Stories Based On Taylor Swift Songs

EVERMORE: 149. Evermore

This story is based on a novel I wrote during quarantine, so many plot points that are explored in this story are explained in the novel. Apologies for any confusion.

149. Evermore (1/8/21)

It never snowed this early.

The white powder sprinkled down onto the town of Evermore, Maryland. Kids raced out of school on Friday, throwing snowballs at their friends and sticking out their tongues in hopes that they'll catch snowflakes. Parents force their pesky children into the car so they can get home before the roads turn to ice. Teenagers leave the high school, hoping a snow day will be called on Monday, unless the storm stops soon.

But nothing is busier than the graveyard, where a single girl sits on her tombstone. She sticks out her hand and watches as the snow falls around her. Her brown hair and tan skin is white and translucent. It appears that everything she heard about ghosts as a child had been true.

Jade Moore had been killed three months ago, at the end of September. She was driving home from Applebee's after getting into a nasty fight with her friends. On the dark roads that night, she hadn't seen the people running back and forth in the road. They could've been spirits for all she knew. But she had swerved, toppling her car over and sending it right into a nearby tree. She was dead in minutes.

Jade placed her hands in her lap, studying the see-through body that once belonged to her. If she had known any better, she wouldn't have left the restaurant. She would've insisted on staying, even though her friends had made her angry that night. While reflecting on her memories, Jade felt the familiar feeling of tears falling down her face. She tried to wipe them away.

The snow was falling heavier now. She wondered if school would be canceled on Monday, or if the storm would clear up by then. But she hoped, for everyone's safety, that they minded the roads and didn't get hurt. She placed a gentle hand on her abdomen, where she had felt the most pain during the accident.

Thoughts of the accident only reminded her of everything that had followed. Jade didn't understand the rules of the afterlife. All she knew was that she was able to sit on her tombstone and watch the other ghosts return around her. She could not talk to anyone. Like any other kid, she had gone through a mythology phase in middle school. Wasn't she supposed to go straight to the underworld? When would her meeting with Persephone and Hades, queen and king of the underworld, take place? No one had answered her questions.

Unfortunately for her, the first time she was able to sit on her gravestone and watch was a Saturday in September, almost a week after her death. She had no idea where her parents or brother were, but it wasn't as if she cared. They hadn't really cared about her. Her brother was always jealous, and had planned on leaving the state for college so he could "finally be appreciated." He had told her all of this information at his graduation party. As for her parents, she couldn't remember the last time she talked to her father. He had promised to take less hours at the hospital, but that didn't mean he was home. Her mother, on the other hand, was always home, despite her strenuous job at a law firm. She made sure Jade wanted to be a lawyer as well. She criticized Jade's taste in boyfriends, specifically her most recent one, Jordan, who was biracial.

If it wasn't for the accident, Jade was sure she would've left this town with Jordan. But they had broken up half a year ago, and the last time she saw him was the night she died.

A car pulled into the parking lot. Jade recognized the car, and she wondered if the living could tell when the dead were thinking about them. Jordan climbed out of his ugly yellow car, a bouquet of flowers in hand.

"Oh my goodness," Jade whispered under her breath. The tears would not stop falling down her face.

Jordan pulled his coat tighter around his body and trekked across the snow-covered ground towards Jade's grave. Jade waiting patiently, sitting like a doll on a shelf. Jordan stood in front of her, and she was finally able to get a good look at him. Not much had changed. He wore a blue puffer jacket - his favorite color - and his dark brown hair was styled in the same way as when they dated. She watched as he placed a bouquet of daisies and other yellow flowers on the grace, but the cellophane and leaves were soon sprinkled in snow.

When Jade looked back up at Jordan, she realized he was crying.

"I miss you," he whispered, "and I don't know if you can hear me or anything, but I want you to know what happened since you died."

Now Jade was curious. She hadn't been able to leave the graveyard and figure out what had happened that dreaded night.

"The police did an investigation," Jordan explained, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "They discovered that your friends were the one who caused the accident. They wanted you dead. And they worked with your brother to make sure the job was done."

Jade felt her body go cold, if that was possible. If she could've, she would've risen from her spot and placed a gentle hand on Jordan's shoulder. Breaking the news to a spirit he couldn't even see had to be difficult. She wished she could've told him that she was listening.

"When they found out the truth, everyone left town. Your friends and brother, I mean," he said, wiping his tears away. "They're still looking for them."

Jade crossed her arms against her chest. She wished with all her might that her murderers could be punished for what they did to her. They were probably hiding somewhere, hoping the cops would grow bored and give up. Jade prayed they wouldn't.

"I miss you, Jade," Jordan said again. He looked up to read the engraving on the tombstone. "I wish...I wish we hadn't ended things the way we did. If I had known that you wanted to run away, I would've. We would've been together, out of this godforsaken town."

Jade took a moment to digest his words. Her friends, the people she had trusted her whole life, had been plotting to kill her. She had told them everything, and they used her words against her. They knew she wanted to run away, and probably knew she would take the road out of town that night of her death. And the thought that her brother was involved as well frightened her.

Then there was Jordan's last sentiment. Somehow he knew she had wanted to run away this summer, even though she hadn't shared this news with him. She wondered if the police had found out the information and shared it with the public. When Jade looked over at Jordan, the man she had loved, she realized his words were genuine. He would've run away with her, if it meant being together and getting out of town. She just regretted not doing it sooner.

Even though he couldn't hear her, Jade whispered, "You were there, Jordan. You were always there."