Eileen's funeral was packed with family and friends. All of them were hugging and crying bitterly. Katie had never seen so many adults bawling. She was too depressed to cry.
Dressed in black, Mrs. Loach and Derak stood beside the coffin. Mrs. Loach's face was drippy and colorful with smeared mascara. Derak was not crying at all.
Katie turned away. Looking at them made her think of Eileen. Katie promised herself that she would never think about the Loaches again and forget them entirely.
***
Katie smashed her face into her pillow. Her cheeks were hot and damp. The sky was dark, and it was midnight. Katie could not fall asleep. All she thought about was Eileen. Now Katie did not have a best friend anymore. Better and Carol from church were just people she talked to sometimes. Eileen was her best friend.
Suddenly, a pain shot up Katie's right leg. Katie sat up anxiously. The pain vanished. A wave of relief swept over her.
Katie tried to fall asleep, but Eileen's pale, sickly face crawled back into her mind. She buried her face under her pillow. She would never go back to Eileen's house again.
YOU ARE READING
My Best Friend's Older Brother
Ficción GeneralAll Katie has ever wanted is a best friend. After multiple embarrassing encounters, she at last finds a kindred spirit in Eileen, a girl she meets at a vacation Bible school. Eileen has a shy, awkward older brother named Derak, whom the girls tease...
