Chapter: After The Funeral (I highly recommend you listen to the Keane- We Might as Well be Strangers as you read. It can be downloaded via the link below.)

http/s38. the reception in The Open, Top Gun considered going to the abandoned court. But they decided not to- the memories there were too vivid. Even for Cameron and Tanis, who had only met Cody a few months ago, the pain was unbearable. Instead, they headed for roof of their dorms. It was somewhere they'd never been before, somewhere they all thought Cody would like. It had potential.
Squib clutched Mabel to his chest, swaddled in layers of blankets and sleeping peacefully, for once. She'd hardly had a moment of sleep in the past two weeks since she'd come back form the hospital- and Cody didn't. Even when the rest of the gang pitched in to baby-sit, none of them had had any sleep. But it wasn't just because of her.
Sébastien couldn't contain his fury with himself, despite what everyone said, he still believed it was all his fault. He sat far away from the group, even though Megan had tried to coax him near them. He sat still, a sentinel standing guard over Cascadia.
Squib had eyes only for Mabel- although in the beginning, he practically couldn't look at her. He put all his effort into taking care of her. Gary Furlong didn't know what he'd do if he lost the love of his life, and their daughter. Hatred still filled his chest whenever he thought of Jake, but he learned to control it. He had to, for Mabel.
Cameron and Tanis sat close. Even though Tanis had an independent streak the size of the Pacific Ocean, she didn't resist when he laid his jacket tenderly over her bare shoulders. They clutched each other close, while memories played across their minds.
Adena and Megan were gripping each other's hands so tightly that they turned white. The two best friends remembered the day Cody showed up as "the new girl." They cringed a little bit at that day- but the guilt faded as they recalled her pictures, her laugh, her smile, her everything. And all the pain of a few months ago.
The stars emerged from the sky, bright in their place, yet holding a secret. They had an enigma that they all cursed- as if they knew something they didn't.
A loud sound woke Top Gun from their reverent silence. Sébastien was clawing at the shingles, like he wanted to dig a hole right through the roof. As a few came loose in his bleeding hands, he collapsed, sobbing into the night, completely vulnerable. The noise had woken Mabel, and Squib tried half-heartedly to bring her back to sleep. Megan's chest heaved, and even though her heart had broken a million times recently, she could feel it shatter within her breast. Breaking her bind with Adena, she walked over to Séb and took his raw fingers into hers, stroking his hair and crying with him.
Adena moved closer to Tanis and Cameron, who were trying to help Squib with Mabel. A few meters away, Sébastien looked up and stared fiercely into Megan's eyes. "Promise me, promise me I won't lose you," he begged.
She searched his eyes, hoping to see into his thoughts. But as always, he was as mysterious as the stars, and she saw nothing but raw desperation. Or maybe, that was all he had. "I promise. I promise- Sébastien, I love you. Don't leave me…"
Adena watched them and felt another stone fall into her stomach- Dan hadn't supported her through this. All he cared about was getting into the A Group and telling Adena that she should just, "suck it up." She'd just walked away, and now, she was as alone as ever. There was Tanis and Cameron, Sébastien and Megan, Squib and Mabel. But now, now it was just Adena.
When the first of the sun's rays touched the bleak sky, Coach Gunnerson climbed up with them. "Mighty silent up here."
Séb and Megan didn't even turn around. Squib could only glance at him before turning back to Mabel, and Tanis and Cameron were staring at the horizon. Only Adena gazed into his eyes, and whispered, "It's not that there's nothing to say, but no way to survive once you've said it."
He nodded slowly, and returned back down from the roof.
Cameron looked up, and addressed them all. Top Gun, minus one. "What happens now?"
Squib swallowed, it was something he'd been dreading saying for a while. "I'm quitting tennis. Mabel is my life now, not…not this."
No one protested, they knew this was coming. A little while later, President Bates came up on the roof. "I'm sorry to interrupt," he said, sounding truly sorry for once, "but Mr. Dubé, your father is here."
They all came down, and Sébastien just gazed at his dad, trying to memorize his face. "What's wrong, dad?" he said, deadpan.
"Sébastien, there's no easy way to say this, and I know you've come on hard times…things just ha-"
"Just tell me. Please."
"I've been evicted. We couldn't make the rent last month. I can't afford for you to stay here anymore." Mr. Dubé looked around at his only son's friends- they all looked so shell-shocked, so empty.
"Not…here? Not at Cascadia?"
"No. Not at Cascadia."
President Bates popped in, looking sheepish and evil all at once. "And since you've already gotten an extension on your tuition...you have to leave now."
Megan turned to look at him. "Now?