principal hartman's office felt smaller with sheriff baxter inside, his presence filling the room with an air of authority that made the walls feel like they were closing in. he stood by the large desk, one hand resting on a thick folder while the other thumbed the brim of his hat, a habit he seemed to rely on when the tension got thick.

"principal hartman," he said, his voice steady but carrying the weight of what was about to be said, "we have enough evidence to reopen the case."

hartman leaned back in his leather chair, the faint creak echoing in the otherwise silent room. "and you're sure about this?" his gaze flicked toward the folder as if it might explode at any second.

"we've got everything we need," she heard the sheriff say, his voice clear enough through the slightly cracked door. "the dna came back positive, and we've verified her handwriting. it's all there. once the board clears it tomorrow morning, we're making the arrest."

jenna stood by the window, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she watched them. the rain outside trickled down the glass, distorting the streetlights below. she was numb, her thoughts scrambling to connect the pieces.

her gaze drifted to the folder on hartman's desk, her curiosity twisting into dread. slowly, she stepped closer, her shoes making no sound against the floor.

hartman rubbed his forehead. "who's the warrant for?"

"lucas bishop," the sheriff replied without hesitation.

jenna's breath hitched. her stomach twisted violently, like she'd just been punched. lucas. they were going to arrest lucas.

but why now? how? her mind raced as her eyes darted toward the document peeking from the folder. she leaned in and scanned the first few lines. her name jumped out at her—jenna wolf, bold and unmistakable. her gaze moved down the page. a handwritten letter.

the words hit her like a slap:

if anything happens to me, it's lucas bishop. he's dangerous. i'm afraid of what he might do. please, this is my only chance to make sure someone knows.
—jenna wolf

her breath came out in short, shallow gasps. "no. no, no, no." her vision blurred as she staggered back from the desk, the letter still seared into her mind. the neat, careful cursive looked so much like hers—but it wasn't. she knew that for certain. her hands trembled as she clenched them into fists.

she hadn't written this.

and the dna. her mind raced back to earlier that week when she'd walked past her old locker and noticed someone lingering near it. she hadn't thought much of it then, but now it clicked. someone had taken something from her locker—maybe a hairbrush, maybe an old chapstick—and used it to plant her dna on the letter.

her stomach churned as the pieces snapped into place. bethany had found the letter. maddie had known she would. it was all part of the plan.

simon. simon must've written the letter. his perfect penmanship could mimic hers flawlessly. maddie would've gotten him into the locker to collect her dna, and then they'd slipped the letter into bethany's hands, knowing she'd take it straight to the police.

her pulse roared in her ears as rage bubbled up from somewhere deep and untapped. maddie had known exactly what she was doing. she'd orchestrated the entire thing like a puppet master pulling strings, never once stopping to think about what jenna wanted.

it worked. maddie's plan had worked.

"oh my god," jenna whispered, her voice shaking. "oh my god." the words fell from her lips like a prayer, or maybe a curse. her chest heaved, and she pressed her hands against her temples, her thoughts spiraling into chaos.

hartman's voice cut through her thoughts. "you think the kid will cooperate?"

baxter shook his head. "doubt it. but we have the letter, her dna, signs of his presence that night, and the reports from when they were together. witness statements back up her fear. it's airtight."

jenna gritted her teeth so hard she thought they might crack. maddie had pulled more strings than she'd ever imagined.

"i'll have my officers bring him in tomorrow morning," baxter continued, snapping the folder shut. "i'm telling you now so the school can be prepared. once the board clears it, it's done."

"good," hartman said, leaning back with a satisfied nod. "this school doesn't need any more ghosts."

the irony would've made jenna laugh if she wasn't shaking with rage.

she took a step back, her fists clenching tighter with every breath. she had to get out of here. she had to find maddie before the fire inside her consumed everything in its path.

without another glance at the men in the room, jenna turned on her heel and stormed out, her footsteps silent but her fury palpable.

👻

the afterlife support group was halfway through their meeting, the usual tension filling the gym like fog. wally sat on the edge of his chair, his fingers tapping against the side of his leg as he spoke, the conversation circling back to the strange events that had unfolded after dawn crossed over.

"and the light," he said, looking around the room.

"yes. the one she always stares at," charley added.

"at the same time as the goosebumps," wally continued, his brow furrowed in thought.

rhonda crossed her arms. "it stopped flickering."

"simultaneous goosebumps. you felt it too?" wally asked, glancing at rhonda.

she nodded. "yeah. did you guys have them?"

"the hum," charley said, shifting in his seat. "that noise. we all heard it—it was impossible to miss. nothing like that happened when janet left."

mr. martin rubbed the bridge of his nose, leaning forward like the weight of the discussion was physically pressing down on him. "i mean, i realize it's odd, but maybe there's no correlation between what happened with janet and what happened with dawn. they could be entirely different experiences."

"that doesn't make sense," charley argued. "after all these years, how can you still be so clueless?"

"excuse me, charley," mr. martin snapped, his usual composure cracking. "i'm not sure that's fair."

charley leaned forward, relentless. "what if looking back isn't a bad thing? what if it's actually the key to getting out of here? why shouldn't we try that?"

"because it's painful!" mr. martin shouted, his voice rising before he quickly tried to regain control. "reliving it all—it's painful."

rhonda, always the sharp observer, narrowed her eyes. "painful how?"

mr. martin stood, turning his back to the group for a moment as he composed himself. "the day i died, i made a mistake. i turned my back on a student for a split second, and there was an error—a fatal error. there was a fire. i managed to save my class, but not myself."

"doesn't that make you a hero, then?" rhonda asked, her voice unusually soft. "a martyr? it wasn't your fault."

"i was the teacher," mr. martin said, his voice heavy. "i should have known what was going on. instead, my students had to live with the memory of seeing all that. i failed them, and i don't want to fail all of you. i've spent the last 60 years trying to help you."

"he has done a lot to try to help us," rhonda admitted.

"like mock trials and obituaries?" charley scoffed.

mr. martin exhaled sharply, the air deflating from his chest. "i realize how disappointing it is to not have the answers. i wish i could be of more help. but this... this is unprecedented. i don't have the answers."

the room went quiet, the weight of his confession pressing down on everyone. wally nodded once, then stood abruptly, storming out of the room without a word. charley followed after him, and one by one, the others trickled out until only rhonda was left.

she rolled her eyes and finally stood. "great meeting, as always," she muttered, before pushing the door open and leaving.

👻

the door slammed open again, crashing against the wall.

everyone who had gathered just outside turned to see jenna standing in the doorway, her chest heaving as if she'd sprinted across the school. her hair was a little disheveled, and the fire in her eyes was impossible to miss.

"where the hell is she?" she spat, her voice echoing down the empty hallway.

wally, charley, and rhonda exchanged confused glances, but it didn't take long for them to understand who jenna was talking about.

maddie, who had been standing near the corner, widened her eyes as jenna locked onto her like a heat-seeking missile. "oh no," she muttered under her breath.

"you," jenna spat, marching toward her. "what the fuck did you do?"

maddie's back hit the wall as jenna closed the distance, her voice rising like a thunderstorm building momentum. "you had no right! do you even understand what you've done?"

"jenna, i—" maddie stammered, trying to hold her ground even as jenna loomed closer. "i was trying to help you."

"help?" jenna laughed bitterly, the sound sharp enough to cut glass. "you call planting fake evidence and dragging my name through the police station helping?"

maddie paled. "it wasn't fake—"

"you had simon write that letter, didn't you?" she asked, almost in disbelief. "the one they 'found' with my dna all over it? you planned the whole thing. you used bethany to deliver it to the cops like some kind of sick game of telephone."

maddie's mouth opened, but no words came out. she glanced toward wally, charley, and rhonda standing in the doorway, but they didn't move to help her. wally looked stunned, like he'd never seen jenna this unhinged before. charley whispered something under his breath, but rhonda elbowed him to shut up.

"do you have any idea what you've done?" jenna continued, her voice cracking. "they're going to arrest lucas tomorrow. they have enough evidence to reopen my case because of you."

maddie's face fell. "good! they should arrest him. he hurt you, jenna! i know what he did to you—"

"no, you don't!" jenna's voice ripped through the room, loud and raw. "you don't know anything! you weren't there, maddie. and you don't get to decide how i deal with it."

maddie's lips trembled. "i just didn't want you to keep protecting him when he doesn't deserve it."

"i'm not protecting him!" jenna's hands clenched into fists at her sides. "i'm protecting myself. i don't want the whole world digging into my life like it's some goddamn true crime podcast."

"i was trying to give you justice," maddie whispered, tears welling in her eyes.

"i don't want your version of justice!" jenna snapped, her breath hitching. "i didn't want to be remembered like this."

the room fell deathly silent. even rhonda had stopped making snide comments, her expression unreadable as she watched the fallout.

she turned on her heel, her hair whipping behind her as she stormed toward the door. wally stepped aside to let her pass, giving her the space she clearly wanted. and then she was gone, her footsteps fading down the hallway.

👻

the roof of split river high was quiet, blanketed in the glow of the sunlight. a faint breeze rustled through the air, cutting through the otherwise silent morning. jenna sat on the edge, her legs dangling over the side, her arms wrapped around her knees. she stared out into the distance, her thoughts swirling like the dark clouds threatening rain.

she heard footsteps behind her and didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

"jenna," wally called softly, his voice carrying a mixture of hope and hesitation.

she didn't respond. her fingers tightened against her knees as she stared harder at the horizon.

wally walked closer, his sneakers scraping against the gravel roof until he stopped a few feet away. he could see the tension in her posture—the way her shoulders hunched like she was protecting herself from something invisible but heavy. for a moment, he considered leaving, giving her the space she probably wanted. but he couldn't.

not after everything.

he sat down carefully a few feet from her, his legs mirroring hers over the edge. the silence stretched between them, but it wasn't peaceful. it was charged, filled with everything they weren't saying.

"i wasn't stalking you," wally finally said, breaking the quiet. his voice was soft, but the sincerity in it made jenna's breath hitch.

her gaze stayed on the dark outline of the trees beyond the football field. "then what were you doing? watching me like i was some kind of movie you couldn't turn off?"

he flinched, her words cutting through him, but he didn't back down. "i know it sounds bad. i know how it looks, but it wasn't like that. i wasn't some creep hiding in the bushes or following you around." he rubbed the back of his neck, his fingers brushing against the fabric of his letterman jacket. "i want to tell you the truth. will you let me do that?"

she exhaled shakily, her fingers loosening slightly around her knees. "fine."

"the first time i saw you," wally began, his eyes softening as he thought back, "you were sitting on the front steps of the school. it was early fall. you were wearing that purple shirt—you know, the one with the white lace and the sleeves that were too long, and you kept tugging them over your hands."

jenna blinked, her throat tightening as the memory stirred to life. she remembered that day. she remembered the shirt.

"you were eating a granola bar and flipping through a notebook," wally continued, his gaze far away. "i think you were writing, but you kept pausing to just stare out at the parking lot like you were somewhere else entirely. and you smiled." his voice softened. "not like a big, flashy smile. just this quiet, little smile to yourself, like you'd thought of something funny, and no one else knew about it."

jenna's breath hitched, her fingers trembling against her knees. she couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"i saw that smile, and i thought, 'god, i wish i could know what she's thinking.' i wasn't trying to watch you. i just... kept noticing you. the way you'd chew on your pen during english class. how you'd stand by the vending machine for five minutes just deciding between chips or candy."

a soft, unexpected laugh escaped her lips. it was bittersweet, but it was there.

"i wasn't watching you because i was obsessed—i was watching because i... cared. and i never thought i'd get the chance to know you."

her heart ached, the walls she'd built up over the past few days starting to crack. "and then i died."

"yeah." his voice was barely above a whisper. "and suddenly, i had that chance."

she finally turned her head toward him, her eyes glistening. "and lucas?" her voice was barely a whisper. "how much did you see?"

wally's expression darkened, and he swallowed hard. "more than i wanted to."

jenna's body tensed, but she didn't pull away. she needed to hear this. "tell me."

"i didn't know at first," wally admitted, guilt weighing down his words. "i saw the way he acted when you were around people—how he'd smile and act like everything was normal. but then i saw him one day after school when he thought no one else was around. he grabbed your wrist in the parking lot. you yanked it away, but he didn't stop. he said something—i couldn't hear what—but the way you looked... it was—it was a lot."

jenna's eyes burned, and she wiped at her cheek angrily as tears slipped free.

"i always wanted to help you," wally continued, his voice cracking. "i wished i could do something. but i just had to watch. you acted like nothing had happened the next day. i didn't know if you wanted anyone to know."

"i didn't," she whispered, her voice trembling. "i was scared. he'd convince me it was my fault. that if i hadn't said the wrong thing, he wouldn't have gotten mad. he was so good at apologizing, wally. so good at making me think i was the problem."

wally's hands curled into fists, his knuckles turning white. "it wasn't your fault. none of it."

"i know that now," she said, wiping her cheeks again. "but back then, i didn't. and when i died, the thought of everyone digging into my past, finding out about him—about what he did—was my worst nightmare. i didn't want to be remembered as the girl who was too weak to leave her boyfriend."

"you weren't weak," wally said fiercely. "you survived. you did what you had to do."

jenna sniffled, a bitter laugh escaping her. "and now maddie's made sure the whole world is gonna know. the police are reopening my case, wally. they're going to arrest him. everyone's going to see me as a victim."

"is that really what you're afraid of?" wally asked gently.

she closed her eyes, her breath shaky. "i'm afraid they'll think lucas was right. that i deserved it."

"don't say that," wally said, shifting closer to her. "don't ever say that."

her shoulders shook as a sob broke free. wally didn't hesitate. he closed the space between them, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his chest. for a second, she stiffened, but then she let herself sink into him, her tears soaking the front of his jacket.

"you didn't deserve any of it," wally whispered into her hair.

jenna pulled back slightly, just enough to look up at him. her eyes were swollen and red, but there was something else there too—something fragile but steady. "i'm sorry," she said, her voice barely audible.

"for what?"

"for pushing you away. for making you think i didn't want you here."

"hey," wally cupped her face gently, his thumb brushing a tear off her cheek. "i'm not going anywhere. i didn't stop noticing you when we were alive, and i'm not going to stop now."

a soft, broken laugh escaped her. her heart swelled, and before she could overthink it, she leaned in, pressing her lips softly to his. his hand cupped her cheek, holding her gently, like he knew she needed this moment to be something pure. when they finally pulled apart, jenna exhaled, leaning back down on his chest.

👻

the hallway buzzed with its usual chaos—lockers slamming, shoes squeaking against the polished floor, and the overlapping hum of a hundred different conversations. bethany stood by her locker, leaning against the cool metal with her arms folded, as she waited for amanda to finish stuffing books into her bag.

bethany tapped her nails against her arm, her gaze darting around as if checking to make sure no one was too close. "amanda," she said in a hushed voice, "i need to tell you something."

amanda zipped her bag and slung it over her shoulder, arching a brow at bethany's serious tone. "what's with the whispering?"

bethany leaned in closer. "it's about jenna."

that caught amanda's attention. her playful smirk faded, replaced by a mix of curiosity and caution. "okay... what about her this time?"

bethany glanced over her shoulder before speaking again. "the police are reopening her case. they're arresting lucas tomorrow."

amanda's jaw dropped