Eddie's POV
I rapped my knuckles lightly on Joy's door, waiting for a signal to come in. I heard a few sniffles and a faint call of 'Come in!' before pushing the door open. Joy sat on her bed, piles of pictures surrounding her. My eye brows furrowed in confusion as I walked over to where she laid and sat beside her.
"What're you doing?" I questioned, eying the pictures that lay scattered across the bed.
"I'm just looking at some old pictures." She replied, dabbing at her red, teary eyes. I suspiciously picked up a photo and studied it. Joy had her arms wrapped around a taller girl who had red hair. They both were laughing and holding ice cream cones. I smiled slightly and tilted the photo towards Joy.
"Who's that?" I asked, pointing to the taller girl. Tears filled Joy's eyes as she swatted them away with her hand.
"That's Patricia. My best friend. She used to live here before you came."
"Where's she now?" I wondered, watching Joy take shaky breaths.
"I'm not sure. Her body's underground, but the real Patricia... I'm hoping heaven." She whispered, staring at the picture longingly.
"She died?"
"Mhm." Joy nodded, "A couple months before you got here, she passed away."
"Do you mind if I ask how she died?" I asked. I had only gotten here a few weeks before and my friendship with Joy was still new. I wasn't sure if I had the right to ask her these kind of questions.
Joy stayed silent, not wanting to answer my question, so I just dropped it. I began looking through the other pictures, smiling slightly at all the pictures of the two best friends. There were ones of just the Patricia girl, others with just Joy; most of them consisted of the two best friends together, though.
"She was in a car crash." Joy said. I glanced up at her, not knowing what she was referring to. "That's how she died."
"I'm sorry." I said, offering Joy a small smile. She smiled back before looking back at the pictures sitting in her lap.
"You remind me of her." Joy said, not looking up from the photos. "That's why I became friends with you. I knew you and Patricia would've been great friends if she was still here."
"Oh, so I'm just a replacement?" I joked. Joy grinned and shook her head.
"No. Just saying that you two are a lot alike."
That night I lay in bed, insomnia getting the best of me. The only thing I could think about was the time I had spent in Joy's room earlier. Her words kept ringing in my head.
"She was in a car crash."
"You remind me of her."
"I knew you and Patricia would've been great friends if she was still here."
It was a shame I hadn't gotten here on time for the semester. If I hadn't been late for the start of school, I would've gotten a chance to meet her. I know I never knew her, but that girl in the picture...
She was beautiful.
I don't even care if this isn't my best. I don't even care that it's short. This is the first sad story I've written in a while and damn, have I missed writing these. They just flow so easily. Review?