Chapter Text
For the majority of her life, Courtney always believed that the goal was to secure a good job and marry your high school sweetheart. So she studied hard and kept her place at the top of all her classes. After school and during the weekend she worked herself to the bone at the local diner. Of course, she was going to get scholarships to the law school of her choice, but it didn't hurt to have money saved up to fall back on. She even had Duncan, her boyfriend for all four years of high school. Both of their families were positive the pair were to get married shortly after graduation.
Until she broke things off a day before graduation.
Courtney's whole life plan had crumbled the week before, the realization that this wasn't what she truly wanted, hitting her like a massive brick in the face. To celebrate finishing up finals, and soon the end of their high school days, she had met up with her best friend Alejandro. The two had a few drinks, which led to messy feelings being revealed.
Alejandro listened intently as the Type-A girl ranted over how Duncan had no clear plans for after high school. Instead of going to college with her, the delinquent wanted to join a punk-rock band with his online friends from London. The idea was something they fought over for hours and despite all her pleading, Duncan showed no signs of backing down.
Her anger toward her boyfriend slowly fizzled as she rambled about other topics, such as her rival, Emma, in her high school-level Psychology class. Emma craved a law degree and to crush her opponents in court, just like Courtney did. She'd complain that she wished Duncan would be just like the girl. Alejandro joked that maybe Courtney liked Emma.
And then a lightbulb went off.
All at once Courtney realized that she did like Emma, just not anymore. She remembered the thrill she felt each time they went head-to-head, it was the same feeling she had when she first began dating Duncan. Those feelings were both long gone with each person, but they were still present at one point and the same.
Courtney choked on the third drink she had been sipping on as she blurted out, "I think I'm Bisexual."
It was a hard pill to swallow. More so the fact that she was no longer truly in love with Duncan rather than her newfound sexuality, but she kept her head held high as she asked Duncan to meet her a few days later.
Surprisingly, the breakup was mutual. For once in their relationship, Duncan had shocked Courtney with how mature he acted on the subject. He agreed with her that their paths were going in separate ways. The two hadn't been happy in the relationship for a long time as well. Almost always fighting over the littlest things. He wished her luck with college and with finding someone who suited her better, a guy or gal.
And that was that.
A loud, blaring alarm bounced off the thin apartment walls. Slowly, a hand peaked out from under several blankets and slapped around the bedside tablet till it landed on top of a phone. The hand fumbled for a moment before finally silencing the alarm as a yawn broke out. Courtney emerged from her blankets and shivered slightly. Despite having been in the apartment for two weeks now, she struggled to adjust to the cold temperature of it. No matter how much she messed with the thermostat, the entire unit remained frigid. She tugged on her favorite gray cardigan that she had tossed on the floor the night before and pulled herself out of bed.
Her hands found themself moving toward her eyes to rub away the sleep as she made her way to the bathroom to get ready for the day. She had no real plans to go out today, but still felt the need to at least look somewhat presentable. It was her last day of summer break after all. Tomorrow was the big day. The day her classes started. The day her law career would begin.
While she went through the motions of her morning routine, Courtney couldn't help but feel a tad nervous. She was so excited that she had moved into her new place early, unable to sit back at home and wait for the semester to start. All her hard work throughout high school had paid off and she was headed in the right direction. Sure there was the Duncan hiccup, but nothing could stop her now! Except for the fact that for the first time in years, she was alone. The thought hung heavy in her mind.
She finished up in the bathroom and moved to the kitchen. A balanced breakfast would surely ease her nerves a bit. Pulling out some yogurt from the fridge and fruit, Courtney decided she would make a nice little breakfast parfait. She placed the items on the island countertop and bent down to grab some granola out of the bottom cabinet. When she rose back up she was met face to face with someone.
Her roommate, Gwen.
Courtney jumped back a little before angrily putting the granola down on the counter. Her heart rate started to elevate as she frowned. "I told you to stop doing that." She scolded, turning away from Gwen to get a glass and spoon.
"Yeah, yeah." The goth girl just grinned. She stood on the opposite side of the island, her head resting in her hand while her elbow leaned on the counter as she watched Courtney work. She had begun to make the parfait, trying to make sure to evenly layer each part. "Do you have to be so perfect with everything?"
"Why, yes. A perfect breakfast puts you in a perfect mood." Courtney stated in a matter-of-fact tone. Gwen just rolled her eyes playfully and smiled in a way that made Courtney's heart skip a beat.
She shook her head though, as Gwen walked toward the living room. This was just a passing feeling. Courtney had only just realized she was attracted to girls too. Of course, she'd start to view pretty girls as possible partners. Not Gwen though. The two could never work.
"Do you think anything good is on TV?" Gwen's voice spoke out, pushing the lingering thoughts out of Courtney's head. Having just been about to take a bite of her parfait, Courtney sighed and placed her food down. She entered the living room to find Gwen already sitting on the couch.
Courtney grabbed the remote, slowly flipped through a few channels, and then turned the TV off. She faced Gwen and gave a cheeky smirk. "Nope, nothing good." Gwen pouted over this.
The pair made their way back to the kitchen and Courtney finally dug into her parfait. "So…Any plans for today?" Gwen questioned after a minute of silence. "It seems like a nice day for a walk or something. I might go out, and get some fresh air."
Courtney smiled as she looked out the window. "It is nice, isn't it? Now that you mentioned it I think a walk would be nice. I've already walked the campus five times-"
"Of course you have." Gwen snorted, she leaned against the island once more and followed Courtney's gaze.
"As I was saying, I'd like to just reassure myself where my classes are. As perfect as I may be, I still have moments where I just completely blank because I'm nervous. There was also a coffee shop on the way back that I was thinking of checking out." Courtney rambled a bit. "Oh! And I think Alejandro wanted to come see this place." Remembering the fact, she dug her phone out of her pocket to double-check their texts.
"That's your friend, right?"
"My best friend, yes." Courtney beamed.
Alejandro had texted her earlier that morning confirming that he did want to come over that day before both their schedules got too hectic.
"I better get going then, he wants to swing by around two." Courtney placed her dirty dishes in the sink, she'd deal with them later. Or maybe Gwen would be nice and do them for her. She almost laughed at the thought. Courtney exited the kitchen and moved towards the front door. Slipping on a pair of boots, she looked up to meet Gwen's eyes. "Would you like a coffee or anything?"
Gwen shot her an annoyed look, though her lips tugged upwards a bit, letting Courtney know it was okay to laugh over the question. "Nah, I'm good. You enjoy yourself." She gave a wave and walked out of Courtney's view, disappearing.
Courtney felt confident. At this point, you could test her on every square inch of this campus and she would pass with flying colors. She took a moment to rest on a bench, taking in the nice breeze that came with the shift from August to September weather. She always loved this time of year. It beckoned for a fresh start each time, and this year she was ready to grasp it.
The coffee shop she mentioned to Gwen was nice. It was currently being held down by two other college students, trying their best to get through the lunch rush orders. She felt a bit bad for coming at such a bad time, but the welcoming behavior of the barista manning the cash register changed her mind. He was a bigger, blonde guy who greeted her with such enthusiasm she was sure he must've chugged thirty espresso shots this morning.
She gave her order and he repeated it back for his 'little buddy' coworker to make. Courtney was surprised to find the drink ready just a moment later. The power a busy work rush gives people is completely terrifying.
Courtney sipped on her coffee as she walked back to her apartment. She got lucky and found something just a bit off campus. She honestly would prefer having her own living space, compared to dorming. And it was just a fifteen-minute walk, the coffee shop being just in the middle of that. It was a nice place for decent rent.
Things were going well for her.
The apartment building slowly came into her view, along with the small park right across from it. Courtney's eyes trailed upwards to the large tree that stood tall in the middle of the park as a small frown formed on her lips.
"Oh Gwen…" Her gaze lingered until she made herself to continue on.
By the time she reached her apartment door, it was already past one. Courtney could feel her cheeks heat up in embarrassment for how long she spent on campus. She shook it off, though, and entered her space. She found Gwen in the living room again, she stood next to the window. A pained expression was painted across her face, but it quickly shifted as she realized Courtney was back. "How was the coffee?" Gwen asked, cutting off any chance Courtney had to ask the goth girl about herself.
"It was good." She responded with a small smile. Courtney kicked off her boots and went to throw out the now empty cup. "I honestly lost track of time, Alejandro is probably gonna be here soon. Um…Did you want to…stay or…?" She felt a bit awkward about the question, but she wanted to make sure Gwen was somewhat comfortable with having people over.
Gwen just smiled and nodded. "Yeah, who knows? It could be nice."
Courtney nodded back and felt a tug at her heart. She didn't want the other to get her hopes up.
Ten minutes later a knock on the door. Gwen sat nervously on the end of the couch. Courtney opened it and grinned at the sight of Alejandro. He mirrored her expression as she welcomed him in. "Courtney! It is so lovely to see you again. It feels like it's been forever."
"We just had lunch last week." She chuckled and shut the door behind them. Alejandro was quick to compliment how the apartment looked, he ignored the fact that he had helped pick out most of the furniture and decor with her over the summer. Courtney just rolled her eyes and followed him into the living room.
Alejandro plopped himself right in the middle of the couch, right beside Gwen, and looked up at Courtney. "Have you managed to settle in alright? I know you, and you don't do so well on your own whether you like to admit it or not, mi amiga. Are you really okay with living alone?"
Gwen's expression was unreadable as Courtney nervously smiled. "I think I'll be just fine."
Of course, she wasn't completely alone, but Alejandro doesn't know that. Because he can't see her.
Gwen was not Courtney's roommate.
Gwen was a ghost.