Chapter 3 Diamond High School

Waking up the next morning, I stretched and sat up on the bed. I looked around the room for Ghostie, but she was nowhere to be found...

Where could she be? I wondered.

Dragging myself out of bed, I pulled off my clothes and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

Returning to the room, I ran back to the bathroom when I saw Ghostie standing beside the bed.

When did she come... oh! I almost forgot she was a ghost.

I wrapped my towel around my naked body and returned to the room.

"Good morning, Ariel!" she greeted with a smile.

"Morning," I grunted and walked over to the corner of the room.

"Aren't you going to ask me where I'm coming from?" she asked, but I ignored her.

"I took a stroll around the house, and I must admit your house is so beautiful!" she continued, and I huffed.

Opening my bags, I searched through and brought out two gowns-one red and the other blue.

"Which one should I go for?" I thought aloud.

"The blue gown will be better!" Ghostie suggested.

"I didn't ask for your opinion," I retorted, still staring at both gowns.

"But why? I thought we were friends," she asked, and I looked in her direction.

"Friends? Don't get any silly ideas. I'm only helping you because I've got no choice," I said in a huff, and she smiled lightly.

I tossed the red gown onto the box and went over to the bed, holding the blue gown.

I unzipped the gown and hurriedly dressed in it. I pulled out a black boot from underneath the bed and wore it while standing.

"I told you the blue gown would be perfect!" she boasted, but I ignored her.

I packed my hair into a loose ponytail and applied a little makeup.

"You look beautiful, Ariel," she remarked.

"I know," I answered dryly.

"So where are we going to start from?" she suddenly asked.

"I don't know," I shrugged.

"What do you mean you don't know?" she asked with a frown. "You promised to help me."

"I know, but I'm still so confused."

"Confused?" she repeated, and I nodded.

"I'm confused about the necklace, I'm confused about the house, I'm confused about you... I'm even confused about me. In fact, I'm confused about everything," I said in frustration, and she sighed.

"What if we ask someone?" she suggested.

I rolled my eyes. "In case you don't know, I'm new in this town, and... wait a minute! What if someone from my new school knows you? I mean, since your chain was found in my house, your family might be living close by. What do you think?" I asked, and she nodded slowly.

"Good! I'll start by making new friends."

"But what about me? Will I follow you to school?" she asked, and I shook my head.

"I can't risk my parents seeing you," I answered.

She chuckled softly. "No one can see me except you," she assured.

I bit my lips. "If that's the case, you can come with me-since we're in this together," I said after giving it some thought, and she smiled.

"And one more thing-do not talk to me in class," I warned, and she nodded sheepishly.

"Oh yeah! I wouldn't want you to be seen as crazy!"

I picked my backpack from the floor and headed downstairs, with Ghostie following behind me.

I met my mom and Kamara in the dining room having breakfast.

"Good morning, Mom!" I greeted and sat down beside Kamara.

"Good morning, baby! How was your night?" she asked.

Kamara scoffed. "I bet she didn't sleep last night."

"What do you mean by that?" my mom asked with an arched eyebrow.

"I overheard her, Mom. She was talking to someone," Kamara answered, and I froze.

Does she know something about Ghostie? I wondered.

"You're so funny, Kamara!" my mom remarked.

"But I'm serious, Mom. Have you forgotten my room is close to hers?" she insisted, staring at me weirdly.

"Stop it, Kamara," my mom cautioned her.

"Why can't you just tell your family about me?" Ghostie, who was standing beside me, asked.

"Shut up!" I barked at her, and my mom gasped softly.

"Who are you talking to?" she asked, fixing her gaze on me.

"Erm... I'm talking to... Kamara," I stuttered.

"Liar! You weren't talking to me," Kamara retorted angrily.

"And who else would I be talking to?" I defended.

"Yourself," she answered, then turned to my mom. "Can't you see Ariel is getting crazy? Can't you-"

"Eat your food, Kamara, or else it'll get cold. And you, Ariel, it's normal to think aloud, but don't let it affect your-wait a minute! Who gave you the necklace around your neck?" she suddenly asked, and I froze.

"Who gave it to you?" she repeated.

"It was a parting gift from Jayden," I lied.

"Jayden?" she repeated, and I nodded.

"But I thought he was just your childhood crush. Or did you both take it to the next level?" she asked.

"Can we please not talk about this, Mother?" I pleaded as tears rolled down my cheeks, and she sighed.

"Do you love him that much?" she asked, but I ignored her.

"I'm already running late for school," I informed.

"But baby, you haven't touched your food," she said, staring at the untouched plate.

"I lost my appetite," I said and stood up in a huff.

"Can we go now?" I asked, and she nodded.

She stood up and picked up the car keys.

"Make sure you go to your room after eating," she instructed Kamara.

"Alright, Mom!" Kamara responded with a smile.

"Crazy kid," I muttered.

I shifted my gaze to Ghostie and met hers-she had been watching my family quietly.

Let's go, I mouthed at her, and we both followed behind my mom.

Getting into the passenger seat of the car, I looked through the rearview mirror for Ghostie, but she wasn't in the car.

Where could she be? Or... do ghosts not ride in cars? I wondered.

I sighed.

"Are you alright?" my mom asked, and I nodded.

"Good," she said and drove off, heading to my new school.

I leaned back in the seat and prayed silently. I prayed for everything to be fine.

We soon got to the school, and I stared in awe at how big it was. My mom parked in the large compound, and we both got out of the car.

I read the sign boldly written in front of the school as we walked in: Diamond High School.

I smiled. I was already loving the school.

We walked through a long passage to the principal's office.

My mom knocked on the door, and a croaky voice answered, "Come in!"

She pushed the door open, and we walked in to see a fat man seated behind a huge desk.

"Good morning, sir!" my mom greeted.

He looked up at her and then at me.

"You must be the transfer student, right?" he asked, and I nodded.

"Good. Have a seat, madam," he offered, and she sat.

"Your name?" he asked.

I was about to answer when I felt another presence. Looking around the room, I saw Ghostie standing beside the door.

I sighed softly. She is so weird.

"Ariel!" my mom called softly, and I looked in her direction.

"Are you alright?" she asked, and I nodded.

"Then answer the principal," she said in a huff.

I shifted my gaze to the principal and met his angry expression.

"Are you sure you're alright, Miss?" he asked, tapping his pen on the table.

I nodded sheepishly.

"I don't think you are. Because if you were truly alright, you wouldn't be looking around my office like a lost puppy," he retorted.

"I'm sorry, sir," I apologized, and he scoffed.

"What is your name?" he repeated.

"Ariel Winter," I answered, trying not to meet my mom's curious gaze.

He wrote something into a file and pulled out a paper from another.

"Here," he said, handing the paper to me. "That's a map to help you get to your class."

I nodded.

"You're in Grade 12A," he added.

I stared at the paper and nodded slowly.

"Can I go to my class?" I asked to be sure, and he nodded.

I waved at my mom and walked out of the office, Ghostie following behind me.

---

Following the direction of the map, we walked through a long passage.

"I'm sorry for everything," Ghostie apologized, and I huffed.

"And how did you find me?" I asked.

"The chain," she answered.

"But I was..." I wanted to say, but she cut me off.

"That is your class," she said, pointing to the class adjacent to us.

I looked at the class and then at the map.

"You're right!"

I walked toward the class and read the inscription boldly written at the top: Grade 12A.

Taking a deep breath, I entered the class.

The noisy class suddenly became quiet as everyone stopped what they were doing to look at the new girl.

I was so nervous.

What am I going to do? I wondered as I played with my hands shyly.

"Follow me!" Ghostie said.

"What?" I asked in a whisper.

"I said follow me," she repeated and walked toward a seat at the back.

I looked around the class before following behind her, and the whole class just stared at me.

"Crazy," I muttered.

On getting to the back seat, Ghostie instructed me to sit on it.

I looked at her and then at the seat.

The seat looked abandoned and was so dusty.

"Sit," she repeated, and I sighed.

It's at least better than standing like a fool in front of the class.

I opened my bag to bring out a little towel. I dusted the seat with it and sat down.

The class became noisy again, everyone whispering.

What's wrong? I wondered.

I shifted my gaze to Ghostie-she was staring blankly into space.

What is wrong with everyone?

Just then, two beautiful girls walked into the class. One was walking in front like a princess, while the second came behind her holding two bags.

I scoffed.

Is she the maid to the princess?

The first one stopped and looked around the class. When her gaze met mine, she signaled to her "maid," and they both walked up to me.

"Hi!" she greeted with a bright smile, and I must admit-she was really beautiful.

"Hi," I responded dryly.

"You must be new here, right?" she started, and I rolled my eyes.

"Isn't it obvious?" I answered, and she chuckled softly.

"I like you already. My name is Racheal, and this is my bestie, Cory," she said, pointing to her "maid" behind her.

"Hi, Cory," I greeted, and she smiled shyly.

"But if I may ask, why are you seated on this seat?" Racheal probed.

"Is there anything wrong with the seat?" I asked, and Cory gasped softly.

"Are you alright?" Racheal asked her, and she nodded.

"Are you sure?" I repeated, my gaze fixed on her, and she nodded slowly.

"I'm not feeling too well," she said with a trembling voice and sat down in the seat in front of me.

I smiled and shifted my gaze back to Racheal.

"Is there anything wrong with the seat?" I repeated.

She shook her head. "There's nothing wrong. So, what's your name?" she asked.

"I'm Ariel Winter," I answered, and she smiled.

"It's nice meeting you, Ariel," she said, and I nodded.

She was about to say something when the class became noisy again.

"Oh! Damian is here," she informed me.

"Who is Dami-" I tried to ask but stopped when a pretty boy walked into the class.

Oh! I guess this is the class hottie. He's way cuter than Jayden.

Damn! Why must I think of Jayden again?

I watched the cute boy walk over to a seat at the corner of the class.

He looked around the room, and when his gaze met mine, he widened his eyes in surprise.

He stared at me for a while before looking away.

"He is so handsome," Ghostie remarked.

I looked at her and was surprised to see her drooling.

I smirked. I never knew ghosts drool.

A teacher soon entered the class, and the whole class became quiet.

She looked around, and when her gaze met mine, she smiled.

"You must be Ariel Winter, right?" she asked, and I nodded shyly.

"You are welcome to Diamond High School," she said, and I smiled lightly.

"But ma'am, she really needs to change her seat," a girl at the front said, and the whole class turned back to look at me.

"And why should she do that?" the teacher retorted. "I can see you all are still dwelling in superstitious beliefs."

"But ma'am-" the girl tried to say, but the teacher cut her off.

"One more word from you, and you'll be out of my class," the teacher threatened, and the girl immediately kept quiet.

"Good," she remarked and began teaching.

But what is wrong with the seat? I wondered.

The class became noisy again after the teacher left.

"What a class," I muttered.

"Ariel," Ghostie called, and I nodded without looking at her.

"Aren't you gonna ask about the chain?" she asked, and I looked around the class to make sure no one was watching before answering.

"And who do you expect me to ask?"

"Cory," she answered.

I smiled. I was planning on asking her anyway.

"Hi," I leaned over to tap Cory gently.

She turned back to look at me.

"Hi, newbie! Can I help you?" she asked, and I scoffed.

"I'm Ariel," I corrected.

"Oh! So, Ariel, how can I help you?" she repeated.

"I need your help with something," I started.

"Something like what?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

I brought the chain out from under my shirt and showed her the writing on it.

"Oh my God," she exclaimed softly.

"Do you know anything about it?" I asked.

"D2... How did you get this?" she asked, looking around the class.

"Do you know anything about it?" I repeated, but she shook her head.

"No," she said, shaking in fear.

"Cory," I called softly, but she kept staring at the chain.

"Cory!" I called again, and she looked up at me.

"I don't know how you got this, but please don't ever show it to anybody," she warned.

"But why? Do you know the owner?" I asked quickly.

"I don't know," she said with a trembling voice and then looked away.

I shifted my gaze to Ghostie, who smiled lightly.

I scoffed.

I really didn't understand what was going on, but I was sure of one thing:

Whatever happened to Ghostie began in this class.