Teen Angst | no more updates 😬

Chapter 24

"Okay, so... I'm gonna need you to back off." Chandler blinked.

"What?" Veronica stood up from her bed.

"Don't go showing yourself off to Mac. She doesn't need to know that you're real." Chandler opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again, taking a moment to think about what she was going to say.

"Well, why would it matter to you if she knew I was real?" Veronica sighed. "Also, I thought you were over her. Because, you know, you told me you were over her."

"Okay yeah, but it's Mac. She could've told me how she felt twenty years from now and I would leave whoever I was with to be with her."

"That's good to know..." Chandler glanced down at her hands. Veronica scrunched her eyebrows.

"What?" Chandler looked up, confused. "You've been acting like this lately."

"Like... what?"

"I don't know... like this."

"I literally don't know what you're talking about." Veronica sighed again, but in annoyance.

"You've been acting supportive since I got with Mac. But that's it. Just acting. I can tell you're not happy with it." Chandler's eyes widened out of anxiety, but not enough for Veronica to notice. "Why?" Chandler couldn't even come up with a response.

"I... I'm sorry..." Veronica shook her head.

"That doesn't matter. I don't want to know whether you're sorry or not. I want to know why you should be sorry." Chandler looked everywhere but Veronica's eyes. She could feel the other girl's gaze burning into the side of her head. It was clear to Veronica that Chandler wouldn't be telling her anything. "Just... stop bothering Mac..."

"I'm not trying to bother her, Veronica. I haven't been trying to interact with her or anything."

"Then how has she seen you?"

"God, I don't know! She just did! I didn't do anything to let her see me." Veronica grew concerned. If Chandler was telling the truth, then it wouldn't make sense for McNamara to be able to see her. "Maybe hanging out with you so much is letting Heather see ghosts... I don't know."

"This is all too much. I don't like this. I don't like that ghosts are real, I don't like that I can see them and talk to them. I don't like any of this." Both girls were silent for a few seconds, before Veronica heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Veronica?" It was her mom. She spoke in a soft voice. Overly soft. She used the kind of tone she spoke to her in when Chandler and everyone else died. "Are you okay? Can I come in?" Veronica paused for a moment, thinking. Will she be able to see you? Chandler just shrugged in response. Okay, just, leave. Just in case. Chandler left, and she heard her mom ask to come in once more.

"Um, yeah come in." She saw the door peak open, and her mom's head cautiously poke through before entering.

"I heard you talking... loudly." Veronica waited for her to say more. "Who were you talking to?"

"Oh, I was just on the phone with Mac..." Her mom didn't respond. She just squinted her eyes, as if it would give her a better understanding of why she was talking so loudly. "What?"

"When's your next appointment with Dr. Charlotte?"

"Friday. Why?"

"Maybe you should start going more often. I think it'll be good for you." Veronica stared at her for a second.

"I guess?"

"Okay good. You're next appointment is tomorrow."

"What-"

"Be safe, dear." And with that, the door was closed again. Fridays and Sundays. Okay...?
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Veronica got to school on Monday. Noticing every sad glance people gave her. Geez, I didn't think my therapy would warrant a bunch of sad teenagers. She also noticed the lack of a certain Heather. Surprisingly, it wasn't McNamara who was the one missing from school. Duke hadn't shown up, and apparently had made it clear she wouldn't show up for at least a week. Why? Everyone else seemed to know except for Veronica. When she would ask people, they just responded as if Veronica already knew why, giving no real answer.

She ran into McNamara some time around lunch, who seemed somehow even more lost and confused than Veronica.

"Hey, what's up with everyone today?" Veronica asked her.

"I don't know..."

"Everyone keeps looking at me. Did you know Duke isn't coming to school this week?"

"She's not? Why?"

"I thought you would know." McNamara shook her head.

"I think everyone's been avoiding me... I don't know why." Veronica grew even more concerned. "They're acting like I'm not even there." Veronica could feel her heart skip a beat. McNamara glanced around at the people eyeing them, while Veronica fidgeted with her hands. Oh my god. Veronica thought.

"What?" McNamara turned her head back to Veronica, who whipped her head back up.

"I didn't say anything..."

"Oh... I thought you did. I guess not." Veronica knew what was wrong. She hated what was wrong. She hated everything. She hated ghosts. She hated stupid trucks that drive too fast. She hated her stupid attention span. She hated love. She just hated the dumb "reality" of everything. Without McNamara knowing, Veronica tried to kick her leg from under the table, only she couldn't find a leg to kick.

HAH. it's been a while.
i only have a vague plan of how certain parts of this book are gonna go. so there's that.

i have not read what i have just written so no editing has been done

i like to think my writing has improved since i first wrote this

i honest to god don't think this book is ever even gonna end so enjoy that fact. it's been like two years since i started writing this and it hasn't ended and that fact has lead me to believe it never will.

anyways i'll see you in 3-12 business months as per usual.