Why we were chosen.

Chapter 45

Lauren stood up at the podium, took a deep breath, and looked up to meet eyes with every single one of her best friends, ignoring the crowd around them. She let out a sigh before looking to her right and staring at her girlfriend. Her beautiful girlfriend who was laying peacefully. Lauren felt her throat tighten at the sight of Camila. She would never meet her brown eyes again.

Lauren quickly shut her eyes and took in a shaky breath, stopping herself from sobbing before facing the crowd again. She looked to her friends again. Each one of them wearing pained expressions. "Camila is the love of my life. We only just started our story together." That was all Lauren was able to say before she began to cry again. Amy quickly stood up from her seat in the front row and walked to Lauren, taking her in her arms and allowing the girl to cry.

"You don't have to talk, Lauren." Amy quietly said through her tears. "We all know. Camila knows it too." At the sound of her girlfriends name, Lauren let out another sob before nodding her head between Amy's neck. Lauren allowed the pregnant teen to lead her back to their seats. Lauren sat in the middle of her friends while they all huddled together, feeling the pain together. They felt the pain of losing a great friend, a sister by choice, a lover, and a wonderful soul that was taken too soon.

The friends stood side by side, supporting one another throughout the entire ceremony. When it was time to place Camila into the spot where she would forever rest, most people had left, not wanting to see the casket descend into the ground, but the ones who remained were her friends and her parents. Alejandro and Sinuhe watched from a distance. They wanted to leave already, not wanting to see their daughter get placed six feet under. With one last sigh, Alejandro turned around and walked towards the car where Sofia was sleeping from how tired she was due to all of the crying. Sinuhe nodded her head and wiped the tears running down her face, deciding to leave the girls to say goodbye to her eldest daughter. She got in the car with her husband before they began on their journey home.

The nine girls all stood in front of the coffin and said a final goodbye to Camila, feeling as though Camila was listening to them. Before Camila was lowered, Lauren walked towards the casket, she held a resin piece that had sunflowers and rainbow chrysanthemums. The flowers were placed to form a heart. In the middle of the heart, to be preserved forever, was Camila's favorite picture of the two, and Lauren's necklace. The one she would wear everyday, the one that held a piece of Lauren. Lauren had made the resin piece herself, wanting Camila to forever have her favorite flowers as well as a piece of Lauren until the end of time.

Lauren closed her eyes, feeling the light breeze and the sun hit her face. She felt a warmth surround her. She could swear to anybody that it was Camila. Opening her eyes, she gently unlatched the coffin. The rest of the girls began to reach into their pockets and bags to retrieve polaroid pictures they had individually decided to place in her coffin, wanting Camila to be buried with something that would forever symbolize their friendship. As they stared down at the pictures they had taken with the brown eyed girl, Lauren continued to stare at her girlfriend.

"Feel the sun one more time, Camz." Her eyes began to water again as she placed the resin and necklace on Camila's abdomen, placing the brown eyed girls arms over to make it seem as though Camila was holding it. "The sun is bright today." She whispered. "Just like how I am when I am with you." Her voice cracked as she glanced at the sun necklace. She gripped onto Camila's moon necklace that was around her own neck. "I love you." She began to cry again. She shut her eyes before leaning forward to place a kiss to her cold lips. For a split second, she could have sworn she felt Camila kiss her back, but just as fast as it came, it went. With one more sigh, she pulled back and placed another kiss to her forehead, admiring Camila's face before she would never be able to see it again. "You'll always be my moon, just like I am your sun. Forever." She whispered before caressing the cold skin of her cheek that was being warmed by the bright sun. After a few moments of admiring Camila, Lauren stepped back, allowing her friends to place their pictures around her.

Each one taking their time to talk to Camila and reminisce on the moment their picture was taken. Once everyone had placed their pictures around Camila's head, Dinah pulled out another resin, however this one was the shape of a square with two more pictures placed in the middle. One was a selfie the ten friends had taken together, all smiling happily during a day out at their favorite park. The other was a picture taken of them as five year old girls at the same park. They each remembered the day. The ten of them were forced to smile and act happy for the picture. They were pictures they had all decided should be with Camila forever. Dinah placed the resin under Camila's arm before they all stepped back. After closing the casket, they all placed sunflowers atop before putting more space between them and the casket, allowing the employees to lower Camila where she would rest forever.

They watched, holding onto one another for support. They cried, feeling the pain and loss. They stayed, staring at the fresh dirt patch where Camila was six feet under. They went home, each with a piece of them missing.

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*Welp, I did say I didn't like happy endings in the first book 😅 💔*