? |DREAMS TO REALITY| ? [SCHOOLBUSGRAVEYARD X READER]

CHAPTER 30 - It's Time

"Actually..." He raised his head to look out into the field and said, "I might be more scared of your mom."

Emma held Ben's wrist and arm on the field, twisting it slightly while he was knocked to the ground. She then turned her head to the tan girl watching from a distance and asked, "Did you see how I did that, Taylor?"

"Y-yeah," Taylor nervously replied, feeling scared, while Aiden stood beside her, applauding her performance.

Tyler observed Y/N, amazed at how she had managed to withstand the woman's strength. Despite their equal skills, he couldn't help but feel a mix of fear and admiration towards her. Keeping his worries to himself, he let out a small grunt and turned his head.

"Okay, how about we stop here for today?" Emma stretched her body while Aiden and Taylor went to check on Ben. The attack from the woman made him feel dizzy, so the two individuals crouched down to see how he was doing.

"Safe." Logan was relieved that the training had finally ended before it was his turn. However, he was suddenly taken by surprise when Ashlyn's father snatched him in a chokehold position.

"Don't let your guard down." Mike's sudden attack left the brunette trembling as he was caught in the man's grasp. Logan felt like his soul had left his body.

The group had gathered around Ashlyn. Y/N sat beside her, keeping to herself and looking down at the ground. She was starting to feel bored and just wanted to go to bed, eat, and sleep. It might seem like a lazy thing to say, but she wasn't lazy. Her expression often made her look that way, but she was just sleepy most of the time, even though she wasn't trying to. Right then, she was starting to actually feel slightly tired.

"You kids want come in and play some board games? I'll make sandwiches." Emma invited Ashlyn and the group, but as tempting as it was, they knew they couldn't because of their plans.

"We can't..." Taylor politely declined, "...We have to study for our midterm."

"...Ah. Sorry to hear that. We'll just...uh- bring the sandwiches to you then." Mrs. and Ms. Banner then started heading inside.

"Study hard!" Mike waved with a smile. His comment reminded Y/N of her dad as she watched them go inside.

"Haha, that midterms joke was great."

"It wasn't a joke, you idiot-" Tyler said towards Aiden's comment as he turned to him with his arms crossed.

"Wait- When is it due again?" Y/N questioned, completely forgetting about the deadline as she snapped out of her daze, raising her head to focus on the group.

"-They're next week..."

She looked to the side and saw Tyler's brown eyes on her. They briefly locked eyes before he looked away, and she could sense some anger in his gaze. She wondered what was bothering him. Just then, she spotted Ashlyn sneaking off quietly, as if aware of someone else's presence. Walking past a bus, she peeked behind it. Aiden and Taylor noticed Ashlyn's behavior and approached her to see what was wrong.

When Y/N saw Taylor, memories from a month ago came rushing back. Since then, she hadn't really spoken much to Taylor. Despite Taylor's attempts at small talk, Y/N still felt the need to apologize for the hallway incident. The guilt weighed on her, but she struggled to find the right words. She knew she needed to apologize, but with everything going on, she never found the right moment. With a sigh, she looked off into the distance.

She heard a voice unexpectedly, sharp and alert. When she turned her head, she saw Tyler's slightly narrowed brown eyes looking at her with a frown.

"Did you ever apologize to Taylor."

Y/N was surprised when the topic was brought up, as she instantly knew what he was talking about. She never expected him to bring it up, but it was somewhat expected since he was just a typical protective brother. However, she couldn't necessarily blame him since she still hadn't even apologized yet. She looked away to the side, a hint of shame visible on her face, but she didn't want him to see. The silence was enough to confirm his answer.

"Look, I am not like my sister. I'm not so forgiving and forgetful when it comes to things like that. The reason I didn't bring it up is because she told me not to. But I won't let it go until you apologize to her. Call me whatever you want, but I am just looking out for my sister, Got that." He said, turning to her with his expression unchanged.

Y/N glanced at him and sighed before saying, "I see where you're coming from, but I won't be told what to do."

"I'm just telling you."

"It's still an order when your telling me to do it."

Tyler gave her an annoyed look and said, "Okay, fine. But I still think you should apologize to her. My sister just wants to help you, for some reason." He rolled his eyes as he turned his head.

"Right...got the message."

Y/N noticed the others returning, prepared to continue with the plan. Although he was being rude, he seemed sincere, but his tone still came across as angry. She wasn't sure if he was mad at her or something else. Regardless, she would understand if he was upset with her.

"Why are you suddenly telling me this now."

He turned to her and said, "I just wanted to set things straight."

"Uh-huh... okay, and you waited a whole month to tell me this. Why is that exactly?"

"What makes you think I'm going tell you."

"It's called peak of interest, ever hear of it?"

"Your lack of response suck."

"Could say that same for you."

Ashlyn watched as the two individuals stared at each other, feeling confused and sensing the tension in the air growing thicker. She felt a strange aura, as if they were about to attack each other.

The group watched with concern as they observed the two. "Are you two finished?" Ashlyn sighed before refocusing on the next plan of action.

In the phantom dimension, the group sat on the edge of the wall, using it as a barricade. They seemed bored, with their feet hanging over the ledge. They all wore matching long-sleeved bodysuits and sneakers, possibly to blend in. Y/N was focused on something below that the group could see.

ASHLYN POV

The lights arrived around a week ago, along with these suits Aiden bought on a whim. We've been steadily putting the lights up at night while Aiden keeps them charging at his house. Then the charge transfer over into the phantom dimension.

There's a slight problem though...

Just below the group, a group of phantoms stood staring up at them from behind the lights they had set up. It was obvious that the phantoms were affected by the lights because they were moving away, even though they could still be seen. It was frightening to see the phantoms with their eerie gaze fixed on the group as they looked down at them.

Yeah. That.