Crush from the Other Side

[WP] A teenage boy finally builds up the courage to ask out his crush but when he pops the question her face darkens as she utters to him “you’re not supposed to be able to see me”

*****

"You're not supposed to be able to see me."

Why did I stutter? Why was I taken aback when Emily replied to my confession of love with those words? It couldn't have been because I knew what she meant at the time, no, that was something I didn't even consider possible. That wasn't it.

I was taken aback because that was not within the range or set of answers I was expecting upon confessing. From all the high school love movies and the Reddit memes and all of that, I was made to understand the best I could expect was a 'Yes', 'You're a great guy, but...' was a nice letdown, 'No' was harsh, and 'Ew' was downright brutal.

Calling her friends was the height of the disgrace and embarrassment. To that effect, I was very much ready to jump off a bridge in that case. But like me, Emily was a loner. She ate alone, walked alone, and barely had any interaction with the other students. I admired her from afar, never meeting her gaze or allowing me to get caught staring.

Her blonder hair, curly and left in a pixie cut, with her pink lipstick and alternative fashion sense. She was big on the brightly colored tracksuits, jean jackets, black leather clothing - Emily's sense of fashion was just a combination of things that always looked aesthetically pleasing. She was perfect to a T.

And me?

I was just a photography geek who was more interested in lenses and lighting than people. Of course, I did shots using human models every now and then, that was how my path intertwined with that of the 'big kids' in school. But I never hung out with them, and I kept my relationships with them strictly on a business level.

My best shots were those featuring landscapes. It did not matter if I had a model or not in the picture, all I needed was a great background. There was one special spot in our town, one spot I had never taken any model to. I longed to take Emily there and have golden shots of her that I'd frame and look upon till I was old and my eyesight had deteriorated.

We were in our senior year of high school. After this, we'd all be off to college, away from each other for months, if not years. I could not live with myself if I didn't pop that question, and I had braced myself for whatever answer she could have given me at that point. As far as I didn't leave school without telling her how I felt, it was fine.

*****

"...so I guess I'm just trying to say that I'm really attracted to you, and I'd like to get to know you better, I guess," I said nervously, finishing a confession that was full of stuttering, stammering, and nervous sweats. I then stood in the empty parking lot, waiting for a response.

She looked surprised, and even though I was not sure whether it was a good sign or a bad one, but I understood that she was shocked, For someone to pop out of nowhere and tell them that they liked you... it was fairly reasonable to be surprised.

The parking lot was empty when I spotted her, thankfully. I felt the Universe had aligned for me to safely tell Emily my feelings without any immediate threat of embarrassment.

But her reply caught me off-guard.

"You can see me? You're not supposed to be able to see me."

Her voice was a little colder than I expected it to be, but it bore no malice. It was just sounded like the speaker was shocked and intrigued at the turn of events.

"Wh-what d-d-do... Eh?" I asked, her response suddenly registering in my brain. That was surely a weird thing to say. Was it a joke? If it was, then she just became even more perfect in my eyes for having a great sense of humor. I would have laughed at that if I wasn't so nervous.

"I'm supposed to be invisible. At least to you people. The last time I checked, I'm dead."

I swallowed deeply before opening my mouth, but words weren't really forthcoming, so I looked on with my mouth wide open. "What do you mean? I've seen you all this while around this school. I've noticed you since my sophomore year of middle school. This has to be a joke right?" I asked nervously.

My hairs were standing on their ends, and I felt a cold breeze wash over me as goosebumps sprouted all over my arms. I used to think the pale skin on her was makeup, but now I looked at it again, I wasn't so sure that it was.

Then she raised her hand to my face and made to tap my head. But all I felt was a ghostly chill as she had phased right through me and fell right back at her lap.

"I'm dead like I said."

I froze, unable to speak. Unable to say a word as Emily smiled brightly and walked off.

Three years later in my private room at a mental facility, I could still see her come around every day. She would pop in and talk, and we'd share a laugh before she left at exactly 10:00 PM.

The psychiatrist told my parents that I still speak to nobody in particular, conversing with an imaginary 'Emily', and there was a very bleak chance of my recovery.

But to me, I was sane, right where I wanted to be, with who I wanted to be with.

*****

THE END.

Yes, you got it right. I'm back tone shots, no series, for now, just jumping on prompts I can finish within one or two uploads.