Linger

Life seemed to trickle by quickly in the days since Brian’s revelation. Jayden felt more at home now that she was on good terms with the spirit who inhabited her home.

At times, she felt the urge to pinch her arm and force herself to wake up. She still struggled with her scepticism, yet it all but dissolved when she entered her room to find Brian lounging on her bed or pacing the floor. They had become something like friends, often talking quietly into the early hours of the morning about everything and nothing. Jayden enjoyed his stories, and listened eagerly as he retold tales of life before he died and she had moved to town. She gained insight into her new friends and their pasts through Brian's words, listening aptly for hours on end.

They could both be found on a particularly sunny Sunday relaxing in the garden. Jayden had brought a book out with her, both to discourage anyone who wanted to interrupt her, and to disguise the fact that she was talking to a ghost. Although David could see Brian, their parents could not, and Jayden didn't want either of them to believe she was crazy for apparently talking to herself.

Their conversation was light-hearted, as it often was. The day was too nice to burden one another with serious and heavy discussion. Jayden was attempting to hold her laughter in as Brian literally rolled on the grass, his chuckles disturbing the air. Luckily for both of them, nobody but she could hear him. He had just finished retelling a story about Jimmy, and a time long ago when he and Brian had gone driving in the park whilst drunk. Jayden had learned a new fact about Brian in the retelling of this story. He had once had a nickname. Synyster Gates. Just the thought of him being called anything but Brian made Jayden laugh.

Unfortunately for them, the mood was quickly killed when Jayden spotted someone approaching.

“Shut up,” she whispered, “Johnny’s here.”

Brian looked up and followed her gaze. Johnny was walking down the street with a bag slung over his shoulder, struggling with his arms full of textbooks. Brian had to hold in the laughter at the sight of him, earning a disapproving glance from Jayden.

“What’s he even doing here?” Brian asked, his eyes not leaving Johnny.

“We’re working on a Chemistry assignment. I totally forgot.”

The sarcasm was evident in his tone as he replied, “Brilliant.”

A reproachful look was given to him before Johnny bound over, standing and peering down at her just to Brian’s left. For one second both she and Brian thought Johnny would step in the spirit, but luckily he didn’t.

Jayden shielded her eyes from the sun and looked back up at him, “You okay?”

“Fine,” Johnny grinned, “Are we working out here?”

“I think it’d be better if we worked inside,” She replied whilst getting to her feet, “That way we might actually get something done.”

Brian followed them as they entered the cool and shaded halls of the house, making their way to Jayden’s room. Johnny looked around eagerly, taking every aspect of the house in. It hadn’t changed much since the last time he’d visited, what seemed like aeons ago. The only noticeable difference were the pictures on the walls, which had altered. The people he was used to seeing in the frames had been replaced by others who he didn’t recognise, notably Jayden and her family.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Jayden led him to Brian’s old room. Johnny paused for a second before following her, and they settled themselves in for a long afternoon of textbook chemistry.

---

“I’m going to get a drink,” Jayden said an hour later, standing and heading for the door, “Want one?”

“Sure,” Johnny replied, shutting his textbook and sitting up. He watched Jayden leave before letting his eyes scan the room. He felt uneasy on his own, the reminisces of the room and of its previous occupant weighed heavy on his mind. He noticed the changes in the space, but could still vividly remember it as it had once been. Brian often crossed his mind, but being in his old house brought back intense memories of the friend he had loved and lost.

Johnny settled himself back down, laying on his back with his legs dangling off the edge of the bed. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, unaware that his long-dead friend was sat on the bed next to him, staring at him with a mischievous twinkle in his ethereal eyes. Unable to resist a perfect opportunity, Brian blew forcefully on the side of Johnny’s face. His eyelids shot open instantly, and Brian cackled to himself at the nervous look on his friends face.

“W-who’s there?” Johnny muttered, his eyes darting nervously in their sockets.

This only enticed Brian more, and he was across the room in a heartbeat, knocking a notebook from Jayden’s desk. Seconds later, the computer chair moved across the room in front of Johnny’s horror-stricken gaze. He couldn’t see, but Brian was sat on the chair and was laughing heartily at the look on his face. Johnny watched as the chair span around of its own accord and he stood up, only for the chair to stop spinning. He looked around the room once again before he felt a cold sensation on his chest push him backwards. Landing on the bed, his breath caught in his throat as a pen began to scribble on a piece of paper on the desk.

Johnny stood slowly and cautiously moved towards it and gasped quietly as he read the message written upon it;

GET OUT SHORT SHIT!

The paper crumpled itself up and was tossed in the bin as Johnny edged away and began tossing his stuff into his bag hurriedly.

Whilst he was panicking and packing his things away, Brian rapidly returned the fallen objects to their rightful place without the other boy noticing. He then took up his previous place on the bed, and put on the most virtuous look he could muster.

Jayden walked slowly up the stairs, trying not to spill the liquid from the glasses in her hands. Her brow furrowed as she approached her room, hearing hasty movement from within.

“Johnny? What are you doing?”

She walked into her room to see Johnny swiftly stuffing his things away, a frantic look on his face. Brian was sitting innocently on the bed, and simply shrugged when she looked curiously his way.

“See you tomorrow Jay!” Johnny called as he hurried past her and through her door. She heard him almost fly down the stairs and across the hallway, his feet barely touching the ground. On hearing the front door slam, Jayden rounded on the spirit sitting on her bed.

“What did you do to him Brian?”

“Nothing!” He held his hands up and flashed her another inconspicuous look, “I swear on my life!”

Jayden scoffed as she sat on the bed next to him, “A bit late for that, isn’t it?”

“Oh ha ha,” He gave her a reproachful look before pouting, “Pick on the dead guy, why don’t you?”

Jayden rolled her eyes at him before pulling her textbook closer, working on her assignment in silence, thoroughly aware of Brian’s eyes on her.

---

Johnny seemed to avoid her the following day. Every time Jayden looked at him, he quickly looked away, busying himself with something else. Conversation was reduced to one-word answers at best, lack of speech being the most frequent response. Jayden had a sneaky suspicion that Brian had not told her the truth about what had happened the previous day.

The lack of communication kept up all day until they waited together for Zacky to come and pick them all up. The two walked in silence from their last lesson of the day, and met Carmen at the front of the school. Try as they might, neither Jayden nor Carmen could get Johnny to talk. He got into the backseat of Zacky’s car in silence, Jayden sitting next to him as Carmen rode shotgun.

“What is this, a morgue?” Zacky asked moments later as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Jayden quickly looked at Johnny, whose colour had drained from his face. The car remained silent, and Zacky’s eyes were seen rolling in the rear view mirror.

“There’s some seriously weird shit going on in Jay’s house,” Johnny uttered quietly, looking out of the window and shattering the silence.

Zacky seemed disinterested as he sped up slightly, “Like what?”

“I dunno, but I think that maybe…Maybe Bri isn’t totally gone.”

Zacky stalled the car, sending everyone forwards. He quickly parked up and turned in his seat, looking venomously at Johnny, “Don’t joke about shit like that man, it’s not funny.”

“Do I look like I’m laughing?”

Zacky turned back in his seat, his eyes staring determinedly out of the windscreen. Carmen still looked back, and Jayden thought she saw her friends eyes glisten at the news of the unexplained happenings. Nothing disturbed the tense atmosphere inside the car for more than half a minute. Jayden didn’t know where to look, but kept quiet whilst looking at her nails.

“Maybe we should have like, a séance kinda thing?”

The entire car looked at Johnny, and everyone had a different emotion on his or her face. Carmen looked no short of scared at the suggestion, whilst Zack’s eyes lit up with recognition towards his friend. Jayden, however, was cautious.

The word sparked a warning within her and she said, “Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Carmen’s aunt knows her stuff,” Zack turned to look at his girlfriend hopefully, “We could ask her?”

“No way,” Carmen shook her head and held her hands up in protest, “She’d flip a lid if she knew we were even thinking about meddling with the dead.”

“There’s only one solution then.”

“Leave it alone and forget this conversation ever happened?” Jayden asked, knowing the answer before anyone spoke.

Zacky shook his head as he started the engine and pulled off towards Johnny’s house, “No. We do it ourselves. We get the gang together and we find out the truth.”