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ƈɧą℘ɬɛཞ 3- ą ცɛɬɬɛཞ ųŋɖɛཞʂɬąŋɖıŋɠ

{Jake's POV}
I opened the text message from Henry, his contact name in my phone used to be 'Lettuce Head 🥬', but I felt that it was too mean so I switched it back to what it was originally.:

Henry 💚: hey I know I'm not suposed to be talking to you because of the argumint yestrday but could me and u meet up?

"How many errors are in that one text?" I smiled a little bit. He always needed help with English homework, but I personally found it a bit cute that he had all of these little mistakes. However, as much as I wanted to meet up with him, I couldn't. It was... the day that dad died and I always go to his grave at the cemetery down the road.

I wish I could, but I have plans today for... myself.:

Henry 💚: oh, ok I'm sorry, but can I join u if possibl

"Could he come with me?"

Uh, sure. Can you meet with me at the cemetery at 11 AM then? Specifically row 4 at column nine.:

Henry 💚: sure!

You're not concerned?:

Henry 💚: why should I be?

Never mind, just... come if you can.:

Henry 💚: okay!

"I hope he can actually come, but I need to get up to go there myself." I'm the only one in my family that goes to my dad's grave, not because my mom and my brother don't care, but because they can't handle it... the last time we did that, Milo and mom were bawling their eyes out and didn't want to leave. I barely wanted to leave either last year, but I still knew that dad would've preferred me to try and move on at some point.

I first got some coffee, left the house and went to the store. I got myself some of the premade bouquets of flowers and some incense sticks that would make sure that my father would rest peacefully, at least that's what I use it for. I then went to the cemetery and went to dad's grave...

"Hey dad." I said while kneeling down in front of the headstone. I had 10 minutes to say whatever until Henry got here, but I usually finish talking after 7 minutes of doing so. "You know how you said that my singing was going to be great for my future? You were right."

I could feel the tears in my eyes. I set up an incense stick in the the incense holder I had set up and lit it. I blew out the flame before something would catch fire and I left the smoke coming out of it by it burning. "The music club and I won the competition in first place. I... I know you'd be proud of me and them for it, but I wish that I could've had your help back when I got into an argument with Drew yesterday, or when I was trying to get back into the club." I set down the flowers close to the grave and incense, but far enough from the incense that it wouldn't catch fire. I then closed my eyes. "It's alright though. This is all my fault for becoming friends with Ace and telling Max who then ratted us out to Gabriel that night."

I stopped talking after that, but not because that's all I wanted to say, but all I could given the fact that I could hear Henry at the edge of the row. He didn't hear me talking, but he had seen me at the headstone of my father. He isn't exactly quiet. I also usually am quiet around now, but I'm never done talking, I'd talk to him at his grave all day if I could.

"Jakey?" Henry said while putting a hand on my shoulder.

I opened my eyes and looked up at him. Well, as much as I could with the fact that my tears were fogging up my vision. "Hey Henry,... you can sit with me if you like." I went back to having my eyes closed with my tears streaming down my face.

I heard Henry sit down next to me, but I could feel him staring at me. "So this is what you meant by your father physically can't do anything."

I heard the empathy in his voice... he was talking about the fact that Drew's dad had asked me what my father did for a living, but it was still only a two year old memory that hurt
just as bad as it did the day after the incident. "Yeah, but it's okay."

Henry was still staring at me. "No, it's not... if it was, you wouldn't be crying right now." I felt him put a hand on my face and wipe away a tear.

"I guess, but I should've moved on by now." I was lightly blushing from him touching my face, but I kept my eyes closed. "It has been 4 years."

He put his hand on one of mine, which were on my legs. "Yeah, but he's you're dad... it's not easy to forget something like this."

"Henry, are you okay?" I asked him because he sounded like he was about to cry himself. I had finally opened my eyes to look at him.

He just looked at the headstone. "He seems so upset." I felt awful about making him upset, but I wasn't trying to. "Hey, I'm sorry for asking you to come here and deal with my family problems."

"No,..." he stopped in the middle of his sentence to brush off a piece of dirt from the stone. "I promise you that you're not burdening me with this, I just have a better understanding of how you act now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I mean, he wasn't wrong, it has been messing me up these last couple years, but what he said was still confusing me. "What do you mean?"

He just put his arm around my shoulder. "You didn't laugh about the daddy issues joke that Hailey and Zander made until you saw us laughing, and whenever you needed something, you'd call your mom instead of your dad." He said while not moving. "I should've figured it out sooner, or at least one of us should've."

"I guess, but I could've made it a little more clear by being... honest." I knew that Henry thought I was dragging out the word honest because of the argument from yesterday, but I was hesitant because of what happened the last time I was fully honest...

"This... this grave is what happens when I'm honest with people."

He was looking at me now. "I don't blame you for not being honest, you had your reasons,... I know it."

I felt the tears in my eyes again. "Th-... thanks Henry."

"No problem,..." he smiled while putting his head on my shoulder. "take your time Jake."

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This is just the third chapter of this book and I hope you like it!

-GhoulSoul508