Gone. The Saddest Word In The Language. In Any Language.

Why?

27 year old Lexi Aldean drove her Ford Raptor pass the Welcome To Bornwood! Population 218 but what caused the tears to fill her eyes was the fact that the 218 had been scratched out with an old pocket knife and 215 scratched into the green sign. She remembered the night that act of vandalism took place like it was yesterday. She and the person in the raptor behind her had done it on their way out of town. Driving through the tiny town Lexi tried to ignore how much her heart was breaking. She hadn't been home since the night she graduated but she had been called for by the request of her second family, so she had to come home. She had to be there for them and for the driver behind her, even if every pore of her body leaked of sadness. The sun shined through the window, catching the picture on her dash. The seventeen year old blonde with purple and black streaks smiling back at her from her spot on a tall two toned blonde and black haired girl both decked out short shorts and tank tops, two 18 year old boys, one with strawberry blonde hair and the other with brown hair in jeans and tshirt a laughing at them, and a seven year old little boy in a power rangers shirt and jeans sticking his tongue out at the camera, made her want to do a u-turn on the old dirt road and head back for her home in Nashville. "Why Lizzie?" She asked the empty cab and wiping her tears. "I'm so pissed at both of you."

Early the next morning Lexi found herself in an empty graveyard and face to face with a tombstone she hardly ever saw but it was fried into her brain. She placed her dozen of yellow and purple roses on top of in before sitting on the ground. "You're still kinda a bitch and I still kinda miss you like hell." Lexi said picking at a blade of grass. "I hate that I have to talk to a tombstone just to talk to my best friend. You know Mark Slouka once said that 'Gone. The saddest word in the language. In any language.' I've never knew the dude but he's pretty spot on with that." She said reading the tombstone. "God I miss you liz. I miss you so much it hurts. I want to hate you for what you did, but I can't. I just wish I knew why." Lexi said crossing her legs. "So I popped out three kids. Keeley, Elizabeth, and Lyric. Elizabeth goes by lizzie of course. I swear sometimes we think you sent a piece of your soul back with her, she's so much like you. God help us, Cole and Justin are, I mean were their godfathers. Cole kinda has to carry that all on his own now." Lexi said quietly. "Our boys made it liz. They blew up Nashville and changed country music. It's amazing the things I've gotten to see them do. I wish, fuck we all wish you were here to see it with us. We know you're watching over us but it's not the same." Lexi said looking down. She turned her head to the right where they would be laying Justin to rest in a few days time. "You know people in Nashville know what happened and they ask us how we can we not hate you, that you took the easy way out. They don't know you. They don't know that you did everything in your power to stay but eventually the storm within your heart won. I'm gonna get momma out of here. There's nothing left for her here but two tombstones." Lexi told both the tombstone and the pile of dirt. "We're gonna take care of her. I promise." She sat in silence for what had to be an hour before her cellphone rang 'home' by Derkis Bentley. "That's my kiddos. And sadly my cue to leave. I miss and love you more everyday bestest friend." Lexi said standing up. She kissed her fingers before placing them against the marble. "Hi baby." Lexi said walking away from the tombstone that glittered in the sunlight.

It must've been in a place so dark you couldn't feel the light

Reachin' for you through that stormy cloud

Now here we are gathered in our little hometown

This can't be the way you meant to draw a crowd

Oh, why? That's what I keep askin'

Was there anything I could have said or done?

Oh, I had no clue you were masking

A troubled soul, God only knows what went wrong