It's been years since Ciara or Marina have been to New York. They always talked about going back to visit, so Ciara could see her dad.
Instead they're here for a funeral. The funeral of Marina and Katherine's best friend and her family.
Angelica, Benton, and their daughter, Lucy Howard were all dead. They were gone and the only Howard left was the youngest daughter; Jackie.
In Angelica's will she wished for Jackie to stay with The Walter's. She wanted Jackie to be with a loving family who could provide stability.
Marina did feel a bit humiliated at the fact that she wasn't considered as someone to take care of the Howard children if something were to happen to Angelica and Benton.
Part of her understood. The will was written when Marina and her ex husband were in the process of divorce. That doesn't exactly say loving and stable family.
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The funeral was over now and people were paying their respects to the members of the Howard family that had been lost. The church was quiet as people started making their way out. Ciara, her mom, and Mr. and Mrs. Walter slowly made their way to the alter where Jackie sat with her uncle in the front row.
Katherine was the one to speak first, introducing herself and her husband. Leaving Marina and Ciara to introduce themselves.
"Hey, Jackie. I'm Mari, a friend of Angelica's. And this," she brought her arms up to wrap them around her daughter's shoulders pulling her into her side, "is my daughter."
The young girl barely acknowledged the people in front of her, keeping her head down towards her fidgeting hands that sat in her lap, while her uncle rubbed her back soothingly in comfort.
Katherine and Marina shared a look of pity. Sadness displayed in their features, because they also felt a similar feeling of loss now that their dear friend was no longer with them.
Katherine wrapped her arm around her husband's and pulled him closer to Jackie. "We're really looking forward to having you stay with us Jackie. I know it's a big change for you but, I think you'll fit right in."
Jackie's uncle, Richard asks to step aside and talk to the adults, leaving Ciara alone with Jackie.
The Loraine girl watched the adults leave until they were out of sight but she still stood there not sure of what to do.
She let her eyes wander off. The sound of sniffling is what brought her attention back; Jackie was looking down at her hands resting in her lap but the tears and the sniffles were still noticeable.
With a determined huff the girl sat next to the grieving Howard. Ciara wasn't the best at comforting people, the fact that she barely knew the girl just made it all the more difficult to help her.
But she still tried nonetheless. "Hi." Her voice was so quiet that Jackie probably wouldn't have heard it if it weren't so silent around them.
Jackie barely acknowledged the girls greeting. Ciara didn't take offense but still tried to make conversation. "Uhm," the girl cleared her throat, "I'm Ciara or Cici. I uh... I answer to either one."
The Howard girl, still sniffling lifted her head and looked at Ciara. She gave the girl a forced smile that was barely visible. "You don't have to say anything." Ciara rushed out, shaking her head when she noticed Jackie about to speak.
Jackie just nodded sending the girl another smile that was just a little more noticeable than the last one to show her appreciation that Ciara wasn't expecting her to converse with her at a time like this.
There was a long moment of a sort of awkward silence before Ciara spoke again. "I'm excited for you to move to Colorado. It'll be nice to have another girl around. A girl around my age, that is. There's Parker and I love her but sometimes she..." the look on poor Jackie's face is what interrupts Ciara's rambling. The girls face is blank with tear stains going down her cheeks but the surprise in her eyes from the girls outburst was unmistakable.
The older girl chuckled sheepishly looking down into her lap and tucked a piece of hair that had gotten in her face behind her ear and letting the hair on the side closest to Jackie cover the redness on her face. "Sorry," the girl pushed away the hair on the other side of her face and looked back at Jackie, "like I said, I'm excited."
The younger girl just nodded her head with another tight lipped expression that couldn't even be considered a smile.
A/n
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Hope you guys like this and I'm gonna try to write more often...idrk what else to put here so byeee 🥱✌️
Xoxo,
Lani💗
