Photograph | l.h.

Chapter Thirty Three

Chapter Thirty Three

Luke

Weeks had passed, three to be exact. Lillian still hadn't woken up, and doctors were unsure of when she would awaken.

The past three weeks were extremely confusing for Luke. As much as he wanted to miss school to he with Lillian, he knew that wasn't possible. He'd missed an entire week, the days following the accident. Liz would not tolerate him missing anymore school, simply because he was falling behind without even realizing it.

Luke was doing all that he could when it came to preparing for Nadine's funeral. Although he could not stand her, he felt that it was appropriate if he went to the service. Not only was he going because Phil needed support, but, his mum was forcing him to go and pay his respects.

Luke didn't like Nadine. He'd known her before Lillian had come into his life, but then he knew her as just a teacher. Once he saw how she was outside of school, he knew that she was an evil soul. Nadine treated Lillian horribly; it was very evident in most cases.

Luke did not dress up often. He owned a nice button up shirt and pants though, just in case he would ever need it.

As he looked in the mirror on his bedroom wall, he felt dead. His eyes were drained of any kind of light, the light that Lillian used to bring him. Luke couldn't remember the last time he'd actually slept. Misery mostly kept him up at night.

The fancy attire that he hadn't worn since homecoming felt unnatural on him. He wasn't used to dressing up, and normally when he did, there was a clear smile on his face. The only thing that Luke resembled in that moment was a ghost. His pale face, chapped lips, and baggy eyes all made him feel as if he were no longer living. Indeed he was still breathing, but the day Lillian crashed was the day that he felt his soul had died.

"Luke, sweetheart," Liz spoke, taking Luke from his thoughts.

He had not even realized that she was standing in his doorway.

Luke eyed his mum up and down in confusion. "Why are you dressed like that?" he asked, referring to the funeral-like clothes that his mum was wearing.

"Oh honey," she started. "I figured I would come with you, for support."

Luke sighed. "I don't need support, mum. This is just for Lillian's bitch stepmother."

"Hey!" Liz gasped. "Be respectful."

"She's dead, mum. I don't think what I say about her matters anymore. Besides, I have every right to call her that. She treated Lillian like a piece of fucking garbage!" Luke snapped.

Liz walked closer to her son. She engulfed him in a tight hug, even though he did not embrace her back. Luke wasn't trying to be rude, he just didn't desire anybody's sympathy.

"If you think you can do this on your own, then I won't go." his mum whispered.

"I can do this on my own." Luke huffed.

-

To Luke's surprise, there were many people in the parking lot of the small building where Nadine's funeral was located. After Liz had pulled into a parking spot, she immediately eyed the amount of people there.

"Luke, you don't know any of these people. Are you sure that you want to go in there alone?"

"Yes, mum. I can handle it."

Luke was expecting his mum to question him even more, but to his surprise, she didn't. He understood why Liz was acting this way; she felt bad for him. But Luke didn't want pity. In all honesty, he didn't know what he wanted from others.