17 Made Mistakes

⋆42༄ The father

𝓣𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓲𝓼 𝓭𝓮𝓭𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓶𝔂 𝓯𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻, 𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝓼𝓪𝓭𝓵𝔂 𝓹𝓪𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓭 𝓪𝔀𝓪𝔂 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓘 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓲𝓭𝓭𝓵𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝔀𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓿𝓸𝓵𝓾𝓶𝓮 𝓸𝓷𝓮.

𝓘 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓰𝓸𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓪𝔂 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭𝓫𝔂𝓮. 𝓘'𝓶 𝓼𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝓽 𝓷𝓸𝔀.
˙˚ʚ🖤ɞ˚˙

~~~~~~~~~~

The funeral reception took place on Wednesday. Initially, I wasn't planning on going, after all, Cassie and I weren't friends, but Rayna asked me if I could keep her company. I couldn't object. I don't know why exactly, but maybe my inability to say 'no' stemmed from the fact that I had already let someone down, and that someone was Will.

As for him, he did turn up, which wasn't much of a surprise since he had dated Cassie once and obviously knew her mother quite well. This time it was him who was there for her, not the other way around.

I stayed in the back with Rayna whilst Anaya, who immediately made her way back to London after she'd found out, joined Nicole and Will at the front row. Her family decided to stay in Edinburgh.

The ceremony didn't last long. A few people said a few words, then the coffin was transported to the graveyard. Cassie got buried just as fast as the pill had killed her, and there was no doubt that if we hadn't found Rayna on time, she also would have been gone.

Wednesday has quickly turned into Friday. I decided to finally visit Mr. Reyman's grave. My mother didn't seem to mind telling me where it's located. Lately, since I made her disclose the truth, she's been trying so desperately to win me back, but I'm not ready to forgive her yet.

I take seat on a bench and cross my ankles. I wore a simple, black dress. The sun is scorching today, so I'm sweating a little, but the perspiration might also be the result of me getting angry. I'm angry because the tombstone is abundant in yellow tulips. How many times have they swapped the flowers for fresh ones? How many times has my mother lied to me?

I shake my head and get off the bench. I crouch beside the tombstone and lay down a burgundy rose. It looks prominent among the other flowers. Unlike the mass of tulips, it is vibrant. Full of life. It looks expressive. I like it much better than the yellowness, with which, the tombstone has been almost entirely obscured.

Whilst I straighten my back, the gravel behind me makes a crunchy noise as someone steps on it. I turn my head in that direction. It's Will. I retrieve my eyes to the tombstone.

The steps die down for a minute, then resound anew, now more confident. I watch Will place a bouquet of yellow tulips down by the tombstone. It must've been Mr. Reyman's favourite flowers.

Will's voice permeates the air. "Hi."

"Hi," I say evenly, taking back a seat.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Go for it."

And so he sits down beside me.

A moment of silence marks the air between us. I close my eyes and inhale deeply with my back resting against the bench. The sun warms my face and I wallow in the peacefulness of the afternoon, but then my eyelids flutter open at the sound of Will's voice.