Tony

The church was just as

I remembered it. Only

Half the parking lot

Was filled with cars;

A depressing thought,

Though I'm sure there

Would have been less at

My funeral.

Inside, people gathered

In the pewees for the service

To begin. At the front was,

What I guessed, was Conner's

Family.

It surprised me that his

Parents weren't crying but

Instead were starring into

The abyss that was the casket

That held the remains of their

Poor, misunderstood, son.

Vanessa and I took seats in

The very back of the room.

Soon afterward, a woman,

Probably in her late twenties,

Sat down on the other side of.

There were tears running

Down her cheeks. She looked

Like she was barley able to

Hold herself together. Vanessa

Started to tremble next to me

And I put my arm around her to

Try and comfort her.

The woman on the other

Side of me turned to me

And asked, Were you friends

Of Conner's?

"Yes." I replied. "How were

You acquainted with him?"

I was one of his teachers.

Hadn't Emily been one of

His teachers? I thought.

"You're name doesn't happen

To be Emily, does it?" I asked.

She sighed heavily.

Even here my reputation

Precedes me. But you can't

Be from around here if you

Didn't recognize me at first

Sight.

"You are right." I

Admitted. "We met Conner

After. . . your relationship

Ended."

Where did you meet him?

But from the look on

Her face, it was obvious

She knew.

"Aspen Springs."


Were you with him when. . .

Her voice caught and fresh

Tears ran down her face.

"Yes." I replied. "We

Both were."

It was my fault he was there.

She confessed. And now it's

My fault that he's here.

"No. It's not." I said

Firmly. I was going to

Say more, but the minister

Began the service.

On behalf of Conner's family,

I would like to thank you all

For coming today.

It was such an unfortunate

Thing that happened to this

Poor, young man. He must

Have been so scared when the

Cords of his climbing aquipment

Snapped. . .

What? Vanessa asked, pulling

Her head out of my shoulder.

What did he just say?

I was too stunned to say

Anything. Surely Conner's

Parents knew that wasn't

What happened to their son!

But it did make sense that

They wouldn't want people to

Know what really happened to

Their son; that it was all

Their fault.

They're lying to everyone.

That's not what happened.

Emily said in disgust.

That's not what they told

Me.

"You're right." I whispered

To her. "They're just too

Self righteous to admit what

Really happened.

Tony. You have to do

Something about this.

Vanessa whispered.

They can't get away with

That.

"They won't." I promised

Her. "I'll have a talk with

Them afterward."


After the service,

Vanessa and I went up to

Conner's casket. Thankfully

It wasn't open. We suspected

It wasn't because of the

Injuries he had sustained from

The fall.

When his parents saw us,

They gave us the strangest

Looks. I realized then that

We had never officially met

Them.

"Hi." I said, trying to hide

My hatred for these people I

Didn't know. "I'm Tony, and this

Is Vanessa. We knew Conner from

Aspen Springs."

Who let you in here? His mother

Demanded. This funeral was invitation

Only.

"We let ourselves in." I

Said, imediatley offensive.

"We just wanted to speak to

About the service."

That's none of your buisness. She

Defensively. You shouldn't

Even be here.

"Why did you lie about what

Happened?" Vanessa asked.

"What was said isn't what happened

And you know it."

"We also know that it was

Your fault Conner was there

In the first place. The way

You treated him like an animal

Instead of your son. You pressured

Him so far, he couldn't take it.

Conner was sent to that place

Because he was an overreacting

Lovesick puppydog!!!

"If that's what you think,

Then you are truly an idiot!"

I barked. I reached into the

Pocket inside my siute and

Pulled out the letter we had

Found from Conner's parents in

The shape of a paper airplane.

Folded next to it was the letter

From my dad I had gotten at the

Same time.

"Here's the letter you sent

Conner when we were on Challenge.

The other is the one from my pa.

Look at the differences.Maybe you'll

Figure out why your son really isn't

Here. Come on Vanessa, let's go."

I pulled my arm around her

Waist and led her out of the

Church without looking back.