Our Last Summer

Chapter Thirteen

Thursday morning I walked out of the house in my black dress to meet Luke in his car. We were headed to the funeral of Sarah Green, Logan's mom. We rode in silence all the way to the church. As we walked in, I hooked my arm thorugh Luke's as he looked at his feet. everyone I had seen at the party was here, but sober and somber. Tanya wore a very revealing dress, and sobbed into a tissue like she has been married to the woman. When she spotted Luke, she ran to him in her super-tall high heels, stumbling once.

"Luke." She stuck out her lower lip and took his shoulders. I slid away from him.

"I know how, how, horrible this is. For you, for me, for Logan. We just need to stick together, you and me. You know?" She looped her arm where mine had been and walked him into the church. He glanced back at me helplessly, and blew me and air kiss. I almost laughed, but it was a funeral so, ya know, who knows what people will do to you if you laugh at a funeral. I stood outside the church until Paul and Mammy showed up. Lynne had left last night with her sister in a huff about Cleo, so it was for the best that she would be gone. I walked into the church with Mammy and Paul, and sat on the aisle. I spotted Tanya and Luke up in front with Logan and some other girls and guys who were Logan's friends.

When the service was over, Luke found me with Logan at his side.

"Adrienne, meet Logan. He's staying with us for a few days until his father can come out here to pick him up." Logan lifted a hand and smiled at me. He had beautiful blue eyes and black hair. He was very good looking, I had to say.

"Oh, hi, Logan. I'm sorry for your loss." I fell into stride with them as they walked to the car. Logan kindly opened the passenger door for me and I slid in.

"So dude, what was up with Tanya? I'm pretty sure she hates my mom for making her cover up everyday in school last year." Logan laughed. i assumed his mom was the principal or a teacher or something.

"Yeah, she was sobbing her eyes out. She pulled me away, sorry about that Addie. By the way, Sarah was the principal at the local high school, just so you aren't confused." i nodded, taking Luke's hand as he drove.

When we got home, after Logan was settled in the guest bedroom, Luke sat on my bed as I talked on the phone with my mom, who was planning a wedding.

"K, bye mom. Love you. Bye" I snapped my phone shut and turned to face Luke.

"Okay, why have you been moping." I walked over to him and leaned my hands on this knees, not totally meaning to give him a clear view of my cleavage.

"Today, and the past day or two, they've showed me the pain Logan has had, and Sarah's boyfriend. I'm scared...for me. For your mom and Richard and Kayla and everyone who loves you. I'm scared for what we are going to do when you die, Adrienne. It sounds incredibly selfish of me, but I don't know how to go through what Logan is going through. It's really scary. I love you too much to let you go. I don't know how." He pulled me close and we sat together for a while.

"Luke, you don't have to do anything to let go. you just do. You are so strong and brave, you will be able to get through it." I sat with him a while longer until Logan knocked on the door.

"Hey man, the guys want to go do something tonight. Kind of a cheering up. What do you say? We could go now in the afternoon and fish for a few hours." He leaned down to pet the dogs. Luke looked at me and shrugged to say "why not?", and got up, following Logan out the door.

That was when I figured I would start my project to show Luke how much I loved him. Remember that? The thing I wrote in my notebook?

I strode outside and into the woods a little ways until i was at the abandoned garden shed. I opened the creaking door and stepped inside. The roof was a little higher than my head, and the area was about the size of your typical bedroom, bigger than most sheds. Like I had requested, Paul had cleared everything out because I was too weak to do it. I picked up the broom Paul had placed in there and went to work  sweeping away the cobwebs and dust and grass and bugs. I ripped the curtains off the windows because they were so old and let in the sunlight.