Sunlight (Kyle Simmons)

Funeral

Manda
I was never one for pretending. I wouldn't pretend to be something I wasn't for acceptance. I was reserved around some people, and completely blunt around others. No one was ever nessicarily mean to me, but not affectionate either. They all whispered things to each other, but I knew it was me that made gossip so interesting. Rumors come and go, and they eventually make their way back to my ears.

I heard it was her insanity that made him leave her.

I'm suprised she's even allowed to work. She should probably be in the mental house by now? Or on disability.

"It'd be nice if she stayed home at that farmhouse all day. She's a danger."

Rude, I know. But not a complete lie. The downfall of my marriage ruined me. When I finally got divorced, I suffered a lot of depression and anxiety problems. Things got so intense that my mother insisted I come back to the farm area and live with her. It was supposed to be temporary, but Susan wouldn't let me go, and I didn't argue, since I really had no where else to go.

Work was stressful that day. I was trying to help someone out with their prescription, but they just kept arguing about it and accused me of switching their medicine. I almost lost my temper on them, but one of my coworkers tried to reason with them.

"It's okay," Jewel told me. "I've seen that woman before, she's mean, and a little judgmental. I just hope she doesn't come back."

"Yeah," I said. "I can't stand people like that. She's heard things about me."

"Who cares?" said Jewel. "You know the truth, I know the truth, and that's all that matters."

"Yeah, but it's not right. He's the monster and I'm supposedly the danger in town. If anyone believed me, he'd be in prison. But I don't have proof or witnesses, so I'm the crazy one."

"I don't think you're crazy." she said.

"Thanks," was all I managed to say. I was desperate to change the subject, but all I had to say we're depressing things. That's all this town had. "By the way, are you going to the funeral?"

"Yeah, I kind of have to. He was going to be my brother-in-law. My fiance is heartbroken. Wait why are you going?"

"Evan was one of my brother's friends. Elliott and a bunch of other boys in our neighborhood always hung out."

"How is he?"

"Elliott's pretty upset. He had no idea that Evan was dying. My sister is too. They were all pretty close. I just tagged along with them, since I was the youngest."

"They're home?"

"Just for this week."

~Two Days Later~

I caught a ride with my siblings. My brother Elliott drove our mother's van to the chapel, his wife Adeline in the passenger's seat. My sister Leah and her husband Garrett sat in the second row of seats, and then I sat in the very back. The whole vehicle was silent.

It was bright that morning, although the air was cool. We finally arrived, and that's when the silence ended. I was rather self conscious in my short black dress; while Adeline and Leah looked like models, I looked like a corpse. There wasn't anything confident about me.

"You okay?" my brother asked me.

I nodded silently.

"I'm glad you came with us. Now let's go get a seat."

Kyle

The ceremony started finally, after I'd stayed in one place for almost 40 minutes. I spent most of that time wondering what the band was doing at the moment. Not important, but it was hard to resist the phone when Dan kept texting me.

Dan: You never told me about a guy name Evan????

Me: So? I haven't seen any of them in over a decade.

Dan: Then why are you at a funeral??

Me: Shut up Dan. It's starting.

I tried to listen to the priest, but it was hard to concentrate. The room was hot, and so was my suit. The room full of people irritated my claustrophobia. It was almost unbearable. Until I saw...

Hair. Beautiful hair. It was bright, the color of caramel. It flowed down from the woman's head, and had small braids dangling from each side. And certainly familiar...

Mans. It was Mandala. The girl who lived across the street from me. Elliott and Leah's sister. My best friend when we were teenagers...

When everyone went outside for lowering the casket into the ground, I got a better look at her. I was just curious, wanting to know how all three siblings grew up to look like. Elliott wasn't much to look at, just black hair and the build of a model. Leah wasn't much different either, the same freckled face but her hair dyed blond from her natural brown. What caught my attention was the youngest, Mans.

She was... stunning. No, gorgeous. Her long caramel colored hair was only the beginning of it. Her skin had a flawless olive tone, for one, and she had the face of an angel. She was sort of short, probably around 5'4" to 5'6".

No! I thought to myself. No, I have a girlfriend!

I couldn't let a woman's looks get me started. I couldn't. Not when I had been in a relationship for four years. I would keep some distance. I would acknowledge the beautiful Mandala, but that was where it stopped.

Manda

Making my way to the van wasn't fast enough. I was ready to be out of sight. I didn't want to hear the people talk. But the others weren't having any of it. Elliott was busy talking to the guys from his childhood gang, introducing his flawless bombshell of a wife. Leah and Garrett were catching up with another couple. I spoke with Jewel for a few minutes, but her fiance was too busy weeping over his brother.

"Mans! Mans!" Just a ghost... But then I heard it again. "Mans"

I turned around to see the unexpected. A pale, skinny mountain of a man, probably a few years older than me, was shouting my name. The most distinctive thing I notice was facial hair. Tons of it. He had a fine, groomed mustache and beard the same dark brown as his hair. I should've known those big brown eyes, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Oh, come on, little Mandie. Surely you remember me."

Mandie. My best friend used to call me that.

My heart skipped a beat. "Kyle!"

He laughed. "It's good to see you, little Mandie."

He hugged me tightly. I was suprised my ribs didn't crack. When he released me, his smile didn't fade. "How've you been?"

"Alright," I said. "Just the same as always. What about you, I heard you were in a band now."

"Word travels fast, right? I play keys. We travel a lot."

"That sounds great. I bet you're extremely successful."

"You could say that."

I laughed. It was good to talk to someone who didn't know what I had been through. It was nice to see a familiar face who wouldn't find out about the life I had been living. Might as well enjoy it while it lasted. Better yet, it was Kyle, and I practically did everything with him when I was younger...