remaining under the awning with maddie, jenna observed with concern as mr. anderson followed simon outside of the shed, the rain still pouring around them, "am i in trouble?" simon nervously inquired.

"that's exactly what i'm trying to avoid simon." mr. anderson responded, shaking his head. "so where are you taking me?" simon gulped.

"your car." the man paused, emphasizing, "and listen, let's not mention this to anyone tomorrow, okay?"

simon nodded, taking a moment to contemplate the man's words in contrast to his actions, "mr. anderson! can i ask what you were doing there so late?"

mr. anderson paused, locking eyes with him before finally responding, "drive safe, simon." the girls watched as simon got into his car and drove off into the rainy night.

👻

jenna didn't sleep well that night. she couldn't stop thinking about what mr. anderson was capable of. she never deemed him to be dangerous while she was alive, in fact, he was probably one of the few adults to notice what was happening between her and lucas.

but it wasn't just mr. anderson on her mind, the looming prospect of her case reopening was driving her mad. she knew this would just cause chaos. her parents would be devastated, her friends would be shocked, and bethany had already had an episode.

she felt powerless. and it made her angry.

the following day, jenna silently drifted through the halls, discreetly observing her old classmates. there was little else to engage her ethereal existence at the moment. to her surprise, xavier had returned to school, and jenna trailed him closely, absorbing the murmurs and whispers of her oblivious former peers.

"shit, look."

"oh my god, look who's here."

"wasn't he locked up or something?"

"devil boy's back."

"why is he here?"

"god, i bet he's wearing his stupid hair like that to hide his horns."

"how can he show his face?"

convinced before that xavier was maddie's killer, jenna's certainty had now wavered after encountering mr. anderson the previous night. she didn't know what to believe anymore.

uncertain and unseen, she halted as bethany james stood at her locker, accompanied by her old friend amanda.

"i can't believe he came back to school!" amanda whispered. "i don't care about xavier." bethany snapped, slamming her locker shut, focusing her attention at lucas across the hall. he was laughing with his friends, acting like everything was normal. like his girlfriend didn't just die.

"the cops already said it was an accident." amanda sighed, alluding to jenna, "you have to start moving on already."

"never." bethany shook her head resolutely, "i know he was involved. that fucker's going behind bars if it's the last thing i do." she declared before turning to leave.

"this isn't gonna bring her back!" amanda voice echoed down the hall, causing the dark haired girl to halt, "you can't change how things ended between you two; you just have to live with it!"

bethany had been skipping class, arriving late to cheerleading practices, neglecting sleep, and looked like an overall mess. amanda was genuinely concerned, trying to knock some sense into her.

bethany felt frozen, amanda's words piercing through her. overwhelmed, she stormed out of the halls, rushing to her car and driving away. jenna followed, watching her hurried departure, longing for the chance to turn back time, to apologize, and assure her it wasn't her fault.

👻

seated for another afterlife support group meeting, jenna found herself distracted, her thoughts consumed by bethany. while the group engaged in chatter, her mind soared with worry about her best friend's well-being and determination to uncover the truth.

"jenna." mr. martin called, breaking the spell. "hmm?" jenna responded, lifting her head.

"how is the obituary coming? is there anything you'd like to share with the group?" the man inquired with a patient tone.

"uh," she sighed, absently rubbing her eyes, "it's still a work in progress. sorry. i feel like i barely slept last night."

a soft chuckle emanated from mr. martin, "gosh, it sounds like you spent one too many days in a row inside this school."

"is there another option?" maddie interjected, wearing a dry expression.

"there is, actually. gang, i know it's not usually for another month or so, but time is relative here, is it not?" mr. martin started, wearing a mischievous grin on his lips. jenna's gaze briefly flicked to wally, puzzled by his animated reaction. "so what do you say? who's up for another field day?"

"yes! hell yes!" wally erupted in immediate celebration, "yes! yes! field day! let's go!"

"please kill me." rhonda mumbled, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "i love you mr. m!" wally declared, enthusiastically pointing at their group leader.

"everybody needs exercise. and as you'll come to learn, we ghosts occasionally need to 'exorcise' a few demons too." mr. martin joked, silence still overtaking the room. "am i right, guys?"

"i—i really don't have time for that." jenna admitted. she had lots of lurking and writing to do today.

"yeah, no. i don't do sports." maddie muttered, shaking her head with conviction.

wally sighed in disappointment, "well, maddie, jenna, i hear you, and as the resident jock, i am going to choose not to be offended by that. but i just have two words for you, mm-kay? american gladiators."

the group remained perplexed, unable to grasp wally's references. "blaze! turbo?" he continued, still receiving no response.

"is this some niche 80s thing i won't understand?" jenna furrowed a brow. "nitro?" wally's eyes widened, looking at the wolf girl in disbelief, "are you— come on. nobody's heard of this show?"

"all i remember is.. lots and lots of spandex?" charley ventured to recall. "yes. there were because they were freaking heroes and they're my personal inspiration for field day." wally asserted, crossing his arms with a grin.

"leave her alone, you guys. she doesn't want to play tug of war unless it's to rip her ex-boyfriend limb from limb." rhonda retorted, earning a glare from the nears girl.

"or wait—" rhonda raised a brow, "has somebody's plot thickened? do tell. who do we have in our crosshairs now?"

👻

*5 DAYS BEFORE JENNA WOLF'S DEATH*

"jenna, i'm just worried about you."

"i didn't ask you to!" jenna retorted sharply, her voice laced with an edge of irritation as she stood in the empty girls locker room with her worried best friend.

"i saw bruises on your arm this morning! did you really think i was just gonna ignore it?! those weren't there before you left my house to go see him yesterday. if he's hurting you.. you can tell me!" bethany implored, the sincerity in her eyes contrasting with jenna's defensive posture.

"he's not hurting me! it was an argument, an accident! just drop it." the brunette snapped, her words cutting through her best friend's concern.

"that's not an accident. why are you making excuses for him?!" jenna's eyes met bethany's, a silent battle playing out between them, "jenna, i just don't want to see something terrible happen to you."

"well, you don't have to worry about that.. because i don't ever want to see you again." jenna stated, her tone tinged with a mix of anger and hurt while her eyes appeared bleak. she stormed out of the room in anger.

seated outside, jenna wrestled with her attempt to write her obituary once more, the pen hovering over the paper, but her thoughts tangled. her focus was on bethany—recalling the shared laughter, the cherished moments. yet, each attempt stumbled, the weight of their final encounter overshadowing the fond memories. the bitterness of her own actions lingered, a regret that loomed like an eternal shadow over their once-close friendship.

getting herself overwhelmed, jenna crumbled up the paper, throwing it to the ground and heading down the pathway.

"hey!" a voice called out, catching sight of the brunette's frustrated trudging. it was wally, maneuvering a golf cart parallel to her at her walking speed, "need a lift? i know, i know, you don't have time for field day, but i just had to try."

her frustration hung heavy in the air as she continued her brisk walk, "wally, i'm really not in the mood for your whole turbo thing right now."

"okay, turbo's not my handle, actually. it's kaboom. and also, that reminds me, we need to come up with one for you." he declared, declared with a mischievous confidence, smoothly pulling the golf cart over in the parking lot. jenna came to an abrupt stop, shooting him an irritated look that communicated she simply wasn't up for playful banter.

"okay, look—okay, okay, okay. how about this? instead of pacing back and forth angrily or whatever you're doing, why don't you do it with a little bit more speed?" wally smirked, gripping his hands on the steering wheel.

the brunette scoffed, looking around in disbelief. no way did he seriously think driving around in a golf cart would solve all her problems?

"jenna, i know how it feels to be a passenger in your own afterlife, so maybe try taking the wheel." he suggested with a chaste smile, moving over and giving her the option to steer.

jenna paused for a moment in deliberation. what did she have to lose? "fuck it." the brunette muttered, shrugging as she hopped into the vehicle.

"oh yeah! let's go!" wally cheered, excitedly patting on the driver's seat, "you're gonna love it."

still fuming from frustration and anger, jenna forcefully hit the gas without a second thought. the cart surged forward as they left the parking lot, with wally grabbing on, caught off guard by her swift acceleration. "whoa. oh, okay! all right, let's do it. jenna! jenna! jenna! whooooo! go jenna!" he cheered, the wind whipping through their hair.

as jenna maneuvered the turns, a burst of laughter escaped her lips, carried away by the thrill of speed and the twists and turns around the building. the world blurred as they navigated the pathways, momentarily cocooned in the liberating joy of the impromptu drive.

"it feels pretty damn good, right?" wally grinned turning to glance at the exhilarated girl.

"it kinda does, actually. how have i not done this, like, every day?" jenna turned to look at him, a flirty smirk playing on her lips. she laughed, momentarily forgetting her troubles.

not paying attention for a brief moment, jenna shouted, "oh, shit!" jenna shouted as she realized they were about to crash into a big stack of bushes. Without missing a beat, she ran over it, knocking down a sign, and swerved to a stop, leaving them both breathless.

"woah!" wally exclaimed as they halted. "i probably should've mentioned that i'm not the best driver!" jenna giggled, the laughter infectious, even to herself.

"hey, it's okay. it's all good. you know what, i knew you'd be perfect for this." encouraged by the fun they were having, wally suggested, "let's try something bigger. okay, go, go!" he shouted with a smile, urging jenna to keep driving.

while driving, jenna turns her head for a moment, looking him in the eyes with pure joy on her face. she couldn't remember the last time she felt this alive.

jenna took it further, driving off the pavement and onto the grass. "woooo! yeah!!" wally cheered, standing up on the siding as she drove.

"okay, go big or go home, jenna! come on!" wally egged her on, pointing to the stacked pyramid of water coolers on the grass.

"you don't seriously expect me to hit those, do you?" jenna's eyes widened. it was four coolers high. she didn't believe she could pull it off.

wally knew she could do it, she just didn't have the confidence. so he gave her one daring look, putting his foot over hers and pushing down the gas. "wally!" jenna screamed as he took the wheel, "wally! wally! stop!"

before she could intervene, the two crashed into the coolers, sending water cascading to the grass below.

"and the crowd goes absolutely nuts! whoo!" wally celebrated, his infectious energy spilling over as he took off his shirt and executed a spontaneous cartwheel.

feeling the rush of adrenaline, jenna hopped off the cart and tumbled onto the grass, executing a roundoff triple backhand-spring, "woo-hoo! yeah!" she exclaimed, reveling in the excitement of the moment.

"woooo! yeah, jenna!" wally grinned, running up in celebration.

"you're insane, wally clark!" she grinned as she made her way back over, high-fiving him in excitement. they didn't pull away, their hands lingering for a brief moment in a shared thrill before letting go.

"and you, are a natural! hey! yo! she just got a strike her first try!" wally announced to the rest of the ghosts on the field.

jenna looked forward to see everyone channeling their aggression in unique ways. some ghosts were sprinting with fire extinguishers, while others hurled basketballs with gusto.

in the midst of the chaos, she noticed rhonda pushing a lawnmower with a determined expression, and charley was energetically stabbing tackle dummies as if exorcising personal demons. the field resonated with the release of pent-up emotions, a surreal symphony of spectral catharsis.

"so this is field day." maddie appeared, walking out onto the field with an unamused tone.

"yeah, yeah." wally smiled, beginning to put his shirt back on, "i mean, it's more like destroy-the-field day. but once a year we come out here, we just kind of get our aggression out on the school, you know?"

"you still mad at me?" wally asked looking down at jenna, wearing a smug look.

"yes." jenna smirked, looking the other way. it was clear he knew she was just being stubborn

"good." mr. martin approached with golf club in hand. "you're gonna need that anger." he said, setting down his mug on the grass, "i understand that you've been having a hard time adjusting to our metaphysical world. and what better way to practice than our little tradition? allow me to demonstrate."

with swift motion, mr. martin shattered the mug with the club. "oh! mr. m! nice swing!" wally cheered.

"want to try?" mr. martin extended the golf club towards the girls, "or, can't you think of any feelings you'd like to work through?"

jenna wolf was number one on the list with things to work through. her life was over, her friends were crushed and acting crazy, and her ex-boyfriend was walking free, acting like a saint.

"oh, i can think of a few." jenna replied resolutely, snatching the golf club, ready to channel her inner turmoil.