-Er, my stories are MINE. No stealing, please. <3 I'll sue you. Kthxbai. Criticism is loved (PM format, please, though.) I know that this isn't that great--it's more entertainment for me when I want a break from everything else-


All of the mourners flew to the funeral home. Jesse had been controversial—he “dated� the Mad Hatter while he was really screwing any boy who wanted it. Oh, sure, he was becoming less of a slut—lately he did seem to be showing some responsibility—but old ideas die even harder than old habits, and now he was dead, too. The people who had liked him showed up to say goodbye, and the people who hadn’t showed up to say good riddance.
The casket was closed, of course. The accident had torn him to pieces. No one had told the Mad Hatter until later, but the rumor was that she didn’t do anything. She didn’t cry, scream, faint, laugh, or even say anything. She just froze. She would be at the wake, too; that was another reason to show up. Jesse’s mother had hated her, and she blamed the girl for her son’s death. Everyone wanted to see the next explosion.
The cheerleaders Jesse had always scorned showed up. Since his mother had once been a cheerleader, she welcomed them. The football players, some of whom had been Jesse’s one night stands, also showed up. But Jesse’s few actual boyfriends didn’t show up because his mother would’ve screamed. Jesse’s other friends couldn’t show up because his father had publicly threatened to “beat the pagan right out of ‘em�. And the Mad Hatter would have to be crazy to show up.
Madeline DuBois came in. Huge black boots. Black pants with chains. A black corset. Black gloves with studs. Thick black eyeliner. Red-violet lips. Bright pink eyeshadow. Brown hair dyed blonde with reddish streaks and tips. A black top hat above it all. She wasn’t smiling, and she didn’t have the tall man at her side. The man in boots with leather pants and long black underarmor, chain with spikes all around it, long brown hair and eyeliner as thick as hers was dead now.
Jessica Arnold, already half-drunk, tripped over to her. She shouldn’t have warn her high heels, but it was too late to do anything about that now. Maybe the bumpkins of today would walk around barefoot, but by God, she refused to accept their standards as hers. Madeline walked to her, the jocks clearing a path for her to get through. “I am sorry. That seems so inadequate, I know; but I am.� “He died because of you, you hussy! Why weren’t you with him?� Jacob Arnold saw the scene, but was too busy greeting some long-distance family friends to do anything about it. “You slut, I know you were two-timing him.�
“Hey, hey, Aunt Jess. Why don’t you go have some coffee?�
“You be careful, Michael. This girl’s no good.� She moved over to her husband.
“Jesse never told her he was gay.�
“Guess not.�
“He was always going to tell her—Jesse was always going to do things. By the way, I’m guessing that you don’t go by ‘hussy’.�
“No. I’m the Mad Hatter.�
“Well, sure you are. And I’m the White Rabbit.� He crossed his arms.
“No, you’re Michael.�
“Well, if you know my dirty little secret, then why can’t I know yours?�
Her focus shifted to something he couldn’t see. “Jesse loved that car.�
“That he did. And so you’re wondering why he would’ve been stupid enough to light up by an open gas tank in the middle of nowhere? Well, so am I.�
“And I’m wondering why his latest paramour is crying so damn loudly. Jesse broke up with him more than a week ago, and they both appeared to hate each other.�
“I got an email from Jesse about nineteen hours before he died. He wanted to discuss Daniel and the unforgivable sin.�
“Really?� She started to show some interest. “Well, if we’re going to work together on this, you should call me Maddy.�
“Work tog—on what?�
She stared at him for a moment. “My mistake. I thought that you would want to uncover what really happened.�
“Let’s get this straight. I thought that my cousin was an asshole. He was showing signs of maturity, but it was really too early to tell. He was—�
“A manwhore, a druggie, an emo, and pathetic. But there are dozens more in my class alone, and they didn’t get blown up. He was better than most of them.�
“So you want to find out what happened to him.�
“Exactly.� She twitched, almost-smiled. “Are you staying in town?�
“I was thinking about it.�
“Come to the high school on Monday. You could get tons of information that way. You look like you’re in high school.�
“I’m actually nineteen.�
“They’ll never know the difference.� She gave another little twitch-smile, then she stared at something past Michael. “Got to go. Places to see, things to know. Mothers to avoid, blame to deflect. That sort of thing.�
“Aunt Jessica,� said Michael, turning around and ignoring Madeline completely. “Why don’t we go and speak with Aunt Trish?� They turned away and moved to a large, babbling woman.
When Maddy left, the whole room relaxed. One of the cheerleaders poked another and pronounced Michael “hot�. They giggled in a quieter manner than usual.

And it’s back to school on Monday. In walked the Mad Hatter, who wouldn’t talk to anyone. A blood-red velvet top hat today, with a black ribbon all around it. A long red velvet skirt. A black and silky blouse with a corset barely visible beneath it. Big boots, big eyeliner, big everything. And behind her as a ghost stalked a tall man in leather pants and boots, with long sleeved black underarmor. He wore a chain with spikes on it, long brown hair, and eyeliner as thick as hers. The people who had stood away from Madeline fell back. One girl fainted, but got up when no one looked at her. Nobody looked away from Jesse’s doppelganger who followed Maddy. She stopped at her locker and removed her books, walking to her class, and staying unaware of the man at her back.
Daniel shrank away as the rest of them did. Maddy slid into her seat. The wraith sat behind her in Jesse’s old seat. “Morning, loves,� she said mockingly to the gaping holes of her classmates. The teacher was absent, and a substitute came to take her place. “Jesse Arnold—oh, there you are.� She gave a fake smile, wondering if this would be a problem student. The dark ones were the loudest or the quietest. On and on, the attendance finished. Maddy didn’t react to Jesse’s apparent resurrection. A few students in the back nudged each other, wondering if the girl was into necromancy. You never know.
By the end of the class, word had spread that Jesse Arnold—alive or dead—was back at school.
“Their faces were amazing,� she told Michael. “It was a bit of good luck that you had a sub, you know.� “Oh, I know. The only thing that could’ve made it better is if we had another car like Jesse’s for you to drive off in after school. Oh well. Did anyone try to talk to you?�
“A couple of football players thought about it.�
“Can you read minds, now?� He smiled a little. “It was in the way they walked up to me, opened their mouths—then saw other people watching and backed off.�
“What were their numbers?�
“Twenty-nine and eighty-seven. You’ve memorized the numbers of the football players?� He smiled a little more.
“Yes. Jesse described his conquests on the jock squad by number, not name. I remembered them because I didn’t want any gay bashing to start up.�
“You’re worried about the football players?�
“I was worried about Jesse. I figured that if anyone began to get angry about his sexual preferences, I’d ensure that they knew who else to go after. It gave him more protection.�
“Not enough.�
“No. Twenty-nine is Chris MacHalern. He’s decent enough. Eighty-seven, though… Jack Pierda… He lost his head. He’s always thought with his balls, not his brain; whenever he couldn’t find a girl to fit his needs, he’d chat up Jesse. Every single time: “Huh, I’m not a fag! Get away from me! Eugh!� He was scared that Jesse would tell the cheerleaders. If Jesse didn’t, I will.�
“There was also a girl in a pink shirt… Black hair, but it wasn’t natural…�
“That would be Anaquine. Her real name’s Anna, but she doesn’t like it. She had a crush on Jesse, and thought that if she seemed more erotic, he’d like her more. She doesn’t care for me much.� She lost her contempt while talking about Anna.
“So that was your trick. You faked your relationship with Jesse; a gay guy and a lesbian.�
“No. There aren’t enough people at the school for me to decide who I’m attracted to. She’s a sweet girl, though.� She blinked.

Interesting... yet just a little confusing. What exactly is happening???

(Honestly, it's a story inspired by my lame creative writing class from last spring. We were supposed to describe a funeral. So I did that. And then I became interested in developing it. More or less, Jesse=dead guy who was an asshole, but showing signs of maturity immediately before his death. Michael=his cousin, Madeline=his friend, and both are curious about what happened to him. My writing style also takes some getting used to.)