The Ghost

There’s a dark stain on the history of Court Junior High/Alma D’Arte. In 1966, a student was murdered and his body was never found. Rumor has it that his ghost haunts the school, even as Alma opened…
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Joe joined our fourth period English class halfway into the fall semester. No one ever really knew who he was; no one had ever met his parents either. He was a really nice guy, and was accepted into our class pretty quickly. Even then though, all of us thought it was a little suspicious how none of us ever saw him leave the building. In all honesty, it didn’t really bother any of us. Joe was our friend…
But maybe that’s why we helped him.
It all started one day when he and Eric were walking to school…
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As Joe walked with Eric to school, he brought up the topic of ghosts. Eric smiled as he walked and said, “Hey Joe, did you know our school is haunted?”
“Really?” Joe replied.
“Yeah. Some boy died here; got murdered by the art teacher or something about forty years ago. They never found his body but they say his ghost haunts the school looking for it.”
They walked in silence, and Joe found himself wanting to know more about the ghost. As they made their way up the school steps, he turned and looked at Eric. “Never found the body?”
“Nope.”
They walked past Amy’s room and ran into Cierra, Gabe, Oscar, Ryan, Sofia, Priscilla, Lisa, Christina and Gaby.
“Hey guys what’s up?” Oscar asked.
“Oh nothing, just telling Joe about the ghost.” Eric replied.
“I always wanted to find out who he was.” Gabe said. Cierra replied, “I heard his body was in the basement!”
“Me too.” said Ryan.
“We should go check it out after school.” Joe suggested. All the others looked at him, and Eric asked, “Are you serious?”
“Yeah.” Joe answered. “Unless you’re scared.” Gaby piped up.
“I’m not scared… but the basement is locked.” Eric said.
“Well we’ll take the keys from Manny,” Cierra said, “You can get them, right Eric?”
“He’s just saying that because he’s scared.” Oscar said. “Excuses, excuses.” Joe grinned, shaking his head.
Eric glared at Joe and said to the others, “I’ll have them after school. Just meet me by the basement door behind the stage, ok?”
Joe smiled as he watched the others go off to their first period classes. He was lucky to have them as friends.
“Well, off to Paz.” He said aloud and walked down the hallway.
(Later that afternoon)

After school, the group met by the stage. Joe couldn’t help but feel a little excited as he looked around eagerly.
Sofia looked at Eric and asked him if he had the keys. Everyone watched as Eric reached into his pocket and took out a ring of keys. After a moment of rifling through them, he picked out one and put it in the lock. The entire group seemed to hold their breath as he turned it…
With a click the lock opened and the wooden door creaked open. “I hope Manny didn’t hear that.” Gaby muttered as she looked over Eric’s shoulder into the dark stairwell.
“Well, who’s going to go first?” Cierra asked.
Gabe stepped forward, “I will. Ryan, Oscar, Eric, you guys go behind me. Girls, you go behind the guys. Joe, you watch the back.” He then took the flashlight Ryan had swiped from Dorn and clicked it on, peering into the darkness before him. He grabbed a chair and used it to prop the door open, and motioned for the others to follow him.
Lisa bit her lip as they began their descent into the basement… and she had the odd feeling they were being watched. She whirled around to be greeted with Joe.
“What’s wrong?” he asked her. She shook her head and turned back around as they made it down the steps; Gabe leading the way.
The halls were dark. Dirty boxes lined the walls filled with idle items that were years forgotten. Then they stopped.
A large heavy door guarded a room. Gabe set one shoulder against it and pushed it open. Everyone held their breaths once again as the door swung open, and Gabe shone the flashlight into the room…
More damp boxes and old paint greeted them in the light of the flashlight.
“Look at all this stuff.” Priscilla whispered as she looked over Sofia’s shoulder. They all had a reverent silence for the old junk, as if honoring those who had gone before them. Joe found himself trembling, though he didn’t know why.
No object looked undusted or untouched as they all crowded into the room. Except… in the corner.
They saw a small yellowed book seeming almost out of place.
“What is…?” Before Ryan had a chance to finish his sentence Christina strode up to the book.
It looked old, but it was still intact. Gabe joined Christina as she picked it up. He shone the flashlight on it and read the cover aloud, his voice seeming almost too loud in the self-imposed silence that had descended on the group: “‘The Mighty Bull Pups Class of 1966.’ It’s a yearbook.”
Christina opened it, the pages crackling as the others gathered around her. They watched as she turned page after page, the faces of those who had filled the hallways above their heads long before leering at them.
Joe, however, didn’t join the others. He had continued to look around the room, rubbing his arms. He was so cold all of a sudden…
Christina gasped. Sofia looked over her shoulder, and her face paled. She took the yearbook and began to read slowly, her voice quivering.
“This year, Court Junior High was saddened by the death of one of our best and brightest students. He will be missed, but will be forever in our hearts.”
“Who was it?” Eric asked as the others looked at Sofia, breaths held yet a third time. She looked up at them and turned the yearbook to show them the picture of the deceased. When Gabe shone the flashlight on it, the others gasped.
A horrifying silence fell over them. None could really believe what they saw.
Looking out at them, smiling…
Was Joe.
“Joseph ‘Joe’ Billings. 1949-1966.” Oscar said hollowly.
Joe looked up, “What?”
“Joe,” Cierra said softly, “it’s you. In 1966.”
The silence was deafening. No one could move; no one could speak as Joe went up to Sofia, took the yearbook from her and gazed at the picture.
After a few moments, he looked up at them and gulped; his brown eyes wide. “It… it is me.”
Before anyone could move, Joe dropped the yearbook, turned and ran out of the room. The other hurtled after him, kicking up dust and almost crashing into boxes as they careened through the maze of the basement
“Joe, wait!” Priscilla called. “Wait!”
They followed him to another room, and Gaby yelped as Joe ran right through the door. “Oh god, he is a ghost!”
Ryan and Eric tried to break it down. When they didn’t succeed, Gabe and Oscar joined them and they managed to lift it off its hinges. They ran into the room, and Gabe stopped in his tracks, the others nearly crashing into him.
Joe was standing there, no longer wearing the clothes they were accustomed to seeing him in, but a letterman jacket in the old school colors. He smiled, and when the flashlight hit him it shone through him. Lisa shrieked as Joe was no longer solid and they all could see right through him.
“I remember.” He said to them as they stood there. “I remember now. He dragged my body down here.” He pointed, and all of them turned. Sofia screamed.
A skeleton lay in the corner wearing the tattered remains of a letterman’s jacket.
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Well, what happened? Manny, hearing the screams ran down with Ray and Mr. Dorn to see the girls in hysterics, yelling something about finding a body while the guys stood in stunned silence.
Joe’s remains were removed and given a proper burial in the Masonic Cemetery. We all attended the funeral, paying our respects to our friend.
As we all began to leave the graveyard, Christina stopped and grabbed Oscar’s arm. “Hey, look!” and we all looked back.
Joe stood there, leaning against a fence. He smiled and waved, then turned and disappeared…
We never saw him again.
The End