These Friends Of Mine, chapter 26
A tear drop fell onto the tombstone, or maybe it was the rain. They couldn't tell. Billie let a tear roll down his cheek and it mixed the rain water. Then he handed the umbrella he was holding to Adrienne and crouched down next to Mike.
"Hard to believe, ain't it?" he asked.
"Hell yeah it is... She was just by my side a few days ago." he replied. "And now she's gone."
Billie choked on the next words he had planned to speak. Instead, he gently patted Mike on the shoulder and stood up. He brushed himself off and joined Adrienne under the umbrella. He avoided eye contact with her for fear that it would make him even more depressed.
Her make up was smugged, tears flooding her cheeks like the cold rain was the graveyard. It was a week after Jade's death, which was a tragic incident in intself. Her closet friends were now visting her grave for the first time since the funeral.
It was definatly hard to take in. She was gone. At first they refused to except her death, but over time they realized that denying it would only make it harder. It really made them wish that they had used the time more wisely.
After a few moments of a solem silence they were all nearly completly drenched from head to toe. The umbrellas seemed like they were made of swiss cheese. Tre kicked at the muddy ground in the awkward silence, eager to get it over with. He nudged Billie.
"I think we should go." he whisperd.
He nodded. "Yeah... I can't bare it anymore. Adie, Mike, we're going to head out. Come on." he said.
"... Hold on..." Mike drifted off.
"Need some time?" he asked.
"Yeah." he replied.
Again Billie patted Mike on the shoulder. He wiped his face dry with his sleeve, then walked into the distance with Adrienne and Tre. Mike stayed where he was. He ran his finger across Jade's tombstone. 'Jade Smith... ' he read in his mind. 'Almost Jade Pritchard. '
He smiled a wet smile and withdrew a small box from his pocket. Inside it was the wedding ring. The box was a velvity white and the ring was a tradintional silver. He took another look at it and placed it lightly on her grave. Then he got to his feet.
"I'm sorry J. J." he whisperd, not knowing exactly what he was apologizing for. It just felt right. "I'm sorry."
He blinked away a tear and turned his back to the grave. As he started to walk he could've sworn he heard Jade's sweet voice. 'Am I going insane? ' he asked himself. He couldn't fight the urge and he turned back. He noted that the ring box was gone and the tombstone was changed. It now read: Jade Pritchard. 1972-1994.
"Don't be sorry Mike." her voice sounded. "It wasn't your fault."
He looked around in panic. "Wha...? Jade, where are you?" he asked.
"Right here you dipshit." she laughed.
To his surprise, she was actually standing right next to him. He went to scream, but she placed her hand firmly over his mouth. What the hell was going on?! He was seeing things! She shook her head and brought him back over to her grave.
"Go ahead and look at it Mike, don't be a pussy." she orderd. He frowned and forced himself to look at it again. "Under this Earth I lay dead."
"But, you're right here!" he protested.
"Would you shut up, I'm trying to explain something!" she said. "Jeesh... The living. Anyways, no. I am dead."
"Then what are you doing here?" he asked.
"Ssh!"
"Fine..."
There was a pause.
"Well?"
"I honestly can't tell you why I'm here... Because I don't know."
"Wow... Shocking."
"Hey, I have connections with Grim! I'd suggest keeping your mouth closed... Aww come on Mike. I was just joking! I love you baby." and with a flash of the ring and a peck on the cheek she was gone.
Uhh... Mike was left confused and dombfounded where he stood. With a small gust of wind the tombstone returned to normal and the ring box reappeared. He blinked. That did NOT just happen. He was going crazy.
He shrugged and carefully approached her grave again. He read the tombstone one more time to make sure that it was normal and to prove to himself that he was nuts. Then he picked up the ring box and let out a sigh.
"I need some sleep..." he decided. A cold hand gripped his shoulder and he turned around. "Holy hell!"
It was just Billie Joe. Mike leaned his head back with his eyes shut, things were getting to him. He needed to relax. He took a deep breath and followed Billie over to Adrienne and Tre. The four of them rode silently on the way home.
Mike twiddled the ring box in between his fingers as he contamplated what had happened earlier. Of that, he had no clue. He wasn't sure if anything really did happen. It was probably all in his head... He caught Billie staring at him and let the box drop to his lap. Billie smiled weakly and turned to the window, absently watching the surrounding buildings and trees fly by.
As soon as they got home Mike dragged his feet up to the room he and Jade had previously shared. He threw himself onto the bed and cried softly to himself. Then the ring box tapped his leg and he sat up.
He moved to the edge, pulled the box out of his pocket and held it limply in his hands. Wait, Jade had been wearing the ring back at the graveyard... Surely he had been seeing things... Or had he? He flipped the box open.
It wasn't empty, but the ring wasn't the thing inside either. Instead, there was a doubled over wrinkled piece of paper. He suspicously took it and unfolded it. There, clearly written in Jade's own hand writting were the words: 'Not dead yet. '
"Hard to believe, ain't it?" he asked.
"Hell yeah it is... She was just by my side a few days ago." he replied. "And now she's gone."
Billie choked on the next words he had planned to speak. Instead, he gently patted Mike on the shoulder and stood up. He brushed himself off and joined Adrienne under the umbrella. He avoided eye contact with her for fear that it would make him even more depressed.
Her make up was smugged, tears flooding her cheeks like the cold rain was the graveyard. It was a week after Jade's death, which was a tragic incident in intself. Her closet friends were now visting her grave for the first time since the funeral.
It was definatly hard to take in. She was gone. At first they refused to except her death, but over time they realized that denying it would only make it harder. It really made them wish that they had used the time more wisely.
After a few moments of a solem silence they were all nearly completly drenched from head to toe. The umbrellas seemed like they were made of swiss cheese. Tre kicked at the muddy ground in the awkward silence, eager to get it over with. He nudged Billie.
"I think we should go." he whisperd.
He nodded. "Yeah... I can't bare it anymore. Adie, Mike, we're going to head out. Come on." he said.
"... Hold on..." Mike drifted off.
"Need some time?" he asked.
"Yeah." he replied.
Again Billie patted Mike on the shoulder. He wiped his face dry with his sleeve, then walked into the distance with Adrienne and Tre. Mike stayed where he was. He ran his finger across Jade's tombstone. 'Jade Smith... ' he read in his mind. 'Almost Jade Pritchard. '
He smiled a wet smile and withdrew a small box from his pocket. Inside it was the wedding ring. The box was a velvity white and the ring was a tradintional silver. He took another look at it and placed it lightly on her grave. Then he got to his feet.
"I'm sorry J. J." he whisperd, not knowing exactly what he was apologizing for. It just felt right. "I'm sorry."
He blinked away a tear and turned his back to the grave. As he started to walk he could've sworn he heard Jade's sweet voice. 'Am I going insane? ' he asked himself. He couldn't fight the urge and he turned back. He noted that the ring box was gone and the tombstone was changed. It now read: Jade Pritchard. 1972-1994.
"Don't be sorry Mike." her voice sounded. "It wasn't your fault."
He looked around in panic. "Wha...? Jade, where are you?" he asked.
"Right here you dipshit." she laughed.
To his surprise, she was actually standing right next to him. He went to scream, but she placed her hand firmly over his mouth. What the hell was going on?! He was seeing things! She shook her head and brought him back over to her grave.
"Go ahead and look at it Mike, don't be a pussy." she orderd. He frowned and forced himself to look at it again. "Under this Earth I lay dead."
"But, you're right here!" he protested.
"Would you shut up, I'm trying to explain something!" she said. "Jeesh... The living. Anyways, no. I am dead."
"Then what are you doing here?" he asked.
"Ssh!"
"Fine..."
There was a pause.
"Well?"
"I honestly can't tell you why I'm here... Because I don't know."
"Wow... Shocking."
"Hey, I have connections with Grim! I'd suggest keeping your mouth closed... Aww come on Mike. I was just joking! I love you baby." and with a flash of the ring and a peck on the cheek she was gone.
Uhh... Mike was left confused and dombfounded where he stood. With a small gust of wind the tombstone returned to normal and the ring box reappeared. He blinked. That did NOT just happen. He was going crazy.
He shrugged and carefully approached her grave again. He read the tombstone one more time to make sure that it was normal and to prove to himself that he was nuts. Then he picked up the ring box and let out a sigh.
"I need some sleep..." he decided. A cold hand gripped his shoulder and he turned around. "Holy hell!"
It was just Billie Joe. Mike leaned his head back with his eyes shut, things were getting to him. He needed to relax. He took a deep breath and followed Billie over to Adrienne and Tre. The four of them rode silently on the way home.
Mike twiddled the ring box in between his fingers as he contamplated what had happened earlier. Of that, he had no clue. He wasn't sure if anything really did happen. It was probably all in his head... He caught Billie staring at him and let the box drop to his lap. Billie smiled weakly and turned to the window, absently watching the surrounding buildings and trees fly by.
As soon as they got home Mike dragged his feet up to the room he and Jade had previously shared. He threw himself onto the bed and cried softly to himself. Then the ring box tapped his leg and he sat up.
He moved to the edge, pulled the box out of his pocket and held it limply in his hands. Wait, Jade had been wearing the ring back at the graveyard... Surely he had been seeing things... Or had he? He flipped the box open.
It wasn't empty, but the ring wasn't the thing inside either. Instead, there was a doubled over wrinkled piece of paper. He suspicously took it and unfolded it. There, clearly written in Jade's own hand writting were the words: 'Not dead yet. '
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