It's not my best piece of work, but I still thinks it's a sweet friendship story.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
I can't pretend
To know how you feel
But know that I'm here
Know that I'm real
Say what you want
Or don't talk at all
I'm not gonna let you fall
Reach for my hand
'Cause it's held out for you
My shoulders are small
But you can cry on them too
Everything changes
But one thing is true
Understand
We'll always be more than a band
-"More Than Just A Band" from Lemonade Mouth
A soft knock sounded at the Corrigan's door, and Ashley Corrigan wiped her eyes before answering it.
She found herself facing all of Daniel's friends standing on her doorstep with their backpacks. They'd obviously come straight here after school.
"Is Daniel home?" Eric asked, softly.
"He's in the backyard," Ashley swallowed. "Go ahead, but Georgie's napping, so try to be quiet."
Mollie nodded, and they stepped through the door, heading straight for the back door.
They found Daniel lying on the ground, staring up at the sky, with tears running down his cheeks and a picture of him and his grandmother held in his hands, which he rested on his chest.
"I don't want to talk about it," Daniel whispered.
Rohan shrugged. "We don't mind."
Louisa, Rohan, Eric, and Mollie laid on the ground with Eric and Louisa on one side and Mollie and Rohan on his other. They'd chosen to leave Rose at home, due to the sensitive subject.
"You can save your sympathy or your I know this is hard or whatever else you want to say. I heard it all at the funeral," Daniel stated, flatly.
"I'm not going to pretend to know how you feel," Mollie told him. "I've never lost anyone close to me, and I can't even imagine how you're feeling, losing your Gram. We won't say anything if you don't want us, too, but… we're here. And no matter what you say or do, we're not going anywhere."
Silence reigned for a few moments.
"This is different," Daniel murmured.
"What is?" Louisa asked, curiously.
"Having friends. In Philadelphia, I wasn't the most popular kid," Daniel said. "I was an outsider, and now, I have a group of friends. It's kind of hard to adjust to that."
Eric smiled. "We were all like that. Before we gained our powers, we were outsiders, loners. Louisa was too shy; Rohan was too sophisticated; Mollie has, what I like to call, a unique attitude that is hard to get used to, but is amazing once you do."
"Nicely said," Mollie muttered.
"And I was actually very awkward before I met these guys," Eric chuckled, softly, before turning serious again. "But strange circumstances brought us together, just like when you came along. We were alone, but now, we have each other, and when you become a part of this group, you make an unspoken promise to never let the other members feel alone ever again."
"Did you get that out of a fortune cookie?" Daniel asked.
"No, I got it from Louisa. She's actually very good at putting feelings into words."
Louisa laughed. "Thanks, Eric, but Daniel, seriously, you're not alone, and you never will be again. Your Gram's death is hard for you; there's no denying that, and grief is not fun in the slightest. But we'll be with you every step of the way."
"We're friends, Daniel," Rohan said, repeating his words from the day Daniel learned their super power secret. "Aren't we? And friends don't let friends feel alone."
"I'm glad I became your friend," Daniel said. "At first, Mollie kind of scared me. I felt too shy to talk to Eric, and I don't really talk to girls, so Louisa was out. And with all your secrets, I wasn't sure how my friendship with Rohan would go. I honestly didn't expect our friendship to last, so I prepared myself for us to grow apart or whatever. I'm glad it lasted and that I became friends with the rest of you."
"We're glad that we became your friend, too," Mollie said. "And don't tell anyone about this sappy thing I'm going to say, but… our group of friends wouldn't be the same without you."
Silence descended for a few seconds.
"You were right. That was totally sappy," Daniel laughed, "but thanks. For being here."
"It's what friends do. And Daniel, one more thing: I don't need mind reading powers or anything to know what you're thinking," Eric said. "Even if we had a choice on whether or not to tell you about our powers, we would've been friends with you whether you knew or not. And I'm sure we would've told you. We are not just friends with you because we had no other choice but to tell you our secret. We're friends with you because we want to be. Simple as that."
Daniel nodded. "Thanks, Eric."
"No problem. Now, it's up to you. What do you want to do?" Eric asked.
"Let's go to the tree fort," Daniel said, much happier than before. His grief had not disappeared entirely; far from it, actually. But for the first time since his Gram died, he felt like he could move on with the help of his new friends.
Daniel and his friends walked into the house, and his mother, Ashley, managed a watery smile at seeing the small grin on Daniel's face.
He hadn't looked so happy since his Gram passed away, and Ashley was thankful that her son had found such good friends. They'd always be there for her son, even in his darkest hour. And Ashley (and Daniel) knew that without a doubt.
Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading! Goodbye, everyone!