Short Stories-a mess of a collection

My best friend

Pre-story warning ⚠️ ⚠️⚠️
This story has mentions of suicide. If you are not comfortable with the topic feel free to skip to the end of the story for a quick authors note or to skip this chapter entirely.

"I never thought I would have to stand up here and talk to all these people," she stated quietly.

"Neither did I. I hoped it would never come," her best friend's mother managed through tears.

Gone. She died. Her best friend is gone. A daughter is to burry her mother. Not the other way around.

  "What am I supposed to say? I can't stand up there and talk about her like she's gone. She's not gone. This is all just a terrible nightmare, right? Some sick, horrible joke my brain is playing on me?"

   The woman sighed, "I wish it was."

  "What?"

   "Just a joke. That I'd wake up and she'd be fine. Just asleep in the room down the hall. Not overdosed on the basement couch."

The young girl slowly walked down the hall to the room where the service for her best friend was being held. She took her seat and waited for it to be her turn to speak about the one they all gathered for. When it was finally her turn, she had a hard time keeping her hands from shaking and to keep from breaking down right then and there.

"I didn't think I'd be doing this. At least not so soon," she paused to steady her shaking voice. "Amelia is— was such a great person and would only ever think of others before herself. And I hate to say it, but I think it finally caught up to her. I know she'd yell at me right now if she knew how upset I was, so I want to stop talking about the what if's that everyone else has talked about and talk about her."
She dared take a glance to her best friend's family, meeting eyes with each of them for a fleeting second.
"She always told me to and I quote, 'let go and chillax, babe, you've got a whole life ahead of you, so just this once.' Just this once. It was never just that once. We always tried again or found something else. 'Just this once.' She had that effect on me. She could get me to do anything. She was such a strong willed, hard headed person, which is probably the reason we butted heads so much now that I think about it. She was someone who could make me smile when I wanted nothing more than to punch someone in the face." She smiled to herself at the memory.
"Erica, it's not the fact that he publicly dumped me, it's that he did it in front of my family. Like I mean what kind of crap person does that?"
"Liz, I get that you liked the kid, but he honestly looked like a horse. Like no joke when he smiled his teeth looked like a horse's. You can't complain about horse boy finally being out of your life." 
   "Thanks so much for telling me that while I was with him, jerk."
    "Ahhhhh there's that smile. I knew I could get you to smiiile, punk."
  
"She just had such a bubbly personality that rubbed off on anyone she was around. But being around her you never would of thought that this is how she would've gone," she stopped to collect her breath and wipe a stray tear. "I remember that morning. She sent me a text and thinking back on it now, it should've probably set of an alarm in my head. In that text she had said, 'Hey, punk, keep on keepin on, I miss you. Love you lots,' and we had just seen each other the night before and she didn't use the slang for love she spelt it out. That was something we never did. But I over looked it."
      Erica's mom looked at Liz with sorrowful eyes.
   "Yesterday, after we got home from the viewing, there was a letter in the mail. It was addressed to me. It was written in her hand writing. And at first, I thought I was kind of just imagining it, if that makes any sense. But I took it inside and i read it. I read so many times and never made sense. She was such a happy girl. I still don't get it. But I brought that letter with me today. This is per Ric's request. She wanted me to read this to all of you."
    This is what Liz was dreading. To read this letter out loud was to share the last part of Erica she had.
    "'Dear Liz, I need you to understand that this wasn't something you could have stopped. Do me a favor and read this at the funeral. I know my mom will ask you to talk on my behalf. Hey mom, this isn't your fault. You did everything in your power to keep my safe from the cruel world we live in. Dad, I know you're punishing yourself for this but please don't. I learned so much from you that no textbook could have ever taught me. Jeremy and Sawyer, thanks for always sticking up for me and for being there when I got dumped. I couldn't have asked for better brothers. And my only sister, you may not be related to me by blood but I love you like no one could ever understand. And Liz, let your mom know that I thought of her as my own. I love all of you so much and I need you to know that this is not your fault and that you couldn't have stopped this. For me, the bad outweighed the good. And I think that it's better this way. Thank you so much. Love, Erica."
       Liz was reduced to sobbing mess crouched behind the podium by the time she had finished the letter. Jeremy slowly stood from his spot in the pews to help her to her feet and back to her seat.  That was the breaking point. The final straw before the whole of the church was crying over the loss of a loved one, gone too soon.

A/N:::that was a super heavy story to write. But I need all of you to know that there is someone on this earth that loves you. More than you know. And if you don't think so, feel free to message me and we can talk. If you need someone to talk to you can message me. You are all loved.

   <3 Dakota