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“Thanks, Al.”
She reached into the small handbag she’d brought with her and pulled out the pills, popping one out and proceeding to help who she thought was Sean to sit up in bed.

“Erm, aren’t you going to open your eyes?”
she asked in confusion.

“I would, but they’re pretty sore.  I’ve been put on eye drops for it.”

“Oh, right.”

Sean had to admit, Drew managed to pull off his part pretty well. He sounded, looked and acted like him. He couldn’t blame Ali, who along with Hayden probably knew him better than anyone, f
or assuming it really was him.
Drew slumped back down under the covers with a shudder once he’d taken the pill, and he looked to be in pain.
‘Good’
Sean thought,
‘I hope he’s in agony. He deserves it.’
Ali scooted a little closer, and from the silvery light of the half moon Sean could clearly see the worry and guilt in her gleaming eyes. They stood out, almost shone, and the moonlight made them look mysterious and ghostly. Ha. He chuckled inwardly at the irony of what he’d just thought.

“
Do you know when you’re going to be
coming back?” she asked. She deliberate
d
for a moment, then reach
ed out and tentatively gripped the
pale hand, for support he guessed.

Drew coughed a little, and Ali seemed to wince with each one. “Yeah, probably another two weeks. I’m not actually allowed out of bed until the end of this week. Such a drag.”
Such a drag?
Sean was impressed. Drew had
even gotten his favourite phrase right and used it in proper context.

“You’re so predictable,” Ali chuckled, but it sounded forced. “You know, you’re
going to
have to catch up in all your classes once you get back.”

“I know.”

“That means doing
work.
”

“You’re so patronising sometimes, Al. I can handle doing
work.
I c
ould
use some help, though.”
Sean felt triumphant. Drew had finally slipped up – there was no way he would ever ask for help with work
.
Ali normally just gave it to him anyway.

And,
rightfully so, the girl was incredulous
. “You’re asking
me
for help?”
Sean sent a smug look to Drew over Ali’s shoulder, even thou
gh he wouldn’t be able to see it as he was facing away from him
. Yeah, he had slipped up. It was only a matter of time until she figured it out now.

“Well, yeah. Al, you’re the best scientist
in the year and you know Physics
is my worst subject. Think you could tutor me?”

She tilted her he
ad slightly, the
light catching
on her wheat-coloured hair
.
“
Are you s
ure?” she asked suspiciously. “Normally you hate even the mention of work.”

“Well, I’m going to have to do it eventually unless I want to spend my life working in Tescos.
I’m already set for failure as it is.”

“Wow,
Sean, this is a…new side of you,
”
Ali smiled warmly. “Of course, I’d love to help you. I can come round any night, on
ce you’re feeling better of course
.”

Drew smiled,
Sean felt
nauseous. “Thanks.”

There was a natural break in conversation then.
Drew’s breathing came
in
soft and rhythmic sighs,
as if he had fallen asleep, and Ali watched him intently, as though searching for something. Sean observed her for a minute, silently willing her to turn around and not
ice him standing there. S
he actually did so. She turned, stared right through him and then glanced shrewdly around the room.
He felt hopeful.

“Come on, Al,” he whispered into the heavy air. “We’ve k
nown each other for years. Just
look
a little
harder. Can’t you see me?” But really, everything he said was pointless. Useless. Wasted. She could not see him because she was alive, and he wasn’t. That thought alone caused his chest to constrict until his breath was coming out in rasps again and
he found it difficult to think
. How long would he be like this?

H
er saddened gaze returned to the bed. She paused, as if nervous, and then broke the peaceful silence. “Listen, Sean, I’m…really sorry.”

“Why are you sorry? You didn’t do anything,” came Drew’s murmured reply.

She bit her lip guiltily
. “
I’m sorry for
acting the way I did
that day on the bus. I’m sorry for d
oubting you, for not being there for you like I always say I am. I should’ve gone with you, maybe then this wouldn’t have happened.
”

Drew reached out blindly and patted her hand in what was supposed to be a comfort
ing way. “Don’t apologise
, you did nothing wro
ng. I was the one who
insisted I go alone
. This isn’t your fault.”

She sniffed, her shoulders trembling slightly.
“But it is
, I could have done something…
”

“No, you couldn’t have. You didn’t know what was going
to happen.
” He paused
, and then added:
“a
nyway
, stop acting like I’m dead or something.”
Sean knew the other boy had said that partly just to irritate him. How ironic could this conversation get?

“I’m glad you’re not
,” she said.

“So am I.”

She looked close to crying again. “I almost believed you were though, when I saw you in the hospital. I didn’t think you’d ever wake up again.”

“Sorry, for
making you worry,” Drew’s expression
softened a little. “But don’t, because I don’t plan on dying anytime soon.”

“You can’t plan
when you die,” she said quietly. “You could get
hit
by a car again and die for real next time, just like that.”

“It could happen to you as well. It could happen to anyone, not just me.”

“I know,” she said. “But I already know what it feels like to have you die on me once, and I don’t want to ever feel like that again.”
Sean was surprised; he hadn’t thought it would affect her so much.

“Was it really that bad?” Drew asked.

“I came to see you every day in the hospital,” she admitted quietly. “I couldn’t concentrate in lessons, and I couldn’t sleep or eat because I was so worried. I really thought I’d never see you again and the last m
emory I would have of you would be of our argument on the bus
.”

“You worry too much,” Drew shook his head. “If I die, then I die. It’s going to happen one day
anyway.”

She looked upset by his cynical comment. “You treat this as though it’s nothing, but it’s not. Don’t you even care?”

“
Of course I’m
glad I survived, but there’s no point thinking about what might have happened. I’m still alive, that’s what matters.”

She smiled. “Is that basically your long-winded way of telling me to shut up with the emotional stuff?”

“Yup.”

She laughed, wipi
ng at her eyes. “Right, sorry.
I forgot that guys have the emotional complexity of a sponge.
Let’s m
ove on.”

Drew laughed. “That’s more like it; I’ve missed your insults. What have I missed at school?

“A lot of work.”

“Apart from that?”

She shrugged. “The study area’s been banned indefinitely
because
some idiots set of
f
stink bombs in there, and
Liz found out her boyfriend was gay.”

“Sounds pretty normal
,” Drew chuckled. “
Think I’ll be the centre of gossip when I go back?”

“Probably.
People have been asking me about you all week. There’s been all sorts of rumours flying around.”

“Like what?”

“Someone said that you got hit
because
you were high on drugs.”

“How unimaginative.”

She laughed lightly, and it carried on like that for a little while. They stuck to small talk, discussing school and work and classes. Sean had to admit that Drew was doing a pretty good job of impersonating him, and he felt a twinge of anger every time he said something that made Ali laugh or smile. Why couldn’t she see through him? He was her
best friend
and the boy in the bed was a
psychotic dead thief
dammit. He felt himself gradually losing hope as the conversation continued. All he wanted was for her to leave now, so he would be able to get some answers from Drew.

Tha
t time came half an hour later.
Ali got up from the chair and stretched. “Well, I’d better go home now.
I have work due in tomorrow.
I’ll come and visit again soon though, okay?”
she assure
d
him.

“T
hat’s fine.”

She picked up her bag and walked to t
he door, opening it and pausing
just before she walked out.  She stared at Drew for a
long
moment
. “B
y the way, Sean, I don’t know why but you seem…different.”
Sean’s breath hitched. Had she figured it out?

“Goo
d different, or bad different?” Drew asked, suspicion in his voice.

“Good different.”

As soon as the door clicked shut, those piercing
eyes opened and Sean glared, wishing that looks really could kill
.
Not that it would help, people couldn’t die twice. Alt
hough it seemed in this reality anything was possible, so maybe he still had a chance.

“It’s funny, you know,” Drew spoke up suddenly, once they
heard the front door close downstairs
. “People are so arrogant. They think they’re immortal, that they’ll live until they’re 100, until they actually meet death face to face.”

“What do you mean?” Sean spat out viciously.

“I mean, before any of this happened you and Ali were both so terribly naïve. Do you know why she was so upset? She didn’t understand before, that death can h
appen to anyone at anytime. It’s not selective
. It doesn’t single you out because you’re a bad person and you deserve to die. That saying ‘the good die young’ is probably closer to
the
truth unfortunately.”

Sean shook his head at the strange musings, not feeling up to deci
phering them
.
“What are you playing at?”
he asked.

“
I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Drew feigned an innocent smile.

“You’re trying to trick her, aren’t you? You’re trying to use her to get to me.”

“Or maybe, I’m just being nice.”

“Pff, I don’t believe you.”

Drew raised an eyebrow. “Why not? I feel sorry for the poor girl. She’s obviously
infatuated
with you and you ignore her most of the time.”

“
Infatuated
with
me?
” Sean laughed at the absurdity of the idea. “You really are a psycho.”

“Fine, believe what you want.”

“T
his isn’t going to work.” Sean narrowed his eyes, the strong urge to punch holes through the boy in front of him returning. “Ali
will
figure it out eventually.”

From
the bed, Drew smirked wickedly
. “And if she does, who’s
to say that she’ll still want to save you?”

Chapter 6:
If the whole world parked on double yellow lines

Overwhelming numbness was something Sean never thought he would have to get used to. Neither was walking through walls. Yet, despite the many bad sides of being invisible and ghostly, walking through walls was not one of them. It was entertaining, and really he had no qualms about invading his brother’s privacy. It was actually something he’d always wanted to do.