Gone | Jitzu

Chapter 6

"TZUYU?" I WHISPERED. I could recognize the girl standing in front of me, even though she was taller and older. She had a gray color to her, like she was sick. "H-How are you here? Y-You're... you're dead." I said. I felt my eyes well up with tears. She moved closer to me and touched my face. Her fingers were cold. 

"I know I am," she said. "I'm not alive." I stared at her, the tears rolling down my face now. I turned my head to Nayeon for answers. She cleared her throat. 

"This might seem crazy, but, Tzuyu is... a ghost." Nayeon said. My hands started to shake. I was high. No way was this real. This only happened in movies. "Only a select few people can see and hear her," Nayeon continued. That's when things started to make sense. If only some people could hear her, that would explain why I was the only one that heard a voice in the gymnasium. "And, she can't stay here forever. She will have to leave." And, suddenly, it felt like my heart had just been broken. Again.

"Then why did she come?!" I yelled. I turned my head to her. "Did you come here just to break my heart again?!" I bit my lip and felt like sobbing. "I'm crazy! This is crazy! You're not real!" 

She grabbed my hand. She was extremely frigid. "Shh. Don't scream," she whispered. "I'll tell you why I came back in the morning. You need to get home." The sound of her voice was music to my ears. 

"Please come with me." I said. "Please, just this once." Tzuyu looked at Nayeon, and then back at me. 

"Okay." She grabbed my hand and became to walk with me back to my house. 

We walked in silence, when I burst into uncontrollable sobs. She turned her head to me with a concerned look on her face. 

"You have no idea how hard it's been without you." I said. Her eyes softened. 

"Believe me, the feeling is mutual," she said. "You know, I was in love with you in middle school... I never really stopped." My heart skipped a beat and I looked up at her. 

"R-really?" I asked. She nodded. 

"It's kind of embarrassing, I know," she replied, her face a bright red. I reached for her hand.

"No, it's not. You know why?" I asked. She shook her head. "It's because I liked you too. A lot. I guess I still do." I said. Tzuyu stared at me, as if I told her the craziest thing ever. 

She pulled her hand away from mine, hurting my heart in the process, and turned the corner to my- well, I guess our- street. Once again, we walked in silence as we made our way to my house. 

As we passed Jeongyeon's house, Tzuyu wore a look of worry. I didn't say anything though, as I'm sure it was just my imagination. Tzuyu and Jeongyeon were well acquainted, so there was no reason she could have been worried. 

We reached her house and she immediately paused. She stared through the window, looking at her family sitting inside. Her older brother, mother and father also sat in the living room, staring at the TV. 

"I should be in there," Tzuyu whispered. She then started walking again, until we got to my house.  

I guided her to my backyard, and we walked up on the porch. "My parents didn't realize I left, so we have to be really quiet, okay?" I asked. She nodded. I opened the back door and tip-toed inside, Tzuyu following behind me. 

She shut the door and we dashed upstairs to my room. Once we were inside my bedroom, I shut the door and turned to her wearing a smile. 

But she wasn't smiling. 

"W-What's wrong?" I asked. She sat on my bed and looked up at me.

"Nothing is wrong," she replied. Her eyes were darting around my room, as if she was looking for something. 

I stared at her, in disbelief that she was standing in front of me. I had to be dreaming. It wasn't real. 

But she slowly moved toward me and touched my face. Her hands were too cold for it all to be a dream. She leaned into me and pressed her lips against mine. Her lips were frozen, just like the rest of her body, but I didn't mind. 

I pulled away and looked at her. She still looked afraid, but this time she was pulling back the blinds. 

"Please, can't you tell me why you're here right now? Why do we have to wait until tomorrow?" I asked. She sat down on my chair. 

"You need to go to bed. You have school tomorrow," she said, lifting up things on my desk. 

"So do you!" I yelled. She looked up at me. "No, you don't." I shook my head. "You're right. I do need to go to bed. I'm tired and you're not really here." 

"Yes, I am, Jihyo," she replied. 

"No, you're not, T-Tzuyu!" 

"Don't be so loud," she said. "Go to bed." 

I sighed and slowly lifted my sweatshirt. Tzuyu stared at me as I pulled my t-shirt off, and I stood in front of her wearing my bra. I could feel the heat against my cheeks as I turned the lights off and laid down on my bed. 

"Goodnight," she whispered. I wanted to reach out for her, wanted to hold onto her. But I couldn't let myself believe she was here. It wasn't possible. 

"Goodnight," I whispered back, closing my eyes and snuggling into my pillow. 

I didn't fall asleep. Not until the tapping on my desk stopped, not until I heard her slip off her shoes and I felt a few pillows from my bed be pulled off. 

Only when I heard her light snores did I fall asleep.