Every Rose Has It's Thorn

16.

"Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. My companion attacks his friends, he violates his covenant. His speech is smooth, yet war is in his heart. But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption. Bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live out half their days. As for me, I trust in you."

Ava stared at the casket in front of her as she stood near her mother and her brother.

They were at her uncle's funeral.

Keith's funeral.

And ever since Ave found out he was gone, she hadn't really felt much of anything.

At first, she felt like crying, but no tears came. Then, she thought she was angry.

Angry as Jimmy Edwards for bringing that gun to school. Angry at Keith for going into the school. Angry at him for not leaving with her when she asked him to. Angry at herself for not trying harder. Angry at Jimmy for pulling the trigger.

"And now, we ask for the strength to navigate the stages of our grief as we lay our brother, Keith, to rest." The priest spoke.

Lucas picked up a handful of soil and poured it onto the coffin with a blank expression on his face.

"Dan."

Ava watched as her father did the same.

Everyone around her was sad and the air was depressing.

But she wasn't sad. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't even going to frown.

Because the emptiness in her heart wouldn't allow it.

The hurt in her chest was too strong.

The pain was here to stay.

Ava hated the color black almost as much as she hated the color orange.

And she hated the color orange.

As she looked at around at everyone in her house, her face hardened. All she saw was a sea of black.

Black ties, black pants, black blazers, black dresses, black hats.....

It was the color of mourning.

Ava didn't want to mourn.

She wanted to scream.

She wanted to open her mouth and scream at the top of her lungs without a care in the world of who heard her.

Everyone else was crying or paying their respects, and trying to offer some sort of comfort.

No one was angry.

Someone took her Uncle Keith from her family and not one person was angry!

"I'm sorry about your uncle, Ava." Maddie put a hand on her shoulder.

Ava didn't want anyone to be sorry.

She just wanted one person to be sorry.

Jimmy Edwards.

But he couldn't be sorry. He was dead.

Ava shrugged her best friend's hand off her shoulder and walked into the kitchen without even acknowledging that she had come.

"Don't take it personally." Maddie's mother, Lucille Robbins, told her. "She's having a really hard tine right now. She probably needs space. She'll let you in when she's ready."

Maddie could only watch her friend go, hoping that she'd let her in soon.

She didn't like watching her suffer like this.