Drew pulled the black jacket over his broad shoulders, letting it fall heavily. He checked the mirror one last time, making sure his hair was lying perfectly. It's not like he had anyone to impress so he shouldn't have cared. But of course, he did. Even if she couldn't see him, he could still see her. He nodded at himself in the mirror before turning the light off.
As he walked through the house, his mind drifted off to the happy and spunky girl. He stopped in his living room when he saw the picture of them from just a few weeks ago at the beach. He slowly walked up to it and picked it up, staring at it for a few moments before he placed it face down on the table. His mind had been filled with her all day; it was driving him insane. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind, and left the house, locking the door behind him.
Drew never thought this day would ever happen. He knew it had to happen at some point, but he hoped it would be much further into the future. He drove slowly through the city, trying to prolong the inevitable. He knew he had to be at the occasion; he just didn't want to be there. He didn't want to face the truth. Pulling into a parking spot, he saw many of his other friends dressed in black as well. He made his way to the door, just as Ash was arriving with Misty. Misty was sobbing hysterically, while Ash kept a straight face and patted Drew on the shoulder. He looked back at the blue sky again before going into the building.
The whole building smelt of death. What else was it supposed to smell like? It was a funeral home after all. Drew had never been in one; he didn't know how to react. People came up to him, hugging him, crying. He couldn't even act like himself, he was so numb. How do you react when someone you love dies? How can you react? Drew looked around, growing dizzy from all of his emotions hitting him at once. The only thing that could bring him back to normal was her. She was no longer here though; there would be no normal for Drew.
The clock on the wall stroked one o'clock, letting people know it was time to go into the room. Everyone filed in, while Drew stood out in the hall. He debated on going in. He could always just leave. In the back of his mind, he knew he couldn't do that to her. He had to see her off. He had to see her one last time, even if she was dead. Slowly, he took the few steps that put him inside the room with the other people he knew and loved. The preacher had begun talking a few moments back so without interrupting him, he took a seat in the back.
There was an open casket that sat just behind the preacher. You couldn't see much of her, only outlines of her facial features. Drew couldn't take his eyes off of her. He couldn't believe that the girl wasn't going to sit up and pretend it was all a joke. This is real life, he thought to himself. That only happens in movies. He let his mind envelope his body, bringing back memories of everything they had done together. His thoughts were only interrupted when he could hear uncontrollable crying from her friends. This made him feel even worse. He was angry that he couldn't have time with her anymore, but knowing that everyone else couldn't either made the feeling worse.
Before the ceremony had started, the preacher asked Drew if he would say something since he was the closest to her. He unwillingly agreed. The preacher called him up after a prayer. He took his time standing up and making his way to the front of the room. Everyone had turned to look at him. Everyone's faces were stained red from crying. He felt like the walk was a walk of shame. Tears fell one by one down his face. He gripped the podium to steady himself. "Well, we all know why we're here. I don't need to explain that. But I don't think anyone knew her as well as I did. No one knew all of her little quirks. No one knew what she hated most. No one knew that every one of the roses that I had given "Beautifly" were actually for her." He put air quotes around Beautifly. "No matter how much I crap I gave her, she always came back ten times harder. She's the girl that can take insults as criticism and make the best out of it. If you wanted a real fight, she would always be there to put you in your place. Being such a happy person, it's hard to believe that we're here." He looked back at the casket, taking a look at her. Another tear fell down his face. "I'm done." He pushed away from the podium and moved back to his seat. The preacher took the microphone back and started another prayer.
The preacher stopped talking, letting people come up to the casket and say their final goodbyes. They all hesitated at first, but a few began to filter up. Drew wanted to wait until everyone was gone. He wanted to be the last one to see her. Misty and Ash were the first ones to go up. They were followed by Dawn and Barry. He recognized a few other faces: Gary, Max, Harley, Solidad, Brock, Reggie, Paul. They all walked in a line, slowly stopping by the casket to say a few words.
It was Drew's turn. He noticed a bouquet of roses next to him. He knew those were the flowers he sent, so he was okay with pulling one from the bouquet. He brought it to his nose before walking forward. Tears began falling down his face as he got closer. He couldn't handle his emotions. He knew he wasn't the type for showing how he felt but this was a time he needed to. He needed to release his emotions. He hovered over the casket, looking at the girl lying there stiff. There was no life to her body, even with how much makeup the artist had put on her. No one could make her look the way she did just two weeks before. Her brown hair laid flat against the pillow with a pink veil that she wore during one of her contests. He reached in and placed his hand on her cheek, stroking it lightly.
The tears started falling heavier. He fell to his knees, his hand holding onto the casket for support. "Why? Why did this have to happen?" He stood back up. He looked down at May's precious face. "Why did you have to leave me!?" He shouted at her, even though he knew she couldn't talk back. He placed the rose in her hand. "Didn't you know I need you here?" He turned his back to her, resting against the casket. He let out a heavy sigh, proceeding a deep breath. He turned back and put his hand on the lid of the casket. "May, I love you. I won't forget about you." He pulled the lid down and walked out of the room, making a promise that he'll never break.