You know that froggy stroke you do all the time when you're a kid in the pool? I think it's original name is "breaststroke," but my swim teacher never let me say that, because she thought it was too dirty for a six year old. But anyways, that's how I was floating around my neighborhood. Just doing that ol' froggy. 

My angel soared through the air right next to me, all gracefully. Unfair advantage, having wings and all. "Do you have a name?" I asked, as I looked down at the neighborhood's trees. They were all withering from the extraordinary July heat. 

She uttered some gutteral mystical beautiful word which I couldn't possibly understand. But I was pretty sure it started with an F so I resolved to call her Fred. When I told her this, she tilted her head in confusion. "Is that not a male's name? I appear as a woman to you, do I not?" 

"Well, I guess it is short for Fredrick, but it could also be short for-" I had to think about this for a second. "Fredricka?" Nice save there, Geniveve. 

She was unbothered by this decaration and stared down at the world I used to inhabit. "We are here to do what exactly?"

"I told you before, Fred. I'm haunting my best friend. And if you have truly stalked me my entire life, then you'd know that we promised each other that the person who died first would get to-" I trailed off for a second before saying in a small voice, "scare the other at her nursing home. Well, I guess it's not going to be at the nursing home now. But you've got to make the best out of a situation," 

It was evening, and I estimated it was about 6 hours since my- well, demise. Time flies when you're dead. I knew my way to Rosie's house by heart. At this point, it was basically my second home. One time we got lost in the town, and I was the one who knew the way back to her house, not her. Speaking of our town, I saw it in entirety now, zooming past me. It was so.. Alive. If that makes sense. 

Life was going on without me. Oof. That's a hard reality. 

"So I've been thinking, maybe this death thing isn't so bad at all," 

"You are accepting your fate?" 

"Yes," I answered Fred, floating on my back for a second so I could look at her. "Now, my English teacher is totally going to name her daughter after me," Before school ended, Mrs. Dvořák announced that she was having a  baby girl, and I of course mentioned the beauty of the name "Geniveve." She actually confirmed that it was definetely on the list of consideration. "Also if Rosie has a girl or maybe a beautiful cat, she'll name it after me too. In order to remince about me. And then I'll look down from heaven, and there will be a mighty army of Genevives." 

Fred didn't respond but I still felt like she was judging me. "Hey, I am a dead fifteen year old girl who had her life very tragically cut short. I am allowed to find solace in these things. Wait," I stopped moving forward through the air, and snapped my fingers excitedly. "What if Rosie  has twins, one a boy and one a girl, and she names the girl Genevive and the boy Ryan. That would be so amazingly perfect." 

"These are... very Earthly things," Fred said in a deadpan voice. 

"Well seeing as I will be leaving Earth in a bit, can I please, pretty please enjoy these kind of things for a teeny tiny bit? I'll tell Jesus all about it. I'm excited to go but I just need to do this, okay?" 

Before she responded, I saw Rosie's house from the sky. Like everything else, it was so normal. But this time, instead of going there for a sleepover or getting ready for church with her, I was visiting for the last time. This was the final time that I'd ever go to this earthly place and that stung. And probably the last time for a long time that I would be face to face with my best friend. 

Not that I wanted to see her again any time soon. I'd be waiting in heaven, and I wanted to wait as long as I possibly could. She was going to have a wonderful life, and I'd be watching down, waiting until she was an old great grandma. Or maybe great-great grandma.  When she would pass, I'd be the first one there for her. 

I floated down to her door, and panicked for a second. "Wait, I forgot my key at home," I put my hands to my head. Yes, I had a key to her house. "How are we going to get in?" 

Fred gave me her signature blank stare. "Ohhhh, right," I chuckled, a bit embarrassed. "I'm a ghost," 

"Not a ghost," She corrected. "a soul," With that, we both breezed through the front door. I snorted to myself a bit. Casper the Ghost had nothing on me. 

It was eerily quiet. Something I was never used to here. From the hallway, I could see the kitchen where Rosie and I made coffee drinks at two in the morning. "Rosie?" I called out, imagining for a second that she could hear me. Wait a second, what was I doing here? I DIED six hours ago. This would be the pinnacle time of grief. How could I see her like that? 

But I needed to see her for some reason. To say goodbye in a way? I was still human. I was selfish. So I continued on, savoring every detail of this house I spent so much of my life in. Figurines of saints, Mother Mary, and Jesus were all over the shelves. Funny- I was going to meet them in a bit. What a strange concept. 

I floated up the stairs, not touching the steps. It would have been fun if I wasn't dead. I turned the corner to Rosie's room. The door was shut. Of course I tried to knock but my hand just went through it. Fred was behind me, not saying a word. I looked at her, looked at the door, and looked back again before entering in as quietly as I could. I guess it doesn't matter, seeing as no one can hear or see me. 

Rosie was sitting on her twin bed. And she wasn't crying. Thank you, God. I couldn't have dealt with that. It was the same Rosie, with her curly black hair that went past her shoulders, and tanned brown skin. She was staring at her phone, watching something with headphones on. I sat next to her, forgetting that I was a ghost and fell through the bed. 

The struggle of being a soul. 

But I saw what she was watching- my youtube channel. I let out a choked laugh. "Of course she only watches me and gives me views when I'm dead,"  I choked out to Fred. "I hope she's at least subscribed to me now," I wanted to tell myself to not to joke, but that was my thing.

 And it was so strange, as I watched her. It was nice to stare at her. Comforting in a way. I don't know, does that make sense? But I couldn't do it forever. Well I could, but it probably wouldn't be great for me to do so. "Rosie, you can't hear me." I said in a loud voice. "But I love you, so so much. And I hope you know that for as long as you live," She obviously couldn't hear me as she stared at her screen.

I reached out to her and hugged her. My hands slipped through her, but she bolted up and stared in my direction. I smiled at her for a moment and she smiled back. I don't know if that meant that she saw me but she knew I was there. "Goodbye," I whispered as Fred placed her hand on my shoulder. "See you soon," 

We left, floating up through the ceiling and out of the roof. I hadn't realised that I was crying until I saw my reflection in my angel's eyes. "Are you ready to go?" Fred asked me with a tender voice. 

"What?? No! I can never be ready." I choked. "I want to say goodbye to everyone. My parents, my family, my teachers, Alexandra from history class. They all mean-" I sobbed, wiping the snot of my nose for a second. This was messy. "They all mean so much to me," 

"You cannot stay here forever," Fred said firmly. "Souls do choose to do that sometimes, but eventually they fade away, forgotten to even themselves. Eternal life is not in this plane of reality. But I do know a way that you can say goodbye."