Grand

Chapter 2

The Funeral

Written By Natalie Gradillas

The air blew swifty along the trees while the birds flew through with their music. All I see is everyone wearing black standing with their heads bowed down in respect. I don't know why but I feel like his death has something with what he wasn't telling me. I wish he had told me, but he didn't. Maybe he didn't trust me enough? No, he loved me. Didn't he?

I look to where his coffin stood. The morning sun shined its best on the brown glossy coffin, making me squint more. I can't believe my future is laying down in that closed coffin. We were planning on getting married after high school or college maybe. I wanted my future to be with him, now all I see is a painful lonely road.

I never inmagined life without him. He was always there, never would I have thought that we would have to burry him in an over priced box made of wood.

When the paramedics pronouced his death to me and his friends that horrible day at the beach party. I felt my body go into shutdown mode, the oxygen in my body stop flowing through my empty body, my heart stop functioning.

I remember seeing him lying down in coffin, he looked so peaceful at the Wake. I wanted to lay down with him and cuddle. Actually, I still want to. I feel my eyes get extremely moist. I look over to his father, who was on the floor crying his heart and eyes out. He might have been a distant father to Nathan but he was trying his best.

Why would this ever happen? Why would someone so nice be shot? I guess that's only life, yeah but it sucks. It's kind of hard to beileve that stuff like this happens everyday.

The preacher finished his reading, I have no idea what he said, I'm guessing no else listened either, Im pretty sure everyone is remebring that times they had with Nathan. He is my only love and I don't think that I will never find someone as good as him. He was the guy girls dreamed about, he is the prince in the fairtales. He will always be the prince in my heart.

Everyone followed me and Nathan's dad in his car to the house. Me and his dad were silent the whole drive there. Once we made it to his house, I had a flashback to the morning of the beach party, how I waited for him on the bench. I fell to my knees and cried my eyes out.

No one can ever calm me down, I hate it when people tell me that it's going to be okay, how the hell do they know, they can't see the future. Brooke is also here and I never once thought I would ever see her with her mouth close. She walk over to me and hug me. I cried on her shoulder until my eyes felt dry.

Brooke woke me up, I have fallen asleep in her shoulder so she laid me down on the couch. "Haley, honey. Do you want to go home?" I could her the pain in her voice as she spoke to me. I slowly nod, I must look like a zombie. She help me up and slowly walk to the front door.

Night fell on us as we walk out. She help me into the car then she ran to the other side then started for my house. She tried to help me out but I told her that I would be fine.

Now as I lay down my bed, I try to picture my life without Nathan. I see a blank picture in my head. There is no future without him. He was the light to my night, now it looks like I will never get a chance to see now. I might find some flashlights but it's not the like I'm living in the dark now, must as well get used to it. Love like ours is what almost everyone I know always dream about having, I had my dreams but it ended with a bullet.

I felt the morning shine aganist my body, the heat of the rays warming me up from the cold of the night. My eyes look around the room trying to notice something different. My eyes stop on his picture, maybe it was a dream. Yeah, he will laugh when I tell him about this nightmare.

I run down the stairs with my pj's still on. Brooke was there, she must have passed out. I run to her and shake her awake. When her eyes opened, the look in them remind me that what happen yesterday wasn't a dream. I fell to my knees, Brooke suddenly flew out of her hangover and ran to me before I hit my head. "Haley, are you okay?" I look at her with my moist eyes, "I thought that it was just a nightmare but the look in your eyes gave it away." She hugs me and doesn't say anyhting because she knows that when someone says, "I'ts okay." Just means that it's not okay also it's just a poor way to stay away from the truth. Yeah, she did say that when she was holding me back when Nathan was shot. Yeah, well it slip her lips. Honest mistake.

"Brooke?" Brooke turns to look at me, "Yeah?" I look at her and wait for a minute, "Do you think this pain will ever go away?" She looks at me with a pained expression, she has to know this answer, her uncle was shot like 3 years ago. She was in extreme pain because he was like a father to her when her parents were off somewhere god knows where. He was the only adult in her family that actually saw the potential in her. He always convinces her that just marrying a rich guy is never a good thing. He always wanted her to persue her dreams and to never listen to her parent's put downs.

"Haley, the pain is never really going to go away just your going to realize some day that they wouldn't like to see you like this. They would only want to see you happy and continue living your life."

"Brooke, I don't think I can do that." She hugs me then rocks me, "I know baby, I know. Soon, you will see. I promise."

I hope she is right, I hate feeling weak and vulnearble. I just want Nathan to come inside with the hidden camera crew and say, "You just been punk'd" Well not those exact words but somethng along those lines. But then again, Brooke was always a terrible actress. So, it can't be a prank, maybe she went to acting school. This can't really be happening, Nathan was a good person. He could've help the world someday, now we may ever find out beacuse his life had to be cut short.

I felt my body go numd then my eyes close while I drift off to sleep. In my dream, Nathan was standing in front of me with a tuxedo on. He lookd so handsome. He looks at me and I can see the pain in them. I want to run to him but my body seems to be frozen or glued. He sighs then walks to me. The way he walks reminded me of an angel, he walk so graceful. He stop when he reached me, then he looked down. I want to just hug him and kiss him again. "Haley, this is a dream. I was told to wait for a year to do this. But they don't know you like I do. I want you to know that I will always be in your heart. I'm going to watch your every move. I'm always going to be with you. This is another sign that we arn't meant to be together but I already played my part apart oif your life. I'm glad that I had a chance to know you. You are my angel, I want to see you show your wings to the world."

My eyes fly open, "Brooke?!" i look around and notice that I am in my room. I yell out again, "BROOKE!?" My mom comes in, hugs me and says, "Brooke is in the bathroom. She will be here in awhile." I nod then cry on my mothers shoulders.

I hear the door open, I see Brooke standing there. My mom kisses me on the head, hugs Brooke then leaves. Brooke sits next to me and hugs me. "Brooke, have you ever had a dream of you uncle? Like him telling somthing similar to like he will always be there and watching you?" Brooke really didn't reply right away, probaly thinging of somthing to say, the question maybe caught her by surprise, then again that's my speicalty.

I turn to look at her and I did get her by surprise. "Brooke, breathe." I see her take s deep breath of air then she turns to me. I smile at her expression, "Haley, I'm guessing you had that dream." I nod while her face starts to turn pale by the second. "Haley, you know that he was trying to make you start to move on." I nod again, "Brooke, he said something like like he broke the rules of where ever he was banished to, he said he had to wait a year to talk to me but he said that he knows me so he came." Brooke chuckles for a second, I notice some of her color come in her pale face. "He told me that he will always be in my heart and he is going to watch my every move. Also, he said that this is another sign that me and him were not meant to be together but he said that he has played a part in my life and he is glad to have had a chance to meet me. He even called me his angel and he wants me to show my wings to the world." I turn to look at Brooke, who has some humor in her eyes, I thought it would be awhile until I saw her humor back, "Brooke, what is it?" She laughs, "Okay but please don't get mad or offended. But he is still as cheesy as he was when he was alive." We both start to laugh, yeah it felt good to laugh, but kind of wrong.