CRUEL SUMMER

21: The Funeral

[1 month ago]

OLIVIA HAD lost herself completely- watching a bit of her mother slip away every day was torture for the girl. When Susannah died, Olivia didn't want to believe it at all- Doctors had to drag her out of the room so Via didn't break any machines. However, Via thought that if she didn't believe her mother had died, it wouldn't become a reality.

Dealing with her mother's death was very overwhelming, causing Via to spend every single day in her bedroom alone. She refused to eat, sleep, shower, or get dressed- no matter how many times Jeremiah begged her to unlock her door. It didn't help that Conrad was shutting people out too, staying at Brown College so he didn't have to see anyone effected Jeremiah deeply.

Jeremiah would sit outside her bedroom, even sleep outside in the hall, in case Via had done something bad- Jeremiah had a big fear of that happening. He knew that Via hated therapists and councillors, so just decided to wait for her, no matter how long it took for her to unlock her door and let him in.

The day of the Funeral arrived extremely quickly, it didn't help that Via had taken a lot of drugs before. It was her way of coping, so she didn't have to feel any pain. She hated feeling grief.

Jeremiah linked arms with Via, who was struggling to walk in a straight line. He lowered his voice, almost whispering in her ear so nobody could hear him, "How much have you taken?"

"Leave it." Via groaned, pulling away from him as her voice slurred slightly.

The ceremony was extremely long for Via, sitting on an uncomfortable wooden bench with an unfamiliar urge to smoke more weed made time go very slowly. The amounts of weed she had inhaled caused her to feel numb, yet the girl still sobbed loudly- her knees bobbing up and down as she cried into her hands.

Conrad, who she hadn't seen since Susannah's death, sat next to her, holding in tears as much as he could. His hand reached for Via's, as he held it tightly.

Getting through the ceremony was a challenge, but having to see everybody at the Wake celebrating Susannah's life made Via's blood boil. She watched as people who didn't even know her mother walked inside the building, they were strangers to her. They didn't even know Susannah for the amazing mother she was. Via rolled her eyes, not being able to mask her frustration anymore, before turning around to walk away...

"Uh, I'm sorry- Livy?" Belly questioned in confusion, unaware who she had bumped shoulders with. Her face softened, as she hugged the girl, "Hi, uh, I haven't seen you-"

"I'm sorry- I, uh, I was just gonna go upstairs." Via interrupted, her throat burning as she tried to hold back tears, "I, uh, can't be here."

"No, that's okay." Belly nodded understandably, "If you wanted, I could bring a plate of food up to you. It wouldn't be a problem."

Via tried to smile, her voice breaking as she spoke hoarsely, "Thank you."

Via closed the spare room door behind her, breaking down into hysterics almost immediately, holding her chest tightly. The pain she felt was too much, it physically ached her heart, almost pulling the life out of her soul. She couldn't describe how much her heart hurt. She couldn't describe how much she missed her mother.

Her silent sobs became louder as she gasped for air, her legs collapsing underneath her. She knelt on the carpet, trying to cry quietly so nobody outside would hear her.