I stopped by the garage on my way to college, my uncle owned it and he said he'd lend me one of his cars. So this morning I ended up pulling into college in one of his old jeeps, it was covered in rust and had an odd smell to it, but it ran and that was all that mattered.

"I still think you should've stayed in bed." Casper was sitting in the passenger seat, looking up at the college. He'd decided he would join me on my first day back, much to my annoyance.

"I told you this morning," we had a long argument about this when I was getting ready. "If I miss anymore days, I will have loads of work to catch up on. I'll never get a break."

Although I argued with him, I had to agree, staying in bed sounded really good right now. I've hardly slept in the past few days, the flashbacks keep getting stronger every night. I'm finding it hard to sleep, even a few hours is bliss to me now.

"Whatever," he mutters still looking up at the college. "If having amnesia from a car accident isn't a good enough excuse to get off school, I don't know what would."

Mentioning the car accident made dread rise, but I swallowed it down and tried to ignore it.

"College," I correct him, "not school." He looks at me now, giving me a bored look. I smirk back.

We climbed the three flights of stairs to the lounge me and my friends meet on, I was heaving by the time I got to the top.

"God, you're so unfit," Casper laughs.

"No," I say, taking another deep breath. "That was hard," I pant.

He gives me an odd look.

"There's June, try not to go psycho on me, okay?"

Casper rolls his eyes, "just make sure you know who you call 'friend'."

I ignore him and rush over to the table June is huddled over with her friends. I never really hung out with them as they were mostly her friends.

"Isn't she meant to be coming today?" One girl asks, I can't see which one because of how close together they all are.

My pace slows.

"I hope not, if what you say is true, June, she's crazy. Could you imagine if she started talking to herself while with us? In public?" They all burst out laughing.

"Do you know what the worst part was?" My heart froze as June's voice picked up. "She was acting fine and then all of a sudden, boom!" She slammed her hands down, making a loud bang on the table and making all the girls screech. "She was screaming at this empty space, and then she just started crying. Like, I love her, but I feared for my life, you know?"

My eyes squint in confusion. Why was June stabbing me in the back? I trusted her, I thought I could tell her anything, and she'd take it to the grave.

Obviously not. 

My heart feels heavy and I feel like I'm not actually there, I'm just watching from the side lines. 

I feel invisible, like a ghost.

"Why even bother being friends with her?" Now I was closer, I could see that the redhead was now talking to June.

"We've been friends for ages," I feel myself relax a bit, there must be an explanation for why she's told them. "But," she sighs and looks down to the floor. "I only became friends with her because she looked so pathetic when she moved here, it was like a good deed." I wanted to cry out, but my voice was swallowed. "Then she told me about her dad and told me about how she didn't have any friends. So I felt like I couldn't just leave her. Plus her mum cooks, like, the best lasagna ever." They all nod as if what she was saying made perfect sense. Well it didn't to me.

Just as June is about to continue, she gazes around the room. For a moment, I forgot I wasn't invisible. But when her eyes landed on me, it took all my strength not to turn and run, as if my cover had been blown and all I could do was fall back.

Her mouth hangs open like a fish gasping for water. Her eyes look like they might pop from their sockets, her olive skin turns an ugly shade of red.

All the other girls turn around and follow her gaze, all still smiling until they see me. They all seem to gulp and avert their eyes.

"Let's go," Casper says, I didn't realise he'd been stood next to me the whole time. I glanced at him and saw that he had a pained expression on his face. "Leah, come on, they're not worth it."

I slowly nod to him. "Okay."

There was a snort from the table, and when I look back, they were all in fits of giggles again, apart from June, who was still staring at me.

"Oh my God, she just did it." The dark haired one laughs, pointing at me. "Did you see?"

All the girls nod as if their heads are all tied together, each nodding in a rhythmic beat while their bodies shake in giggles.

I can't find my voice. I feel my cheeks flush hot, and my stomach feels heavy. 

"Fuck," I turn to look at Casper, he looks so angry. "Leah, we should really go, just start walking, I'll be right behind you."

So I do, I start walking, or gliding, I can't tell. I can't feel my footsteps. I take a quick look back, and through Casper's murky figure, I see that they are still all laughing. Apart from June. But she's not looking at me anymore, she's just staring at the floor.

It felt like I had blinked and then I was sat behind the wheel of the jeep. Even the smell couldn't seem to wake me from my dazed self. I vaguely remember starting the engine and driving. No destination planned.

I hear muffled people, or maybe it was just one person. They sounded so funny. I found myself starting to giggle. I kept giggling until the voice cleared and I heard it nice and clear. 

"Leah, I'm so sorry," Casper says. 

His voice hits me and I feel my throat squeeze as well as a burning sensation charge through my chest. My eyes were burning and my chest felt heavy as if it were filled with lead. I could no longer see clearly. I take a deep, long breath before quickly pulling over at the side of the road.

Then my giggles turn into silent sobs. 

I racked over the wheel, my body heaving as if I was under water. I rested my head onto the steering wheel, my hands gripping it either side of my head.

I sit like that, in the most saddening pain, for what felt like hours. But once I blink the tears away, I see the clock telling me it had only been ten minutes.

Casper must have taken my sudden silence and movement as his cue to start talking.

"Leah?" He asks quietly.

"Mmm," I mutter, wiping my eyes and nose on the back of my coat. No doubt leaving a mascaraed stain. 

I look in my front mirror to see red, tear-rimmed eyes staring back at me. My whole face was now washed with a dull red, including the very end of my nose

"How you doing over there?" His almost golden eyes searched mine, his mouth parted and eyebrows slightly raised with unease. He looked so beautiful.

"I'm okay," I give him a small smile, "thanks."

"For what? I wasn't very helpful." He gave a short, sour laugh.

"You got me out of there, didn't you? And you're still sat here with me, I think that has to count for something." His brows furrowed as he thought over this, but then his mouth turned grim.

"I didn't do anything, Leah. I just stood there as they said those awful things, just stood there! And the worst part is I can't even comfort you." He brought his hand up to the bridge of his nose and squeezed it. "I just have to sit here while you cry, and let me tell you, that doesn't feel great. It makes me feel useless, because I am." His breathing became hard and rugged," I'm a stupid ghost who can't touch or talk to anyone. I don't know anything about my past, I don't know why only you and Lily can see me, and I don't know why I can't," his hands shot up to do air brackets, "move on. I can't do anything, Leah. And it makes me feel so crap!" His breath seemed to stutter in his lungs before he let it go, feeling the tension drain from his body. His breathing returned to normal but his expression was still hard.

"Hey," I say tentatively, turning my body to fully face him. "You stood with me, just your presence anchored me. I wanted to run when I heard those things, and I thought I didn't because I was strong, but now I know it was because of you." His forehead furrowed, and I found myself edging closer to him. "You kept me grounded there so I could see what June was really like. And it was you who warned me about her, you tried to help me but I just ignored you. I'm sorry for that." He opened his mouth to speak, but I wouldn't let him. "You have comforted me, you are comforting me, just being here with me is helping me. So no, Casper, you're not useless, and you're not 'just a ghost'. You're doing so much for me already and we hardly know each other. We'll figure out why you're still here, I promise." I gave him a bright smile. I didn't realise how insecure he was about being a ghost. Sure he joked about it, but to actually tell me those things?

He then gives me a smile that just seems so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness that a rush of unexpected warmth goes through me.

I lean over the gear stick to lean on the side of his seat as if my head was resting on his shoulder.

"You're alright, you know that, Leah?" I looked up at him and give him a weak smile. "I'm glad I'm stuck with you for however long it might be."

"Me too." I say closing my eyes, and I actually meant it.

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I'm sorry this is so short, but I felt like if I dragged it out anymore it wouldn't feel right. 

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