Christine Rides Again

Chapter 1; The Funeral

Leigh's eyes followed Arnie's mother and she swallowed back a fresh flood of tears as she watched her scoop up some soil from the mound and throw it on the coffin as her son was lowered into the ground. At the same moment, a cool breeze swept through the cemetery as soon as it hit the solid wood, causing her curled brown hair to fly into her face. She didn't bother to correct it as her turn came to throw a handful of soil on the coffin.

It shouldn't have been this way; none of them should be standing in the cemetery on this cloudy day in January, burying a boy who should have been going off to college in September. This was not the way the year was supposed to start. Arnie should have been there with them, not in the cemetery, but at Dennis's house, while they watched the game and gorged on pizza and having burp wars after drinking way too much soda. Instead, he was dead. His life had been stolen by her. By Christine.

Leigh drew in a shaky breath as she brushed her hands clean and paced away from the coffin, and glanced up at Dennis. Though she quickly averted her eyes when he looked back at her and continued towards the stoney path with her head down. She didn't stop until she neared the church building, realizing that she didn't know what to do with herself now that the funeral was coming to an end.

What was one supposed to do after burying the one they loved? The one they were sure they'd spend their life with.

Go back home and watch crappy daytime TV? Hang out with friends? Go and eat dinner?

None of that felt right to her. Life went on long after death, but filling that void left behind by the person seemed impossible.

“Hey!” Dennis's voice called, his footsteps thundering along the gravel as he ran to catch her up. “Leigh!”

“Oh.” She mouthed. “Hi Dennis.” She greeted him flatly.

“I was going to offer you a ride home, I saw you walk over here, but the group that you came with have already left.”

“They have?” She questioned.

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “But I can give you a ride- a lift home, if you want.”

“You really don't have to do that.”

“No, really. I would like to.” He insisted.

Leigh forced a smile. “Okay… yeah.” She agreed, glancing across the lot towards the familiar blue Duster. “Thanks.”

Dennis nodded his head and placed his hand in the middle of her back, guiding her over to the car. She stood quietly as he opened the passenger side door for her and muttered a thank you before she got in. He headed around to the driver's side and joined her. Leigh remained silent as he started the engine and pulled out of the church yard.

What was she supposed to say anyway? That it was good to see him? That she wished it could have been under better circumstances?

Where Christine was concerned, there were no better circumstances.

Leigh liked Dennis. He was nice enough, and he had handled everything that happened like a champ, but they hadn't spoken since the day they'd destroyed Christine. It felt wrong. She had loved Arnie, despite his obsession with that car of his, and her and Dennis had only just started doing… whatever it was that they were doing; she didn't know how exactly to define it. They'd teamed up to take down Christine, and somewhere along the way feelings were developed. But things are different now. Arnie is dead. Dennis was Arnie's best friend, and she had been Arnie's girlfriend. Yet while trying to save him from his own madness, they had failed and nothing could possibly justify them continuing what they had been doing before he was killed. Leigh exhaled silently, and propped her elbow on the narrow window ledge, and her head in her hand, staring absentmindedly out of the window.