Hey there. :) Here's a new That's So Raven oneshot I cooked up. It can be seen as a sequel to my other TSR oneshot An Angel from Heaven, although it can stand on its own, of course. It's also really good (I hope).
Disclaimer: The geniuses of the Disney Channel own That's So Raven. The lyrics to Walk With You, the theme from Touched By an Angel (which I felt was appropriate for this) and Concrete Angel by Martina McBride belong to their respective owners. I own the fanfics I cook up from time to time.
The Funeral for a Hero
It was the day of a funeral. But this wasn't just any funeral.
It was the funeral of a student named Abigail Marie Watson.
Muffy, Loca, Alana, Bianca, Raven Baxter, her little brother Cory and her boyfriend Devon Carter were there. So was the Juicer. They all were wearing black. The Juicer was a little confused about that at first. But Muffy straightened him out, telling him it was for Abigail, and that she would've wanted it that way.
As the service began, they started to remember Abigail – her smile, her way of backing out of something she knew was wrong, and her way of looking at the world.
Sitting in the center of the first row of the bleachers in the gym, Abigail watched proudly as Muffy, wearing a pink dress and white cowboy hat, stood there for a moment, tears in her eyes.
"Abigail, this is for you, darling," she said. Abigail smiled.
Then Muffy launched into her performance of "Concrete Angel" by Martina McBride. In Abigail's eyes, Muffy did it quite well.
Abigail, who had tears in her own eyes, nodded along with the beat as it floated through the air like a graceful dancer.
She walks to school with the lunch she packed
Nobody knows what she's holdin' back
Wearin' the same dress she wore yesterday
She hides the bruises with linen and lace
The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask
It's hard to see the pain behind the mask
Bearing the burden of a secret storm
Sometimes she wishes she was never born
Through the wind and the rain
She stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can't rise above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where she's loved
Concrete angel
The tears coursed like two rivers down both Abigail's and Muffy's faces as Muffy sang. They knew the song was a true story about Martina's niece, who died because of abuse at the hands of her mother (who was also Martina's sister) after her mom and dad divorced.
Then when the song was finished, Muffy looked in Abigail's direction and smiled tearfully as Abigail stood up and applauded.
Back in the present, Muffy was sobbing, as was Loca.
"I miss her, Muffy," wept Loca. "I miss her so much."
"Me too, Loca, me too," Muffy replied.
"I miss her too," the Juicer wept as a memory, unbidden, came to him just then...
The shrieking inside the house grew louder as Abigail cautiously approached it. Then the Juicer appeared, looking scared, and gently took Abigail's arm.
"Juicer, what's wrong?" she asked.
"Come with me," he said as he pulled her along with him to a secret spot behind the house. Then they sat there.
Then the Juicer confessed, "You see, Abigail, my parents – they fight all the time...morning until night, all I hear is yelling and screaming."
"I understand," she replied, smiling a comforting smile.
"Your parents don't," he said. "I see them smiling at each other and at you sometimes."
"Well, that's true," she admitted. "But, don't worry. You have a friend in me."
The Juicer wasn't normally the kind of person that showed his feelings, but now he felt today was a good time to do so.
Loca smiled tearfully as she remembered a little piece of advice Abigail had given her.
"Loca! LOCA!"
Upon hearing that voice Loca stopped punching the boy, turned and blinked. There stood Abigail. She let go of the boy, who took the opportunity to take off down the hallway.
Abigail walked briskly over and placed a hand on Loca's shoulder.
"Abigail," said Loca.
"Loca, it takes a strong man – or in your case, a strong woman – to cry. And when the tears are on the outside, the inside is healing," Abigail said.
Loca let her tears go as she smiled at the memory. Abigail, it seemed, always knew the right thing to say. She was... quite philosophical in that way; even her teachers knew that.
Then they got up and walked towards the open casket. Alana patted Loca on the arm as one of Abigail's favorite songs, "Walk With You (Touched By an Angel)", the theme to the TV show Touched By an Angel that was sung by by Della Reese, started playing.
When you walk down the road
Heavy burden, heavy load
I will rise, and I will walk with you
(I will walk with you)
When you walk through the night
And you feel like you wanna just give up, give up,
give up on the fight
I will come, and I will walk with you
Walk with you
Until the sun don't even shine
Walk with you
I'll be there all the time
I tell you I'll walk with you
See you through
When you walk from this place
And you gotta go to meet Him
It's time to meet Him face to face
Take my hand and I will walk with you
Oh, oh walk with you
Till the clouds fade away
I tell you I'll walk with you
Each and every day
Oh, yes, I'll walk with you
Oh, oh oh, when nobody cares
I'll be right there by your side
If all your hope is lost
I'm the one that's gonna help you see the light
Just look into my eyes
Please know you're not alone
I'm here, I'm here by your side
Walk with you
Walk with you
Walk with you
I'll be there all the time,
I'm gonna walk with you
Walk with you
I'll be there until the clouds just fade away
Walk with you
I'll be there every day, every day, every day, every day
Walk with you
I'll be with you all the while
Walk with you
Be right there through the longest mile
Walk with you
I will walk with you
yes I will, yes I will, yes I will, I will
Walk with you
I will walk with you
I tell you I'll be there and I will
Walk with you
Believe me, I'll be there and I'll walk with you, yes I will
(I'll walk with...you...)
Alana couldn't believe what had happened. Just a few days ago she had been walking with Abigail down the school hallway, picking up tips from her on how to improve her writing (as Abigail was a genius, but kept herself grounded as she didn't want the feeling of being liked to go to her head).
Now, her best friend was lying in a casket, her eyes closed, and a smile on her face. She would never walk down those hallways again.
Alana wanted to scream and cry all at the same time. But instead, she just let the tears run down her face. It wasn't fair.
Why did Abigail have to die? She was one of the best friends I ever had (besides Muffy, Loca and Bianca). Now, she's gone.
Bianca bit her lower lip as she looked at Abigail's face. She had never realized how...beautiful Abigail had looked in life. It was like her looks were something Abigail couldn't help being born with or having.
Only Abigail never noticed her beauty at all. Or, if she did (which was pretty rare), she never flaunted it. Instead she would concentrate on her schoolwork and be very quiet.
Bianca tore her face away from Abigail's and, along with the others, focused upon the pictures surrounding the casket.
Most had Abigail smiling with sweetness. Some had her with her eyes sparkling.
Then, one by one, they walked back over to the casket and placed a red rose upon Abigail's chest. They knew red roses were Abigail's favorite flower. She just loved them. She would often say they reminded her of the enchanted rose in the Disney film Beauty and the Beast. It made sense; also, one of her favorite songs was "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal, so there was a connection there as well.
Then, later as the others were leaving the grave site where their friend was laid to rest, Alana and Muffy stayed behind, looking at the head stone of the grave.
It said,
Abigail Marie Watson
1988-2007
A teen genius, a true friend
and a great sister
Alana and Muffy felt the threat of tears coming on, and this time gladly let them fall.
They knew that the coming Monday they would turn in the hallways to see if Abigail was there. But she would never be.
Muffy would try to say, "Abigail says", but then stop and remember with tears running down her face as the painful memories would come rushing back.
Loca knew she would never be able to punch Abigail in the upper arm anymore.
"We'll miss you, Abby," said Muffy as she and Alana cried on each other's shoulders.
They would miss their friend.
But they would have her in their memories, and their hearts, for the rest of their lives.
Well, I hope you liked it. After all, a tragedy fic is hard to write at first. But soon, with a little practice, thankfully, a writer is able to get the hang of it.
Anyway, nice feedback is very much appreciated, of course. :)