Mission Jasmine » Kickin' It / I Didn't Do It

22. The Funeral To End It All

"You think he's alive in there?" Delia ventured with a twisted grin.

"Delia!" Garrett hissed. Kim's face twisted in disgust as Garrett swiftly elbowed Delia in the side.

"What! I was kidding. You know you were all thinking it." Delia brushed off as she crossed her arms over her chest. Garrett shook his head as he let his arm wrap around his girlfriend's shoulders, trying to ignore her statement. These two, along with Kim, were the only ones to have never known Shane fully.

"He's not alive, is he?" Garrett asked quickly as the worry rose within the boy. Delia broke a small smile as she patted Garrett on the chest, watching as Kim shook her head.

"No! Why would he be alive!" Kim groaned, resting her head back against Jack's chest. Those two could be quite the handful. The group stayed quiet until another consultancy was made towards a family member about forty feet from the casket. Grey huffed in anger.

"I can't believe how many people showed up to this thing! It was a joke!" Grey scoffed with a small head shake. "Shane was sick, twisted, and was a horrible spy. Not to mention, all of that stuff in the ceremony, wasn't true. They made it sound like Shane didn't torture Jasmine, or try to kill her!"

"Don't be rude." Milton mumbled, receiving a few glares from the others. "What?"

"Are you defending him?" Jack asked, his left eyebrow cocked in suspicion of his friend. Milton swiftly shook his head.

"No! Trust me when I say I hate him as much as the rest of you, but at least I keep in mind that his family's standing right next to us." Milton huffed. The five warily glanced from side to side, catching the evil eye from about ten different people, all who seemed to have known the better version of Shane. They didn't exactly want to her a rehashing of the kidnapping and drug dealing that the papers across the U.S. depicted.

"Sorry." The five muttered in union.

Jasmine smoothed out the bottom of her dress, glancing herself over in the reflection of the limo. She could feel Ricky's arm snake around her waist, holding her close as the fingers from his other hand smoothed over the tattoo still resting in her arm.

"The ceremony sucked." Jasmine mussed, her words almost bringing a smile to her own face as she watched Ricky nod in agreement.

"Well, he sucked too." He said, his eyebrows furrowing as he took a closer look at the artwork. "It's fitting."

"The tattoo or the sucky ceremony?" She asked, getting right to the point. If she had learned anything from her time with Shane, it was to get right to the point. Life was short, you could die at any second. So why waste time beating around the bush with issues so small.

"The ceremony. Why would the tattoo be fitting?" He asked, sending Jasmine a small frown as he pulled her around to face him fully. The others were still standing above the open casket. They all had to see it for themselves that the kidnapper was truly dead. He could see the look in Kim's eyes on the drive over from the hotel. She needed to see it for herself that the monster was gone.

"I don't know, you were looking at it." Jasmine shrugged as she began to play with the collar of Ricky's shirt.

"You should get rid of it." Ricky finally spoke. He had been holding those words in since the second he had seen the thing while Jasmine was in the hospital. It had been almost two weeks since. The authorities had had far too much trouble moving Shane's body back to DC for burial.

"I don't think so." Jasmine said as she shook her head, getting one of the weirdest looks from Ricky she had ever seen.

"Why the hell not?" He asked in disgust. "After all that you went through?" Ricky could feel himself slowly but surely getting worked up yet again. Just hearing the stories made his stomach turn, let alone standing at the boy's funeral. Why did they even have to come today? Other than the fact that they had to see him go deep into the ground.

"Well for one thing, it would hurt, probably worse than actually getting the thing." Jasmine reasoned. "And second, like you said, it shows all that I went through. If I'm going to be known for the rest of my life as the girl who lived, why not have something to show for it. Yeah, it sucked, and I'm still living with the nightmares. But this, reminds me that I'm back with you." Jasmine said with a smile. "After all that, I couldn't ask for anything better." She watched as Ricky's face slowly grew red with embarrassment. He was still the reason she survived, and he always would be.

"So you liked the necklace, then?" Ricky teased as his fingers reached up to clasp around the small object. Truth be told, Jasmine hadn't taken it off since the second she found the object.

"Yes." She laughed, throwing her head back a little before hearing someone clear their throat at their side. Ricky's arms suddenly left her as her boyfriend slammed back into the limo with a push from a middle aged man.

"You!" He yelled angrily. "You killed him!" He continued, pointing his finger closely at Jasmine Kang herself. Jasmine's face scrunched up in confusion before all the pieces of the puzzle were put together. This man, struck the same fear in her as Shane had back at the warehouse, apartment and lighthouse.

"I did kill him." Jasmine agreed simply, crossing her arms over her chest as she did. The whole funeral party, those who had yet to disband anyways, turned to watch as the scene played out. The scene between Jasmine and Shane's father. "But if I didn't, you would have had to live with the fact that your son, was a living drug dealer, drug ring leader, kidnapper and two time killer. Now, you only have to live with the fact that he was, all those things. He isn't anymore, because of me." Jasmine bit back, feeling Ricky appear at her side as he reached down and locked their hands together.

"You should be thanking her." Ricky continued for her. "You never liked him, anyways." Ricky finished just as security came around and pulled the man away. Jasmine turned to watch as the six swiftly made their way over to the limo, forgetting they felt the need to watch Shane's dead body for the time being.

"Jas, are you okay?" Kim asked worriedly, ripping her hand away from Jack for only a second as she looked over her friend. Jasmine nodded numbly, wishing deep inside that what had just happened, wouldn't have. She was so done with all the attention she was getting.

"Yeah." She breathed warily as Ricky pushed a stray strand of hair out of her face.

"Say what you want about that guy, but I've never seen you that mad. You, were awesome." Delia congratulated with a pat to the shoulder. Jasmine smiled, shaking her head at the group as Milton and Grey leaned back against the limo along with them.

"Is anyone hungry?" Jack ventured, getting a laugh from Milton.

"I could go for lunch." He teased, sending a high five his best friends' way. Ricky rolled his eyes as he popped open the door to the limo, ushering the others inside. He turned to see Jasmine looking off towards the slowly lowering casket, a lost look in the girl's eyes.

"You ready Jas?" Ricky called, bringing Jasmine's attention back to Ricky once again. Everything was going to be okay now. She could start her senior year over again with the people she loved, and stay as far away from the east coast as possible. What more could she ask for?

"Yeah." She said as she strutted back over to the limo, interlocking her fingers with Ricky's. "Thanks for asking."

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~Shay