"Would you like to say goodbye?" She snapped out of the trance she was previously in. "Why would I want to?" She looked to see her friend. His face irritated with tears, and bright red, a tissue in his hand. "I think she would want you to" he said behind sniffles. He was trying to keep his composure around her, but it wasn't working very well. "Well then why did she do it?" She said, a tear streaming down her own face that was quickly swept away.
"You know why, you were there." His voice shook at every word, as if he wasn't aware of what he was saying. "Please Katie, your gonna regret it if you don't." Katie already knew this, but she felt betrayed, even if she had no right to feel so. "Fine" she said, anger lingering on her words.
Katie pusher her way through a couple people. Everyone was crying, though they had a right to. However all she wanted them to do was stop, why were half of them even sad, they didn't know her like Katie did, what right did they have? Katie walked around her friends crying parents, they held each other close. The husband reassuring his weeping wife chocking back his own tears.
She stopped before the black casket. She breathed deeply, trying to calm herself before looking down at the body. Her pupils dilated as she slapped a hand over her mouth. Her tears she tried to hold back came flowing out like a loose faucet. "Oh God...Laura."
———
"Laura look!" Katie shrieked jumping up and down. Laura flinched, turning around to see Katie clasping her hands shut. "What is it?" Katie sneered, slowly opening her hands. Light filled the once dark space, revealing a small winged creature. It's wings bright orange with black dots. "How did you catch a butterfly?!" Laura exclaimed, her own exited-ness rising. "I snuck up on it!" Just as she was about to utter in a word, the butterfly fled from Katie's hand into the sky. Disappearing from their view.
"OH NO THE BUTTERFLY!" Katie screamed. Laura quickly clasped Katie's hands back together. "Hey it's ok you can catch another one!" She smiled, though she didn't believe she could. "It's not that! The butterfly was for you..." a tears falling down her cheek. "For me..?" Laura quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah, since it's your birthday and all, I wanted to give you something special since your turning 8!" She whimpered.
Laura smiled gently. She threw her arms around a weeping Katie, who gasped at the sudden movement. She tugged hard pulling her into a tight hug, almost hard to breathe. "Thank you Katie!" Katie reluctantly wrapped her arms around Laura. Before squeezing back, and sending more tears down her face. "But it flew away" she choked. "I don't care! It would have flown away eventually, I'm just happy you remembered my birthday!"
Katie buried her face into Laura's shoulder. Letting her tears soak into her white shirt. "Thank you Katie" she nodded into her shirt, unaware how to respond. This hug was warm, one she did not want to let go.
————-
"I don't think this is a good idea" Laura warned. "Come on! Don't be such a stick in the mud Laura, it's just like crossy road." Laura furrowed her eyebrows, "YEAH, except we don't regenerate if a car hits us!" Katie rolled her eyes. "We are not gonna get hit by a car!"
She glared at Katie, scowling. "I just don't want you to get hit by a car Katie..." Katie threw her head back. "I won't get hit! I promise!" Laura crossed her arms a crossed her chest. "I SWEAR, IVE PLAYED IT BEFORE!" Laura sighed, maybe she was right. "Fine...." she murmured.
They spent all day weaving in and out of moving cars. Getting honked at, and cursed out. However they just kept playing without a care. Maybe Katie was right, she was being a stick in the mud. This game was fun.
"See I told you I was right!" Katie exclaimed. "Yeah, yeah okay, it's kinda fun." Katie grinned, "see, I told you, you would like it!"
Katie closed her eyes, she was taking a rest from hopping. After a while it got rather tiring. Suddenly she felt pressure against her body as she flew backwards landing on the hard sidewalk. "OUCH! LAURA WHAT THE HELL!" She screamed out of pain. Why the hell fid Laura push her!? She threw herself up to tell her off. But she fell silent, her mouth hanging open.
She ran to her. Falling onto her knees beside her. "Laura? Laura hey!" She shook her aggressively, staining her hands with a red substance. No response. A man stepped out of his vehicle frantically running to them. "ARE YOU OKAY?" Was she okay? What did he think? Was he serious!? Her vision went red, and she felt faint.
Katie clenched her fists, jumping at the man responsible. Tackling him to the floor. "WHAT DID YOU DO!" She screamed, punching him in the chest. She couldn't hear his begging. Him pleading her to stop hitting him so he could call an ambulance. All fell silent. Why? It all happened to quick. What even happened?
"Katie..." Katie flinched, turning slowly over to Laura's blood stained body. She hadn't even bothered to open her eyes. Katie threw herself off the man and crawled to Laura. "Yeah? I'm right here Katie your gonna be okay!" She cupped her face with her hands.
Laura weakly put her hand around her wrist. "Please...Stop" Katie nodded. "Stop the pain, it hurts, why does it hurt?" Katie gagged on her tears. Letting out a shaky breath. "Laura you- you got hit with a car." Laura's eyes opened slightly. Before she shut them again. "I'm tired Katie" Katie shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. "No! Please, Laura you have to stay awake! You can't go to sleep yet!" Laura nodded gently. "Laura?" No response was given back. She crumpled her hands grabbing a handful of her shirt. "LAURA!" She screamed.
She can't remember much after that. She remembered the paramedics prying her off Laura's body. And the doctor who told them she died on the way to the hospital.
———-
Laura sighed, catching her breath. "Why did you do that?" She asked. "We didn't get a chance to graduate, or drink, or have parties, we were supposed to die together, why?" She gripped onto the side of the casket. Her own vision blurred out, making it impossible to see anything clearly. "Please..." she whispered. "Please don't go yet, not after everything we've been through."
She fell to the floor in front of the casket. All noise around her stopped coming through to her ears. As she felt her head clash to the floor. She only heard muffled screams, nothing more.
The two graves sat side by side. Each containing a Bouquet of roses and other flowers. They were buried next to each other, friends till the end. Not separated by death. They now only dance together in the afterlife, regretting zero choices they made on the mortal planet. Sometimes leaving is harder then staying. But now they say you can see their ghosts watching their family's during the day. But at night don't cry, for they are dancing about in the night.
