I looked down at the words written on the piece of paper. I had spent a couple of hours with Parker writing down his message for Joey. Writing it down, had been the only way to ensure I spoke the words that Parker used.

I had never done anything like this before and not only was I never to deliver the message, I was also fearful of the reaction I would receive.

Joey might not believe me and I didn’t want to think of the repercussions of that. I had to stay positive. I had to do this and no reasoning from Damien was going to change my mind. He had tried a couple more times before he finally accepted I was going to go through with it.

It had been an emotional experience to hear the final words from Parker to his best friend. We had reworked some of the sentences and made it as compact as possible.

It had taken a few days. The emotional experience had been difficult for Parker and he hadn’t been able to hold his form for long.

“It’s beautiful,” I said.

Parker nodded silently. “I never thought this would ever happen you know.”

“I get it.”

Most people took for granted that they would have long lives and grow old. I understood how it felt to have your life cut short, I had been living on borrowed time for the last seven years.

I fold the paper carefully. It held so much emotion that Parker had poured out, it felt so delicate to handle.

“I know it’s not much consolation but you seem to have had a deep and meaningful friendship with Joey.”

He nodded. “From the time he moved here we have been inseparable. You know when you meet someone and you just click. That’s how it was with us.”

I felt a little jealous. “I’ve never had that…a best friend.” I don’t know why but it made me feel so emotional. Unlike Parker I was still alive, even if I wasn’t sure it was going to last for long.

“You’ve never had a best friend?” he asked, clearly surprised by my admission.

I shook my head. “I can’t really remember much before the accident when I lost my family and since then I haven’t ever gotten to close to people. It was easier to keep my distance, I lived in fear that someone would think I was crazy for being able to see a demon and ghosts.”

He reached out and touch his hand over mine. I couldn’t feel his touch but the gesture touched my heart. I swallowed the emotion that bubbled to the surface. For the first time I realized all the things I had missed out on because of my circumstances and the sadness that came with that was difficult to process.

“The only other person I felt the same connection with Joey was you. We would have been best friends.” His voice trailed off.

I swallowed the lump as my eyes watered. “Best friends?”

He nodded and smiled. It lifted my heart.

“Are you guys going to start singing Kumbaya?” Damien said, ruining the moment. He stood in the middle of the room with his arms crossed.

“You really know how to ruin things Damien,” Parker murmured. His eyes still on me.

I let out a shaky breath, trying to gather myself and wipe the unshed tears with the back of my hand.

Damien watched us with a dark fascination.

Parker moved seamlessly from sitting on the bed to standing across from Damien. “I won’t miss you when I leave.”

Damien gave a dismissive shrug. “Ditto.”

I wished they would get on but it was like mixing oil and water together. They just didn’t mix.

I tucked the note as I stood into the front pocket of my jeans.

“You’re really going to do this?” Damien asked.

I nodded. “Yes.”

My voice was strong and unwavering. I wasn’t going to let anyone sway me.

“I know how much you’re risking by doing this,” Parker said. “I really appreciate it.”

I smiled. “You came back to help me Parker. This is the least I could do for you.”

We hadn’t known each other for that long for him to have some sort of loyalty to me. It was the reason it was so easy to believe we would have become best fiends if we had the time. But I had learned that there was nothing fair in life and you have to deal with what you got handed.

There were many times I been angry with being tormented by Damien over the years but I was thankful for the fact that I was still alive and despite the odds I wanted to believe we would find a way to keep the Reaper from taking my life.

Without hope, I was good as dead.

My focus moved to Damien. The sight of him took the breath momentarily from my lungs. Besides if I changed my past, I wouldn’t be where I was now and I couldn’t think of a present, dead or alive, without Damien.

His features were free from any emotion and I wondered if he felt something similar to what I had just experienced when he saw me.

“So how are you planning to do this?” Damien tone was tight.

He wasn’t happy about this but thankfully he had stopped arguing every reason why this would blow up in my face.

Loyalty to a boy who had died and stayed as a ghost to help me kept me from giving into the fear that I had bitten off my more than I could chew. Damien was write with every argument he had used. This whole well intentioned task could spell disaster for me but I had to take the chance. I owed Parker that much.

“I’m going to call him and try set up a meeting.” The knot in my stomach made my nervousness physical for me.

“Are you ready?” Parker asked.

I nodded as I got my phone out. I had no idea if this was even going to work. He had asked me tell him if I had more to tell him but I bet this wasn’t what he had been expected when he had said it.

Parker gave me Joey’s number and I keyed it in before taking a deep breath when I put the phone to my ear. It rang and I began to pace, feeling like I was so out of depth I felt like I was drowning.

“Hello?” Joey answered, after the fifth ring.

“Hi…um…this is Tessa.” I took an another breath to try and calm my nerves but I wasn’t sure it did anything to ease the anxiousness I felt.

“Hi Tessa.” His voice was deep and calm.

“You told me to let you know if I remember anything from the day Parker died.”

Fear gripped me and the full impact of what I was about to do hit me, making me feel like I wasn’t sure at all about going through with this.

“I remember.”

“If we could…like…meet up.”

I had planned this conversation but suddenly my mind was blank. What I was about do was crazy. It was when I turned to pace that I saw Parker’s hopeful expression and remember why I was doing this, it gave me the courage to not hung up.

Joey was silent for a few moments. “Sure. You okay to meet up today?”

It was a Saturday. Doing this during a busy school day was out of the question. I had planned to meet up in a neutral venue so I could leave easily if things did blow up. I had chosen a park that was quiet. It would give us some privacy in a public place.

“Yes.” My voice trembled.

“Where do you want to meet?” he asked.

I mentioned the park a few blocks away from my house. We planned to meet up in an hour.

My hands shook when I ended the call. I kept reminding myself why I was doing all of this.

“I hope he believes me,” I whispered to Parker.

“I’ll try my best to be there.”

I nodded. The more emotional it was the greater chance I would be on my own.

Damien was watching me and I was thankful he didn’t try to talk me out it one last time. I wasn’t so sure at that moment I wouldn’t have backed out.