The Secret The Cheerleader Doesn't Know

Goodbye Ani

Jessika POV

Going up my childhood stairs, I felt my legs shake. I was 26 when mama died... and at 52, my mom will pass. Getting to her door, I see Jakob inside. He's at the foot of her bed, holding back his tears.

Closing my eyes, I stepped in.  Mom was laying on the bed, her eyes halfway open.  I went to her left side since Jaelynn was at her right.  I knelt down beside her and whispered, "I'm here mom."

She turned her head to look at me and smiled, "Nice of you to show up."

I chuckled, "The flight took forever."  I took her hand and interlocked our fingers.  She just smiled.

She's ready.

"You be safe Mom," I said, kissing the top of her hand, "and tell mama hi for me."

"You're mother knows you miss her," she said, coughing, "your mother always knew what I was thinking... how I felt and liked.  Though she called me the smart one, it was truly her."  Jaelynn was crying and so was Jakob, but no tears came to my eyes.  Why would I cry?  This was what she's been waiting for.  "Your mother... I loved her like no one else.  I'm incapable of loving another... she's all I need in this world and beyond.  I don't know what awaits me, but I just hope she's somewhere at the end of it," she coughed again.  Opening her eyes a bit more, she chuckled, "You're mother always liked making me wait.  In middle school she would take forever to get ready, so I waited for her... I waited for her practices in high school, for her to come over to hangout, for her to get better, for her to wake up, for her to be safe again, for her to trust me again, for her to commit to me again, and now... I've waited to see her again.  She always liked to be chased."

"You liked to do the chasing mom," I said.

"I really did," she chuckled, "no matter how hard, stressful, exhausting it was... I loved it." I knew my siblings couldn't speak... they just couldn't understand why mom was ready.

Taking her hand tighter in mine, I whispered, "Make sure you keep yourself entertained without us. We don't wanna hear mama complaining how you bothered her so much."

"Jessika," she coughed, this time it my heart hurt, "I'm proud of you." I sucked my lips in and put my head down. "I haven't been the greatest mother to you three... I'm sorry. Each of you... I'm proud of each of you. I love you all deeply and though I'm ready to see Cassie, I'm heartbroken over parting from you. I know you've dealt with this pain before and I'm sorry for putting you through it again... I love you... take care of one another," she whispered.

And like that, she was gone.

The nurses took care of calling whoever needed to come to take her body away. Jaelynn decided to stay with her until the very end, while Jakob and I went out into the backyard. The beautiful backyard we had as kids died. Without mama's love and care... how could it survive.

"It's unfair," Jakob muttered, "having them leave us."

"We all die Jakob," I said, looking at my hands, "one day Jaelynn will, you will and I will. That's our fate. What is it they say? There's only two things that are for sure in this life; taxes and death."

"Fucking great," he muttered, both of us chuckling. He nudged me a little, "Do you think they're together right now?"

Smirking, I said, "They fought like hell on this planet to be together... nothing tears those two apart... not even god."

"You're right," he muttered. Staring up at the sky, he whispered, "Goodbye... Ani."

That's it!

Thank you for reading my book and I hope you enjoyed it. I appreciate all of you're support and I have enjoyed every comment you've left. Hopefully we can continue this journey together but if we don't, I hope you are well.

The fantasy novel will come out in September. Love you lovelies❤️