Phantom [h.s]

Thirteen

I almost make some witty and sarcastic remark about him being cold and dead, but I stop myself.

Instead I smile at him, and he's still smiling back at me, and we stand there for a little while; smiling at each other in front of his grave in an empty cemetery. And it all seems to make sense.

-

I sit quietly at lunch on Monday.

Max sits beside me, going on about some basketball game that took place yesterday. Oliver sits across from us, nodding and contributing to the sports conversation with Max.

Ava and Estella walk over and sit beside Oliver, diagonal from me. Estella shoots me a smile but Ava ignores me.

Ria acts normal, however, sketching in her notebook and eating an apple quietly. Her hair is intricately braided and falls over her shoulder. She smiles at me briefly before focusing back on her art.

Jenna sits beside Max, avoiding eye contact with me.

I need to get her alone to question her further about Harry, and soon.

"You alright, Jen?" Oliver asks Jenna, judging her elbow with his. "You're kind of quiet."

"I'm fine," she snaps harshly, picking at her salad.

Oliver raises his hands in surrender and turns back to talk to Max.

I want to ask Max what he was doing at the cemetery, but that will raise suspicion from him. For now, I need to focus on Jenna.

Ava pulls a tube of lipstick out of her bag and opens a compact mirror, puckering her lips and staining them with vivid red.

"Hey, Jenna, can I see your notes for history?" Max asks.

Jenna snaps up from her salad. "Why are you asking me? Ask Ria, she's the smart one."

Ria looks up, furrowing her brow. "Seriously, Jenna, are you okay?"

"I said I was fine," she sneers, standing from the table and throwing her napkin onto her tray. She picks up her tray and walks away, leaving the rest of us appalled.

"What the hell was that?" Estella asks.

I chew on my lip for a moment before standing, picking up my trash. "I'll talk to her," I say. "Maybe she's just stressed."

"Or she's been paid a visit by the devil in the red dress," Ava speaks up, smirking. Estella snorts and Ria cracks a smile, shaking her head.

Oliver looks confused.

"It means she's got PMS," Ava says, rolling her eyes at Oliver.

Oliver wrinkles his nose and Max looks at Ava like she just told him she cooks bunnies for sport.

I tell them I'll catch up with them later and walk away.

I throw away my trash and go outside to the courtyard to look for Jenna. I search for her blonde hair, my eyes scanning the smattering of students across the area.

I see bright yellow out of the corner of my eye and look over to see her rounding the corner of the building.

I pick up my pace, jogging lightly through the courtyard to catch up to her.

"Jenna!"

She turns and sees me, her eyes flashing. She shakes her head at me.

"Get away from me," she says. "I don't want to talk to you."

"Jenna," I say, stopping in front of her and catching my breath. "I-"

"I don't know who you think you are, following me," she says, crossing her arms over her chest.