“Wake up,” I heard a voice.
“Five more minutes mom,” I shook my head into the pillow.
“I’m not your mom.” I heard the voice say.
“Where is she?” I asked starting to wake up.
“Kasey wake up.” I heard Chris say. I opened my eyes and everything came back to me, I had just had a dream about going out to dinner with my family due to today being my brothers birthday. I looked out to the window to see the sun rise in the middle of the sky showing it was about noon. “You want to have a movie night tonight?” he asked me. I nodded my head and looked back at him fighting the tears. “You alright Kasey?” he asked me looking worried.
“I’ll see you later tonight, text me or something.” I said getting up and walking away towards my bathroom. I shut the door and took a deep breath letting the tears fall as I started my shower. Washing my hair and my body and I quickly shaved my legs and then jumped out wrapping a towel around my body. I dried off and slipped on some underwear grabbing some dark jeans and a baby blue shirt sleeve v-neck, I put everything on and tucked my shirt in as I grabbed a dark brown belt putting it on, I got a matching scarf and slipped it over my neck, then I grabbed some brown ugg’s that matched the belt. Pushing my feet into them I then moved to my make-up and did what I always did, cover up, and mascara. I then grabbed a hair tie and pulled my hair up into a pony tail after I dried it. I let my bangs fall down normally over my right eye brow, I pushed open the bathroom door to see Chris sitting in my pillows in the corner, he looked up and smiled at me.
“What are you doing?” I asked him as I grabbed my phone and slipped it in my back pocket.
“Hanging out with you today?” he questioned.
“I’m working Chris,” I frowned down at him.
“It’s Sunday, the pet shelter is closed?” he asked in a statement kind of way.
“We can’t just leave the animals for a day now can we? Besides I get over time since I wasn’t suppose to work today.” I told him opening my door motioning for him to follow.
“Why are you working when you don’t have to?” he asked getting up and following me down stairs after I closed my door.
“I am saving up for money to buy a car, also the sloth had the baby last night and I want to be with the baby.” I smiled at the memories of how cute the sloth was. “Gran leaving for work!” I called out as I opened the door and shoved Chris out before she could answer.
“That’s mean, and also I want to see the baby.” He said following my the opposite way of my house.
“What are you doing? You can’t go in the store today? Remember its closed.” I told him as I stopped walking.
“I’m walking you to work, duh!” he said shaking his head as he started walking, I shook my head and followed.
“Hang out with Toad,” I told him.
“Doctors appointment.”
“Uh, Luis?”
“Taking some class with the rest of the group at the college.” He shrugged his shoulders.
“Why didn’t you take it?”
“It was a cooking class? Why would I take it if my wife will do all the cooking?” I pulled my hand back and slapped his shoulder. “I’m just kidding!” he laughed at me.
“Wow, alright what was the reason then?” I glared at him.
“I can already cook dang well, why should I take a class to show me what I already know?” he asked me turning at the corner.
“I have no clue, who’s house for movie night?”
“Toad, he can drive you home after if you need.”
“Hey Kasey, come quick! The baby is just waking up!” Chase yelled from the door, I waved goodbye to Chris as I ran in past Chase. “Wow, pushing is rude and uncalled for. Does your friend want to come in?” Chase asked me.
“No,” I shook my head.
“Oh alright,” I heard some keys and then the door being locked, he walked over and stood by me as I watched the baby sloth. “Are you sure he didn’t want to come in?”
“I’m sure he did, but I don’t want him in here. Work is when I get away from all of the guys, I’d rather not have them in my away from them time. Then it wouldn’t really be away from them would it?” I asked him as I put my hand out towards the baby sloth.
“Yeah I suppose you are right,” he said as the baby sloth stuck his tongue out and licked my finger, I giggled as it tickled my fingers. “Are you dating one of them?” he asked me.
“Nope, just friends. Why do you ask?” I asked him still focusing on the sloth that was now crawling into my hand.
“You are always with them, just a question to pass the time I guess.” He shrugged his shoulders.
“Who do you hang out with? I never see you around town with anyone.” I said as it came to mind.
“Well no one, I don’t have much friends here, just the pets.” He shrugged his shoulders, as I walked behind him to grab a baby bottle. He did that a lot, but this time I watched, it was like slow motion. He had a nice tight muscle grey shirt and it clung to him like a baby to its mother. His bones moved up as his muscles worked with it and that’s when I noticed something off. As his muscles moved I saw one his should blades, something was different the way they moved. Something was off. “You looking at my shoulder aren’t you?” he asked not moving at all, not even to look. He moved his shoulders up and down giving me the chance to see it again, the way they moved was just odd. “It’s like that from the fall, I have to go see somebody every week to help. It don’t hurt.” He told me this time turning my way, I looked at him wondering how a fall like could have happened.
“But you just fell, how did that hurt your muscles?” I asked him giving him the baby bottle as he turned to fill it up with milk.
“I don’t really know, all I know is it hurts sometimes. But I’m strong I don’t show when it hurts so you won’t ever know.” He told me as he shook the baby bottle up.
“I know a lot more then you think I know.” I told him. “Back at my school, I knew a lot of secrets, more than anyone ever thought. Come to think of it I could have made a lot of people’s lives crap.” I thought to myself on why I hadn't done anything, all they had done to me. Everything that happened over the years, and I had everything I needed to get them back. Yet I didn’t, I wanted to punch a wall as anger filled my blood. Suddenly the baby sloth was taken from my hands and I took a step back really wanting to go back to earth and punch somebody. “I need to get back to earth.” I gritted my teeth as the words slipped out like venom from a snake.
“So you can do what dear? Hurt everyone you ever knew. Look you’re gone now and they need to move on and if you even try to go down to the earth you will get sent to the train and change to a different baby. It’s not worth it.” He told me setting the baby sloth in a cage with its mother.
“No, because in two days time I get to decide whether I stay in heaven or go down the earth as a ghost. Please I’m not stupid.” I shook my head at him as I picked at my own mind trying to remember all the secrets I had on everyone. “It would be so easy to rip all the lives of everyone that ever hurt me apart. To watch them all squirm under my hold, that would be amazing.” I could feel it inside of me, the me that was made with power and anger. Memories started to flood back into my head and I took a step back slamming into the door.
“Kasey are you okay? Kasey you aren’t evil, you aren’t like them.” He said setting his hands on my shoulder.
“No, but I was.” I closed my eyes remembering 8th grade. I walked the halls with everyone popular. My hair was a dark chocolate and straight to the point. I had short shorts on with a nice tank top that said ‘I’m out of your league.’ I then had a leather jacket on over that and some nice black ugg’s, I had it going on. That was the year before everything changed. I had power and everyone loved me. That was the year before my boyfriend cheated on me with my best friend. I was only in 8th grade, I told myself I loved him, when really it was just a crush. But the pain of losing my first really boyfriend crushed me inside, and I broke all the popular kid’s apart, throwing secrets out here and there. I watched with anger in my heart as all the popular kids fought with each other. Relationships ended and girls grew angry, the school fell apart because the it group fell apart. And I did it all, just because my boyfriend cheated on me with my best friend. But I didn’t care I was then known as the girl everyone hated. Over the summer the popular kids all got back together, but not with me. I hid myself from everyone and they all ditched me like a Mc Donald’s at a beauty pageant. My thrown, my kingdom was taken from me. Along with my pride and love towards people. That’s why everyone hated me when I came back, but I guess through all the pain and change I had forgotten about that all.
When I died I had forgotten why everyone hated me, I just thought everyone hated me just because.
“How could I forget,” I whispered to myself finally coming back to life, but then it hit me like a ten ton bowling ball. This wasn’t life, this was death. I was dead and had nothing to even be here for. I killed myself and have a second chance at somewhat life. But why me? I killed myself, so why do I have a second chance? I’m not worthy of a second chance! “Give it to somebody else!” I yelled at the sky as I slammed my fist into the ground as tears threatened to drop.
“Give what?” Chase asked holding my shoulders as I sat on the ground.
“A second chance!” I yelled as I stood up and opened the door sprinting out and then out the back door. I ripped my boots off and dropped my scarf as I ran in the sand of the beach bare foot. I ran and ran thinking of why I was given a second chance at life. Even if it wasn’t life, it was some kind of life right? But why did I get it, after everything I did? In the distance I could hear my name being yelled but I didn’t care I continued to run and run. My breathing was starting to hitch and it was getting harder and harder to breath. I finally slowed down and fell to the ground on my hands and knees. I sat down and pulled my knees to my head as I started to breathe deeply. I rolled up and jeans making them just under my knees as I watched the ocean. It was a Sunday and the beach was empty maybe a couple walking hand in hand, but other than that, the beach was empty. It gave me time to think, gave me time to wonder about everything I had done. It was my fault I died, and I don’t understand why I got a second chance.
I don’t know how long I was thinking for, but I do know the sun was starting to get really high in the sky and it was getting really hot. I stood up and walked back to the road and smiled as I got to green grass and a short picket fence, a small yard like place, but filled with around ten fountains. I walked up to one and slowly looked down.
“I’m staring at you now, there’s no one else around. Thinking you’re the girl for me. I’m just saying its fine by me if you never leave.” My brother sang out loud as he dance in a circle waving his hands in the air, a loud laugh echoed and the point of view changed. Liana stood tall next to him as she held her hands close to her heart as she laughed. “It’s never easy darling believe me!” He sang out loud “I don’t want to come on to strong, I’m just saying its fine by me if you never leave. We can live like forever its fine by me. I don’t want to come on to strong.”
“Its fine by me if you never leave, we can live like this forever its fine by me! I’m just saying It’s fine by me.” They sang together betweens laughs. They danced together laughing and singing as the song went on. Liana laughed shaking her head letting her newly died brown hair shake around her head. My brother pulled my old best friend close and she smiled as she looked up to him.
“You think she’s watching down on us?” he asked her.
“I think she is, you think she would be fine with this?” she asked moving her finger between the two of us.
“I think she wants us happy.” I told her as he set his forehead on hers. She nodded her head and smiled up at him, he leaned down and kissed her nose softly. She giggled and a dark blush hit her face, he smiled down at her as if she was his world. “I want her happy, you think she’s happy?” he asked Liana.
“I think she is surrounded by hot guys, I think they are flirting with her but she just doesn’t realize it yet. I think she misses us like we miss her. But I also think she is moving on like we are. I believe she will watch over us, but start a new life. Even if she isn’t happy now, she will be. I know her, she is strong.” She smiled as tears ran down her face, she let her head drop on my brother chest.
“She’s strong.” My brother whispered as he set his head on hers holding her tight.
I pulled back taking a deep breath and I looked around at the small park, a couple couples holding hands while walking down the road and others were looking down in fountains while others just sat on a bench and talked. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, my old best friend was right. I was strong, I just had to find my strength. I just don’t think she was right about the boys, I think she is wrong on that one.
“Kasey, are you okay?” Chase asked me as he took a deep breath as if he had been running forever.
“Are you?” I asked him setting my hand on his shoulder.
“I’ve been running around town looking for you, of course you pick the hardest fountain park to find to be at.” He shook his head taking deep breaths. “Now are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine in time.” I told him, “do you want to go back to the pet shop?” I asked him.
“I promised myself I would ask you this before the day ends, so I want to ask you now.” He said as he started walking down to the beach.
“Um, okay shoot.” I told him as we started walking back on the beach.
“Will you go on a date with me?” he asked me his breathing going back to normal, but the look in his eyes said he was scared. I looked away down at the water as the waves crashed. It seemed all so wrong, I died and I’m getting asked to go on a date. It’s not right, I took my own life and what do I get? Happiness? “Kasey we all get second chances, some people get them on earth, others in the afterlife. It’s a matter of who takes them and who wastes them. You don’t have to answer me now.” He told me, I turned towards him and hugged him tight realizing he was right, I just needed to take this one step at a time. “Is that a yes?” He asked me. I nodded my head and he chuckled as he wrapped his arms around me. “Cool.” He mumbled as he set his head on my shoulder.
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