My books tumble out of my arms as soon as I step into the hallway. With a groan, I drop to my knees and gather them up. I could’ve taken the few minutes to put them into my book-bag, but then I would risk not seeing Will.
A fairly attractive guy bends and hands me books, making small talk as he does so. I don’t really know him, just that he’s in Will’s year and we’ve had a couple of classes together.
I thank him and clutch the books to my chest, hurrying down the hallway. I crane my neck to see Will—and there he is as always, in the throng of students, coming from the opposite direction. I can’t help the smile that streaks across my face, and I can’t help the joy that bursts in my chest like tiny fireworks when he smiles back. We draw even with each other and continue to our next classes. I turn my head slightly, but he’s already gone.
Allowing my eyes to fall shut, I lean against the wall. I’ve known him for over two years now, and every time he looks at me, it’s like the first time all over again. I remind myself Will’s a Sixth Form student now. After Year Twelve, he’ll graduate and go off to uni.
If Wolverhampton House has become home to me, it’s only because of Will and Roanna.
“Cami.” Roanna thumps me on the shoulder, jolting me out of my melancholy. “Did I see you with Will just now?”
I think about the way we passed each other without having the time to exchange a word. “I guess you could say that.”
She smiles and nudges me. “You should just tell him how you feel.”
I wave her off and change the subject, telling her about Lewis and the ghost. She jots it down in the notebook reserved especially for the odd happenings of Wolverhampton. As always, her eyes shine now that we’re on this topic.
Roanna lowers her voice and leans in toward me. “Library after lights out tonight.”
I groan and shake my head. I adore Roanna, but she insists on making me do things that might get me a demerit. “Ro, I can’t chase proof of conspiracy theories anymore. We have A Levels next year.”
“I think I’ve figured something out,” she says, ignoring me and rapping her nails on the notebook. “I’ll tell you tonight.”
Before I can say anything, a scream erupts from the loo. We glance at each other and sprint toward the sound, able to be fearless because I don’t believe in ghosts and because she wants to make sense of the ghosts. Other people are already crowding the doorway, but Roanna is small enough to squeeze through and strong enough to pull me through behind her.
Roanna’s roommate, Jen, is on the floor, sobbing into her hands while two of her friends have their arms around her.
“Get Will,” Jen says through her tears. “I want to see Will.”
I fight the urge to roll my eyes at a scene that is common enough at this school. Every time anything happens, Jen cries out for Will, and yet I’ve never once seen the two of them together.
“What’s going on?” Roanna says.
“There was a ghost,” Amelia says in a hushed tone.
Of all the daily ghost sightings here, it seems at least half of them are Jen’s. Still, rumors can’t be easily squashed, and nobody here seems to be trying to squash them.
“What did he look like?” Roanna says, as about the only non-tourist who would be interested in this.”
“H-he was old—”
“—with buggy, crazy eyes—”
“—and he reached out for Jen—”
“Hold on,” Roanna says. “I thought Jen was the one who saw him?”
“All of us did,” Amelia says. “He was here, clear as day.”
Jen stands up shakily, letting her hands fall to her sides. A purple bruise runs horizontally across the width of her throat.
*/*/*
Roanna fairly skips out of the bathroom. The very first conversation we had at this school was about the ghosts. She came up to me and asked if I’d seen any, even before I knew this school was apparently known for ghost sightings. It figured that The Stepmother would throw me in a school that was haunted.
“It’s unbecoming to be so happy about something so traumatizing,” I say to hide how unsettled I am.
She stops and tries to make the expression more somber. “I just feel this—”
“‘Sense of affinity to the ghosts,” I say. “I know, I know. You’ve only told me every day since we became friends.”
Roanna smiles and shrugs innocently. “Don’t you ever feel like there’s something more? Like you don’t quite belong, or something?”
“Yes,” I say, nudging her, “except when I’m with you.”
Or with Will, but I don’t add that part.
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