On my way to high school, I saw a girl crying in front of a grave.

For me, this wasn’t unusual. There’s a cemetery on the way to school, and it’s a lot easier to cut through than to go around. Grieving family members are just part of the decor.

Although the grieving family members usually aren’t identical to the photo in front of the grave.

She was short, with long dark hair, and a cute button nose. I couldn’t pin an age on her, but it was probably close to my own. A loose white sundress was draped across her slender shoulders, the hem splayed out beneath her and already staining green thanks to the freshly cut lawn.

Now, ‘ghost’ was my first thought, but then I remembered to be rational. Twin sister seemed far more likely. Or perhaps a particularly elaborate prank. My friends knew I walked this route, and they were assholes.

Still, I’d never seen this girl before. In a small town, that meant a lot.

“Hey,” I mumbled. “You alright?”

The girl sniffed, rubbed at her eyes on her sleeve, then turned to look up at me, her eyes narrowed. “Does it look like I’m alright?”

Well, I had that coming. “Sorry. I’ll leave you alone.”

Before I could go, the girl’s eyes got wide, and she scooted backwards. “W-wait. You can see me?”

A chill ran down my spine, and I felt the wind pick up a little. I really hoped it was the prank option, or else I was going to have to seriously reconsider my views on theology.

I stared into her eyes for a least a minute, both of us silent, refusing to look away from one another. Finally I spoke, my voice a bare whisper. “Is that your grave?”

The girl wrapped her arms around her knees, lowering her head. Her dark hair fell forward, obscuring her features. “I don’t know what happened… I was on a road trip with my Mom, and I fell asleep in the back, and now I’m here.”

What exactly was I supposed to say to something like that? I was just your average high schooler. What words could possibly fit the gravitas of this kind of tragedy? “W-what’s your name?” I finally managed to stutter. “I’m, uh, Jessie.”

The girl sniffed and looked up at me, cracking a slight smile. “Hannah. Oh my god, this is so weird. How can we just be sitting here talking normally? I mean, if I’m dead, shouldn’t I be in heaven?”

I shrugged. I was raised in a small Christian town, but I had never taken any of it too seriously. “Sorry, no idea. I mean, I’ve seen the Sixth Sense and stuff. If you’re a ghost and only I can see you, I guess we’re supposed to go on some sort of big interpersonal journey to help you move on, or whatever. Either that or this is a horror movie and you eat my soul.”

Hannah burst out laughing. “Shut up! That sounds totally lame.” She looked up at me, smiling as she brushed her bangs out of her eyes. “No promises on the soul eating though. Also, what’s the sixth sense?”

I blinked, then glanced over at the dates on the tombstone a little closer. “What year do you think it is right now?”

Hannah frowned, furrowing her brow. “Nineteen eighty-seven. Why?”

“Wow. It’s twenty-sixteen. You’ve, uh, missed a lot”

She glared at me. “You’re joking, right?”

I shrugged, then pulled my smartphone out of my pocket, flipped the screen on, and held it up to her. “Check it out. Probably a hundred times more powerful than the biggest supercomputer in the eighties.”

Hannah crossed her arms over her chest. “You say that like I should know what you’re talking about.”

I shrugged again, and we both stared at each other in silence awhile.

“Well, now what?” Hannah asked.

“I dunno. I could take you to a priest or something.”

“Nah. Those guys always creeped me out.”

My phone buzzed, its alarm reminding me class was starting in five minutes.

“You want to go out around town? See the sights, catch a movie?”

Hannah raised an eyebrow. “What is this, a date?”

I shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

Hannah sized me up for a few moments, then smiled. “Alright, sure. Lead the way.” She reached out to take my hand, but it passed right through, leaving behind a cold tingle.

We both blinked, then burst out laughing.