𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 ✾ (𝐧. 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐩)

fourty three-"josie"

FEBRUARY 6TH, 2020

before noah's death

THE Three girls sat close together, holding hands and crying into each other's shoulders. sadie, millie, and grace were waiting for olivia, kayden, and noah to arrive. mascara smeared down the red head's face, she wasn't sure why she even bothered putting it on this morning. she knew she'd be a mess anyways.

"it can't be real, it can't be," grace sobbed, several more tears trickling down her cheeks. a small, dirty blonde girl with tear stained cheeks found her way over to the group.

"hi park, how are you holding up?" sadie put a hand on the girls shoulder, obviously trying to comfort her. they were all trying to stay positive, but they couldn't. it was just too hard without eden.

"oh, i'm trying to stay happy. i'm doing better than mom, though. she thinks it's her fault for not being here, when it's nobody's fault but delaney's," tears filled the girls crystal blue eyes, she brought a Kleenex up to the spilled water.

"is your mom here?"

"she was, i think she went to go get some fresh air. i tried to go after her, but she told me to go back inside," parker frowned, looking down at her high heeled black boots.

"i bet, it's got to be hard on her," millie nodded, her accent thicker than the girls have ever heard it before. after minutes passing, an almost unrecognizable boy walked into the room.

"noah," grace whispered, her voice cracking at the sight of him. actually, she didn't know if it was because she thought of eden again, or of the fact that she couldn't bare to see noah like this.

"hi," he mouthed, nothing coming out. he cleared is throat, "hey, grace," he said with a sniff.

"come here," the brunette reached her arms out, going in for a hug with noah. noah didn't really react, he just sort of stood there. his head rested on top of graces. it felt good that way. not in any sort of romantic way, his heart belonged to eden. it was just that, the two felt the same way. they'd lost the most important person to them, and it just so happened to be the same girl. but they still had each other.

JOSIE, WHO Was one of edens cousins, just about three years old, sat next to her mother on a bench. she didn't really know what was happening, but she was sad to see all of the tears coming out of the strangers eyes.

the toddler saw something strange standing in the doorway leading into another room, and it soon appeared to be a girl. not a real girl, she could see right through her. but a pretty girl that she had played with so many times at family parties, thanksgiving, and christmas. moments later, she noticed that the girl had the same face as the one in the casket up front.

josie's big cousin waved at her with a grin on her face, causing josie to muster out a happy giggle.

"josephine, shush," her mother whispered, embarrassed that her daughter had made such a noise in this event.

the girl in the doorway made a face, the same face that josie made when she says 'uh oh', josie made the same face back because she thought it was appropriate.

the girl waved at josie, before turning around and fading back into thin air. josie waved back, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"josie!" her mother whispered, "stop it, pay attention." josie went back to facing the man yelling the big confusing words in the front.