Forever a Ghost ✓

Abigail A. Springland

I wake early in the morning. The sky is still dark and filled with stars, the moon getting less and less visible. It's 5:45 AM and I have insomnia.

Maybe it's the countless questions filling my mind, never giving me a moment of peace. Maybe it's the fact that Matthew could be right in the room with me, a thought that gives me goosebumps. I don't want Matthew to watch me sleep... Ew.

Now uncomfortable, I get out of my bed, laying my feet on the soft carpet. My legs instantly meet the cold air and I regret not doing laundry. My only clean clothes are shorts, the ones I'm wearing to be specific, and a tee shirt... The one I'm wearing. I do the unconventional thing and wrap a heavy blanket around my legs like a skirt... A very heavy skirt.

The things I do for warm legs. I'm not willing to wear my smelly pants, not even in my own house. I grab my phone off the charger and venture down to the living room, sitting down at my couch. 6:10 AM.

After playing on my phone for about 20 minutes, I decide what my to-do list is today.

Laundry.

Grocery shopping now that the fridge is working.

Asking Aria about ghosts.

Maybe try talking to Matthew.

An eventful to-do list, if I say so myself.

I get up off the couch, quite drowsy, and slip on my flip flops. When insomnia hits, might as well go grocery shopping.

That's exactly what I do. At 6:30 in the morning, I enter into the grocery store, eyes aching, headache starting to form. At least I'll get it done? I push a shopping cart throughout the store, practically leaning all my weight on it to walk, and roll through the different aisles, getting essentials and sneaking in a bag of candy.

The grocery shopping seems to drag on forever. I forgot my earbuds at home, meaning no music, but I can still count the items on the shelves as I navigate through the store as entertainment. That's pathetic. I finally get into the empty checkout line, a full cart, and lazily put my items on the belt. The cashier greets me, starting to scan the items. I limit my social interaction, giving brief answers, and check the time. About eight in the morning.

When I finish paying and all my groceries are transported back to the cart, I walk across the store to the front doors where I had entered in. The building had a nice quietness to it that I didn't want to let go of, but reluctantly I left, back into the warm air. At least I can go home now.

On the drive home, I call up Aria. "Hey," I say when she answers.

"It's too early!" she whines, half asleep.

"Sorry! I just wanted to do laundry at the laundromat and needed a friend!"

"Ughh," she groans. I hear her shuffling around.

"I know, but I had insomnia. Please! I'll buy you coffee and donuts!"

"Ughh," she whines once again.

"I know. Poor Aria, so sleep deprived." It's ironic considering I'm the one here who is wide awake right now with a ghost living in my house.

"Fine. But you have to pick me up from my house!"

"Deal. Be ready at nine." I hang up, driving in silence, focusing only on the roads ahead. When I thankfully pull into my driveway and park, I begin the tedious task of hauling groceries into the house. You see, I play this game called "How-Many-Bags-Can-I-Bring-In-At-Once?" because I hate taking unnecessary trips to the car when I can get all the bags in the house within three. Or maybe I'm just lazy. Probably the latter.

All the groceries are in my house within four trips and two aching arms. They're messily spread across the kitchen floor and table and I sigh, sitting down. I hate grocery shopping. Now I have to put all this away. Instead of putting everything away, I decide to just take care of the things that need to go in the refrigerator and proceed with my day.

45 minutes later, I jump back into my car with a full basket of laundry and head to Aria's. I pull into her rocky driveway, seeing her emerge from her house. She wears a baggy sweatshirt and skinny jeans, a classic Aria look.

She opens the car door, shooting me a tired smile. "Ughh, you're so lucky I can't be mad at you right now."

"And why not?" I question, pulling out of her driveway.

"Well..." she drags on.

"Spill!"

"Ethan and I are official!" she beams.

"Congrats! I'm so happy for you!" I grin at her. Ethan has been there for her for years, I always knew they'd one day date. Ethan has been so hopelessly and obviously in love with her. "That boy has always loved you, I saw it coming."

"What? No, he hasn't..."

"So oblivious," I chuckle. She rolls her eyes.

"Anyway, he's so sweet!" She goes on like this for the car ride, which I completely let her. Although, yeah, only hearing about someone's relationship would eventually get annoying, I let her have this car ride. I'm not annoyed to see my friend excited.

When we arrive, I haul the laundry into the laundromat and she trails behind me, looking around. I pick the furthermost washer and together we fill it. "Well, this is going to be boring," she sighs, watching me pour fabric softener in.

"That is why, my friend, you're here with me. We'll somehow make this fun."

That's what we try to do. We play games with each other, play games on our phones, and I admit it was pretty fun.

I'm waiting for my laundry to dry and the two of us are just talking with each other about any topic. There's only us, the employees, and an old lady far away from us now. I decide it's a good time as any to bring up ghosts. I'm going to have to do it anyways. "So uhh, I was wondering. Do you believe in the paranormal?"

Smooth. Real smooth.

"Huh?" Aria looks up from her phone. "No... Why?'

"I don't know. Why don't you believe in it?"

Aria shoots me a weird looks and continues, "Uhh... Well, it's just... Why would they exist? Wouldn't there be more signs if there are ghosts, considering they are dead people after all?"

"Oh. I don't know... Weird stuff has been happening."

"With... The paranormal?"

"Something like that."

"In your new house?" now, her phone is safely tucked in her pocket and she's staring at me. I feel my face burn up.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have said anything-"

"No, no, no. Hey, what's happening? Are you okay?"

"Well-"

The dryer stops. Thank God. The dryer beeps and stops, signaling my clothes are dry. Silent, I scoop the clothes into my laundry basket, feeling rather foolish, and Aria takes the hint that I wish I had never brought it up. We go back to the car in awkward silence and my chest feels pressurized from the sheer anxiety of what she must be thinking right now. I don't want her to think I've gone mad.

I drop her off at her house without getting the promised donuts.