Nikala's Secrets

Sorting Through Life

Sorting Through Life

The day seemed oddly sunny for such a sad occasion. Today, was the wake at the Thomas' house for Nikala. It was mid October, so the seventy degree weather was very out of place. It seemed like the sun was mocking us. The brightness and warmth was making fun of the darkness and cold, steely depression that had wormed its way into our hearts since we found out what happened to Nikala.

"Do you want a lift or do you think you can manage to drive yourself?" My older brother, Avery, asked.

He had really been trying to work his way back into my life since this whole situation with Nikala had begun. He was always a bit distant from me but he understood what it was like to lose a best friend, he had lost his twin brother before I was born.

"I think I'll be fine. I want some alone time," I sighed, "I don't know why I agreed to sort through her things today."

Avery smiled and grabbed my hand reassuringly, "Because you love her but I just don't want you to obsess over her. I obsessed over what happened to Asher for the past ten years and now look at me? I'm twenty five and a cop because I wanted to solve his case so bad. I hate being a cop."

His words left a bad taste in the back of my mouth although he was the one who said it and not me. He frowned when he read the look on my face but said nothing more about death, Asher, or Nikala.

"Be safe, I love you Riley."

"I love you too Avery. I'll text you later. Where's mom?"

"She left early for her shift at the hospital."

I grabbed my car keys and decided to make a coffee stop before I arrived at the house. I was trying to prolong the time. I wasn't ready to step foot in her room, but I knew Alyssa was already going to be a mess. I didn't know if I could even make it in the door without crying, I had been avoiding going to their house since I got the bad news.

It held too many memories for us.

I figured I'd grab some coffee for her parents and Alyssa who agreed to helping sort through her belongings. I didn't understand why her parents needed this done now. I was always Nikala's best friend ever since elementary school and she had always been the more popular one of the two of us. I was considered Nikala's best friend, so when she died, I became the dead girl's best friend.

The looks that you would get going into any place in this small town was infuriating. The whispers as you walked by. These sympathetic looks were going to be the death of me.

*~*

"Riley! I'm so glad you came," her mom said, "And you brought coffee for us? How sweet, thank you."

Her mother has always been the definition beautiful. Her skin was flawless, her hair was long and shiny, her body was tight, and she was literally the definition of black don't crack. She was well into her late forties yet she didn't look a day over twenty.

"No problem, Mrs. Thomas." I mentioned and walked into the large house.

It was honestly closer to a mansion than a house. Nikala and I had always come from different backgrounds although we did connect by being some of the few black people in the small town. I was far from poor considering my mom was one of three neurosurgeons in the small town of Lakeville, home to little over five thousand people, but Nikala's dad owned the biggest law firm in the state and her mom was a very successful fashion designer and entrepreneur.