Ending 1

Glancing up to the front of the room, my eyes immediately found Hayley's staring sweetly back at me. My throat tightened but I managed to smile at her, returning her lively grin. Her eyes were bright and full of life, filling me up inside. Sighing, I looked away from the picture to the beautiful sunflowers next to it.

Suddenly, I could hear laughter, Hayley's mixed with my own, drowning out the murmurs in the hall from the people that were still here at the funeral home. The room I was in, the big one where they hold the service, was empty and dark, occupied only by me and lit by bright candles up at the front.

In my mind ran all the memories of the past months spent with Hayley. I could see her laughing at some joke or other while I sat next to her, grinning, with a hand on her knee. The memory shifted to the small building where we got slushies. I was seeing Hayley's face again as she matched up our hands and said the three words that had meant everything. As another moment took its place in my mind, I felt a light hand on my shoulder, lips on my temple then underneath my jaw. My heart beat faster and then all the memories disappeared.

"Hayley?" I whispered to the silence, feeling the hand switch to my other shoulder and run through my hair, which had grown out in the past few month. "Hayley, I love you. I always will. I'll miss you, Hal, but I'll get through it. I love you."

My whispers stopped and then suddenly the hand was gone, the lips were gone, and then a real hand quickly replaced them. At that moment, I knew she was gone, up in Heaven or wherever you go. She was where she now belonged and for that I was grateful, though the pain in my heart overwhelmed me.

"Max? You okay?" Grace's voice was soft and genuine as I turned around and looked at her. She actually looked concerned. Yes, Grace looked concerned, and for me.

"Yea, I think so," I said, standing up and putting an arm around her. Shock went through me when she didn't shake it off. Through the doors that led to the hall I could see the last people leaving, as Mrs. Bridge and Mom talked quietly, their faces somehow at peace now. Dan and Dad were standing just inside the doors, also talking quietly, though they both looked over at me and smiled. I nodded back to them and then Grace left me to go join Melanie and Patrick who had been talking about something excitedly out in the hall. And then Mrs. Bridge walked up to me and wrapped her arms around my middle, holding me for a minute.

"You still come over and see us, okay?" she asked, pulling away and wiping her fingers quickly under her eyes.

"Of course, Mrs. Bridge," I replied, smiling at her.

The service had been beautiful, full of light and life, and Hayley's favorite flowers. Many people had had stories to give – her softball team, a teacher, Patrick, Susie and Melanie. Unable to go up to the front and speak myself (what was there to say that I had not said at one point or another? I could not describe my love for Hayley to these people) I listened intently to the stories everyone else told, finding the ability to laugh somewhere inside of me, though silent sobs shook my body the entire time.

"She had such a great life. It was short, but it sure was good," she said softly, looking past me to the front of the room. I knew she would see Hayley smiling back at her.

"I know," I replied, equally softly, blinking furiously. "I know."