Some people wait their whole lives to find the perfect friend.
But not Isabella Washington.
She knew she'd be best friends with Aiden Cunningham the moment she set eyes on him. But staying friends through school is easy. It's what comes after that c...
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Today was Aiden's funeral.
Isabella and her parents arrived at the church twenty minutes before the ceremony started. As Isabella got out of the car, she saw the people who were invited. Everyone was wearing black attire. She never thought she would wear black for a sad occasion like this.
Especially her best friend's funeral.
There were a lot of people standing outside the church with sad looks on their faces. Kids from her school had come for this day, some of them who didn't even know Aiden. It was nice of them to come and support Nicole and her family.
"I'm going to find our seats," Isabella told her parents through the passenger side window.
"Thanks, we won't take long to find a spot," Marybeth replied.
"Okay, see you inside." Isabella stepped back as Bradley drove off to the parking lot. She turned to the front entrance and walked inside the building.
When she stepped inside, she saw everything set up. The podium was set up for the pastor to speak, and a big projector screen hung on the ceiling, displaying a slideshow.
The first slide read:
The Life of Aiden Daniel Cunningham.
She glanced at the dark brown, closed casket with flowers on top, and a memorial picture frame next to it, showing a picture of Aiden that was taken before his eighteenth birthday.
Isabella wanted to give up right there. She didn't have the strength to do this. She couldn't bear thinking that Aiden was never coming back into this world again. It felt like she was abandoning him.
"Bella."
Isabella turned around and made eye contact with Nicole. She was wearing a black, long-sleeved dress with her hair up in a ponytail. She had dark bags under her eyes which she had tried to cover with makeup.
Nicole had been a godsend, taking care of her nephew for so many years, and now she had tragically lost him.
"Hi, Nicole." Isabella gave her a faint smile.
"Hi . . . how are you?" Nicole asked.
"I'm . . . trying to manage."
"Me too," she whispered as her eyes glistened with tears.
"You should be proud of yourself, you know. You took care of Aiden all his life. I know he loved you and was grateful he had you."
Nicole's lips curved up a little, stepping closer to wrap her arms around Isabella. "Thank you."
Isabella hugged her back with all the comfort she could give.
The two women pulled apart as Nicole wiped off a tear. "Well, I'm going to talk to the pastor and get the ceremony started."
