After the Rain

The minister had stopped reciting prayers and asked for members of the family to come up to say a few last words. Marco looked up to the front benches where the Michalchuk sat, Mr. And Mrs. Michalchuk had decided not to go up but Paige had stood up and walked over to the podium.

She looked over everyone and her dull blue eyes focused on the back doors, not making eye contact with anyone as she spoke.

"Dylan has been my brother for over sixteen years and I couldn't ask for a better sibling. He taught me to ride my first bicycle, to rollerblade, to ice skate, and how to drive a car. When he told us that he was gay, I didn't know how to react. I mean, it was my brother and he was attracted to guys. It was hard to understand and get use to it, but at the same time, I had always knew."

Tears rolled down her shrinken pale cheeks, "It's not fair that he can't be there to see me at graduation, that he can't see my wedding, or see his nieces and nephews when we're older. He'll never be able to marry or have a family, because of what happened. If I could, I would get that man who killed him, that son of a-"

The minister stepped in nervously, "Yes, Paige. I expect many of us feel the same. Do you have anything else to say?" She nodded her blonde head, "Yes, can Marco Del Rossi please step up here?"

All eyes turned to him and Marco was glued to his seat, Ellie nudged him out of the bench and into the aisle.

The dark boy came to the front and Paige turned to him with pink eyes, "You have helped me a lot during this, more then you can think. I know Dylan meant everything to you, as he did to me. I know you have something to say up here, so I'm going to leave you to it then."

The girl stepped down and went back to her seat, Marco felt all of the attention direct to him and their eyes burned into his face. He took in a breath, not too sure what to say.

He began, "Well, I guess all I can say is...that I loved him."

Small murmurs and gasps erupted.

"Yeah, I loved Dylan, I always had. He was perfect, someone you could get along with and laugh with in till you cried tears. You could talk about your deepest nightmares to him and he'd comfort you, you could count on him. Paige is right, he was my everything, and I feel incomplete without him. Dylan was more then a boyfriend, he was a real friend."

He gazed around, "I still can't understand why that person did it, well, I do know why. He killed him because he was different. He killed him because he was gay and he didn't like it. I'll never understand why he thought it was justified, to kill him."

Marco shook his head, biting his lower lip and letting his eyes stare off into space, "I'll never understand."

He didn't want to go, he didn't want to see.

A hand shook his shoulder and Marco looked up to semi concerned eyes of Craig Manning. His friend asked, "Man, what's going on?"

Their band was practicing in Craig's garage, Jimmy and Spinner had stopped playing and was staring at him. The shorter boy opened his mouth and uttered, "I-I..." He nearly fled out of the garage and threw himself outside, leaning his back against the wall.

Marco had a hand over his mouth, his face crimped and tears streaming.

It had been a few days and he hadn't told any of his friends what happened, except for a few people. He sobbed and gave an intaken gasp as someone stepped out of the garage.

It wasn't anyone he expected.

Paige Michalchuk stepped into the low sunlight and found him, she asked, "Hun, why aren't you inside with your band?"

Marco whispered, "I couldn't....I can't..."

He tried to get a grip on himself and the blonde said slowly, "I'm came here to find you and tell you something. The guy who....he's here." His big eyes were blinking, "Wha- H-Here?"

"He lives right down the street from us, his family has been here as long as we have and went to the same school as Dylan. He's been going around, saying what he did. At court, he told the judge exactly what happened, laughing and smiling. Marco, he was smiling..."

Paige made a tiny whimper, unable to continue.

Marco shook his head and began screaming nonsense at the top of his lungs, kicking at the leaves and dirt on the ground. The guys must have heard him from inside because they all came out and watched him throw a angry fit.

The Italian boy collapse into a ball of trembling nerves.

Jimmy said after a few seconds, "Whoa.

Spinner and Craig knelt beside Marco and helped him up, holding him up by under his arms. It took a moment for the boy to say, "Dylan's dead." Paige interrupted, being held steady by Jimmy, "They know, I told them." Craig offered, "We're really sorry, Jimmy and I had left before it happened, we didn't know man." Marco swallowed, "He doesn't care about what he did, he only felt proud. That sick bastard."

No one said anything, the only thing that could be heard was the chirruping of birds.