With Arms Wide Open (An Austin Carlile Love Story ft. Avenged Sevenfold)

Time of Tragedy

Last Full Update: March 10, 2015

It was as though a storm came into the lives of the friends and family of James Sullivan and set off a whirlwind, flooding their hearts with sorrow and misery. Jimmy had the hands that calmed the storm--he had the power to calm anything he touched. Now that he was resting in the heavens above, there was no sense of placidity to be found in a time of tragedy. 

The sounds of loud whispers and snivels drowned out the track of a faint piano playing over the speakers in the Rem and Sons Funeral Home in Huntington Beach, California--there were close to fifty people present at Jimmy's funeral. Everyone in the viewing room found something to speak of whether it be sharing funny memories of Jimmy or discussing the unfortunate happening that occurred. However, a large group of friends stood silent in tears, occupying two pews towards the front of the room. Close friends and family of the lost loved one would walk by and give them their condolences, but the group of friends could do or say nothing more than bow and weakly smile. 

Out of all of the friends attending Jimmy's funeral, his best friend, Brian, took it the hardest. It had been close to two weeks since Jimmy passed away and Brian still found himself doused in tears for a good portion of the day. For a while, he was in denial and couldn't come to terms with Jimmy's passing. It took seeing his own best friend in a closed casket to understand that Jimmy was not coming back--he was gone for good. 

The thought alone pained him and Brian saw no way of escaping it. He had himself convinced that it was simply not going to vanish from his mind. He feared he'd have to live with the thought for the rest of his life and in thinking so, he managed to send himself into a state of depression. 

Everyone noticed Brian's despondency; the somber, blank look on his face said it all. Michelle had put much effort into helping him grieve, but after many failed attempts, she was starting to give up. In fact, everyone was beginning to give up on trying to put a smile on Brian's face. He would not allow a smile to tug at the corners of his lips, let alone cross his mind. It seemed Jimmy took Brian's happiness when he left the Earth, but that was far from the truth. Brian simply had to accept that Jimmy was no longer suffering from whatever ailment that caused his death. 

Roughly an hour into the service, as the guests were finding their seats, Brian stood up from the pew and without a spoken word walked himself out of the viewing room, desperate for a cancer stick. Matt peeled his eyes away from his lap--where he was previously playing with his wedding band as a way of distracting his mind--and looked up just as Brian squeezed his way between the guests entering the room. Matt was mentally playing tug-of-war with his mind. He hesitated to chase Brian and question his actions, but he remembered that Brian refused to speak to anyone the past week and if he were to have followed him and begged for him to speak his mind, Brian would shut him out for good.  

Isabella also took notice in Brian's swift exit; not only that but she noticed how dejected he seemed to be from the world. She knew what would make him happy, but she asked herself if it would make her happy. Would telling Brian the baby truly was his, give Brian some peace of mind? Or would it only put more stress on Brian's back? And if she told Brian, how would it have made her feel? Guilty? Happy? Relieved? 

Regardless of what was going to happen, Isabella cared about Brian and refused to leave him alone. She heard horror stories about family and friends grieving a death and somehow isolating themselves to their own death. She would be damned if Brian did anything to himself. "I'll be back," Isabella whispered, handing Matt her phone and her Louis Vuitton navy blue clutch. Matt looked up at her and telepathically questioned her. She shot him a smile, giving his arm a gentle pat. "I need to use the ladies room."