Orange Sky

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I felt my jaw drop, even though I was trying to keep my cool. I failed.

“Okay, okay no you’re not and you should really go back to wherever the hell you came from” I stammer, standing up.

 I try and walk away, but I slam into Hunter.

 “Did you come back to life or something?” I ask, trying to move him aside.

“You’re the only one who can see me Aurora. You can feel me and I can feel you. But that’s all” he said, his eyes fixed onto mine.

 I felt myself shaking.

“Is this one of those jokes that you moron football players always pull? Because you’re failing. It’s not working.”

Hunter shakes his head. I shove him aside and start sprinting through the field, hoping to lose him. I run to the gate, pry it open and run to the bus stop about 3 blocks away. My heart pounding, tears swelled in my eyes and I couldn’t breathe (I’ve never been very athletic). There was one last bus that came down to the town at 3am, even though nobody takes it. I close my eyes. Hunter hadn’t followed me luckily, so that meant I was hallucinating. Bad. I sat there for what seemed like forever, and I felt myself grow calmer. Until I felt the air stiffen, like some of it was being sucked towards an object. I open my eyes and there he was.

“I told you not to follow” I growl.

“I didn’t. I just appeared” He said.

I shake my head. The boy must think I’m stupid. I mean he was also known for being kind of egotistical.  

“Why are you even HERE? I mean why me? Why not Jason, Emma, Julia.” I say.

Hunter’s face looks lost. He didn’t have the confidence that he radiated when he was alive. Now he just looked deflated and annoyed.

“I’d rather be with them Aurora, trust me. But I didn’t choose you, okay? I didn’t even want to return as a spirit.”

I snort. “Whatever.”

The bus comes roaring up the road, shining the light on Hunter, making him invisible.as he stood there. My heart dropped down to my knees.

“What?” He asked, his eyes flashing a hint of annoyance.

I gulp nervously. “Nothing”

I climbed onto the bus, aware that he was following me up the stairs and to the seat across from me. He looked out the window, his eyes growing sadder and sadder as we got closer to our town.

“Has it changed?” he whispered.

“It depends on what you mean by changed. The attitude, landscape, what” I say quietly.

“Did my um, death, change anything in the town? Does anyone even remember me?”

I look down at my hands, unsure how to answer. “Can’t you like see that from the clouds or something?” I asked.

“No. It’s not entirely like that” He said, pressing his face against the glass as we passed by the condo complex.

The bus was quiet after that, nobody talked until it stopped at my stop close to our small beat down house.

I jumped up and ran, not caring if Hunter followed. I quietly opened the door, afraid that mom would be up. I felt myself shaking with nerves, afraid that Hunter was following. Afraid that I was going crazy. The door opened with a BANG, and there was Hunter, breathing heavily.

“Close the door!” I hissed.

Hunter slammed the door, making me jump.

“Could you be any louder? If my mother wakes up I’m so screwed” I growl.

“Your mom doesn’t know that you went out?”

“No she just lets me go out at 3am in the morning whenever I feel like it” I say sarcastically.

Hunter blushes. “Sorry.”

We stand there for a couple minutes not talking.

“Can you explain now why you’re here?” I ask.

He smiles a bit, his hazel eyes lighting up.

“Thought you never ask”