joe jackson's steppin' out blasted through the speakers, and the ghosts stood by the drinks table, watching with a mix of horror and amusement as wally danced like no one was watching. the gym was filled with students, but somehow, wally managed to steal the spotlight with his unabashed energy.

"and here's one for the chaperones," the dj announced with a cheeky grin.

wally's eyes lit up, and without missing a beat, he slid onto the dance floor, sunglasses materializing as if by magic. "oh, shit! this is my song!" he declared.

from her spot by the drinks, jenna raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "this dj sucks."

but wally, grinning ear to ear, disagreed entirely. "this dj rules!" he shouted out, spinning through the crowd, completely oblivious to the horrified looks maddie and rhonda were exchanging.

"is he serious?" maddie muttered, her eyes wide as she watched wally glide across the floor like it was his personal stage.

charley, however, chuckled, clearly enjoying the spectacle. "the guy is pretty fly, i'll give him that."

the three girls turned to Charley in disbelief, their expressions incredulous. "really?" rhonda asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

meanwhile, wally was in his element, crooning along to the song. "the mist across the window hides the lines," he sang, dramatically lifting his hands like he was performing for an adoring crowd.

"incredible," maddie commented dryly as she crossed her arms, while charley—apparently just as caught up in the moment—sang along.

"but nothing hides the color of the lights that shine!" wally continued, strutting across the gym like it was a runway. he locked eyes with principal hartman, who was quietly standing off to the side, absentmindedly tapping his foot to the beat.

"so tired of all the darkness in our lives," wally belted, making his way right up to the principal, holding up an imaginary microphone with all the confidence in the world. "come on, principal hartman, let's go!"

hartman murmured a few lyrics under his breath, unaware a ghost was currently making a spectacle of him in their afterlife world.

wally, oblivious to everything but the music, pumped his fist. "with no more angry words to say can come alive!" he shouted before spinning back toward the center of the gym, his energy reaching an all-time high.

jenna shook her head as wally dropped to the floor, doing the worm with exaggerated movements. "oh, my god..." she muttered, half in disbelief, half in awe.

charley, on the other hand, was full of commentary. "oh, ouch. oh." he winced, grabbing jenna's hand as if wally's wild dancing was too much for him to bear. maddie and rhonda just stared, horrified.

"dance with him. i'll be right back."

before charley could protest, jenna shoved him forward, sending him stumbling onto the dance floor. charley looked back at her, eyes wide, but jenna just grinned, giving him a thumbs up as she disappeared into the crowd.

👻

as jenna made her way through the gym, the music and laughter around her felt distant, like an echo of a life she no longer belonged to. she weaved through the crowd, trying to avoid the awkward moments where people passed through her, the constant reminder that she wasn't really there. the decorations, the lights, the dresses—it should have been a night she looked forward to. but not like this.

her steps slowed when she noticed a small group gathered near the back wall, where they'd set up the memorial for her. the picture of her—the one they'd taken right before her senior year—was front and center, framed by candles and flowers. she felt a pang in her chest, seeing her own face staring back at her, frozen in time, as if the jenna in that photo was still full of life and promise.

and there, standing right in front of the memorial, were lucas and bethany.

jenna's stomach twisted at the sight of lucas. even from a distance, the sight of him made her tense. he looked so polished, like nothing had changed for him. like her death hadn't left any kind of mark on his life. bethany stood beside him, arms crossed, her expression a mix of anger and unease.

jenna drew closer, staying on the edges of the conversation, watching as bethany stared at the photo of her. it was clear bethany hadn't moved on from her suspicions about lucas. jenna had felt that too—bethany was the only one who'd sensed that something about lucas wasn't right. and yet, here they were, standing together, but worlds apart.

"you really shouldn't be here," bethany said quietly, her voice laced with tension as she glared at the photo of jenna. "it's wrong for you to act like nothing happened, like you don't know anything."

lucas sighed, shaking his head, putting on that calm, disarming expression jenna knew all too well. the one that always made her doubt herself when they fought. "bethany, i know you're upset. we all miss her. but you've gotta stop with these accusations. it's not cool."

bethany's jaw tightened. "i know you had something to do with it, lucas. i don't have proof, but i can feel it."

jenna felt a lump in her throat, wanting to scream at bethany not to let him gaslight her. she stepped closer, standing right behind them, wishing she could grab bethany by the shoulders and shake her, tell her to trust her instincts.

lucas turned to bethany, lowering his voice, his tone soft, gentle—manipulative. "you're not thinking straight. it's been hard for all of us, especially you, but accusing me of something like that? i loved jenna too. i would never hurt her."

bethany clenched her fists, her eyes filling with tears as she stared at Jenna's memorial. "but you were always so controlling, so possessive. i saw what you did to her, the way you treated her. she was pulling away from you, and now she's—"

"bethany, stop," lucas interrupted, his voice laced with that calculated calm. "you're hurting yourself with these stories. i get that you're angry, that you want someone to blame. but i'm not your enemy here."

jenna could see it—could feel it—the way bethany was beginning to doubt herself. the way lucas was twisting her anger, turning it into guilt. jenna's heart pounded as she watched bethany hesitate, the fire in her eyes flickering out as lucas' words seeped in.

"you lashed out at me at the memorial, and that wasn't fair, bethany," lucas continued, his voice softening even more. "i get that emotions were high, but you went too far. i never held it against you, but i think maybe it's time you apologized for that outburst."

bethany swallowed hard, her expression crumbling. she looked at lucas, then back at jenna's photo, clearly torn between her grief, her instincts, and the manipulative charm lucas had always used to control the narrative.

"i—" bethany began, her voice shaking. "i just... i don't know, maybe i was too harsh."

jenna clenched her fists, her anger boiling. "don't do it, bethany," she whispered, though she knew bethany couldn't hear her. "he's lying to you. don't let him win."

lucas took a step closer to bethany, his hand resting on her shoulder in what looked like a comforting gesture but felt anything but. "it's okay," he said softly. "i forgive you. we're all hurting. we need to stick together."

jenna watched in horror as bethany's resolve faltered, the guilt overtaking her. she turned to lucas, her expression broken. "i'm sorry," she whispered. "i shouldn't have said those things."

lucas smiled softly, pulling bethany into a brief hug. "it's okay," he murmured. "we all miss her."

jenna felt a wave of helpless rage wash over her as she stood there, watching lucas manipulate her best friend into apologizing for something that was never her fault. he had done it again—twisted the truth, spun the situation to make himself the victim. and jenna was powerless to stop it.

👻

the gym lights dimmed slightly as the principal's voice echoed through the room. everyone hushed, anticipation thick in the air. jenna lingered at the edge of the crowd, her arms crossed, watching the scene unfold from the sidelines. her stomach knotted as the words she'd been dreading approached.

"and without further ado," the principal announced dramatically, "your 2023 homecoming queen is..."

jenna tensed, already knowing what was coming. it wasn't supposed to be like this. not this year. not claire.

"...claire zomer!"

cheers erupted from the crowd, and jenna's heart sank. she watched as the spotlight swung over to Claire, illuminating her perfectly styled hair and her shimmering gown. but something was wrong.

instead of the smug, triumphant smile jenna expected, claire looked... sad.

claire stepped forward, walking toward the stage, but there was no joy in her expression. she clutched her hands together, her lips pressed into a thin, trembling line. it was as if she was weighed down by the very crown meant to elevate her. the applause around her seemed to wash over her like a distant hum, and for a split second, she hesitated before climbing the steps.

jenna furrowed her brow, her frustration momentarily paused as she studied claire. something about this felt off. claire was the girl who fought tooth and nail for everything, the one who was never satisfied with anything less than perfection. this was supposed to be her moment.

but as the crown was placed on claire's head and the sash draped across her shoulders, she barely glanced at it. her hands hung limply by her sides as if she wanted to be anywhere else but here. even the crowd's cheers seemed to fade into the background.

👻

later that night, after the dance had died down and most of the students had filtered out of the gym, jenna found herself sitting outside the school, alone on the steps. she was trying to shake off the disappointment of the night, but the sting of what could've been still lingered. the thought of claire wearing the crown, standing where jenna should have stood, made her feel small, like all the effort she'd put into her life before didn't matter anymore.

she let out a sigh, leaning her head back and staring up at the night sky, the cool breeze brushing against her skin.

suddenly, she heard a familiar voice from behind. "hey, there's my queen."

jenna turned around, raising an eyebrow as wally walked toward her, his hands hidden behind his back, wearing his usual mischievous grin. "what are you talking about?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"come on, you didn't really think i was gonna let tonight end like this, did you?" wally said, stepping closer. his excitement was palpable, and jenna couldn't help but smile, even if she wasn't quite sure what he was up to.

before she could respond, she noticed movement from behind wally. rhonda, charley, and maddie appeared, all of them carrying something in their hands. jenna sat up straighter, watching them approach with curiosity.

"what is this?" she asked, glancing at wally with suspicion.

wally stepped forward, revealing a glittery makeshift crown he'd been hiding behind his back. "since the living world clearly doesn't know how to crown the real queen," he said, holding it up with a dramatic flourish, "we figured it's time the ghost world made things right."

jenna's mouth dropped open as she stared at the crown. it was homemade, sure—silver tinfoil twisted into an intricate shape, with sparkly confetti glued onto it—but it was more beautiful than any crown claire could ever wear.

"you're kidding," jenna whispered, her heart fluttering in disbelief.

"nope, this is very serious business," wally said with a playful wink. he gestured to the others, and they moved in like an awkward but determined royal court.

maddie stepped forward first, holding a long piece of tulle in her hands like a royal robe. "every queen needs her royal regalia," she said with a grin, draping it around jenna's shoulders.

rhonda gave a mock curtsy and handed wally a tiny bouquet of paper flowers she had clearly crafted herself. "for the most tragic and fashionable queen of all," she said, not missing a beat of her usual dry humor.

charley stepped forward with the finishing touch—a sash made out of an old tablecloth with the words ghost homecoming queen scribbled across it in bold letters. "you deserve this more than anyone," he said, draping the sash over her shoulder with an exaggerated bow.

"all hail ghost homecoming queen jenna!" wally announced loudly, raising his arms as if presenting her to an invisible audience.

rhonda and charley gave dramatic bows, while dawn clapped enthusiastically, her smile wide. jenna couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up from inside her, a lightness she hadn't felt in ages spreading through her chest.

"this is ridiculous," she said, though her voice was thick with emotion. she looked at each of them, her heart swelling with gratitude.

"we don't need the living world to tell us who the queen is." wally grinned, giving her a little spin so she could fully embrace her new royal status.

jenna's smile grew wider as she twirled in the tulle robe, her makeshift crown wobbling slightly on her head. for the first time that night, the weight of disappointment lifted completely, replaced with something warm and real.

jenna laughed, "i guess i am a queen, huh?"

"the best queen," wally smirked, glancing down at her fondly.

👻

the night had calmed, leaving just wally and jenna standing alone under the stars after the impromptu ghost coronation. the others had drifted away, giving them space, sensing that maybe this moment belonged to the two of them. the cool night air felt refreshing against jenna's skin, her makeshift crown still resting crookedly on her head, the laughter from earlier fading into a comfortable silence.

wally stood next to her, looking out at the empty field, hands stuffed awkwardly into his pockets, a hint of a smile still playing at the corners of his lips. jenna glanced over at him, her heart swelling with a warmth she hadn't felt in a long time. after everything—feeling lost, disappointed, and invisible in a world that had moved on without her—wally had a way of making her feel seen, truly seen. and not just as a ghost.

she reached up, fiddling with the edge of the crown on her head, letting out a soft laugh. "this crown is ridiculous," she murmured. "i love it."

they stood there for a moment, the distance between them small but charged with an energy she hadn't expected. the way he looked at her—it wasn't just his usual playful self. there was something more in his eyes, something that made her heart skip a beat.

"thanks for tonight, wally," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "i didn't think... i didn't think i could feel like this again."

wally's smile softened, and he took a step closer, his gaze never leaving hers. "you deserve to feel like this every day, jenna," he replied, his voice gentle. "you're incredible."

jenna's breath caught in her throat at his words, the sincerity in his voice making her pulse quicken. she hadn't realized until this moment how much she had needed to hear that, how much she needed him. without thinking, she closed the distance between them, standing up on her toes and pressing her lips softly to his.

for a moment, time seemed to stop. the world around them disappeared, and all that mattered was the way his lips felt against hers, warm and gentle.

wally, surprised at first, froze for just a second before he leaned into the kiss, his hands instinctively finding their way to her waist, pulling her closer.

it was soft and tentative, but full of something deep—something that had been building between them for a while, something she hadn't acknowledged until now.

they pulled apart slowly, their faces still close, breaths mingling in the cool night air. jenna's heart raced as she looked up at him, her eyes searching his for some kind of sign, some reassurance that this was real, that he felt it too.

wally stared at her, his eyes wide, his usual playful bravado gone, replaced with something more vulnerable. he looked at her like he was trying to memorize everything about this moment, like he couldn't quite believe it had just happened.

but before jenna could speak, before she could ask if this was okay, wally leaned back in, his lips capturing hers again, this time with more certainty, more intent. his hand slid up to gently cup her cheek, and jenna melted into him, her fingers gripping the front of his jacket as if to ground herself.

this kiss was different, not just an unexpected moment but a deliberate one. when they finally pulled apart again, wally rested his forehead against hers, his breathing uneven, but his smile unmistakably full of joy. jenna let out a soft laugh, feeling lightheaded in the best possible way.

everything was perfect.