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Chapter Sixty-Seven

The game came and went. It was a lot closer than the few games they had already had. There was no way the team would let a loss come through on star player Grayson Coleman's birthday weekend. They worked their asses off to pull in a win. I could tell that Pierce's heart wasn't in the game though. Lacrosse would never be his sport, and that was okay.

Pierce and I didn't see each other after the game. I wasn't feeling well and I just wanted to go home and make sure I was well rested for the birthday bash, even if I was dreading it. I was surprised I was even allowed with how much Ally hated me. I guess she had to pick her poison. If she wanted Pierce there, I needed to be there as well.

I got ready for the bash in my room while Reece stood in the doorway. Every time I pulled out an outfit he laughed. He had been a part of almost every birthday bash the Colemans' threw. He knew what was accepted for attire, and my outfits weren't it. I didn't want to wear something of Emery's again. I didn't want Gray hurting again. I was too heartbroken after the dance. He was too hurt from that.

"Why didn't you go get a new outfit Charlee?" Reece groaned as he walked across my room to my closet.

"Reece, I don't like dressing up. You know this. I hate shopping. It's just how it is." I groaned as I dropped to the floor of my closet.

"Here come to Emery's room with me." Reece held his hand out.

"I'm not wearing something of hers. It hurts Gray too much." I didn't reach out for his hand. But I guess I didn't have to. He wrapped his arms under my arm pits lifting me from the floor and dragging me to her room.

It was still eerie how the room had been untouched since she passed. I looked around as I did every time I entered her room. Photos of her and her friends lined the walls. I walked over to a group of photos on the wall and ran my fingers along the pictures as I studied them. Reece got lost in her closet as I did so.

I stopped my hand on a photo of Emery and Grayson. Emery's hair was pulled back in a curled ponytail which was completed with a nice big blue and yellow bow. Her head was rested upon Grayson's chest as his arm held tightly around her shoulders. Her body was dressed in the cheer uniform that still laid upon the skin of our cheerleaders now. Her cheek was accompanied by a tattoo of our mascot. She was radiant.

Grayson's body was covered in his football jersey. But no football pads laid under the fabric. He let her have the comfort of his body after a game. I could tell it was taken after the game because Grayson's hair was shades darker than the bright blonde hair he normally supported. The black lines on his cheeks were running from the pure amount of sweat that coated his body.

The love between the two of them was beaming in the photo. I genuinely didn't even think anyone could see love like this between Pierce and I. And that was saying a lot.

As I scanned across the wall more my hand landed upon a photo of her and Reece. I could tell the moment I looked at it that I would never have a bond like Reece and Emery. They would always have that blood relationship I would never have with him. But on top of that, they had lived through every moment of each other's lives together. From birth, for the most part, until her passing. It seemed as though they were each other's other halves. Reece would never have love for me like he had for Em and I would always accept that.

Looking even further into the photos I saw photos of Emery with the girls. The difference between the photos of Emery and Harlow and Emery and Ally were insane. Emery and Low had a deeper friendship than Emery and Ally. You would have thought that Emery would have been closer with Ally because she was dating her brother, but I could tell it wasn't like that at all.

I wish I had gotten to know the girl that once lived in the four walls of this bedroom. Maybe one day I would get the nerves to ask for old home videos. I never wanted to bring up pain that I figured this would pull from deep inside my now family. But I really did want to know who this girl was who had such an incredible impact in her short time on this earth.

"Charlee focus!" Reece called from the closet trying to get me to follow his voice.

I looked away from the photos and walked over to Reece who has thrown a bunch of items of clothing on the floor. This boy didn't follow the rules of keeping Emery's room in pristine condition. Though I did know he would put everything back in its exact position when he was done. He broke rules only to follow them. Eventually.

Reece finally dragged a box into the center of the room and sat it between the two of us. I studied the outside of the box and found writing on the outside of the box that read unworn. Reece always knows.

"So this box is stuff that still has the tag on it. Either she didn't like it, someone bought it for her and it didn't fit, or she never had an occasion to wear it. The picking is free and all for you to divulge in. Good luck sis. Find something fast." Reece stood up and left me in his sister's room alone.

I removed the lid of the container off placing it gently on top of the clothes Reece had scattered all over the floor. I pulled out each piece of clothing one by one, studying the fit and fabric of each item. It was all very much Emery's style. Tight fitting and short. It was stuff I wish I felt comfortable wearing, but I knew I never would.

"Sweetheart?" I heard my mom questioning from down the hall. I assume she was stopped at my bedroom door.

"I'm in Em's room mom." I said softly and hesitantly.

I heard her footsteps head towards the door causing me to look in her direction. Her body appeared in the doorframe and a smile spread across her face. I knew the room brought her peace of mind. But it had to hurt just as much as it brought peace.

"What are you doing in here sweetie?" My mom knelt down on the floor next to me, tucking her feet up under her.

"Reece brought me out this box to look for something to wear to the Coleman's party but, I'm still struggling." I sighed as I ran my hands over a bunch of different articles of clothing in the box. I was frustrated and I'm sure she could tell.

My mom pulled out a long skin tight dress that had a slit up that hit half way up the thigh. I shook my head instantly. There was no way my legs could be exposed. My legs held too many scars for the world to see.

"You won't be let in unless you're in a dress. No matter what Grayson says, this is just as much Ally's party as it is his. She will over power him and you know that." My mom tried to comfort me.

"Why is everyone obsessed with dressing up? What is the fun in that? Not everyone likes to dress up. This is so stupid." I groaned.

"Can your legs show at all or is that not an option?" My mom tried to come to a conclusion.

I put my legs out in front of me and pointed to a place where I would feel comfortable. My mom stood up on a mission and ran off leaving me on the floor in Emery's room.

Within minutes she returned dropping a lump of fabric into my lap. "Try this on. I think you might not hate this. At least as much as all of this." She motioned to the floor around us.

I slowly moved towards the bathroom in Emery's room and carried the lump of fabric with me. When I returned back to my mother my body was wrapped in a sweater dress that covered almost every inch of my body. The only skin showing was from the middle of my calf to my feet. I think this was the most comfortable I would ever feel in a dress. It felt like I was in an extremely oversized sweater. It was great. Why didn't someone introduce this to me sooner?

"Reece! I'm ready!" I called as I rubbed my hands against the soft fabric that hugged my skin.

Reece appeared in the doorway of Emery's room almost instantly. He looked good. Not over dressed, but extremely well put together. He ruled the look-good-without-trying-too-hard look. Harlow was lucky to have him.

"Damn Charlee, Mom got you in a dress. I'll be damned." I laughed as I walked over to him. "You need to put something on your feet before we leave this place." Reece crossed his arms as his shoulder rested against Emery's door frame.

"And sneakers don't count. At least do sandals." Reece called out as I stepped into Emery's closet to find some sort of footwear to put on my feet.

"Fine." I groaned.

After a few minutes of digging around I found a pair of boots I wouldn't kill myself trying to walk in. I slid them on and stepped out of the closet getting the approval of both my brother and my mom.

It was time to leave for the dreaded birthday bash that everyone in the town was begging to be at.