Rose and Flame

two

A week and half later is was the funeral. The day Florence had been dreading. She was dressed up in a black dress. Florence had hold of her mum and Isiah's hand as they walked to the graves.

Tommy had sorted the funeral plans out since they had no other family. Ellie's mum was Polly's best friends and the Shelby family said they would look after Ellie and her dad.

Tommy was speaking about them and all Florence could do was stare at Ellies coffin. She bit down on her lip trying to stop the tears from falling.

Once the funeral has finished they walked into the Garrison to celebrate the lives of the close family friends. Florence went to the bar and took a seat. "Whiskey please." She smiled at Harry. "I'm sorry for your loss, Miss Gray." He said to her. "Thank you." Harry passed her the drink and she downed it in one. "Another one please."

It went on like that for hours. Florence was beyond pissed, and didn't once sit with her family. She was the only one of the family who sat at the bar drinking all night. "Flo, you should take it easy now." Isiah said.

"I'm fine. I'll have a bottle Harry." Flo said. "No she won't. She's going home." Polly said from behind her. "I'll have another bottle." Florence said. Her mum grabbed her arm and pulled her off the stool.

"What was that for?" She shouted at her mum. "Your drunk, your grieving and i'm taking you home before you embarrass yourself." Polly raised her voice at her. "What the fuck are you looking at?" Florence shouted at the boy stood next to what she presumed was his dad.

"Outside now!" Polly shouted at her. Florence was being dragged home by her mum after she said bye to Isiah. Once they got home, she went in the kitchen and straight for the bottle of whiskey in the cupboard.

"Christ!" Polly huffed as she stood leaning against the door frame putting her head in her hands. Micheal and Anna walked into the house not long after Polly and Florence got in.

They could see Polly was struggling with Florence. She had never been this drunk in her life. "Right your going to bed." Micheal took over and grabbed her arm. "I am not. I'm perfectly fine where I am." Flo told him as she took another drink from the bottle.

"I'll be taking this then." He swiped the bottle out her hands and threw the rest down the sink. Since she didn't have anything left to drink, she stood up and walked up to her room with our saying anything.

She closed her bedroom door and slid down it and began to sob. All her emotions had been piling up and she didn't know what to do. All she could do was sit on the floor and cry.

Everyday she would have a reminder that her best friend was gone. The house with tape around it and it fallen to pieces and covered in ash and soot.

Florence walked past it as she went and sat in the stables at Charlie's yard. "Curly, I'm taking her out. I'll be back before dark." Flo told him as she got on her horse and rode off.

It had been about an hour she was in a forest that her and Ellie always ran off to. It wasn't far from Small Heath but no one knew they would go there.

She heard the hooves of another horse riding through the forest and realised she had see the person on it before. Bonnie Gold.

"What's a girl like you doing out here alone?" He asked as he jumped off his horse. "Wanting to be alone." She deadpanned. "Beautiful horse." He nodded to hers. "My dad got me it." Flo told him as she bit her lip thinking about her dad.

"You a gypsy aswell?" Bonnie questioned. "Yep." She said. "You don't speak much." He came and sat next to her. "I use too. Before she died." Flo told him. "What happened?" He asked. "You ask lots of questions." She smiled which she got a laugh in return.

"My best friend. She died in a house fire." Florence told Bonnie. "Was that who's funeral it was?" Bonnie asked again. All she could do was nod. "Got a raging hangover as well. Drank to much last night." She laughed. "I could tell. Your mum dragged you out the pub before you embarrassed yourself." He reminded her.

They talked for a while longer until she spoke up. "I should get going, Mum and Isiah will be wondering where I am." She stood up and got on her horse. "Who's Isiah?" He once again questioned. "My boyfriend." And with that she rode off back home.

"Where have you been all day?" Isiah asked as he noticed his girlfriend walk down the road. "I wanted to be alone for a while." She told him as she put her arm around him and her head on his shoulder as they walked.

"I came knocking this morning, even Poll didn't know where you were." He said. "I've got to go see Tom in a bit, ask him something." Isiah informed her. "Why? What you done now?" Florence asked him.

"I haven't done anything." He exclaimed. Florence just laughed at him, he was the only one who could make her laugh at times like this. "I'll see you later. If your still alive." Flo smirked at him as he knocked on Tommys office door.