. "I was not expecting that."
I'd heard people laugh, or snigger, once I'd walked away after having this conversation. None of them had laughed in my face. It was not reassuring.
"Of course we heard it." She continued, "what about it?"
"I wanted to know who you heard it from... actually."
I hated Angie for making me do this again, but I hated myself the most for agreeing to it.
"This was like two weeks ago, I can't remember." She shook her head. "It's a load of rubbish anyway."
The boy muttered something, but I didn't hear him.
"Sorry?" I asked, trying to be polite.
The boy looked up at me as if it took a great amount of energy to do so. "I remember who told us it was Luka."
The girl nodded. "Yeah, but like I said, it's rubbish 'cos she's not dead."
"Who from?"
I pressed them for an answer because I didn't want to stand here longer than I had to. These two were weird, and stood out plenty. Renée seemed to have mouth that didn't seem to know when to finish a sentence, nor volume control. The fact her friend was with her said enough about him.
"Sidney." The girl said instantly. "But he's always spouting shit."
I was surprised the name didn't come up earlier. He had been more than eager to talk about the ghost before. I thanked the two of them before returning to Angie. I knew she would ask me to talk to him too.