PROLOGUE
My brother was buried today.
I was standing in the back of the church. There was a special word for it, but we rarely went so I didn't know. I didn't care either. It was where I stood. People came and said their goodbyes. Angie and Marissa had sat beside me. They were good friends. I suppose. Angie's family came to the funeral. Her mom hugged me, patted me on the head, and then they left. Justin was there too. He was Angie's boyfriend, but he sat in the back with his friends. He took her hand now and led the way to his truck.
I watched from the church as she bent forward once they got inside his truck. Her shoulders were shaking so I knew she was crying. He moved over to comfort her. Then I looked to the left where Marissa had parked. She was watching them too, but she wasn't alone. The new boyfriend came over and kissed the back of her neck. They got into her car and drove off while Angie was still crying in Justin's car.
It struck me as odd.
Angie was crying, but she barely knew my brother. And I knew Marissa was leaving to have sex. That's all she talked about before the funeral. Angie told her to shut up, but it never worked. Marissa ignored her and did what she wanted to do.
"Hey."
Jesse stood next to me and followed my gaze. He grimaced. "Your friends suck."
I frowned. "No, they don't."
"Yeah, they do. But don't take my word for it."
"They're upset."
He snorted, rolling his eyes. "They shouldn't be. They didn't know Ethan and they should still be here for you. Where are your parents?"
I shrugged. "They're here somewhere." But I knew they weren't. They left almost immediately after the ceremony. That was normal now. Since the accident, they hadn't talked to me. I knew my mom was grieving. I could hear her crying at night. My dad was with her, but sometimes he ignored her. He spent the nights on the couch. She stayed in their room and I sat on the stairs, between them. No one went near Ethan's room. And Jesse had stopped staying over so his room sat empty. I stayed in his room that first night, but I didn't sleep. I just laid there and waited until morning.
Glancing up at him, I saw the frustration in his dark eyes. His black hair had been combed to the side earlier, but it was sticking up. He raked a hand through it and pulled at it when he was really pissed. It was a mess now. His dark eyes flashed from anger as he scowled. With high cheekbones, his fuck-off attitude, he was lethal.
I asked, "Where's your dad?"
Jesse rolled his eyes. "Fuck. You think he'd come to this?"
"Yeah."
He snorted. "He wouldn't come."
But he paused. I heard the small inflection and I asked, "Did you tell him?"
