Brent Jackson used to be a normal teenager, but that was before he discovered he didn't just like women, but men as well. Once word got out that he was bisexual, his whole world fell apart. Everyone just up and ignored him after heading about his sexuality, believing that he'd spread his sexuality to them.

He'd become almost completely alone by then, his parents being the only people who stuck beside him through it all. Besides them, his dog Artemis had been his only friend. Artemis had been with him since he was ten, which is when his sister had died of cancer at the age of 16. His parents had thought that he needed a new friend in place of his sister, seeing as his sister had been his only friend for the longest time.

He felt terrible for leaving her behind after so long. It wasn't like it was by choice, though. He'd been alone at home with Artemis when one of the other kids from school came to his house, a gun in their hands. Two shots were fired- one to his head, one to his heart. After that, they pulled a knife out of their pocket and started to shove it through his body repeatedly. There were 48 stab wounds in total. He was dead before the first ten.

After the murder, he'd been walking around as a ghost for a year. Artemis had been the only one who could see him, barking whenever he happened to walk by. His parents eventually sold Artemis to a teenage male, having not been able to stand looking at her any longer due to the fact that every time they looked at her, they'd think of their murdered son.

Once Artemis was gone, he saw no reason to stick around his parents' house, so he always just aimlessly wandered the streets.

The two boys had been shocked. For one, they had not expected to run into someone else. Second of all, Brent had not expected to see Artemis again.
Seeing Artemis brought a smile to Brent's face and he knelt down, gently patting his dog. "Hey, Artemis."
"How do you know her name?" The boy standing opposite of him asked.
"She was originally mine."
"Why did you get rid of her?"
"I didn't. My parents did."
"Why, though?"
"I'm no longer able to take care of her."
The boy looks me up and down, faintly blushing. "You look capable of taking care of her."
"Well, I'm not. How can a dead guy take care of his living dog?"
His eyes widen slightly. "O-Oh! Y-You're... I'm sorry! I should know by now not to assume everyone I meet is alive, seeing as I've always seen the dead..."
"Speaking of which, I'm surprised you can see me. How does that work, exactly?"
The boy nervously rubs the back of his neck. "Uh, maybe later... it's kind of a touchy subject for me."
"Alright." Brent quickly got up after giving Artemis one last pat, stretching his hand out to the other boy. "The name's Brent. Brent Jackson."
"Alexander Delaware." The boy smiled at him, not taking his hand.
So, he took things into his own hands and grabbed Alexander's hand, quickly shaking it before pulling his hand away. "Maybe we'll see each other around?"
The boy stared at his feet, Artemis slightly rubbing against his legs. He became confused as the boy shook his head, his body shaking slightly. Alexander's brownish crimson hair swayed slightly in the slow wind, the strands appearing like a fire dancing in the embers. "It's not likely."
He'd barely heard Alexander's response, the wind almost carrying it away with how quiet the boy was. "Why not..?"
"Nobody hangs out with me. Nobody likes me. Nobody cares about me. Surely you don't care about me, a complete stranger?"
"Well..." He didn't know what to say to the strange boy in front of him.
"See? I'm sorry about your death, but I have at least five other murder cases on my hands right now, so I don't have the time."
The boy then walked away with Artemis, leaving him standing there alone, eyes wide in shock.

It's been a few hours since the ghost ran into the boy, which still slightly surprised him. It's been a while since he learned that ghosts are just invisible to the non-believers, but those who can see them and decide to help can actually bump into them while other people can't. He had become restless, groaning slightly as the boy flashed across his mind again. This had been the third time that the boy's face appeared in his mind to taunt him.
He couldn't remember much about what happened before the murder, but he remembered the boy's face from somewhere.
Since he's a ghost, he doesn't need to sleep. However, it's a ghost's choice whether or not they sleep. As much as he wanted to, he simply couldn't get the boy's face out of his mind.
He groaned as he plopped down onto the grass of the park, his eyes wandering across the sky and searching the stars. "Why can't I forget about that guy? Alexander Delaware..." He dragged his hands down his face before placing his arms behind his head.
Even the name was familiar to him, but he wasn't sure why. He scanned through the memories he had, turning up a short one that he had forgotten about.
--His friend bumped into someone, the other person's backpack falling to the ground and their books spilling all over the place. They quickly knelt down to pick up their things, his friends taunting them. He decided that it wasn't funny and offered to help him, but the boy refused it and brushed himself off before trying to get away from them. He never had the chance to get away, though; his friends grabbed him and started to punch at the boy, startling him. He'd just walked away, not wanting to be a part of it. He'd heard the tauntings of "Why don't you go back to Delaware, Dead Alex?"--
His eyes widened slightly as he connected the memory to the person he just met. He wasn't amused, and he wanted to apologize to the guy for what had happened in the past. However, he wasn't sure if they'd ever meet again.
He started searching for a way to run into the guy again, coming up with the idea to meet him at the high school. Hours passed, the rising sun blinding him as he just lay in the park. Once it was about time for the school day to start, to made his way over to it, heading inside once a student went through the automatic doors. He quickly made his way to where he saw the kid that one time, growling slightly as he saw his used-to-be friends bullying the guy at his locker.
He quickly went over to the area and slipped into one of the four jocks' skins, making them turn on their friends. It took one punch to the other jock's jaw to send them running away, slipping out of the jock's body before the jock ran after their friends.
Upon scaring away the jocks, he got closer to Alexander, who was a little shocked, but mostly confused. "Are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm f-fine... thanks." Alexander started to walk away, wincing slightly with each step.
"You don't look fine." He said as he followed him, eventually walking into a room with the boy.
"Well, I will be. Unless you want me to get bullied like that again, I suggest you stop talking to me. Or at least don't expect me to say anything back. I'll just write a response to you during class."
"Alright."
Alexander walked to a desk, painfully plopping into the seat. After finding a slightly comfortable position to sit in, Alexander unzipped his backpack and brought out a notebook, sighing slightly as he opened it to a blank page. Upon opening the notebook, Alexander dug through his backpack for a pencil, gently pressing the tip of the lead to the blank paper after pulling the pencil out of his bag and neatly writing something on the paper, which reads as follows. 'What are you doing here?'
"Is it a crime to see how my school- well, my old school- is operating now?"
Alexander sighs slightly as the bell rings, the teacher walking in. The teacher starts talking about the history of Europe, which Alexander seems to zone out as he starts writing again. 'No, I guess not. Is it operating any differently?'
"No. After my friends learned about my sexual orientation, they completely cut me out of their lives before deciding to bully me and cut my life short. I don't get why I assumed it would, since they told everyone about it and everyone completely ignored me here after that. Although, my girlfriend had been understanding enough. I haven't seen her yet, though..."
'Girlfriend? If you're straight, then there's really no reason for them to cut you out of their lives.'
"Well, I thought I was straight. While I am attracted to women, I'm also attracted to men, one in specific."
'Oh... I see.'
"You're not like them, are you?"
'No. Why would I be? I'm the same as you.'
"You're bi?"
'Uh... no, I'm gay. But that's not important. You've seen how the school is operating without you, yet you're still here. There must be something more to it. So I'll ask again, what are you doing here?'
He huffs a little at Alexander's response. "Okay, so maybe I didn't come here for that reason."
'So what reason did you come here for?'
"I wanted to see you again."
Alexander's face visibly reddens. 'What..?'
He smiles a little at the embarrassed boy next to him. "You're an intriguing guy. I mean, you're the first person who can actually see me, and you don't just ignore me. With how you bumped into me, it's certain that you wish to help somehow. Aside from that, I never got the chance to apologize for my ex-friends' behavior. They've always been jerks to you, and I didn't know how to help you before. Since I didn't know how to help, I'd just walked away from them bullying you so that I wasn't a part of it... I'm sorry."
Alexander shakes his head slightly, sighing. 'It's fine. You didn't do anything that requires an apology. I should apologize to you. I'm a lot less interesting than you think I am.'
He frowns a little at Alexander's response. No matter how much he wants to say something to the boy, he can't think of anything. His mouth opens, but closes shortly after, the process repeating a few times before he gives up with a sigh.
'See? You have nothing to say to contradict me with, so it must be true. Now, can you PLEASE leave me alone? There's something I need to do, and I can only do so by paying attention in this class.'
He huffs at Alexander, crossing his arms as he silently sits in the desk next to the intriguing boy. His mind remains on Alexander as he watches the teacher, whom he notices stealing wary glances at Alexander while teaching. This causes a shiver to roll up his spine and he looks back over to Alexander, who's currently writing on a new page of the notebook. He then hears a quiet, feminine response to the question on the page of the notebook, which read as 'It was this teacher that raped and murdered you, right, Delaney?'

He continued to write in his notebook as he watched the teacher, jotting down notes about his teacher's behavior. His most recent run-in with a ghost had been a boy named Brent Jackson, but before that was a girl named Delaney Hansen, who claims she had been raped and murdered by this very teacher. So far, his teacher's actions seem normal, but he has noticed the teacher doing some very suspicious things out of school.
"Yes, I'm certain it was Mr. Hendricks who had done this to me." Delaney responds to my written question, her voice very timid.
'Alright. He's been suspicious enough for me to believe it.'
"So, I'm assuming this is one of the other cases you're busy with? One of the ones that's taking up all your time, leaving you with none whatsoever to even look into mine?" Brent's voice sounds as if it seethes with hatred as he looks at Delaney.
Delaney's currently sitting in the desk in front of him, her eyelids fluttering slightly as she looks at Brent, a low whimper escaping her lips. "H-Hi..." She quietly mutter to Brent with a small, forced smile, who returned her smile with a grimace.
He wondered what his new "friend" was so sour about, sighing a little before smiling at Delaney. 'Sorry about him. Brent was cut out of his friends' lives before he was murdered, so he's not very friendly to anyone. At least, I think that's why he's being sour."
"Oh..." Delaney sheepishly responds, slowly moving a strand of her hair out of her eyes.
"It's not, but nice try." Brent responds, somewhat glaring at Delaney.
'Brent, quit being an asshole to her.'
"You don't have a thing for him, do you?" Brent somewhat growls, eyes narrowing at Delaney.
Delaney giggles slightly. "Of course not. He's gay. And even if I did, I'd know it would never happen."
Brent sighs in a way that makes it appear as if he's relieved. "Alright. Just checking."
'Delaney, about your death... where did you say he did this to you?'
"An alleyway off of Primrose Boulevard. It's between Bailey's Bakery and Florence's Flowers."
'Alright. I know this is kind of weird to ask a ghost, but I know it's possible for ghosts to bleed, which would be helpful for me to investigate your case. I have a very small glass container in my backpack. Could you maybe drop some blood into it so that I can have Artemis follow the scent down to that area? Just to confirm it?'
"Sure." Delaney then gets out of the desk in front of him and leans over his backpack, pricking herself on the metal of the desk and letting the blood drip into the container. Delaney then summons up enough energy to heal her wound, going back over to the empty desk.
He then bends over and puts the lid onto the small glass container, sighing. 'Do you know if he left anything behind?'
"He left the bandana that he used to silence me behind, not noticing that it came undone when he lifted my dead body off of the ground. I believe he also forgot my jacket there, since he never put it back on me, leaving it around my wrists to keep me from fighting back. He didn't tie it tight enough and it just kind of slid off."
"You're not going there alone, are you?" Brent asks almost nervously.
'Yes, I am. Nobody ever talks to me, so it's not like I have a choice. Besides, I'll have Artemis with me.
"I don't want you going alone. If that means you don't go at all, so be it." Brent folds his arms across his chest.
"I agree with Brent, Alex. I know that means that my murder will remain a "mystery," according to the police, but I'd rather not risk you getting hurt or in trouble." Delaney mutters, nervously rubbing her arm.
'I'll be fine, you guys. It's already been so long that he's probably forgotten about it.'
"Well, I doubt that he's forgotten it. I'm going with you." Brent says as he unfolds his arms, stretching them out above his head before folding them behind it.
He sighs a little. 'Fine. Brent, you can come with me, but just as long as you promise not to get in my way.'
"Promise." A smug smile stretches across Brent's lips.
"I'm going with you, too!" Delaney whispers somewhat cheerily.
"What?" He mutters, momentarily forgetting that he's in class. His free hand then flies over his mouth, his eyes quickly scanning the classroom to make sure that nobody heard him. Once he's sure nobody did, he puts his free hand against the paper and starts to write again. 'Are you sure you want to come with me, Delaney?'
"I'm sure, Alex! After all, it's safer having two ghosts to help you than just one. If anything happens, Brent and I can protect you." Delaney chirps, lacing her fingers together in front of her.
'Alright. You both can come with me. Just... don't do anything that can give away your presence.'
"You got it." Delaney giggles slightly before the bell rings, signaling the end of class.

I've been trying to write in a way that's more 3rd person, but I just can't do it. From now on, I'll be writing in 1st person. Sorry for the sudden change! I've always wrote in 1st person, so it's my strong suit in writing.

A few hours of school passed by, none of which I can remember. It was too boring for me to pay attention to class, since I was more interested in what my ghost friends had to say about their murders.
The final bell rang not too long ago, so I carefully made my way through the crowded hallways, sighing to myself as my ghost friends followed me to my locker.
Once I get there, I quickly open it, rolling my eyes a little as a piece of paper falls out of it, a drawing of a stick person hanging themself on the paper. I crumple it up and toss it away, sighing slightly as I search through my locker for everything I need.
I'm a bit startled by a feminine voice behind me, a voice that isn't Delaney's. "Hello. Are you Alexander Delaware?"
"Uh... yeah?" I mutter, rubbing my head where it hit the top of my locker. "Why?"
"My name is Belle Richardson. You might not know who he is, but I'm Brent Jackson's ex. I've always caught him staring at you, so I thought he might've been interested in you..."
I quickly look next me, glancing at the blushing ghost who's leaning against the locker beside mine. "If he was, he never showed it. I doubt he was." I then return to searching through my locker, sighing as I pull out what I need.
"Well, that's the thing..." She nervously rubs her arm before raising it, pushing a sketchpad against my chest. "His parents thought I should have his sketchpad after his murder. I looked at the drawings, everything from the time we'd been dating up to the time he was killed, and all of them have something to do with you, some of which are somewhat sexual..."
"Damn it..." Brent mutters under his breath, standing up straight and shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'll be outside when you're ready to go."
"Ooh, Brent's got a crush on you!" Delaney squeals, clapping her hands together in front of her chest.
I quickly take the sketchpad and flip through the pages, eyes widening with each drawing I see. "You weren't kidding... that's a lot of drawings of me..." My eyes land on a drawing where I'm sitting in Brent's lap, leaning into him while sealed in a passionate kiss, my arms around his neck. There's a growing warmth in my cheeks as I stare at it, my breathing starting to quicken a bit. "Well, there's no doubt about it now..."