With the gun aimed between Jason's eyes, Tessa put her index finger on the trigger. Slowly she started to pull back the trigger.
"What are you doing?!" A voice behind her said. Tessa dropped the gun. They all turned around to see who it was. Jason opened his eyes to see the person who just saved his life. Sophie was standing there in complete dismay. Tessa ran to her and started crying. "Sophie I was just going to do a horrible thing."
"Um, who is that?" Sophie asked.
"Jason Dormain and his sister Dylan."
Sophie nodded. She looked at Vince. "Vince, get rid of those guns, and hold him." She pointed at Jason. "Tessa wait here, I will be right back."
Sophie went to the phone booth and called the police, Vince disposed of the guns, Dylan and Tessa were crying and Jason tried to regain his breath.
~*S*~
"That was the worst day of my life." An older Tessa said to her best friend, Sophie on the phone.
"Wow, I think that was my worst day also."
"OH... MY... GOSH. OH MY GOSH!" Tessa cried.
"What?" Tessa could hear Sophie's laughs.
"We have been on the phone for a half an hour and you didn't tell me?! The invitations are beautiful."
"I know! He proposed and he already had everything planned, all we needed was decorations and invitations."
"I knew you and Chris were going to be together forever."
"Be one of my bridesmaids?"
"Seriously?!"
"Yea, one problem though. Chris has Teddy as one of his ushers and the only one we could pair you up with was him."
"Oh."
"That's ok with you though right?"
"Sure."
"You haven't seen him since graduation 5 years ago... have you?"
"No. Sad right."
"Yea." They both laughed. "That tenth grade year was something, huh."
"Something and a half. Tell Chris I said congratulations, and you too! I really must go, work."
"It happens to the best of us."
"Bye."
With that they hung up the phone. Tessa got dressed to go to work. It was Tuesday. She was working at a local restaurant. Tessa had a different job for everyday of the week. Sunday she was a writer. She wrote poems and short stories, nothing major. The majority of the poems were about the love that she lost with Teddy. On Monday's through Wednesday's she was a waitress in the restaurant. Thursday and Friday she was in school trying to become a nurse. You would be a very lucky person to get Tessa out of bed on Saturdays.
Tessa drove to work. She found the table she was waiting on and went up to it. A man who looked vaguely familiar was sitting there.
"Hello I am Tessa, I will be serving you today, would you like to start off with a drink?" The man looked at her. He stared at her the whole time that he was sitting there. "Excuse me sir?"
"Oh, yes, I would like a coke."
"Coming right up." After he had finished he left his tip in an envelope. Tessa placed the envelope in her pocket and waited until her lunch break to read it. Inside the envelope was a five dollar bill. Written on the bill was: Tessa, I am surprised you didn't recognize me. Give me a call, 555-4444. Teddy. Tessa started to laugh and with first instinct, she called Sophie.
"H-hello?"
"Hey Sophie, its me, what's wrong?"
"It's Chris he's- he's"
"He is what?"
"Gone, Tess, Chris is gone."
"Where did he go?"
"He got stabbed, stabbed and now he is gone." Tessa had learned from experience that telling someone that everything was going to be all right was the wrong thing to say. Nothing will be all right.
"I will be right over." Tessa hung up and ran into her bosses office.
"Mr. Henderson?"
"Yes Tessa, come in."
"I have to go, it is an emergency."
He looked up. "What happened?"
"My best friend just got stabbed."
"Alright, go." He growled. Tessa quickly got into her car and went to Sophie's house. "Sophie." She called into the silent house. "Sophie?"Tessa walked through the house. She found Sophie in the living room. In the middle of the floor crying. "Sophie, calm down."
Sophie looked up at Tessa. Tessa was crying as well. "How could he do this to me. How could he leave without saying good bye like that?"
"I am sure he didn't mean it. Do you know who stabbed him?"
"He was going out to get us dinner. He never came home. I want him to come home. CHRIS I NEED YOU TO COME HOME!"
"He isn't coming back Sophie, but I am here, and I am going to stay with you."
"The funeral is on Monday."
"Ok, I will stay with you until Monday."
"Good." Both of them were crying so hard they could barely see each other. "I saw Teddy today."
"Did you give him you poem."
"No, I didn't know it was him. I waited on him and he gave me his number."
"Call him and tell him that the wedding is off."
Tessa nodded and went into the kitchen to call.
"Hello?" A man answered the phone, Tessa knew it was the same man from the restaurant, Teddy.
"Hi, its Tessa."
"I am glad that you called."
"Im not."
"What?"
"I am not calling because I am dying to talk to you, which I am, but I am calling you because I am with Sophie right now, after I read your little note, I called her. Chris is dead and she wanted me to tell you the wedding is off."
"Shit Tessa, are you serious."
"Why would I lie?"
"I don't know."
"I have to go, Sophie is having a mental breakdown. She is really messed up by all this."
"Well she should be."
"Goodbye."
With that they both hung up. Tessa walked back to Sophie who was now laying on her side, she was still sobbing. Tessa sat down next to her.
"There was something else I didn't tell you on the phone." Sophie looked up at Tessa. Her eyes were all red.
"What?"
"I am pregnant. We weren't going to tell anyone until after the wedding." Tessa wasn't crying before, when she called Teddy, but she was now.
"I am so happy for you." Tessa said in a desolate, robotic voice. Sophie managed a small smile.
"I take back what I said this morning. This is the worst day of my life." The two old friends sat together in the living room and cried.
Tessa stayed at Sophie's house the remainder of the week, like she promised. She called everyone on the wedding list and invited them to the funeral of the groom. The morning of the funeral, Tessa woke Sophie up.
"Today is the funeral, wake up." Sophie opened her eyes. She stood up. In that week, Sophie woke up and started crying because Chris wasn't sleeping in the bed next to her and cried for the entire day until she went to sleep again that night. In that week, Sophie managed a grand total of fifteen words and that was to the people who asked to talk to her when Tessa called them. Both of the girls dressed in black dresses they had found in the closet.
They got into the car, driving into their past. For the first time in a long time they were going back to Castle Rock for the last gathering of friends and foes. They were going to see people that they haven't seen in years. They pulled up to the cemetery. Many teary faces sat waiting for the funeral service to begin.
Tessa looked around. Paige and Ace were there. They got married right out of high school. Paige was supporting Ace, in and out of jail.
Eyeball was standing next to this girl named Jess, who was holding a little girl.
Gordie was sitting in his car, watching from a distance like he always did, Tobi was in the car with him.
Vern was there with his new girlfriend.
Teddy was standing, talking to an army officer he had found standing waiting for the service for his nephew.
Tessa and Sophie went around. Greeting and smiling at everyone, Tessa doing the greeting and Sophie doing her best at smiling. The funeral was short and sweet.