He was gone.

Allison hadn't moved since she got the news, laid in her bed and staring at the wall. Her head was blanking, and then she'd think of him, and then it's blank again. Tears had stained her face tremendously, her pillow once soaked but now dry. Allison hadn't realized she stared all night long, and her alarm was blaring next to her. Her dad walked into her room. "Allison. Sweetie, are you gonna get up?"

It was time to come back. "I don't feel well."

He sat down, checking her head. "Is it about the Kellehers boy? There's an assemble at school for him."

Allison didn't say anything, she didn't want to move, she didn't want to feel. She just wanted to stare at her wall. Breanna walked in, fixing her earring, "What's going on?"

"She's not feeling good." Victor said in rerun. Like he had, she felt her head.

"You feel fine, Allison." she sighed, looking at the clock. "You're going to be late."

"I want to stay home." she mumbled.

"So do the rest of us." she said back, sighing as she rubbed her head. "Make it to lunch and i'll swing by and get you early, okay?"

No. It wasn't okay. But, it didn't seem like she had much of a choice. They left, Allison stood up. Her eyes immediately looked out of the window, staring at Simons house as it simply stared back at her. Allison gripped onto the curtains, seeing no other then Simon himself standing on his front lawn, waving to her with a dramatic shrug. Allison blinked multiple times.

He was gone.

"Good Morning. As many of you know, Simon Kelleher tragically passed away yesterday after experiencing an allergic reaction." the principle of Bayview High spoke. Allison leaned on the door frame of the gym, refusing to take a seat in the bleachers with the rest of them. "Losing a member of our community is an awful way to begin the new year, So my message to you today is simple: let yourselves grieve."

"Woah, so simple, isn't it?" a voice rung from behind her. Allison froze. "Let yourselves grieve."

Simon.

Allison looked in disbelief. "You're-"

"Dead, yeah." he hummed, standing next to her with an exhale. "Six feet under. Or, you know, in my case, in a corners office."

Allison blinked, shock setting in as she shook her head. "You're not real."

"There will be grief counselors available all week." the principle went on as Allison focused on her instead. "And of course, my door is always open. We will be honoring Simons life at tomorrow nights football game. I hope you'll all attend. It's so important that we come together."

The bell rung, releasing them. Allison looked back to where Simon was a few moments ago, sighing when she hadn't seen him. She told herself how ridiculous she was, reminding herself how she must look right now. Pulling her bag up more, Allison walked from the gym. The hallways were crowded, like they were yesterday.

Allison paused as she stared at the janitors closet, the one he'd pulled her into just twenty-four hours ago.

Her heart rate increased, beating painfully as her ears started to ring. Allison felt like her entire body was set on fire, seeing black spots in her vision as her stomach felt as if it were seconds from spilling out. Multiple people bumped into Allison as she stood there, panicking in silence and all alone. He'd have been there if it were her, he'd have helped her. Allison gave a small cry, clutching her chest as she turned, hurrying down the hallway.

It caught the attention of a few around her, watching the tall girl hurry down the hallway, holding her chest and crying to herself slightly. Allison shoved the doors open, finding the fresh air had helped, but didn't cure it. She flopped down on one of the steps, scrapping her hands painfully hard as her head dropped into her knees. She sat there for a moment, breathing, trying to calm down.

"Bet you wish you'd taken one of my xanax's when I offered em to you." his voice rung, Allison looked over, seeing Simon sat right next to her, leaned back on the steps. "You know they're still under my bed if you wanna go get one."

Allison shook her head, looking forward again. "I'm loosing my fucking mind."

"Yeah, but, that's what I love about you so much." he hummed in response. Allison turned, they stared at each other. He was so there, he was so just right there. "Come on, you know I hate when you look at me like that."

"You aren't here." she stared in disbelief. "No one else can see you. You're dead."

"True." he agreed with her.

"So, what are you doing here?" she looked in disbelief.

"I don't know." he said in return.

"How am I suppose to feel about it? Is this grief?" she asked again.

"I don't know." he repeated.

"This is so fucked up. I'm so fucked." Allison shook her head, looking forward again with a laugh of disbelief.

"I don't think you're fucked. I think you're just working through the process." Simon explained from next to her.

"The process as in my secret boyfriend dying right infront of me?" Allison asked in disbelief.

"You always said you wanted a real romance novel. This seems pretty close to it." he exclaimed with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Why-" she stared.

"Allison." a new voice rung, she looked back quickly to see Nate at the door. "They called our name on the announcements."

Allison looked back over, Simon was gone. She rose to her feet away, whipping her face. "Sorry, what?"

"Where you on the phone?" he asked oddly.

Allison reddened when realizing he'd heard her talking to no one. "Yeah, sorry."

"We have to head down to the principles office." he informed her with a weary look in his eye. "I'm sure it's about what happened yesterday."

When your boyfriend died.

"Okay." she said back, inhaling, stayed completely still for a moment.

"I heard the new nurse got fired." Addy whispered as the four sat outside of the office, hearing chatter from the inside.

"Because of the EpiPens?" Cooper asked in return.

Addy nodded. "I guess so."

The door clicked open, a taller detective standing with their principle. "Hi, guys. How are we all doing? I want to introduce you to Officer Miller. She has a couple questions about what you witnessed yesterday. Speaking with her is, of course, completely voluntary. But we'd really appreciate your time."

"Wasn't it an accident?" Addy asked immediately. Allison sat up better with a horrible feeling in her chest and stomach, once again.

"We certainly hope so." the principle said in return.

"But we don't know." Officer Miller cut in. "Simon died after going into anaphylactic shock from his peanut allergy. And we found traces of peanut oil in the cup he used during detention yesterday. So we need to know how it got there. And why there were no EpiPens in the nurses office, or his bag, for that matter."

"Why would we know anything about that stuff?" Cooper gave a questionable look.

"Because they think one of us did it." Nate answered with an annoyed smirk on his face.

Allison's heart fell. "What?"

"W-is that true?" Addy looked toward the officer.

"We're just trying to understand the whole picture." Officer Miller rose her hands in defense. "And I think that the five of you can help with that. Allison. Can we start with you?"

Allison swallowed, Bronwyn gave her hand a squeeze as she stood up, following the officer and her principle into the room. She inhaled, hesitating siting down as she popped her fingers. Officer Miller exhaled from across from her. "Allison, did you know Simon well?"

Whatever she said here would get back to her parents somehow.

"Um, no, no, not well. We grew up across the street from each other, and had a few classes together, but we weren't necessarily close by any means."

"What got you in detention in the first place?" she asked her, taking notes.

"My phone went off in Fourth period." she said in return, inhaling.

"Uh oh, my little murderer." Simon grinned, standing over Officer Millers shoulder. "Nothing like lying to the police."

"What about Simons app- About That?" Officer Miller brought Allison's eyes off of her dead boyfriend. "What can you tell me about it?"

"Uh, there isn't much to tell. Simon would just call people out around school on it. Everyone kept up with it though, I don't know how he figured so much out." Allison said honestly, her stomach was flipping tremendously.

"Were you ever called out on this app of his?" she gave a curious look.

Allison blinked. Simon smiled from behind the officer. "Go ahead, Little Miss Perfect. Make the nice police officer suspect you a little more."

"Just once." Allison cleared her throat. "I, um, last year I stole a girls keys from the locker room. Simon found out."

"A girls keys?" she looked at her oddly. "What did you do with them?"

"I, sorry, I stole her car, is what I mean. At the time, I didn't have one. My mom called me at school and said my dad took a hard fall at work, I just panicked and had to get to the hospital as quick as I could."

"Pull the Daddy's Girl card, real classy." Simon gave a thumbs up, Allison tried hard to ignore the presence only she had been seeing.

"Did you have any other secrets you didn't want getting out? Worried he'd write about you again?" she pressed her once again, narrow eyes.

Allison swallowed. "There's not much to tell, let alone any secrets."

"We haven't found Simons bag or laptop." Officer Miller nodded her head. "Do you have any idea where it might be?"

"Have you checked his locker?" Allison asked honestly.

"We have." she nodded.

"No, sorry." she cleared her throat slightly, scratching her wrist. "Are we almost done here? First period is a really important class for me."

"Sure, thank you for your corporation." she forced a smile, as did Allison before she stood up.

"You aren't staying for my tributed football game?" Simon asked, waiting in the car for Allison as she got in when school ended. "You know, I hated football games."

"I know." Allison started. "Go away."

"No can do, apparently." he sighed, leaning back in her seat as she pulled out of the school parking lot.

"Go to the light, or something. Do you know how hard this is already?" Allison looked over as she drove out of the school parking lot.

"I find it flattering you think I'd go to heaven." he placed a hand on his heart.

"I know you're not real." Allison said in disbelief, looking over again. "I'm going fucking insane! My head is just trying to distract me from f-"

She was cut off by a loud honk, a sudden jolt hitting her car as Allison hit her head on the steering wheel. Her vision blurred, staying still for a moment as her ears rung loudly. She blinked, looking up and realizing her and a jeep collided full on front, pulling the door open.

TJ Forrester.

"I am so sorry." Allison apologized, meeting him in the middle of the road. "I wasn't watching where I was going and-"

"Yeah, you swerved to the complete opposite side of the road." he blinked honestly, looking at her head. "Are you alright?"

Allison rose her hand, feeling a wet patch as she pulled back, staring at her bloody hand. "Oh. I'm fine. I just hit my head-"

"Come on, let's call an ambulance and get out of the middle of the road." he nodded at her quickly, making Allison follow him toward the side walk where he called the police.

•

kylie speaks

poor allison, bro