The Darkness

Chapter 10.

It's really quiet at lunch today and I don't know why, it's kind of scary. No one is talking or looking at each other. I'm just about to say something but Baylynn beats me to it, "So tomorrow..." She trails off and everyone else but me flinches at the word 'tomorrow'.

"What's tomorrow?" I ask. Everyone turns to look at me except Abbi, she glares at me. "Nothing! Mind your own business!" She snaps and she gets odd looks from everyone. "Hey be nice to Kenzie, she doesn't know." Sally defends me earning an eyeroll from Abbi. "Anyway, tomorrow has been a year since we have last seen Niall before his funeral." Jack says.

"Maybe you guys should do something. Like talk about him watch his favorite movies and stuff." I suggest. "Kenzie, that's a great idea. I think you should plan it. What do we wear?" Barker exclams. I laugh a little before answering, "Thanks and wear black, but like not fancy. I don't know why I should plan it if I'm not going to be there."

Everyone looks at me and is if on cue Sally and Baylynn say,"You're going to be there." Abbi oddly coughs. "Why should she be there? She didn't know Niall."

Jack, Sally, Baylynn, and Barker glare at Abbi. The boys shoot me an apologetic look and Sally mouths sorry. "Because, she's our friend and I bet Niall would have liked her as a friend. Possibly even more than just a friend. I think we would all rather Kenzie be there than a downer like you. Kenzie, Sally, and I are going shopping today after school and if you don't want to go, then don't go." Baylynn tells Abbi.

*~*

The three of us (me, Sally, and Baylynn) meet right next to Sally's car for ten minutes waiting for Abbi. When we finally decide she isn't going to join us we head to the mall. "Sorry about Abbi, Niall is a touchy subject for her. Oh, and if you don't want her to come tomorrow, she doesn't have to." Sally says.

"You don't need to be apologizing, it isn't your fault. I think she should be there." I say from the back seat. Sally just nods and the rest of the drive to the mall is silent.

"Who lives closest to where Niall is buried?" I ask as we walk towards the mall entrance. "Abbi, why?" Baylynn returns. "It's at her house." I flatly say.

Three hours later we finally have something diffrent to wear. Sally decideds on a dress, Baylynn decideds on a skater skirt and a tank top, and I am going to buy a fake black leather jacket and black jeans.

*~*

I get to Abbi's house and I see a car that looks familar, I'm not sure if it's abbi's or not. I text Sally to see if she is almost here.

Me: are you almost here?

Sally: jack just picked me up, we'll be there in a few minutes. bay and bark are there.

I get out of my car and walk towrds the front door. Before I could knock the front dooor swings open. Baylynn pulls me into a hug and Barker smiles at me. Abbi is there too and when she sees it is me, she rolls her eyes. Yeah, it's great to see her too. (note, the sarcasm.)

A few minutes later the other two show up. "Let's go to Niall's grave!" Jack announces as he walks into the house without knocking. We walk to the grave in silence. The graveyard is okay. Not nice, but not completly trashy. The grass looks as if it is slowly dying and the black fence is begininng to fall apart. "That's it." Bay whispers to me as she points at a stone a few yards away from us.

Something moving catches my eye. It's Niall. Luckly, no one else notices him.

We approach his grave stone and it reads, "In loving memory of Niall James Horan. September 13, 1996- November 22, 2013." Everyone just stands there looking at his grave so I put my flower down first. Soon everyone did the same. The boys say something about him being their best friend and apparently sweated from their eyes... The girls cried and say something about him being a good friend and being an easy person to talk to. We walk back to Abbi's  house in silence but this time I can feel Niall's pressence.

"So... What are your favorite pictures of Niall..?" I ask.

Abbi shows us a picture of Niall blue jeans, a green tigers shirt, with glasses.

Baylynn is next. She places a picture in the middle of our circle. It's a picture of them all... and me? "I photoshopped you in there. He wouldv'e liked you and you are on of us so yeah." She says to me and I give her a smile.

Barker pulls a picture out of his back pocket. How is it not bent? I do not know. It's a picture of two kids in costumes. I instantly reconize Niall onn the left. "That's me on the right." Barker says. Niall is in a red teletubbie costume and Barker is in a yellow one. Their arms are around each other's shoulders and they both have huge smiles on their faces.

Jack places a picture of three boys. They boys are Niall, Jack, and Barker. They're about fifteen. Niall is wearing light blue skinny jeans with a white t-shirt with a red white and blue flanel over it. Jack is wearing black jeans and a black shirt. Barker is wearing dark blue jeans and a light gray shirt.

After sighing, Sally puts a picture in the middle. It's of Niall, obvousily, but it's after his dad died. He just looks... sad. "I think it's time we share our favorite memories of Niall." Sally says before any of us can.

"I can't do this... I have too many." Abbi says looking down. I give a sorry look to her and she smiles back.

"Mine is when we invited him to the movies and dinner woth us and he said he'd only go if the boys went. We convinced him that the were and when he got to the theatre whe was the only boy there and we started laughing but we stopped when he began to cuss us out. We made him see a chic flick. We went out to dinner and we were surprised when he joined us. He made us pay for his dinner.." Baylynn says trying to hold back her laughter and her tears.

"My favorite one is when Jack threw that Halloween party when we were like 13. Niall decided it would be a god idea to scare Sally and he did. She got so scared she went in her pants." Barker starts laughing.

"And my favorite one is when we had the girls versus guys football match. Barker wanted a header so Niall kicked it up high. Barker jumped... Too high so the ball hit his face. Barker broke his nose." Sally mocks Barker.

"In year 10 we were sitting in geography and he'd always sing the most random songs. We had to learn the fifty states. One day he wasn't paying attention so the techer made him take the test that day in front of everyone. He ended up singing the test and got a perfect score, he was the only one." Jack says.

Sally swallows something in her throat and a look of something, I couldn't tell comes onto her face. She whispers something into Jacks ear and he nods. "We're going to get going." Sally says and they get up walking to the door and letting themslelves out.

"I think we should go see if she's okay." Barker says. Baylynn and I nod. We get up and walk towards the door but Abbi's voice stops us," Kenzie. Ca- can I talk to you please?" I look at Balynn and she shrugs. I walk back to the room where we left Abbi.

"What's up?" I ask.

"I just want to apologize for being so rude. I'm wasn't used to another person being in our group for almost a year and you came. I wasn't ready for a six person group again unless Niall was the sixth person. I'm sorry, I hope we're good."

I smile at her. "It's okay, we're good."

"Can I tell you something?" Abbi ask.

"Sure." I reply.

"I felt like Niall was here with us today."

A/N: Ugh this took forever to write but oh whale bc it's a special update for special people because its the 4th of July. Well my computer died right after I saved/ updated the last chapter so phewwwww.

It's the first time all of them hung outside of school O.o

I know who killed Niall... Do you...?

Vote, comment, and read on.

~Sophia