Stitch by Stitch

*Author's Note*

Ok, so this is for the 2012 Watty Awards. If you like this, please comment and vote to show your support. I would also greatly appreciate it if you recommended this story to your friends and family. Thank you for reading. :)

Kody sat on the couch in his mom and his three bedroom apartment. The T.V. was airing the day's edition of the news, flashing pictures and scenes from the recent storm. It was nothing but background noise. His attention, instead, was focused on the cap, gown and frame hung up by the dining room table. All that was needed was the diploma to complete the picture.

In the kitchen, his mom was busy cooking one of the three meals she actually knew how to make. Three was a big deal, a few months ago, she could only claim to knowing how to burn water. The smell of seasoned, grilled chicken filled the apartment, making Kody's stomach growl. There was a crash from the kitchen as his mom dropped a plate and it shattered. He made to get up, figuring his mom needed help, but paused as the start of a news segment caught his attention. Hallie Davis's senior picture lit up the screen, her green eyes wide and full of life as she sat cross legged in the middle of a field of daisies. Her long brown hair was wavy and reached the middle of her back. Kody's stomach jerked at the sight of her so alive.

"Three months after the untimely death of High School senior, Hallie Davis, the rest of her class is getting ready to graduate. From studying for finals, to making last minute decisions for the graduation parties, seniors are busier than ever this month. But that doesn't mean they have forgotten about their fallen classmate:

"We miss her more than anything," says Hallie's close friend, Rachelle Clark. The rest of her classmates agree, and have shown so by asking the school that Hallie Davis still have a place in their graduation. The school conceded and have made plans for there to be a seat labelled for Hallie at their graduation. They also released that they plan to have a memorial of sorts set up in her memory, where they will display her diploma for which she had completed the required credits for before her passing.

"We couldn't have asked for more," states Hallie's tearful mother after hearing the news. "She always dreamed of graduating, and now, her wish is coming true." In a community where people come together to make other's dreams come true, this is Robert Martinez saying goodnight."

Kody stared at the television long after the segment was over, his mind completely numb. He had managed to go a day with out thinking about her, but now, memory after painful memory crashed over him, leaving him completely surrounded by the thought of her.

Hallie laughing as she raced to swing higher than him at the playground.

Hallie smiling, a drop of cotton candy ice cream on her nose.

Hallie playfully rolling her eyes as he gave her a fake diamond ring on her birthday.

Hallie attempting to escape her friends as they tickled her.

Hallie wiping away a tear after needing yet another shot to lessen the pain.

Kody stood up abruptly, walked to his room, and collapsed on the floor near his bed. He punched the ground in an outburst of anger, then put his head between his legs in attempt to calm himself. His shoulders rose and fell as he steadied his breathing and managed to convince himself, if only halfheartedly, that he didn't miss her anymore. But he did, and there was only so long that repeating to himself that he didn't would work. Her pale, sick face was all that he could see when he closed his eyes. He almost wished he never met her, or at least left when she had given him the chance, said that she wouldn't blame him.

Instead, he had stayed by her side till the end. Through the radiation, the tests, the MRI's. Every night, he wished he could take the pain from her, prayed for the strength to be strong for her. And yet, every night, he had nightmares of what was to come, what had already happened, and he still did, three months later. Everyone told him to hold onto the good memories, to not be sad it ended, but glad that it happened, but it's hard considering she's dead.

From the kitchen, Kody's mom call him to dinner. He ignored her. It wasn't long until his bedroom door opened and closed as his sister walked in. She sat down next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder. She sighed.