It Sounds Like Fiction

“What?” Jimmy exclaimed the next day. “They’re coming? When? How did you manage that?”

Wren had just finished telling Jimmy about her trip to San Francisco. She told him all about Colin and the conversation with his friends, including the threats Matt made. “They could be here at any minute. They didn’t say a time, just that they would be here in the morning.”

Jimmy’s eyes grew wide. “Any minute? Any minute! But I haven’t prepared! There’s so much to do! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“It’s not my fault that you’re just now making an appearance and what on earth is so important that you have to do?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugs. “Ghost stuff.”

“Ghost stuff?” Wren laughs. “You made that up.”

“Maybe,” Jimmy smiles sheepishly. “I’m just nervous.”

Wren smiled. She had no idea what Jimmy was going through. Hell, no one alive knew what Jimmy was going through, literally. “It’ll be fine,” she tried to assure him.

Jimmy opened his mouth to respond but before he could get a word out, there was a knock on the door. “Oh, shit,” Jimmy curses.

Wren laughs. “That must be them. Come on, we can’t keep them waiting or they’re going to think I was lying.” She walks to the front door and Jimmy follows. She grabs the knob and, after receiving an approving nod from Jimmy, turns it while simultaneously stepping aside so Jimmy could be the one to greet his friends.

“Hiya, gentlemen,” Jimmy greets, sounding more prepared than he had mere seconds ago.

There was a long, dead silence followed by a series of Oh Shit’s. Wren giggles and sticks her head out from behind the door. “See! I told you guys I wasn’t lying!”

The three guys looked like they were in shock. None of them said a word while Jimmy smiled at them when a dopey grin on his face. Suddenly, his grin began to falter and Wren wondered why. Then, she realized she already knew the reason. There were only three guys standing there in shock.

The three guys also caught Jimmy’s expression and knew what it meant immediately. “We couldn’t get him to come,” Zack said sadly.

“Sorry, Jimbo,” Matt frowned. Wren noticed Matt’s hand twitch like he wanted to clap his brother on the shoulder to show support but then realized his hand would go right through him.

Jimmy nodded. “It’s okay. Can’t really blame him for not believing Wren here. I don’t think I would have believed her either.”

“Speaking of which,” Wren piped up. “Let’s get you guys inside. Can’t really let the entire neighborhood know about the ghost, can we?”

The guys stepped inside and Wren closed the door behind them. “Guess we owe you and apology,” Johnny said.

Wren smiled. “Oh, that’s alright. I know how psychotic I sounded.”

“Just a little,” Zack grinned back.

“So, you’ve been here this entire fucking time?” Matt asked and Jimmy nodded. “What the hell?”

“I don’t know. Time moved weird too. I didn’t even know I had been dead for nearly eight years until Wren came along.” Jimmy admitted.

“I can’t believe it’s been that long,” Matt says quietly.

“Me neither,” Johnny agrees.

For the next few hours, the three guys talk to Jimmy about what their life has been like without their best friend. They talked about how much they missed him, about the kids they named after him, about the unconditional love and support they received from their fans, still even to this day. They laugh mostly with their friend, but there are tears too. Wren sits quietly, listening to the stories. She was never lucky enough to have friends like this. Of course, she had friends but none with a bond like the one Jimmy has with his friends.

A sudden thought occurred to Wren. “Jimmy?” The four guys looked at her. “How come you haven’t turned solid? Like the first time I saw you?”

Jimmy shrugged. “I don’t know how. It just kind of happened. I don’t know how to turn it on.”
“Wait, you can turn solid?” Johnny asked.

Jimmy nodded. “Yeah.”

“Well, shit, dude. Why leave, then? I mean…just stick around. You can come tour with us and –” Zack started.

“That would work if everyone didn’t already know about his death,” Matt interrupted.

“And if I could leave this house,” Jimmy added.

Wren could tell by Zack’s face that he knew his idea was dumb, but he wasn’t ready to give up just yet. “So, what? We’re just supposed to say goodbye? After we just got you back? How in the hell is that fair? You were taken away from us too fucking early in the first place.”

“I know, Z, and I'm sorry about that. I really am. I was irresponsible and reckless –”

Johnny shook his head. “Jimmy, no, dude.”

“We don’t think about of those things,” Matt told him.

“It was an accident,” Jimmy admitted, looking down. I never wanted to leave you guys. I never wanted to leave Leana.” The name surprised Wren. She had read about Jimmy’s relationship online, but Jimmy had never spoken of her. She figured that it was just too touchy of a subject and never brought it up.

“Do you want us to get a hold of her?” Matt asked. “I’m sure she would come.”

“No,” Jimmy shook his head instantly. “Eight years is…it’s a long time. She’s probably found happiness with someone else and…I’m okay with that, I’ve made peace with that. Her happiness is the most important thing to me so I don’t want to ruin it. And I would really appreciate it if you guys wouldn’t mention this to her, at all, ever.”

The guys nodded. “Of course, dude.”

“Yeah, whatever you need, Jimbo.” Johnny agreed.

Jimmy nodded. “Well, I guess we better get this over with. It’s only going to get harder.”
All the guys stand and Wren could tell everyone had been dreading this moment. No one was ready; she wasn’t sure if anyone would ever truly be ready.

“I wish I could hug you,” Matt admits.

“Me too, brother,” Jimmy says weakly.

Zack asked, “So, what do you do? Like, how do you move on?”

Jimmy furrowed his brows. “I don’t know,” he says cocking his head to the side.

Everyone stood there for a moment in thought before Johnny speaks up. “Well, just close your eyes and…I don’t know, focus on going into the light.”

The idea sounded stupid, but with the lack of anything better, Jimmy shrugs before closing his eyes. Wren had to choke back her laughter as Jimmy made a series of expressions that made him look like he was constipated or in pain.

“Well, that’s not working,” he says, opening his eyes after a minute of trying.

“Maybe you’re just not mean to go,” Zack says.

Jimmy shakes his head. “I can’t stay in this house one more day.” He glances at Wren. “No offense, darling.”

“None taken,” Wren smiles back.

“Well, maybe you weren’t focusing hard enough,” Matt says. “Try again.”

Jimmy lets out an aggravated noise. “okay, fine.” He heaves a sigh – again, can ghosts do that? – and closes his eyes. Before he can start to focus, however, there’s a knock at the door.
Everyone shoots Wren a weird look as she shrugs and makes her way from the chair and to the door. The guys begin discussing another idea as she opens it.

“I just…I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least…” he trailed off as his eyes focus on something – or someone – behind Wren.

“Brian?” Jimmy sounds.

“J…Jimmy?” Brian whispers, pushing past Wren and briskly walking to his long-lost friend.
With each step Jimmy took, the more solid he became, and soon, two solid men were hugging it out in the middle of the room.

“Holy shit. I thought…I figured she had to be lying. How is this…how are you here?” Brian asks.

“Did we freak out like that?” Johnny whispers to Wren.

Wren giggles a bit. “A little,” she answers. Since Jimmy was now solid, the entire gang began to peel Brian away from their friend so they could hug him instead.

“Why did you decide to come?” Wren heard Matt ask Brian.

Brian sighed. “I don’t know. After you guys left I tried to join Brooks at the casino but I just couldn’t. I knew I had to come, even if it was just a bullshit story.” Brian shot an apologetic look to Wren. “Sorry.”

“That’s alright,” she said. She was going to say more, but her phone began to ring. To her horror, she saw her mother’s contact photo fill the screen. She quietly dismissed herself and walked into another room, shutting the door behind her. “Hello?” She answers.

“Hey, Wren. Your father and I decided to cut the trip a little short. There’s a storm coming and we didn’t want to get caught in it.”

“What?” Wren asked nervously. She corrected her tone by saying, “That’s awful. When will you be home?”

If her mother noticed her tone, she didn’t mention it. “Oh, in about an hour or so. We just wanted to call and let you know in case you were at the beach.”

Again, her heart fell to the floor. “Okay,” she said as cheerfully as she could muster. “I’ll see you then.”

After Wren hung up the phone, she exited the room. The five guys were standing in a circle, laughing and telling jokes as though they hadn’t been separated for eight years.

“Hey, guys, sorry to cut this short but my parents are going to be home in an hour and you guys can’t be here when they show up, so…” she said. She felt bad for having to kick them out but she knew she had to.

“But can’t we just explain to them what going on I mean –” Brian asked but Jimmy interrupted.

“No, she’s right. I need to go anyways, it’s for the best. The longer I stick around the harder it is to leave you all…again.”

“Except there’s one problem,” Zack piped up. “You’ve already tried to leave and couldn’t.”

Wren cleared her throat. “That’s because he wasn’t truly ready. He didn’t want to leave without seeing Brian.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t come earlier,” Brian hung his head.

“But you came and that’s all that matters,” Jimmy smiled.

“Well, I’ll give you guys some space to say your goodbyes,” Wren said.

This time it felt real and Wren knew it would work. She climbed the stairs and found her way to the bedroom. She sat on her bed and took a look around. Already, the bedroom felt lonelier somehow. How was she supposed to go back to her old life after this?

“Hey, are you okay?”

Wren thought she had only been up there for seconds, but it must have been much longer if Jimmy had already said his goodbyes to his friends before appearing in her doorway. She nods. “Yeah. You all set?”

He shrugs and sits down next to her on the bed. “Almost. I wanted to say thank you for everything. Who knows when or if this would have happened if you didn’t show up when you did.”

Wren smiles. “Well, to be fair it wasn’t my choice to come when we did.”

“You know what I mean,” Jimmy replied.

After a moment of silence, Wren sighed. “How am I supposed to go on knowing there’s more than books and college and a grade point averages?”

Jimmy shrugged. “Easy. Just out yourself out in the world you just realized exists. You’re smart, good looking, funny. You could rule that world out there if you wanted to, Wren. Don’t let your parents tell you any different. Don’t let them keep you locked up worrying about your grades and shit. None of that matters, not really. There are so many different ways to be successful and happy. It honestly just depends on the type of person you are. And you and those four guys downstairs are the best people I have ever met in my life…and in my afterlife.”

Wren giggled at the last bit. “Thanks, Jimmy.”

He stands and they hug before slowly making their way out of the room and back downstairs.

“Also, call Colin. Who gives a shit if your parents like him or if he lives six hours way. If he makes you happy, it’ll be worth it.”

Wren nods, and silently decides she will reply to his text when the time comes. The four guys come into view and though Wren didn’t hear a word of their goodbyes with Jimmy, their eyes told her it was emotional.

“You ready?” Matt asked.

Jimmy nodded, smiling. “I love you guys.”

“I love you, too,” they all replied in unison.

Jimmy took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He slowly exhaled as the group watched him. Out of nowhere, there was a blinding light. It was gone as quick as it appeared.

Jimmy was gone.